Life after college
Jennifer “Ginger” Mahle Gauert, M.S. ’93 retired from teaching elementary school in Howard County, Maryland, in 2017 after 30 years at the same school. She worked with Karen Buttling Donegan ’86 and Laureen Pearl Anagnos ’86, M.S. ’93. In 2019, just before the pandemic, she and her husband and two children moved to the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania. She is now self-employed and loves her work. Her son joined the Air National Guard and is awaiting his next step, hopefully ending up as a flight engineer on a C5 Galaxy. Her daughter is in college studying to be a teacher. Ginger got to spend time with Linda Ashburn, her college roommate, at her daughter’s wedding. She also spent time that weekend with Craig Sarsony ’85 and Cindy Ebert Russo ’86. She sends big hellos to Jeff Stebbins ’85, Lori Stratmann Zentgraf ’83, and Professor Emeritus Skip Fennell.
Elizabeth “Beth” James Simmons is still working as a mental health counselor at Parkland Hospital’s psychiatric clinic, where she has been since 2015.
Nicolle Gaines Surratte, M.S. ’88 is a speaker and health coach. As owner of NspireD and A Health Coach for Me, she approaches health holistically and promotes well-being as a lifestyle. In addition to being a stress expert, Nicolle is a 13-plus-year breast cancer “thriver” and advocate, locally in Delaware and nationally. Nicolle’s the “mum” of entrepreneurial children who live abroad. Nicolle keeps in touch with her best friend from WMC, Rev. Dr. Gilbert M. Mack Jr. ’87.
Susan Pinto Keen has been staying busy helping care for her mom and at her job with PKS CPA firm, where she’s been for almost 37 years! She saw Phi Alphs Tracy Kennard Imm, Kim Baker ’88, and Ann Kangas ’90 in Ocean City, Maryland, to catch up over breakfast. Sue also happened to run into Diane Culver Borucki ’85 and Karen Gallagher Ames ’85 at Bayside Resort for a concert at the Freeman Stage in Selbyville, Delaware. She also caught up with a big group of Phi Alphs over the summer for a beautiful lunch by Laura Gill Pastrana ’89 where they had a great time! Rick and Sue are enjoying this stage of life and are fortunate to live not too far from the beach, where they have lots of time to go out on their boat. They are also traveling, including cruises to Greece and Alaska — very fortunate to be checking off those bucket list trips! Their three kids are all doing great, with Lindsey Keene ’18 just being promoted to manager at PKS CPA firm (she is an auditor while Susan is in taxes, so they don’t work together), Abby Keene ’18 lives in Federal Hill in Baltimore and works as a physician assistant in vascular surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Bradley is in a management position at a local sod farm in Salisbury. They feel fortunate enough their kids are close by and get to see them regularly.
During the pandemic, Rick Conner ’84 and Liz Goodnow Conner built their forever home on the outskirts of Mount Airy, Maryland, just a couple of miles from where they lived for over 26 years. It’s been an exciting journey! They also started My 3 Sons Farm, where they’re now caretakers of four goats, a barn cat, two house cats, and a dog — definitely an adventure! Rick continues to teach and coach at Linganore High School, celebrating 39 years with Frederick County Public Schools, while Liz is in her 30th year at the National Cancer Institute as the facility head of a sequencing and genomics core. Rick and Liz always enjoy running into old WMC friends around the Maryland area.
Amy Ratcliffe is now living in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, an area she loves. She still works from home as an editor/project manager for the International Journal of Central Banking. She’s recently taken up painting again (at WMC she was an Art/Art History major) and is enjoying that and several other creative endeavors. Her mother, who is in her late 80s and still healthy and mentally sharp, lives with her. She feels fortunate to still have her in her life.
Michele Lawyer Gribben just completed 25 years as a professor in the Math department at McDaniel. She enjoys teaching a first-year seminar for freshmen called The Math in Puzzles and Games. Michele and her husband, Scott, still live in Manchester, Maryland, and are very active at their church in children’s and youth ministries. They welcomed their first grandchild, Finley James, on June 1, 2024.
Todd Mitchell is still living in Hampstead, Maryland, and enjoying his first grandson, now 2½. He had the pleasure of catching up with Mike Hogan, Larry Hammond ’91, and Shawn Larson ’86.
As for me, Laura Russell, M.S. ’99, it’s been a whirlwind eight years since I left working full time. I took care of my mom who died in November 2023 from Alzheimer’s disease. I know many of us are in this part of our lives. I live with my 94-year-old father in Westminster, Maryland, about a mile from the Hill. It would take me a page to list all the alumni I see regularly on campus and in town. I work with the local alumni chapter and as an alumni volunteer. I also participate in an arts program at McDaniel. I work part-time jobs for the United Church of Christ, am the director of education at the local church, and work on the faith and democracy campaign for the wider church. I’m still active in many community groups. I see Lynn Habicht, M.S. ’91, as we volunteer together. Via social media, I have reconnected with Susan Scharf ’86, TraceyAnn Tokar Smith ’88, and Charlene Ballard VanDusen ’86, M.S. ’95. We all lived on the top, back floor of Blanche Ward Hall.
Laura Russell, M.S. ’991987 Class Reporterowmmom@hotmail.com
