Life after college
Mike and Debbie Melvin Farrell have been living in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, since retirement in 2018. As avid golfers, they are surrounded by over 25 courses within an hour’s drive, which has been a dream. They have met some wonderful friends down there, while continuing friendships in Annapolis, Maryland. Mike and Debbie get many visitors from back home, including Page Thompson Anderson and her husband, Eric. Debbie had a stroke in 2021, which was caused by her migraine medication. It was a scary time, as Mike couldn’t come to the hospital with her. She was extremely fortunate to recover quickly with minimal physical therapy and was back out playing golf within a month. In November 2023, she finally bit the bullet and had her right knee replaced. She says it’s the best decision she ever made, as she went to Europe for 12 days with her girls in May 2024, and “boy, did we do some walking!”
Felix Licefi and Sherri Sheckler Licefi ’78 finally made time to visit Yellowstone National Park and should have done that trip a lot sooner. It was an incredible experience. In 2024, Felix spent some sessions in Richard Tucker’s Houston, Texas, area recording studio, laying down a number of songs. “It’s been a lot of fun playing guitar and singing. Just wish Hank Mills was here to join in the band.” Sherri and Felix are seriously thinking about moving permanently back to Fenwick, Delaware, where they just spent another wonderful Delaware summer seaside. In August, he was fortunate to have lunch with Bachelor bro, Joe Carrico, who spends a considerable amount of time down at the ocean. He also got to play golf by the sea with some Phi Delt boys: Randy Dove ’74, Mark Higdon, John Barnes ’77, Mark Anderson, and the inimitable Larry “Hondo” Schmidt.
Mark Metzger’s wife, Janine, retired from teaching art and music in June, spending more time contributing her gorgeous voice to our church, and she is keeping a closer eye on her husband, who continues to need adult supervision. Not to be confused with the patriarch of the family, their yellow Lab, Pearl, is the show stealer, swimming an average of five hours a day and is the leading rebounder in pool basketball. Mark continues to work because, he says, “I love what I do” as director of on-premise sales and education of New Jersey’s leading wine distributor, the Opici Wine Group. However, he’s finding more time to write, both fiction and political satire, which he is imagining will be his last endeavor.
Mike Deener ’74 and Annette Marie Witt Deener are still on the farm in Sharpsburg, Maryland, with a small farm business selling flowers and produce. They are blessed to have their children, Matthew and Megan, living in the area. They get to spend lots of quality time with their three grandchildren, Naomi, Quinn, and Chloe. The kids love coming to the farm to play and swim, as well as creating fond family memories at their beach house in Corolla, North Carolina. While happily maintaining the farm and beach house, as well as watching the grandchildren when needed, Annette has taken some continuing education classes at the community college, one of which has gotten her interested in creating photo books. She also regularly attends an exercise class. Annette and Mike enjoyed reconnecting with WMC pals for the Class of ’74 Reunion and are looking forward to the Class of ’75 Reunion in June.
Thomas Trezise and Kathy Hamilton Trezise ’76 are in their third year in Florida, living just north of St. Augustine and loving it. As they hoped, they had a number of visitors from the north, including Lynne Hulse Javier ’74, M.Ed. ’75, and Vinnie. Thomas is theoretically retired, but released his first novel, “Former Things Forgotten,” earlier this year and has been heavily involved in marketing it. With two more novels underway, he also serves as an expert witness in insurance matters. In recognition of retirement, he finds time for golf, including the annual Phi Delt and Friends golf extravaganza in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March. He has been involved in helping launch the new Global Methodist Church. Despite occasionally toying with the idea of retirement, Kathy still has her professional organizing business, although she now limits her service to financial records management.
Karen Arndt Fisher wrote that she was in Denver, Colorado, at a conference with her husband, Dennis. They spent a week in Ocean City, Maryland, before that, though they don’t usually travel that often. Dennis is on the fifth year of his six-year term as township supervisor, and that precludes much opportunity to travel. Karen spends her time volunteering at a food bank in Philly. She has become proficient in using Google Translate, as they have had an influx of Ukrainians to that area.
