Association news & class notes
1977
Rob Andrews and Betsy Eline Andrews took a 34-day European river cruise in 2022. They started in Paris, and then picked up the boat in Bonn, Germany. They sailed through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and added a few days in Transylvania. At the end of January 2023, they flew to Bali for a three-week cruise of Indonesia, ending in Darwin, Australia. They have also reconnected with Jan Wilder and Robyn Kramer Talbott in Denton, Maryland, as well as a week in Bethany, Delaware, with those two, Terry Holland, and Lonni Myers Bechen. Their twice-yearly visits with Jerry Landsman and Cathy Dannenfeldt Landsman recommenced early last spring down in South Carolina and in the fall in Boonsboro, Maryland. Rob and Betsy were on hand to celebrate Betsy’s mom’s 90th birthday in February 2022, but sadly they lost her in August. Their kids are now 40 and 37. Their granddaughters — Theona, 11, and Frankie, 6 — remain the loves of Rob and Betsy’s lives. Theona is an excellent soccer player and made the Washington all-state team. Frankie, the Disney princess, loves ballet. Rob and Betsy travel with their son Kevin for yearly trips to Kentucky for the Bourbon Trail. Golf remains their recreational passion as Rob and Betsy each post 100+ rounds a year. On New Year’s Day, Rob finally got his first hole-in-one after many close calls, giving them one each.
Dale Brenneman and his wife of 45 years, Cheryl, have lived in Ocean City, Maryland, for the past five years, enjoying the ocean but regretfully seeing less of their four kids and their families, who are all in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., areas. Dale still works in computer software and Cheryl is retired from school nursing.
Frank Caplan is still happily perched on Key Biscayne, Florida, walking to the beach, and sometimes jogging. He is busy still with the law practice and is back in government service and overcommitted on boards. He keeps promising to shrug volunteer jobs but keeps taking on new ones. He says his health is good, unaffected by an out-of-nowhere coronary scare a few years ago. Frank and Gina host friends and family at home a lot. When not hosting, they travel. He was happy to be in Baltimore in October for a wedding and took the nostalgic tour of old neighborhoods that today are not as remembered. They enjoyed a short side trip to Westminster, Maryland, and a nice evening walk around the lovely campus. They visit their daughter Cailen in the Bay Area and the siblings in Rhode Island frequently. Frank has been in touch with former roommate Carl Gold ’78. Recently, Frank looked through a long-forgotten box of letters, from the late ’70s. It was like time traveling to read 40-some-year-old notes from Bruce Wahlgren ’76, M.L.A. ’81; Meg Caddick; and Jeff Mintzer. Meg’s had news of Sally Marshall Wogsland, Gerry Philips McCormick, Chris Edwards, and Jean Molesworth Kee ’78.
Jack Dyson writes that he and his wife, Gladys, finally got to go on a Danube River cruise originally scheduled for 2020 as a celebration of their 40th wedding anniversary. In September 2022, Jack started a new role as the president of Africa Dream Partnership, which is a ministry working with elementary and high school students in South Africa.
Robyn Furness-Fallin spent the last four years as a senior consultant with the DBD Group, focused on supporting nonprofits with strategic resource development. She is inching her way toward retirement, taking the first steps this year by spending less face time with clients and more on content development for the firm. Robyn and her husband, Bill, are still in their home in Fairhope, Alabama, on Mobile Bay, and enjoy hosting friends and family year-round. They are stepping up travel, having spent one month in 2022 in Taos, New Mexico, skiing and visiting the Costa Del Sol of Spain in the early summer.
Mark Flaharty’s biggest news is that his granddaughter has been accepted at McDaniel for this coming fall, 50 years after her grandpa first graced the WMC campus! Mark is so proud of her. She was accepted as an early decision applicant and has been awarded an Alumni Legacy Scholarship. Mark is still working as a senior compensation analyst at WellSpan Health in York, Pennsylvania, where he has been for 35 years. He is considering retirement at the end of this year.
