1930s – 1940s

1933

Wow! Seventy-five years have passed since the Class of 1933’s graduation at UVM. Some things have changed, as we saw in the fall Green & Gold Newsletter, but the students remain as young, enthusiastic, and as ready to learn as we were. It would be wonderful to see some classmates come back to celebrate our 75th Reunion at the Green & Gold Memorial Brunch on Sunday, June 1, at 10:30 a.m. at the new Dudley H. Davis Center. Call Pat Brennan toll-free at 1-888-458-8691, and she will help make arrangements for your return. Fraser Drew continues to provide UVM Special Collections at Bailey/Howe Library with his collections of letters and first editions of twentieth-century English writers.  At age ninety-five, he continues to write memories of his life in Britain, Ireland, Quebec, and Cuba, as well as the eastern and southern United States. He gives small seminars at his home, as well as at Buffalo State College, where he was a distinguished professor of English until his retirement in 1983. He was delighted to receive holiday greetings from his high school senior Latin teacher in Randolph, Vermont, Muriel Richardson Chatterton ’27, as well as Elisabeth Aiken Martin, and Daniel Marshall ’37.

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Class.notes@uvm.edu

1934

The Class of 1934 Scholarship continues to help UVM students thanks to the generous support of our classmates. This year, $6,000 in scholarships was awarded to four recipients—two juniors and two seniors, two in-state and two out-of-state. The recipients are studying elementary education, chemistry, and nutrition and food sciences. Thanks to all of you who have generously supported the Class of 1934 Scholarship. (Editor’s Note: We’re sad to inform Ellinor Bean Hauke’s friends and classmates that she passed away on February 26 in Burlington. A loyal alumna and strong supporter of the University, Ellinor volunteered countless hours of volunteer service to UVM in her work as secretary for the Class of 1934.)

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Class.notes@uvm.edu

1935

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Ray Collins
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1937

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Gilbert Rist
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1938

Seventy years have gone by pretty swiftly, haven’t they? We have a number of folks planning on returning Saturday, May 31, to help celebrate at the Burlington Room in the Hilton Hotel downtown, overlooking beautiful Lake Champlain. Shuttle buses from campus will take us to and from our celebration lunch and we hope many of you will be there. Call Pat Brennan toll-free at 1-888-458-8691 if you need assistance with arrangements. Don’t miss the fun and the memories. Plan now to join your classmates in celebrating your 70th reunion.

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Class.notes@uvm.edu

1939

Thanks to the generous support of our classmates, six students were recipients of the Class of 1939 Scholarships totaling $14,100 this year. They are majors in studio art, anthropology, psychology, natural resources, biological sciences, and political science. Four were seniors, one was a junior, and one was a sophomore.

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Mary Shakespeare Minckler
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1940

The Addison Fair and Field Days board of directors dedicated its 2007 program to Lucien Paquette, who celebrated his 91st birthday. Lucien founded the Addison County Fair and Field Days in 1948. Since then, the fair has grown from being held in one tent to taking place on 127 acres with eighteen permanent buildings to accommodate 150 vendors every year. One of Lucien’s favorite events is the hand mowing competition in which contestants use old time scythes and snaths to mow a strip of hay. The old occupations are alive and well in Vermont. Last October, Lucien also was the 2007 recipient of the Robert Sinclair Cup Award in recognition of distinguished service and exemplary leadership to UVM’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and UVM Extension. Florence La Fayette Bridges sent a delightful letter providing historical and contemporary news. She described her first teaching job in Hardwick, Vermont, where her colleagues were Mary Howe and Peggy Bodette. The salary was $750 per year, but board and room in the beautiful home of a delightful woman was seven dollars a week. She taught business math, bookkeeping, sociology-economics, and Palmer method writing to junior high students one period a week. Sadly, her husband of sixty-one years passed away recently. They have a marvelous family, including four children, ten grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. This year, the Class of 1940 Scholarship was awarded to eight undergraduates. Their majors included elementary education, forestry, community and international development, public communications, English, chemistry, and nursing. Three are from Vermont and five are from out of state. Thanks to all who generously support the Class of 1940 Scholarship. I plan to attend Reunion, May 29-June 1, 2008. I am looking forward to seeing friends and classmates and hearing the reunion speakers, especially President Fogel. There is something for everyone.