Johan van der Jagt, M.Ed. ’78 has the continued joyful privilege of playing the pipe organ for three different church congregations. In addition to the hours spent getting ready to play and playing for the church services, he has also now been able to compose a few of his own pipe organ compositions as well as improvisations on already composed hymns.
Nancy Morel Strohminger is now retired and living in Baltimore. Her husband, Mel Strohminger ’65, died of cancer in 2023. These days, her family and loved ones are scattered between Philadelphia; Montreal, Canada; and Melbourne, Australia. Lots of traveling and the circle of life goes on. Nancy’s stepson has a 1-year-old son, and her youngest daughter has a newborn daughter.
Bruce Walz informs us he is enjoying retirement from the faculty of University of Maryland, Baltimore County as an emeritus professor. Although traveling to various locations, including Wyoming and Alaska, for wildlife photography, Bruce still resides in the central Maryland area. He remains involved with his town and its fire department.
Summerville, South Carolina, is still home for Linda Spence Guess, and it suits her fine. Linda retired from teaching kindergarten right before COVID-19 hit, and now spends time with church activities, handbells, family, travel, and gathering used golf balls to raise money for various charities. She is appreciative of all the golfers who lose balls in the ponds! Linda was in Pennsylvania for a great visit with Karen Gilbert Korbonits and her husband, Dave.
Jackie Andrews Grace and Jerry Grace continue to enjoy their retirement at The Keep near Littlestown, Pennsylvania. They enjoy watching all the wildlife and have worked to make their property a Homegrown National Park, which is an organization that promotes native plant and wildlife habitat. They love this area and all the fun festivals in close proximity, and they’re not far from Westminster, Maryland. After 30-plus years in the ministry, it’s nice to have a peaceful existence. Jerry recently decided he wanted to learn wood turning as a hobby, so he set up a workshop space in their garage. He’s already produced some beautiful pieces using wood sourced from their property. Jackie still enjoys gardening, rubber stamping, and painting. She’s working on a primitive painting of The Keep right now, which will occupy a patiently waiting blank wall above the piano when it’s finished.
Life has been very good as Bruce Anderson and Gail live between West Ocean City, Maryland, and St. Petersburg, Florida. He says it’s nice to be warm in the winter and enjoy golf all year while still sitting part time as a U.S. magistrate judge. His grandchildren, Duncan and Winnie, are growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, and Bruce gets to see them several times a year. Duncan came for a long weekend this winter to St. Pete, and they had a ball at the beach. Duncan even took Bruce’s little Miata for a spin in the parking lot. Bruce and Gail have traveled to Europe in the past two years with trips to Italy and down the Danube River. They still see Mark Higdon and his wife, Patti, and Linda Loock Schmidt and Larry Schmidt often. The Scottsdale group of former classmates still head to Arizona each year to compete for the Walker Cup, named after Phi Delt brother Chet Walker ’74.
Sam Tressler and Beth McWilliams Tressler closed down their dairy operation in March 2024. After 48 years in a 24/7 family business, it has been a difficult adjustment for everyone. One of their daughters was married in Ireland in July. Many alumni from the McWilliams family attended, including: Gary McWilliams ’71, Linda McWilliams Broderick ’72, Wayne McWilliams ’74, Ross McWilliams ’77, Brent McWilliams ’79. They continue to enjoy frequent trips to visit grandchildren in Dallas, Texas, and Berlin, Maryland.
Robert Cullison, M.S. ’97 is looking forward to the Reunion and seeing everyone. He is still enjoying retirement, having time to travel and do all those other things that working interferes with doing! He took a 10-day trip to New Hampshire and Maine to view and appreciate the fall colors. What a beautiful place to be in October, in the White Mountains and along the Maine coast. They’ve been living in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, for the past 4½ years, which gets them closer to their children and grandchildren. Also, this places them closer to WMC — so he’s been able to participate in a couple of GBX get-togethers. It’s always a pleasure to see old friends and classmates.
