Diane Ingalls Zito
24 South Hills Drive
Bedford, NH 03110
bluewatersailors@comcast.net
facebook.com/groups/UMaineClass1962/
I write this column in March, exactly one year after we were all told to quarantine. What a year it has been!
My biggest hope is that you are all well, have been vaccinated, and are managing our “new normal.” Can you believe that we are due to celebrate our 60th Reunion in September of 2022? Currently we have no details, but are hoping for an in-person gathering. Our reunion goal is to raise our Valerie Beck Scholarship principal to at least $100,000 by the time we gather. As you know, our scholarship continues to support our classmates’ families. This year’s recipients are seniors Nicole Nolan, grandchild of the late Ethelda Jeanne Powers Eaton and Sarah Santerre, descendant of Floyd Bolstridge G.
The annual holiday “Ladies of ’62 Luncheon” was Zoomed this year. It was such a success that we did it again for St. Patrick’s Day. More than 20 classmates participated each time. A common thread in our discussions was how we had all adapted to the pandemic. I am happy to report that by St. Patty‘s Day most of the ladies were vaccinated and looking forward to gathering safely this summer.
Zoom provided us with an important new advantage: we could include some far distant classmates who were never able to gather before. Ginny Cushman Ferrara joined us from Albuquerque, NM, where she has lived for 30 years. Ginny retired five years ago and is looking forward to returning to volunteer work and travel. Anne Walker Hartig is back in North Carolina. She is on the board of her local parks and greenway organization. This spring Anne was in charge of monitoring 30 bluebird houses. An avid bridge player, Anne has maintained her national standing through virtual play. Nancy Hogan ’65G joined us on her March birthday! Nancy said that living in Florida year round has thankfully allowed her to enjoy golf and other safe outside activities all winter. Pat McCourt DiTata Zoomed in from New York. She was looking forward to her first trip since the pandemic began. Pat’s family rented a house on the beach in South Carolina to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Alice McKiel Hyerstay joined the group in December from Vermont. This winter she enjoyed walks through the beautiful snow-covered woods surrounding her home. Alice and Dale are looking forward to resuming trips to Maine this summer. Deborah Lufkin Storrs has moved to Foxboro, MA, to be closer to family. She spent much of the winter babysitting her youngest grandchild. Pre-quarantine, Deb volunteered at the local cable station doing everything from camera work to editing for a cooking show. Joining from farthest away was Gale Brewer in California. Gale has been busy during the pandemic using her computer expertise to help coordinate the activities of the Sausalito Village volunteers. Unlike last year, Gale plans to vacation back home in Bar Harbor this summer.
Many classmates joined the Zoom gatherings from all over Maine. Sally Kennett Juenemann and Mary Hilton Shorey welcomed spring with maple sugaring. Sally spent a weekend boiling sap over an outdoor wood fire and was rewarded with a dozen jars of beautiful syrup. Mary had a real production going on the family farm. She and Frank tapped 680 trees! She said that one warm Saturday in March they yielded over 200 gallons of sap! Even with the boiling down, that’s amazing!
Ginny Dyer Bousum spent the winter teaching skiing to youngsters at Sugarloaf again. The classes were smaller this year, but still so enjoyable. Ginny is looking forward to more time on her sailboat this summer.
Marcia Hansen got a rescue dog this year and says they spent wonderful winter days together cross-country skiing and enjoying many walks on the beach this spring. Kay Fraser told us that walking her new rescue dog allowed her to meet more neighbors. Kay’s work schedule slowed down and she is spending more time on jewelry making, pastel painting, and furniture decorating. Brenda Freeman Kuich now lives in her childhood home in Kennebunk. She spends more time reading and enjoying year-round daily walks along the shore.
This last year has given many of us time to concentrate on artistic endeavors. Jean Elliott Warren has been pastel painting. Her specialty is dog portraits. When not painting, Alice says she has been “knitting up a storm” for her three great grandchildren. Betty Goulden Kimbrell also spent much of the winter knitting, reading and doing jigsaw puzzles. Like many Mainers, she is a bird enthusiast and enjoyed the return of the spring flocks. Liz Ames Moran’s background for the spring Zoom was her window with a sea view, where she enjoys watching birds feeding in her backyard. Perhaps the most avid bird watcher in the class is Ann Adjutant ’66G. For years Ann traveled the globe on bird watching tours. It was one thing she missed this past year. During the winter she worked with her granddaughter on a project studying the 22 types of seagulls in North America. Jayne Fitz Wilcox spent most of the year settling into her new home just outside Farmington. She has enjoyed meeting new neighbors and sharing socially distant dinners. Sue McNeary
Billings said the thing she missed most this year was volunteering, a common theme among our classmates.
As always Millie Simpson Stewart was the perfect host for our events. She and I wish you all a happy summer. Hopefully, we will get together in person soon. Check your emails for news of upcoming events.