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Mary Nelson Tanner
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1941

Jane Allen Hadley, Grace Meeken Hutchins, and Liz Gurney Lauritzen attended the 70th reunion of the Burlington High School Class of 1937 last June. Liz wrote that they were among fourteen class members present, and thirty others sent notes. Dick Healy reported that his wife, Marjorie Witham (’43) Healy, has fully recovered from a serious hip fracture. This year, there were four recipients of the Class of 1941 Scholarship. They are studying in a variety of majors, including mechanical engineering, wildlife and fisheries biology, environmental studies, and business administration. Three recipients are juniors, one is a senior; two are from Vermont and two are from out of state. Thanks to our classmates for your generous support of the Class of 1941 Scholarship this year.

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Maywood Metcalf Kenney
maywoodak@comcast.net

1942

Lucille Clark Myrom wrote from Napa, California, “I’m still active as a volunteer, sewing a lot of pads for critters at the animal shelter.” She also belongs to a book club and garden group, “trying to help the gray matter.” She also stays active by doing crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. Hester Rice has moved from her long time home in Newport, Vermont, to Montpelier so she can be near her family in Calais.

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Gwendolyn Marshia Brown
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1943

In the midst of a heavy Vermont snowstorm on January first, I found myself writing my spring 2008 column since the deadline is coming soon. Since I have had some questions about this, I should explain that “Class Notes” deadlines for each issue are about three months prior to publication. I received a nice note from Florence Smith White who brought me up to date on her life and activities. Flo started out teaching high school home economics in New York State. She retired to raise a family and then went back to teaching, this time at Oneonta State University, retiring in 1983. She and husband Bob, also a teacher, had three children, who blessed them with seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Since retirement, Florence has been busy with family, church, quilting, and travel. She and Bob were extremely active in the Rotary Exchange Program, hosting many students from abroad over the years. Two of her children took part in the program as well. She wrote that her son fell in love with Japan and has lived there all his life as a member of the United States Navy. He married a Japanese native and their two sons are currently in graduate school in the United States. I was sad to read of the death of Frances “Sis” Lynch Shortle. Although she was not a member of our class, we all knew and loved her for her great beauty inside and out. Our sincere condolences go to her large family. Another name caught my eye recently in a Rutland Herald article. I am sure you will remember Fred Webster.  Fred is a former vocational agriculture instructor who started collecting artifacts of rural life when he retired twenty-one years ago. His aim was to show how machinery had evolved, a phenomenon he witnessed growing up on his family’s farm in Coventry, Vermont, where he still lives. He now has a huge collection housed in 80,000 square feet of old barns on his property. Fred hopes that the State of Vermont will preserve his treasures. On a final note, I had a great phone conversation with Mary Butler Bliss recently. She has had several health issues but is doing well and living life to its fullest. If I recall correctly, she is still teaching a little Latin part time. Mary asked me to send everyone a “Bliss kiss.” Sounds good to me! See you all at our 65th Reunion!

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June Hoffman Dorion
june_dorion@comcast.net

1945

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Kay Hennessey
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1946

Our thoughts go to those who have lost someone this year. Mary Jean Dunsmore Cox lost her daughter to cancer, and she is in the process of selling her home in St. Albans, Vermont, and moving to California to be near her son. Mary Boardman Ciasachini is with her daughter in Charleston, South Carolina, at present. Her husband Walter passed away recently after a long illness. Natalie Harris Riffin and her husband moved to Brookhaven, a senior complex in Lexington, Massachusetts. She has been on  the board of this retirement community for many years. Olga Schoelles Wackernan still enjoys Palm Coast, Florida, although her daughters are in California. She is nearing a move to a senior complex. I now have a grand- niece attending UVM, and I expect another will be here in the fall.

