Nice to hear from so many classmates.
Our class president, Meg Thompson Villarreal, wrote, “for many of us this is a significant celebratory year. We have turned or will turn 85! Whoever said old age is not for the faint of heart was speaking from experience! I am coordinating gatherings for folks in the Mid Coast Alumni group, which includes a scholarship fundraising dinner in June, and an evening of theater with the Portland Stage Company in the fall, also in support of scholarships. Let me know if any of you are in the area in September/October to join us at the theater. Great fun and a good way to celebrate!
“Son Josh had a surprise birthday in February when the entire family gathered In Leesburg, VA, to celebrate. Brother Jay flew in from California, I flew in from Maine, and his dad and stepmother made the trek from Maryland. It was a busy weekend with lots of time to catch up, eat great food, and enjoy all being together in one place for the first time in forever. The grandkids especially enjoyed all the chaos.“
Meg concluded that plans are starting for our 65th in 2026. If you have ideas about programs, side trips, activities, please let Meg know. We ARE the Class of ’61 and still having fun.
In other news, Bill Littlefield ’61 is happy his daughter, USF ’95, has returned to Germany to work as Heidelberg is her hometown. Wife Jane Libby Littlefield ’60 left in June to visit Prague, Regensburg, Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest. While Jane is away, Bill enjoyed visiting several as yet unseen Maine towns and coastlines.
Andy McGarry and Laurie Baldwin Liscomb attended the UMaine Alumni gathering and Red Sox spring training game in Ft. Myers, FL. Andy also attended the UMaine Alumni of the Low Country Lobster Maine-ia event in Summerville, SC. And to keep up their hunting skills Andy and Paul Daly ’62 did some spring turkey hunting in Maryland.
Mary Irving Fantucchio spent two weeks in Los Angeles with her sister Meadow Irving Welch ’64, Meadow’s daughter, daughter’s wife, and four- and seven-year-old granddaughters. They enjoyed an exhausting trip going to Disney World, Universal Studios, and Hollywood!
Marcia Sayward Blake is looking forward to another great year of golf with grandson Caleb. Marcia’s mother, Dorothy Steward Sayward, was a UMaine graduate in 1928 and taught Latin at Milo High School for several years before moving to Guilford after her marriage.
Anne Wescott Dodd shared that her small UMaine group that had been getting together for lunch every month for a few decades is now mostly via Zoom. Some can’t drive. Others moved out of the Lewiston-Auburn area where they used to have lunch. One lives in New Jersey except in the summer. They did get together last fall in Holden at Ann Coffin Hicock’s ’63G cottage. Other members of the group include Jean McNeary Woodard, who moved to Orono; Cynthia Downing Tanous ’82 CAS, and Jane Petherbridge Ives. Anne writes that her senior roommate, Norine Hunt Clarke, who passed away, was with them in the beginning. She added, “It’s wonderful to have friends for so long, but a challenge for everyone as we age.”
Betsy Flynn Drake and husband, Jack, spent the four winter months in Myrtle Beach before returning to Birch Bay the rest of the year. She writes that Bar Harbor is very busy with visits from their four kids and families as well as friends.
Always looking for a new adventure, Etta Libby Davenport left on April 11 for a 17-day trip to India, “eight different beds and eight different showers to figure out.”
Only Etta would share that the trip booklet suggested a sports bra for the rough roads. “Oh my,” she asked, “What did I get into?”
My life is status quo watching my only grandchild grow and explore. I came to this grandma stuff late in life. Pictures available on my Facebook!
On a final note, as of December 31, 2023, our Class of 1961 Scholarship Fund had a principal balance of $86,467 and a market value of $112,601. For the academic-year 2024-2025 our scholarship distribution will be awarded to a student in the amount of $3,450. Congratulations to our class for continuing to help students in need and thank you to everyone who has contributed to our scholarship fund throughout the years! Thanks to the ongoing support of classmates, we awarded two $2,000 scholarships to UMaine students for 2024. Remind your grandkids and great-grandkids that this resource is available to them as a relative of ’61 class members. Every little bit helps! We are truly making a difference!
Remember to continue to send me photos for our web photo album. It’s such fun to scan through the years.