CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine 39
38 winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine
1965
Jane Petrie Davis ’65
P.O. Box 730
92 Coventry Lane
Manchester Center, VT 05255-0730
802-362-3621
Next Reunion: 50
th
, 2015
Last summer was a busy one for our grow-
ing family. Our lake house in the Adirondacks
was packed to the brim. Our daughter Tori ’96
and her husband, Ryan Lilley, from Austin, Tex.,
and stepsons, Aiden, 10, and Ian, 8, spent over
a month there. Our daughter Hilary and her son
Everett, 1, and our son, Parker, and his wife, Igoe,
and Thorne, 9 months, were there almost every
weekend all summer. I happily did a great deal of
babysitting.
Pam Johnson Wischkaemper
attended a 50th
anniversary party for
Frank
and
Corky Fellows
McCullough
on July 29 in Rye, N.Y. Two of Corky
and Frank’s children attended St. Lawrence. Pam
said they are an example of what constitutes a
great marriage. Pam and husband Mike are en-
joying their life in Maine. Pamworks at the local Y,
promoting early childhood literacy, and has been
teaching cooking to seniors through a healthy
Maine project. Her son Jon Biele ’92 and Jon’s
wife, Kimbel Spreadbury ’92, live in Woodstock,
Vt., with their three daughters. Her daughter
Melissa Biele lives in San Francisco and son Mark
Wischkaemper and wife live in Austin, Tex.
Unfortunately, that is the only news for this time.
I need some emails from classmates for next time,
so PLEASE SEND SOME NEWS.
1966
Jim and Stevie McPhee Michaelson ’66
22 Gouverneur Street
Canton, NY 13617-1214
315-386-5250
Next Reunion: 50
th
, 2016
We guess when people say they are going to
take the summer off...they take the summer off!
Not much to report except the deaths of
two classmates. It is sad to announce that
the Rev.
James A. Delbel
died on July 10
at St. Mary's Rectory in Champlain, N.Y., af-
ter a valiant battle with cancer, and that
Martha Gildersleeve Nock
passed away at St.
Peter's Hospice Inn in July 16. Our thoughts go
out to family and friends.
As Stevie and I stated in the last issue, the
Bob
Perani
Memorial Fund goal was reached and
the bench dedication took place on Oct. 26,
prior to the Northeastern home hockey game.
Thanks again to all who contributed.
We hope to hear from you soon!
1967
Meg Smith Eisenbraun ’67
4460 Norris Lane
Oak Harbor, WA 98277
360-682-2345
Next Reunion: 50
th
, 2017
Joy Gurzynski Bixby
was kind enough to send
news of what she’s been up to since 1967. After
graduation she spent several years at IBM in Al-
bany and then moved to Colorado with her hus-
band. She spent her career specializing in soft-
ware for international networks and computer
systems for airlines. Joy’s husband passed away
in 1987, but being so specialized in her work, she
decided to stay in Colorado. She says, “I was able
to take advantage of the travel benefits with the
airlines, but was so very happy to retire. During
all these years I continued my music studies, so
moving back East to be near New York City with
the theater, concerts, etc., sounded like a good
plan. The move was difficult with the bad hous-
ing market and then a hot cross-country drive
with my two dogs and a trailer. But eventually
everything fell into place. I built a house in Sara-
toga last spring and am still getting settled. (I
don’t even know who from our class may be in
the Capitol District.)"
Joy added that just before she moved,
Jim Swenson
and she reconnected“and discov-
ered so many common interests. We’re enjoying
time together with the cultural activities in New
York and travel. We have some great trips com-
ing up, including a Danube cruise with a classical
music theme. What a surprise this has been!”
You may have read about
Nancy Mott Frank
being honored during Reunion Weekend, with
the Sol Feinstone Award for Humanitarian Ser-
vice. The award is presented to a St. Lawrence
graduate who, “through devotion of his or her
resources or personal effort, has demonstrated
deep commitment to the advancement of the
freedom of people to pursue and attain per-
sonal, professional and economic freedom.” Ac-
cording to her nomination, “Where Nancy sees a
need, she creates an organization to address the
situation. Whether it be fundraising to rebuild an
inner-city playground, inspiring local churches
to have an interfaith hospitality program where
their space is used to house the homeless, spon-
soring the refugee Sudanese in a better life here
in the United States or committing to the build-
ing of water wells in Africa, she is not afraid to
act.” Nancy was also the subject of a full-page
story in the fall magazine.