Nancy Schwarzkopf Gaffney writes that it is amazing how fast time flies. Her big news for 2022 was surviving Hurricane Ian. Luckily, she was visiting with Terry Holland and Brenda Eccard Dellinger ’79 in Washington, D.C., when Ian hit. Her husband, Tom, and kitty, Lola, weathered the storm and have vowed not to do that again. They consider themselves lucky. All their friends and family were safe, but they did have some damage: 3.5 feet of water in the garage (and one of their cars ending up in their neighbor’s front yard) plus some minor damage on the house. Nancy loves retirement, which includes kayaking with friends, pickleball, yoga, and house projects. She says Beth Heckert Tevis, M.Ed. ’84 became a grandmother in September and shares pictures of baby Jack. Terry Holland is an avid Washington sports fan (Nats, Caps, and Commanders) and can be seen at many Nats games. She and Jan Wilder also enjoy following the Lady Terps basketball team. The Munchkins are still Zooming about twice a month, and it is wonderful catching up with everyone including Sherry Wensel Bowers ’78, M.Ed. ’84, and Brenda Eccard Dellinger. Sherry is still working and keeps the group informed of all the cool things NASA is doing. Brenda continues to travel and just returned home from a cruise in the Caribbean.
Nan Hollinger Gangler retired in July 2019 after 36 years of teaching health and physical education in Garrett County (Maryland) Schools. She has seven grandchildren and babysits them often. When not babysitting, she crochets and plays her hammered dulcimer and handbells in her church handbell choir. Throughout basketball season, she works the clock at Southern Garrett High School basketball games, which she has done for about 20 years. Family fun time is spent boating at Deep Creek Lake, skiing at Wisp, and going on side-by-side rides through the back roads of West Virginia.
Schuyler Grant and Margi Voelkel Grant still live in San Diego. Their second and third daughters bought homes during the pandemic, so no more rent help or co-signing! The Grants are happy to be back to traveling again. Last year, they took a cruise of the Norwegian fjords and post-cruise visits to Delft, Antwerp, and Paris. Then three weeks later, they took a cruise from Istanbul to Athens, visiting many archeologic ruins in Turkey and Greece. Schuyler is still working at Leidos with no plans to retire anytime soon. Margi is retiring from her volunteer position with La Leche League after 35 years.
After graduation from WMC, Nancy Shepherd Green, M.L.A. ’79 taught French and Spanish for 14 years in Westminster, Maryland, then in Severna Park, Maryland, before taking a 10-year hiatus to be a stay-at-home mom. In 2001, she returned to the classroom in Wake County, North Carolina, then took early retirement in 2019. Nancy and her husband, Dave, moved to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, at the beginning of the pandemic and had a rough go of getting to know people since everything was boarded up for a while. Now, she keeps busy playing pickleball and mah-jongg, tutoring remotely, and enjoying living by the beach.
Carlton Harris and his wife, Ji, moved back to the U.S. in July 2022 after over 12 years in China. They moved to Seattle, where Ji currently works for Amazon as a senior manager in their branded business. They live downtown in an apartment with their 13-year-old son, Zhen, but will be house hunting soon. They added a new member to the family at Christmas of 2020, a 3-pound toy poodle named Hanna. They still have a home in Naples, Florida, and spent a month there last summer. Carlton’s three older children are all doing well. Carlton is a semi-retired investment banker, hopefully moving to fully retired soon. His home office remains in Hong Kong.
Gary and Mary Frank Honeman have resided in downtown Westminster, Maryland, since 1977. Gary is an adjunct instructor in the Social Work department at McDaniel and Towson University’s graduate Counseling program. Mary is in her 14th year at the Westminster library as a circulation clerk. They have enjoyed more traveling time in recent years. Gary “finally” went on his distance running bucket list trip to Eugene, Oregon, in spring 2022. Plans are underway to make the “big move” in 2024 to a new home near Easton, Maryland, to enjoy the benefits of Eastern Shore life while still being close to Baltimore, the Orioles, and visits to Westminster.
Steven Jaskulsky has been a urologist in the Baltimore area since 1986. Steve is still quite active playing music, although balancing a career and family has made playing challenging. He still carries the fond memories of jazz from his days at WMC. Steve and his wife, Andy, like to travel and enjoy their Baltimore home as well as vacation homes in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Manhattan, New York.
Bill Johnson writes that the past year has been busy. Ruth, having the talent in the family, continues to sing with the New Albany Symphony, their church, and a local community choir. They are planning a trip to Europe, where Ruth is to sing in Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, and Dresden. This trip will take Bill back to where he served in the Army in 1978 through 1982. He will get to act as tour guide for Ruth and take her to many sites along the Romantic Strasse. Bill has been working a year and a half for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (Florida Blue) Medicare. He works with accounts in Florida. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, but works remotely as an affinity partner strategist. He and Ruth were able to take a trip on the Disney Fantasy over the Christmas holiday to the Eastern Caribbean (Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St John, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Castaway Cay, Disney’s own island). They returned home Dec. 31 in time to watch the Buckeyes lose to Georgia Bulldogs. Bill is looking forward to coming back to Frederick, Maryland, in September for his 50-year high school reunion.
