CLASS NOTES
36
WINTER 2013 | ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
In October,
Ron“Obie”O’Brien
and Anne went
to Germany, where he acted as judge in a magic
competition in honor of Germany’s “100 Years of
Magic.” Then there was sightseeing in France be-
fore a magic convention in Aix-en-Provence. They
were home for a month before trotting off to Mi-
lan and London for two more magic conventions.
They spend the winter in Hilton Head, S.C., where
they have bought a villa on the second hole of the
Heritage Golf Tournament links.
Bill ’59 and
Janis Fowle Bigelow
have decided
to put their house of 18 years on Cape Cod on
the market. Though they love Cape Cod, they
plan to move into a retirement center where
they can live independently with fewer respon-
sibilities and still have the luxury of a place to
remain in later years. They won’t make a com-
mitment until their home is sold.
Barbara Blackburn Field
says her biggest news
is her retired lifestyle. She has a 2-year-old great-
grandson, Peyton, who will be joined by a sibling
in early 2013. “Being a great-grandparent is the
greatest,” she says. “No one asks you to do any-
thing except love them. It is hard to accept that
your youngest child is a grandmother, though.”
TomRussell
and Ann loved Reunion, then spent
a quiet summer at home until they got a cocka-
poo puppy, which has kept them busy. In early
September, they visited for 10 days in Ireland with
aWest Point classmate.
After a career in retailing at Bloomie’s and the
family business in Buffalo,
Dave Bunis
retired. In
1990
he started a property management busi-
ness. The new professional theatre known in
Buffalo as The Jewish Repertory Theatre, which
he founded, is now 10 years old. He loves his
houseboat in the summer and still skis outWest in
March with his kids. He says he is fortunate to be
in pretty good shape, with just “age-appropriate”
stuff to deal with. He sees
Phil Morey
and Col-
leen from time to time at theatre-related events.
Mary Ann Fitzpatrick Griffin
has been playing
a lot of golf, with some success, and entertaining
grandchildren. They range in age from 6 to 14,“so
there’s a challenge in trying to keep themall busy,”
she reports. “Then, when they come to stay over-
night, the Real Challenge begins. You can imag-
ine! Six grandchildren, three of each.”
DonWilcox
sayshetoohassixgrandchildren,one
at St. Lawrence, and too many bills to pay.
LeeWhitney
and Julie Beaver ’58 arrived home
in New Jersey from Vero Beach, Fla., in June to
lots of sports activities with a few of their 12
grandchildren. One of the boys won his state
championship in his baseball age bracket, and
the U.S. championship at Cal Ripken Stadium in
Maryland. They went on to play Japan for the in-
ternational championship, but lost. “The whole
over-the-top experience was a hoot, as they
used to say,” they said.
Carol Hall Murray
wrote that in July “my beau-
tiful garden was hit by a fungus and I lost most
everything, which hurt because gardening is one
of my hobbies. I also volunteer in our community
thrift shop for a wonderful organization, Family
Service League, which I have devoted 44 years to!
I spend three days a week there and find it very
rewarding to work with women who are devoted
to their own charities, e.g. Visiting Nurse, Hunting-
ton Hospital, Cancer Care, Planned Parenthood
and a drug rehab program.”
Nancy Robinson Bradtmiller
wrote that she
and Paul really enjoyed Reunion despite the rain.
They plan to fly to the 60th. In Door County, Wis.,
they learned so much at the Peninsula Music Fes-
tival and heard great symphonic music.
Sylvia Mellerud Segal
and Jack can see on a
clear day all the way to Avalon from their 7
th
-
floor
apartment in Long Beach, Calif. They attend so-
cial functions in their building.
Dick Horton
and Takako went on a mystery
tour to Rome, N.Y., where they visited the Erie
Canal and Museum.
Judy Foster Cole
still enjoys Virginia. She
missed Reunion because she was watching her
high school granddaughter’s team win the state
softball tournament.
I am gratified by the response to the email I sent
in search of class news. Those of you who are not
on email may expect a phone call or written mes-
sage. When not tending to class news I have slept
two nights far away in the Mendocino woods un-
der the stars, and split oak logs with a logsplit-
ter. I’ve improvedmy wee garden by installing an
automatic timer, begun the study of Farsi and en-
rolled in a class on Dante. Yoga and Senior Sculpt
are classes I take at the YMCA.
1958
Lennelle“Lennie”Dougherty McKinnon ’58
5
Jay Street
Canton, NY 13617
315-386-8216
Cell: 315-323-5267
lmckinnon@twcny.rr.com
Next Reunion: 55
th
,
May 30-June 2, 2013
Before reading another word of this column,
please take a minute to reach back in your per-
sonal archives and retrieve a special moment or
event from your time on The Hill. It might be
the weekly quiz from Dr. Reiff, or Dr. Delmage
with his latest dog named Trudy, or it could be
coffee and donuts in Laurentian Hall on Thurs-
day afternoon, or that special boonie spot. Per-
haps it is the heated cheering at a hockey game
or your frozen hands building an ice sculpture
for Winter Carnival.
More than likely, a friend, perhaps more than
one, played a significant role in that moment or
event. We have another significant moment com-
ing up: our 55
th
reunion. It will be all the more
meaningful if you make it a point to attend, to re-
new friendships, make new ones, and rediscover
the campus we recall amid the newlymodernized
campus of this century. Mark your calendar now
for May 30-June 2. We will dredge up some old
memories and make some new ones.
Congratulations to
Jack Buchanan
,
on his in-
duction into the Hall of Fame of Chagrin Falls High
School, Ohio. Although Jack wrote that his high
school teachers must be spinning in their graves,
I know they would be proud to see that Jack con-
tinues to write histories, share his knowledge in
personal appearances and publish the occasional
short story. Jack’s wife, Susi, has had more than
her share of health issues and we wish her well.
It was my pleasure to meet
Margot FordWolf’s
daughter Kari, after she deposited daughter Alex
on campus to begin her first year. We had a good
visit, but her call for stories about her mother’s
college antics will have to wait, perhaps forever.
Claire McGarrahan Strang’s
grandson Matt
spent the fall semester in Jordan. His blogs were
fascinating. The Laurentian Singers must have
missed him, but he and two other St. Lawrence
students were selected for a choir in Amman.
Claire has begun researching some information
for me for the reunion. She is a real techie, which
I am not, so her assistance will prove invaluable.
Rolf and
Margaret “Peggy” Steuer Hammer
are planning on Reunion. They are awaiting Rolf’s
Barbara Gray ’58 hosted a group of“mostly”Laurentians and“mostly”Pi Phi’s, according to sources, at her home
in Farmingdale, N.Y., last summer. From left are Mary Lou Horn Davies ’58, Peg Norris Belden ’58, Rotrout Miller
(
a friend), Betsy“B.J.”Dunlop Erhard ’58, and sisters Martha Gray Graham '55 and Barbara Gray, who sent the
picture to the magazine. For elaboration, see the ’58 class report.