Kudos, Nancy! Nancy is married to classmate
Bob Frank
and lives in Rochester, N.Y.
1968
Anne Lauriat ’68
6 Bishops Forest Dr.
Waltham, MA 02454
617-484-6841
Next Reunion: 50
th
, 2018
Please note new address but same email. Moving
made for a hectic summer topped with my stupid-
ly rupturing a disc. By the time you read this, I will
have had (I hope) a successful miscrodiscectomy.
The fun news was that at summer’s start I took a
fabulousrivercruisefromNormandytoParis.Wevis-
ited Rouen and it mademe appreciate howdifficult
it must have been for the St. Lawrence group to re-
turntotheroutineofcampusinaruralenvironment.
Coincidently I heard from
Michael Maione
, who
was reminiscing about his Junior Year Abroad in
France. At our next reunion-- our (gulp) 50th in
June 2018-- Michael would like to have any and
all of the 29 who participated in that program get
together. He’ll organize it, so please contact him at
. (You can copy me if you
have [publishable!] news of your doings.) In the
next issue we will publish a picture of the gang in
1966-67 in front of the Rouen Cathedral (and just
where was Monet when we needed a painting of
that event?)
The wedding of a classmate’s daughter provided the occasion for several Laurentians to convene
last summer in Connecticut. From left are Class Reporter
Dennis Szymanski ’70, Rick Lajeskie
’70, Jeff Kellogg ’70
, father of the bride
Randy Bobb ’70
and Arlis Bobb.
Michael did connect with
Kathleen Wajda
Howlett
last summer when Michael was in Syra-
cuse visiting his brother after having returned
from his most recent European adventure. He
continues to teach French at Juilliard and is a
dedicated opera buff.
Kathy volunteers with the local Red Cross during
each blood drive and assisted with its disaster re-
lief efforts due in the after-effects of the flooding
late last spring in the Mohawk Valley. She heard
from Linda Buehler ’70 and
Alan Vincent
, who
sent some dramatic photos of the negative im-
pact of all that precipitation on their city of Little
Falls. Luckily, they and their home were spared.
Kathy also volunteers with Hospice, the Rome His-
torical Society and the local senior center. (And
where do you volunteer?)
Last summer I got to catch up with
Susan
Doscher Underwood
in Quogue on Long Island.
I also visited
Mimi McGavern
, who was knitting
darling hats for her first grandchild, a daughter
born to son Ned, who lives with his wife in Lon-
don.
AnnieMontgomery
’s daughter Kristen pro-
duced a second child. Annie was out in California
for the birth and also visited with older son Matt,
who is nowmarried.
Another grandmother is
Gayle LeVan Lans-
dale
, who writes that her new grandson is ad-
dicted to the St. Lawrence alma mater. It is the
only thing that calms himdown when he is fussy.
Gayle retired last June after 33 years of teaching
middle school. In the summer, she is a delega-
tion leader with People to People Student Am-
bassadors and travels for three weeks each year
with students. She and her husband enjoy trav-
eling from their home in the Philadelphia area. I
hope she attends our reunion; she says she’s lost
touch with so many classmates, and this is one
way to reconnect!
A voice from the past is always appreciated.
Paul Gilbert
was sorry to miss the 45th and a
chance to get together with classmates. He says
he can be seen skydiving on YouTube “paulg-
ilbert skydives,” which he did with his son. He
and his wife were in the Bay Area for 37 years,
but have moved to San Diego to be near their
children and grandchildren.
I decided to leave the saddest news until last.
We have lost one of our outstanding classmates:
JockMenzies
. He was killed in a freak accident at
home when a tram malfunctioned; it connected
his house on a bluff overlooking a river to a dock
300 feet below. Please refer to “In Memory”at the
end of this issue for a list of his accomplishments,
which were many. In addition to being chairman
of the Terminal Corp. in Baltimore, he was found-
er, president and chairman of American Logistics
Aid Network, the result of his mission to find a
better way to mobilize disaster relief for victims.
He was considered a leader in many venues and
was recognized repeatedly. He will be missed.
On that sad note, I ask that you get in touch with
me about your news or that of classmates.