Julie Mullen Johnson, M.Ed. ’76 is still working at MiraCosta College and directing the Gear Up Partnership, and she is also now serving as a board member on the local water district as an elected official. The big and wonderful news is that in 2024 both of her sons got married — one in February and the other in August.
Ray Sweetman has been married to his wife, Colleen, for 36 years and has lived in Montgomery, New York, for the past 30 years. Unlike many people his age, Ray is still working. He works for Marsh McLennan Insurance as a senior data program manager and has been there for 30 years. He says he will retire at some point, but since he can work from home and enjoys what he does, he wants to stay working for as long as it feels right. “Guess I need that sense of purpose,” he says. It seems ironic that a French major at college could find a career in IT, but that shows what a good liberal arts education can do.
Debi Lanius Cameron’s family is growing, with three grandchildren that keep them busy. They have also done some traveling over the past year. Their bucket list trip was to beautiful Alaska. They were lucky enough to travel with Larry “Hondo” Schmidt and Linda Loock Schmidt; Chip Graber ’73 and Norma Hamilton Graber ’73; and Randy Dove ’74 and his wife, Nan. Mike and Debi also joined the Schmidts and the Grabers in a road trip from St. Louis to Branson, Missouri. The golf in Branson is made for mountain goats, but the scenery on the courses is wonderful. “In addition to our travels, we continue to spend time by the sea in Ocean City, Maryland.”
Larry “Hondo” Schmidt and Linda Loock Schmidt try to spend as much time as possible with their three daughters and families, who are spread out over Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina. They’re now up to seven grandchildren (four boys and three girls), ranging in age from 1 to 15. Although Linda retired from teaching, Larry continues to practice law (albeit on a reduced time basis as senior counsel in a law firm he co-founded years ago), but continuing to work hasn’t impacted their pursuit of travel. In 2024, international trips included Australia, Ireland, and an Alaskan/Canadian cruise as well as trips in the continental U.S. They enjoy playing golf. Linda is in a couple of ladies leagues and Hondo continues meeting up with fellow Phi Delts in the annual golf pilgrimage to Arizona. It is their 36th year in 2025 and participants include Chip Graber ’73, Randy Dove ’74, Don “Krash” Dulaney ’74, Tom Trezise, Mark Higdon, Bruce Anderson, Steven Vaughan ’76, John Barnes ’77, and Dave Dietrich ’77. The golf is still lousy, but the laughs are nonstop. They are both on the committee planning for the big 50th Reunion and recently made a gift in honor of the Reunion.
Denise and Bill Powell have been retired for seven years. They have lived on China Lake in Maine for 43 years now. Maine can get pretty cold and snowy in the winter, but it is a great place to live with almost no hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, or earthquakes. They now spend their time babysitting for their six grandchildren, who all live within an hour’s drive. Bill is active in the China Lake Association. His specialty is monitoring the loon population on the lake and working to improve the lake’s quality. Bill also spends time helping the kids with their home projects.
Bob Wolfing and Janet “Zimmie” Zimmerman Wolfing have lived in Ocean Pines, Maryland, full time for five years. They have seven grandchildren, and the two youngest are local, so they see them most often. Zimmie spends quite a bit of time volunteering in the community. She and Bob are members of the local Kiwanis Club and help run blood drives, food pantry pick-ups, concessions sales, and community support for local organizations. She also volunteers for the National Aquarium Seal Steward program that monitors and assists wildlife that comes ashore on the beaches. Bob and Zimmie have also joined a pickleball club and try to play two to three times a week.
Stephen Mosberg is still retired, still in West Virginia, and still a chicken farmer. He had to give up caving and teaching cave rescue after 30 years. They’ll take an occasional RV trip when the wife gets time off and they find someone to watch the farm. They took a cruise with his brother and sister, Leslie Mosberg Heubeck ’81.
Alec Wilson and Joan Bailey-Wilson have both retired from the National Institutes of Health, although they still help the younger scientists with some projects, as volunteers. They still live in Phoenix, Maryland. They are enjoying retirement and spending lots of time with their children, Lauren and Alex, and having mega fun with grandson Nate, who is 3 years old. Joan is also traveling a lot for the pure joy of it, with her sister and friends. Recent trips include Florida, Scotland, Tuscany, and Alaska.