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Harriet Bristol Saville
hattiesaville@comcast.net

1947

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Louise Jordan Harper
Class.notes@uvm.edu

1948

Time certainly marches on, and who can believe that we will be celebrating our 60th Reunion at the Burlington Country Club at noon on Saturday, May 31? We have several classmates who are planning to be there, so don’t be among the missing. Martha Shaw MacLeod of Charlottesville, Virginia, is delighted to report that her oldest daughter, Cynthia, has just been named National Park Service Superintendent of Independence National Park in Philiadelphia. Joanne Howard Kouris and husband Tom make their home in Denver, Colorado. They enjoy competing in the Senior Games both in this country and in Japan. They have been medalists (wow!) in tennis, skiing, and swimming. Kudos to Anne Tuttle Geary of Rye, New York, who helped create a successful outcome to a controversial project. Encountering a vocal NIMBY contingent while attempting to secure group housing for mentally challenged adult men, Ann and a band of like-minded volunteers canvassed neighbors of a similar group home in a nearby neighborhood. Armed with positive feedback, they succeeded in establishing this much-needed home.  Last year, June Felix Mona and husband, George of South Burlington, Vermont, experienced a change of pace from Florida by vacationing in Berkeley, California. June further reported that Audrey Gutterson Batchelde of Richmond, Virginia, is mourning the death of her husband.  I’d like to report that every so often in the small town where your scribe resides there is a recounting of warm childhood memories by former playmates of Carol Conroy.

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Marilyn Mills Houston
laney4@verizon.net

1949

It is certainly a lot easier to write class notes when I can get the news from Christmas cards sent by classmates. Mary Jane Farman Niemann wrote from Stow, Massachusetts, where she has a condominium near her daughter, Nan, who was recently named president of Home Goods’ chain of 250 stores. Among those attending the dedication of the Davis Student Center at UVM last October were Norma Carmichael Wilson and husband Dave. Living in Washington, New Jersey, they spent time in Naples, Florida, visited family in Washington, District of Columbia, and North Carolina, and came to Smugglers’ Notch for a summer vacation. Their granddaughter, Katie, is another third-generation student at UVM. Bob and Barbara Purdy Freeman spend time between homes in Siesta Key, Florida, and Pinehurst, North Carolina, playing golf and keeping up with many UVMers. They wrote that Joe “Ralph” Perry, husband of Barbara Bradway Perry died last spring, and she is now living in Alabama. The Freemans also are in touch with Bill Bigwoods ’50 and Dick Fink ’51 in Florida; Bruce Regnemer in New Canaan, Connecticut; and Alice Poulopoulos Coyne in La Jolla, California. Lucille Wetherby Fiske spends winters in Marana, Arizona, and summers in Cuttingsville, Vermont, where she enjoys playing bridge with friends. My brother in-in-law Mitchell Hunt is still playing golf and has “shot his age” several times. He has written his memories of Derby Line in the 1930’s which was published in four parts in the Northland Journal magazine, and he has also been involved in some extensive genealogical revisions in his book The Hunt Families of Vermont. Living in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, he accompanies his wife, Karen, to horse shows where she is a judge or participant with her two horses. This past year I’ve been reconnected by mail with a long-lost roommate from Theta house, Lanny Lanouette Lasky. Lanny lives in Bronx, New York, and has a summer home in Dummerston. She married folk singer Burt Lasky, and they have two sons and two grandchildren. As an arts administrator, she became an advisor to the New York State Council for the Arts, director of education at the Hudson River Museum, and later became acting director of education at the Museum of Modern Art. In her career as an artist, she had a gallery in SoHo and exhibited her work around the country. She continues working in her art studio full time.

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Arline (Pat) Brush Hunt
pat.hunt@kingcon.com

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