Cynthia Longley Kehr traveled last July with her sister to Quebec to the Jardin de Quatre-Vents after watching “The Gardener” documentary about Frank Cabot and this famous garden. It’s only open four days a year for tourists. It was an incredible experience. Cynthia and her husband, Alan, went to Kauai, Hawaii, for three weeks in September and they took their first hot air balloon ride. Cynthia continues to enjoy her three grandchildren (Elena, 11; Logan, 9; and Kaela, 6), sewing, writing, and updating the family website. Cynthia visited the college last October with some WMC classmates (Susie Tucker Taylor ’80; Kim Baugher ’80; Robin Oroian Davis ’79; Debbie Tull Paulsgrove ’78, M.L.A. ’07; and Johna Ruffo ’78) to celebrate Johna’s birthday. Cynthia says the campus is beautiful as always and she loves the improvements that have been made since we were there. She stays in weekly contact with these ladies on a Zoom call, which also includes Judy Byrd Fox ’78, M.Ed. ’79; Peggy Gibson Klein ’80; and Loreen Sherwood ’81. She also talks regularly with Fred Lister and hears from Ellen Pierce Savarese at Christmas.
Jerry and Cathy Dannenfeldt Landsman write that this past August brought knee replacement surgery for Jerry. After months of rehab and exercises, he is finally getting back to normal. The rest of the family is doing well. They have finally been able to travel and visit those they have missed seeing since 2020. In 2022, they resumed their semi-annual visits with Rob and Betsy Eline Andrews. They traveled to South Carolina in the spring to see them, and saw them again in the fall when they, in return, came to Maryland. In November, Jerry and Cathy made their annual trip to Shenandoah National Park for several days of hiking with dear friends. They have also been able to get together with Robert (Cubby) Mitchell ’75, M.Ed. ’82; Bob Cullison ’75, M.S. ’97; Paul Rowley ’77; and their wives, and Ray Ulm ’76. The guys don’t play golf, but they never miss a train show! Speaking of trains, Jerry is always buying and selling train collections, and adding to his own platforms as well. Cathy’s Christmas village and trains also keep growing.
Gay Jewell Love, M.Ed. ’85 retired from McDaniel College in 2021 and is enjoying more time with Dick and their four grandchildren. Dick Love ’78 sold his dental practice in 2021 and enjoys working part time for the young dentist who bought the practice.
Harry Malone writes that he is the president for his Beall High School class in Frostburg, Maryland, and he is knee-deep in planning for their 50-year reunion. Harry mostly retired from and mostly shuttered his defense consulting business last year, but has some opportunities in 2023 that he may option. He and Deb celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in December. For travel, his family went to Lake Anna, Virginia, then visited extended family in Frostburg while prepping for his reunion. Speaking of reunions, he also helped plan and execute a military unit event at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with folks from Harry’s first field artillery assignment in Hawaii in the late ’70s! As if that wasn’t enough nostalgia, Harry helped set up yet another reunion dinner in Old Town Alexandria for those in the D.C. area that were in his artillery unit in Germany in the mid-’80s. Harry sold his 1972 and 1996 Corvettes (as well as his Harley), and bought a 2017 ’Vette in 2021, taking it on trips to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina, where he and Deb drove the twisty (318 curves in 11 miles!) Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina and Tennessee. Harry’s grandchildren (Natalie, 8; Noah, 3; and Lukas 1½) all live nearby, so it’s easy to spoil them and help out with babysitting.
Mike May writes that he retired in mid-2021 from Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Public Schools as an administrator when the county decided to change to a new software system. After 42 years, Mike decided he did not want to learn a fifth software system. He sold his house in Catonsville, Maryland, and moved to a house he has outside of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He is enjoying retirement and has adjusted to living away from major cities. He is learning to relax and just enjoy what happens. He has also learned not to go to Saturday mass in case the Bidens are in town since the priest likes to talk more when the president attends. Mike enjoys taking a friend’s daughter and her 3-year-old to story time every week and then to the park. Mike is updating his house and planning for the next steps in aging. He keeps in contact with Marjorie Feuer Waxenberg and gets to see pictures of her two beautiful granddaughters. Mike regularly talks to Janice Knable (she was at WMC for our first two years), who is living on the North Carolina Outer Banks and also looking forward to just enjoying the beach instead of work. Mike would like to get back to traveling and is planning to see the next solar eclipse in October 2024 outside Fredericksburg, Texas, with people he worked with over 30 years ago. They are all retired and are starting to get together regularly.