Jay Markanich still lives in the same Bristow, Virginia, house and now has nine grandchildren. He still has his business and hopes to never retire, but that possible day is getting more and more attractive with time!
Jean Campbell DiBlasio ’76 and Fred DiBlasio have been married for 45 years and have three kids that are each over or near 40 years old. Fred has also spent 43 years and counting teaching (with 38 of those at University of Maryland). He is thinking about retiring when he hits 40 years there. He is mostly teaching courses asynchronously online, which is a benefit of having tenure and seniority — in other words, being “old.” He’s still publishing and doing a few in-person national presentations each year on the clinical use of forgiveness and therapy with personality disorders. Jean and Fred are blessed to see their nine grandchildren, ages 4 to 13, regularly. Fortunately, they love to visit them to go boating (they often sit in the front of their bow rider and chant “faster, Granddad, faster”), and they enjoy fishing and crabbing from the pier, as well as their other camp-like activities.
Joe Carrico completed his 46th tax season and is ready for at least one more, and Becky Horsey Carrico continues to love being grandmother to their local grandkids. Time is split between their long-time home in Easton, Maryland, and their condo in North Ocean City, Maryland. Their son, Kevin, traveled from Australia with his son and wife for a monthlong visit this summer, which included a weeklong family vacation in Ocean City. They continue to see fellow college classmates and fraternity members in the Eastern Shore and Annapolis vicinity at various events and saw Larry Matthews at a Ravens game. It was great to see AGT fraternity brothers from the Classes of 1973-76 at the biennial get-together in Annapolis, Maryland. In the summer of 2023, they traveled to Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, on a golf and leisure trip and encountered renowned Southern Artist Jack Tracey in Charleston.
Donna and Bruce Moler continue living the good life in their “sort of” new house of seven years in the beautiful wine country of Loudoun County, Virginia. Last September, Bruce (finally) gave up his final part-time employment gig: teaching Homeland Security project and program managers how to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. Of course, real taxpayers could certainly argue whether Bruce did an adequate job of teaching, but as they say, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make ’em drink ... properly!” Donna continues to enjoy finding DIY projects around the house to keep Bruce out of mischief. Therein lies what keeps Bruce engaged in his own homeland security — after 40-plus years of government and private industry service to national security. Bruce and Donna enjoyed a two-week cruise in Croatia and the Greek isles onboard the Star Clipper sailing ship with former WMC classmates Gretchen Godsey Brownley ’77, M.Ed. ’87 and Steve Brownley, and Laurie and Larry Matthews. Bruce attended the Alpha Gamma Tau reunion at the Matthews’ house in Annapolis, Maryland, reliving days of glory with Brothers ranging from year groups 1973 to 1976. Sadly, we toasted the passing of several AGT Brothers, as we all are coming into that phase of life when such evils like cancer rob us of past friends and family.
Rebecca “Becki” Bloyer Masters retired from the practice of internal medicine in December 2023, so she now has a bit more free time, but as many do, she has filled it up with volunteer work and travel. She and Phil Masters ’78 have been able to travel to Europe several times, as their son and his fiancée are enjoying living in London. They did the Cotswolds and Bath one summer, Normandy and Northern France last year, and this year they had a reunion with two of the young people who were their au pairs when Ben was a baby. They each now have families of their own in Sweden and Denmark. Their former exchange student got married in Germany, so they ended up there, too! Becki was also fortunate enough to join a friend for a bike/barge trip though the tulips in The Netherlands. They continue to do a lot of work on their house in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. They enjoy living in a walkable community with great neighbors, yet are still an easy train ride into the city.
Jeffrey Landis and his wife, Daphne, still live in Bel Air, Maryland, and have both been retired now for five years. Jeff retired from the Department of the Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Daphne from her office manager job for an obstetrics-gynecology office. They’ve been enjoying retirement, while spending most of their time watching or transporting four grandchildren. In 2023, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a Viking River Cruise from Paris to Normandy. This past June, they spent two weeks hitting national parks across Utah with their daughters and families, ending with a stay in Park City. They make yearly trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Florida, enjoying the sun while visiting other families, and catching up with Mark Miller and his wife, Alice, near Orlando, Florida.