1969
Patti Black Giltner ’69
16 Pellett Street
Norwich, NY 13815
607-336-1202
Next Reunion: 45
th
, 2015 (cluster with ’70, ’71)
Sandy Boynton
, a pro-
fessor in the Schenectady
County Community Col-
lege Division of Liberal Arts,
received the 2013 SUNY
Chancellor’s Award for Excel-
lence in Teaching. Sandy has
taught an array of literature
and drama courses and de-
veloped a number of cours-
es in theater. In 2004, she
earned a National Endowment for the Humanities
grant, and has spent her last few Spring Breaks
taking students to the American Shakespeare
Center in Staunton,Va. She has directed hundreds
of students in 45 shows during her 23 years at
SCCC. In the press release, Sandy was described as
“the one-person driver and catalyst of the drama
program at SCC for the past 21 years.”The criteria
for this award include skill in teaching. Additional
consideration is given to sound scholarship (usu-
ally demonstrated through publications or artis-
tic productions), outstanding service to students
and service to the university and to the campus.
For years I wondered if Sandy was the author of
those delightful children’s books, but this is just
as good. Congratulations!!
Jane Garvey
and A. Smitty Hughes '70 have
retired and moved to Luray, Va., to be closer to
their sons Tucker and Brett, whose families, con-
veniently, live 90 minutes apart. Jane had a very
rewarding career in special education and Smitty
in the ski industry. They look forward to exploring
the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennes-
see and Kentucky, hiking, biking, canoeing and
fishing into the sunset.
I got a notification on Classmates.com of a pic-
ture
LarryWorster
posted. It was a flyer for a con-
cert last August, a fundraiser for the LarryWorster
Endowed Scholarship for Music at the Metropoli-
tan State University of Denver. That’s all I know, so,
Larry, we are waiting for more news.
Speaking of Denver (Golden, actually), I was
there in August withmy son and daughter-in -law
and two daughters. (Keira was born in June.) We
came under mandatory evacuation because of a
wildfire. We stayed the night, and the evacuation
was lifted.We then went to Steamboat Springs for
three days. What fun!!
I had a long email from
John Ashman
, who met
Bonnie Ensman
at St. Lawrence and they mar-
ried shortly after graduation. They have three
kids and four grandkids, all of whom live near
them in the suburbs of Chicago. Bonnie is retired
from her accounting position, and John is still
working as a loss control consultant manager for
a small but growing insurance company. He says
it’s an interesting job, so he’ll keep doing it for a
while longer. Last winter they travelled to Spain
and visited the palace/fortress of El Escorial in the
town of San Lorenzo. A part of the courtyard of
the palace is shaped like the grill that St. Lawrence
was allegedly roasted on. John reminisced that
we all remember that story fromour first few days
in Canton, way back in September of 1965. He
said that he has run into other alumni and former
students from other classes, and it is interesting
to note how far SLU graduates have spread into
the world.
A friend of mine was in Newport, R.I., recently
and met
Rick Meffert
. It was a round-about con-
nection through my friend’s sister who was a few
years behind us at St. Lawrence. He wanted us to
know that he has a CHIP at St. Lawrence: his son,
Robert ’16.
1970
Dennis Szymanski ’70
915 Hillwood Ave.
Falls Church, VA 22042-2420
703-534-1253
Next Reunion: 45
th
, 2015 (cluster with ’69, ’71)
There's nothing like a beautiful summer day for a
wedding, and Arlis and
Randy Bobb
got just that
for their daughter Leah's marriage to Stephen
Maroney. The ceremony and reception were in
the Bobbs’picturesque backyard in Bolton, Conn.,
with
Rick Lajeskie
,
Jeff Kellogg
and yours truly
and our wives in attendance. The newlyweds
chose Greece for their honeymoon.
James F. Miller
spent three and one-half
years with us in Canton, though he did not
finish with us. Late in 2013, Jim, who was high
school classmates with
Wende Butler Brock
,
Karen Pizor Eckles
and me, passed away at his
home in Columbus, Ohio. He was a member of
Sigma Pi fraternity.
Most of us go to Hawaii for R&R, but while he
may have experienced some R&R afterward,
Bob
Tebow
ventured to Kona for the Hawaiian Iron-
man competition. Bob qualified for this world
championship event as a result of his perfor-
mance in the Lake Placid Ironman last summer.
Now retired, Bob taught physical education and
was athletics director at Tupper Lake High School.