Nancy Dean Mattingly says life is grand in Fairfax, Virginia. She stays busy with two grandkids nearby and another on the way. She volunteers as a guardian with Honor Flight Chicago Flights and makes and sends cards for a care ministry at her Lutheran church. She still bakes for many neighbors on a regular basis and is happy to report all recipients enjoy that. Husband, Curt Mattingly ’75, started a brew ministry with their church about seven years ago, and they have a good time brewing, tasting the beer, and serving it at local functions.
Karen Miller writes that she is in her fourth year as volunteer at Oldfields School, where she worked before retiring to take care of her mom in her last years. During her three days a week at Oldfields, she manages the library and keeps the archives organized. She also spends some time at Hereford Senior Center where she is vice president of the board and where she and Todd play bridge at least once a week. They continue to love their little house in the northern wilds of Baltimore County.
John Olson retired from Willard Agri-Service based in Frederick, Maryland, in March 2022. He had been CFO for the companies and thoroughly enjoyed his 30 years with the business. He and his wife, Linda, live in the country near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and enjoy having horses, goats, and cattle. John volunteers with a Bible Adventure program for elementary school kids and together they help run the food pantry at their church. With more time to travel, they just took a tour of Israel, which was very interesting. John enjoys having seven grandchildren. He is still an avid baseball fan (Nationals and Orioles) and got to catch up with Wayne Coblentz a few months ago.
David Reinecker continues to enjoy singing and performing with four different groups. One group, the East Berlin Community Singers, has been invited to perform in Normandy, France, for the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy in World War II in June 2024. They will be performing concerts in both Normandy and Paris during the nine-day stay in France. This may be the final service that will have living service members in attendance as it is only done every five years. Dave is really looking forward to this opportunity to honor this occasion with song! Their family is healthy and growing, now blessed with four grandchildren! They all live within two miles of Dave and Cheryl Collins Reinecker ’79, which gives them the chance to give plenty of hugs and attend many of their activities. Dave has sort of retired, which means he only works 60 hours a week instead of the normal 80. Dave and Cheryl returned from their 27th trip to the island of St. Kitts in February. It has become their home away from home where it is sunny and 83 degrees every day.
Eric Rosenberg and his brother, Mark “Manny” Rosenberg ’79, sold their business of 21 years, Seaside Golf Vacations, in September. So, Eric is now retired. They had a great time working together to build a successful business. This is his second retirement; the first was in 2001 from the U.S. Coast Guard after 22 years of service. His retirement plans include traveling with his wife, Anita, in their motorhome, playing golf, and fishing.
Steve Schonberger and Holly Sewell Schonberger celebrated 45 years of marriage this year, living in Finksburg, Maryland, in the same house they purchased in 1980. They are both retired and enjoying their eight grandchildren as much as they can, as well as enjoying their second home in Ocean City, Maryland.
Tony Sager and Susan Fairchild Sager ’79, M.Ed. ’85 are still working, each in their second careers, having too much fun to stop just yet. Susan will celebrate 20 years with Southwest Airlines next year, which is her target. Despite the winter scheduling meltdown, she loves her work, the many friends she flies with, and all the new friends she makes along the way. Tony is still working (from home since 2012) for the nonprofit Center for Internet Security. He spends his time focused on company strategy and messaging. He is also doing volunteer work on numerous government and industry boards, study groups, etc. Currently, he is focused on the Cyber Safety Review Board, created last year by executive order as a cybersecurity version of the National Transportation Safety Board. Earlier this year, he had the honor of speaking to students in the McDaniel College National Security Fellows Program. His topic was “Cyber Security as a Liberal Arts Challenge,” which might resonate with some readers. Beyond work, Tony and Susan are still very active in bicycling and hiking adventures. The best in their life is that they get to spend time with their two granddaughters, ages 5 and 2.