Karin Beam settled into retirement and golden years, relishing the days when her only obligations were self-imposed. The first stretch entailed recovery from seven broken bones — not the choice she would have made to start her leisure time! But she was back in business sufficiently to make baseball spring training in Arizona. Then she went hiking with kindergarten/high school friends in Colorado and her beloved Utah parks.
Richard Loper still lives in the Westminster, Maryland, area enjoying the magic of life, hanging out with his kids and his 11 grandchildren, riding bikes every week on various trails, writing books, and camping at Assateague for a month every summer in his old Volkswagen bus.
Although Roberta Tall Morton and her husband moved to a new house in Columbus, Ohio, not much has changed for them. She spends time trying to stay active and helpful in local and citywide community activities, as well as gardening and reading. Their children are living in California, Pennsylvania, and New York. They have all made trips to see Roberta and her husband, and they hope to visit their homes as well. They now have four grandchildren and two grand-dogs! They have hosted lots of guests in their new home and would invite anyone who is passing through the Midwest to stop and visit!
Back in January of 2023, Bob Ramsdell had open-heart surgery to replace his ascending aortic artery with a Dacron graft, due to an aneurysm the doctors had been tracking for several years. He was blessed with what the surgeon described as “an exceptional recovery,” which means Bob gets to keep mowing the grass each summer. He reopened the law practice to wrap things up, then retired at the end of June 2023. Leslie Willams Ramsdell ’78 and he made a 23-day, 3,130-mile trek through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They had a great time, and the Dacron graft passed with flying colors, as they cycled the circumference of Mackinac Island and kayaked on Lake Superior, along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. In August 2024, they spent 2½ weeks in Ireland, accompanied by their daughter, Erin. Closer to home, Bob still teaches seminars on estate planning at the Senior Resource Center. He enjoys shooting at the range, but is totally outclassed by his son, Stephen, a sniper on the police crisis response team.
I recently heard from Laura Levin that her beloved husband, and our fine classmate Bruce Levin passed away in September 2021. Those of us who knew Bruce will immediately recall what a good guy he always was, and we send sincere condolences to his wife.
My friend Steve Brownley had a rough start to the past year when his older brother, Jack Brownley ’73, AGT and outstanding guy, died of cancer in March 2024. Steve and I became acquainted sometime in early 1969. I was a cast member in the school play, a high school musical with a ton of pizzazz, and Jack was the handsome leading man, star of the show, with the beautiful baritone voice. Steve would sit in the back of the gym and watch rehearsals after he had track practice. I started hanging out with him there and from then on … luckily, I became his other brother Jack. We went to WMC because that’s where Jack went, which was fine for us both. And now Jack’s gone. It sure is rugged being so grown up that friends start dying, and the people who were most important are no longer here sharing this odd space and time.
Anyway, Steve Brownley’s family lives in Westminster, Maryland, and are lucky to have a big, happy family to take on a trek with all 15 of them off to Aruba in July. Steve and Gretchen Godsey Brownley ’77, M.Ed. ’87 celebrated their 45th anniversary with a weeklong bike ride along the Danube River followed by a 10-day sailing cruise from Venice to Athens with Bruce Moler, Larry Matthews, and their spouses. Steve remains addicted to jazz, enjoying grandchildren, shutterbugging, traveling all over, and breathlessly rooting for the Washington Wizards.
As for me, Jack Tracey, I’m fine. Hanging in there with the help of Janis Thompson Tracey ’77. The kids and grandkids dwell in posh suburbs above The City of Angels, each thriving. Meanwhile, every day on this gorgeous island in this fab little spot we’ve carved out by the sea in South Carolina is a blessing beyond belief. Lucky. Charmed. Sure, thick and thin, no doubt, but it’s a smooth ride these days. It’s all been a ball y’all.
Jack Tracey1975 Class Reporterjtracer100@bellsouth.net