Gary Walters reports everyone in the Walters family is healthy and well. Gary has established a charter business on the Chesapeake Bay (Evergreen Charters), which he runs out of his home on Kent Island, Maryland. One of his primary clients is a wedding venue — Kent Island Resort — that is located across the creek from his home. He gets several bookings each season there, where his job is to keep groomsmen busy for two to three hours. (His only obligations are to return the groomsmen to the venue at least 10 minutes prior to the ceremony and sober enough to walk down the venue pier.) A note about Hurricane Ian: The Walters have property on Manasota Key, a barrier island near Englewood, Florida, and his son, Mitch, and his family live on Pine Island, which is near Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Florida. Pine Island was very near ground zero when the hurricane made landfall and Manasota Key was in the northern eyewall of the hurricane with sustained winds of 130-150 mph for 10-12 hours. Gary’s condominium is a complete rebuild and will not be ready for occupancy until the summer. Fortunately, his son’s house fared much better, but a nearby village, Matlacha, Florida, was devastated by the storm. Many friends, especially GBX brothers, sent kind words and well wishes during and after the hurricane and they all were greatly appreciated. Gary’s standard reply is: my family is safe and healthy and all of our damages were repairable. In contrast, he says, there were and are thousands of folks living in Southwest Florida who cannot make either of those statements.
Mike Warthen writes that he and Mary Fran have moved from Palm Harbor, Florida, to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They made the move to be within a day’s drive of their first granddaughter in Syracuse, New York. Mike retired (for the second time) April 1, 2022, and they are lucky to spend eight months at the ocean and four months at Oneida Lake near Syracuse. He still has a couple of business ideas floating around, so maybe he will “beat Tom Brady” and get to retire for a third time. Mike and Mary Fran enjoyed having Rusty Hess and Amy visit in South Carolina for some golf and dining in 2022 and are looking forward to the next Phi Fest on the Hill.
Marjorie Feuer Waxenberg writes that for the past few years they have been on babysitting detail whenever daughter Elise and her husband, Ian, and the kids go up to Vermont to go skiing, mostly to Stowe and the Catskills. Last May, she and Steve spent two weeks in South Carolina, in North Myrtle Beach and Charleston and then on to Victoria “Tori” Fowler’s house in Simpsonville. In the summer of 2021, they went up to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and scheduled a boat ride to Martha’s Vineyard for the day and one to Nantucket where they did an overnighter at the Jared Coffin House. Marjorie is hoping to go to Maui, Hawaii, this summer to see an elderly cousin. Marjorie says Steve’s health has stabilized. He has been plagued all his life with genetic coronary artery disease and has had two official heart attacks to date. He had a pacemaker/defibrillator implanted in August 2021. He takes about 25 pills a day and is doing better. He is officially retired now, and they have been going through the Medicare and Social Security ordeals. Marjorie’s best news is that they have two granddaughters: Madeleine, 3, and Claire, 2. Marjorie gave up the church choir when COVID-19 hit, and dismissed her piano students, but she is still active in her piano club, Noteworthy.
Lonni Myers Bechen has been enjoying visits from Betsy Eline Andrews, Jan Wilder, and Robyn Kramer Talbott to their farm in Central Florida, with many touring adventures and shopping! “I am still enjoying trail riding and dressage with my horses. My husband, Scott, and I have lived in our small farm for 33 years and are enjoying our seventh year of retirement. We love the peacefulness here in rural country setting with easy accessibility to both Florida coasts.”
It is always such a pleasure to read your news and notes. Thank you all for your kind comments, too. A year ago, I had COVID-19 and spent a rough six weeks in bed with two trips to the hospital. It has been slow recovering and working full time. I still tire easily. I was fortunate I still had one daughter at home and one daughter close by to care for me, and my dog, Molly. My daughter, Katie, was married last July so I am now an empty nester. After raising seven kids, the house is just too quiet. I work full time for Intercessors for America (IFA) as a financial administrator and still work for the Loudoun County (Virginia) Election Board for elections and certifying the county results after each election. I use my vacation time from IFA to do the election work. I also work with my church’s chapter of Celebrate Recovery, leading the women’s open share, facilitating step studies, and sponsoring women in the program. My daughter, Anna, and her family live a block from where I work. I drop off my dog there, for doggy daycare, and am thrilled by enthusiastic morning hugs from my grandchildren.
Donna Joy Armstrong1977 Class ReporterP.O. Box 431Round Hill, VA 20142freshmerciestoday@gmail.com