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Class Notes NEWS OF 1948 From Jean Baxter McCracken: It would be wonderful to see a good turnout for our 55th reunion. I know we are getting up there and some have difficulties, but I hope many of you will be inspired to attend this celebration. I am eager to see the new academic complex and the improved facilities. A lot has changed in the last five years. This past summer, I took a trip to Alaska with my daughter, Sue Youtz ’72, and my son Steve from Idaho. We had a wonderful trip through Denali National Park, highlighted by a perfect view of Mount McKinley, which I understand is rare. Then we went to Juneau, where we boarded a Cruise West ship to explore glaciers, fiords, and much more. It’s really hard to describe the beauty and wildness. You just have to go there! Hope to see you in May ’03. From the Alumni House: We were all saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Marjorie Schuessler Sherry on December 16. Emmeline Ungurian Lewis Dimmick has written this tribute to her: “The week before Christmas is always a busy and joyous time as we prepare for the holidays. This past holiday season was different. The week before Christmas, Marge Schuessler Sherry lay down and died! She was not ill—she simply died. “At College, Marge Schuessler was our vivacious redhead, a lively, joyous person. She took French, which she spoke with a Pennsylvania accent. She played the bass violin. She was a fun person whom we all loved. (And don’t we all remember her infectious giggle?) She worked on the school newspaper and was on the yearbook staff. The Class of 1948 named her ‘Miss Moravian,’ and she was our class president. “After graduation, she took a teaching job, married, and had a son. Then she returned to Moravian in 1956, where she was employed on the administrative staff, holding various positions, until she became registrar in 1972. She worked under Presidents Haupert, Collier, and Martin. “She retired in 1994, well known and well loved—our ‘Mrs. Moravian.’ Even in retirement, she visited Moravian College and Alumni House. She loved Moravian College. After retirement, she joined the Fortnightly Book Club of Bethlehem. Here again, she made her mark as a lively, bright member. “I saw her just before Thanksgiving. She looked forward to the Christmas holidays when Christian, her son, would come home. She bubbled with joy and laughed that Marge Schuessler Sherry infectious giggle. “I visited the Sherry home before Christmas. Lights decorated the trees in front of the house; inside stood a tall, beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and under it the wrapped gifts. But Marge was not there—she had quietly passed away December 16, the day before. We shared tears and memories with Ron and Christian. Sad, sad! “Services for Marge—a celebration of her life, really—were held the Thursday before Christmas at Christ U.C.C. Church in Bethlehem. Many relatives, neighbors, and friends from Fortnightly and Moravian attended. I saw President Ervin J. Rokke, Bertie Francis Knisely ’69, alumni director, there, as well as Tom Tenges ’70, Helen Kanuskey Canfield ’47, Charlotte Unangst Schilser ’47, Maria Sideris Chapis, and Marion Schmidt Heacock ’48 Sec. Our class has lost a most wonderful friend. Marge was one in a million!” NEWS OF 1947 From Margaret Loveless Browne: I had decided to contact those classmates who had been out of touch for a long time. I did and the response was great. I spoke with: Ruth Heitz Bachman, Lorraine Zoschak Kelly, June Hunsicker Kuhns, Jeanne Scott St. Clair, Teresa Soltis Maus, Elizabeth Riegel Mesner, Jessie Ayre Apple, and Anne Turner Dorman. In order to get in all their news, we will put it in the next issue of this magazine. On a sad note, I regret to inform you that Irene Meiskin Burday passed away in September. I extend our condolences to her family. NEWS OF 1946-41 MEN NEWS OF 1946 From Ada Zellner Flower: Barbara Shepherd has moved, though she is still in Bradenton, Fla. Barbara Dalton Goodman and Tom celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June in Australia, where they visited friends. Barbara celebrated her 80th birthday in November. The Goodmans have three dogs (Labs, of course). They had to hand-rear one pup that was ignored by its mother. Frank and I attended my 60th
high school reunion in October. We were pleased to see so many of my class in attendance.
We visited Ileen Whitehead Birnbaum and Dave before the event. Ileen took me on a tour
of Moravian’s North Campus. There are a number of good-looking new student housing
units there, and a large academic building has been constructed as well. NEWS OF 1945 From Jane Smith Ebelhare: Jackie Stout McGiffert visited her daughter Sarah and her family in Austin, Texas in September. The highlight of the visit was to attend the musical Hair, which Jackie had seen 32 years ago in New York. She says: “It still speaks to you about war and bigotry.” Jackie and Bob, with Sarah and her family, were planning to drive to Yellowstone Park before Christmas, to stay at the Snow Lodge for two nights and then take the Snow Coach Tour back to Missoula, Montana, to finish holiday preparations, where they would be joined by their son, Brian, and his family for the festivities. I received a great e-mail from Jackie Haas Bauder, who was slowed down a bit by a heart catheterization in September and then some asthmatic problems, which necessitated 16 days of treatment. But it sounds as though she’s back on the fast track now. On her doctor’s advice, she has changed her diet. So now she is having fun reading labels in the grocery store and enjoying different foods—and she’s lost 12 pounds doing it! In early October, she went with 150 other Moravian Women (a churchwomen’s organization) to Toronto for a four-day jaunt. There was one bus from Pennsylvania, with women from New Jersey and Maryland as well, and two from New York churches. The purpose of the trip was to rally at the New Dawn Moravian Church of Toronto, whose congregation is mainly of Caribbean British background. They treated everyone royally. Betty Wachstetter Griffis, with whom Jackie lunches on a regular basis, also went to Toronto. On Saturday night of the tour, all the Moravian women were all rousted from their hotel rooms by a fire alarm (false, thankfully). Jackie, though still dressed, had her hair in curlers, and Betty was in her pajamas. And that’s how they looked as they walked down seven flights of stairs to the lobby. On November 26, Jackie planned to go to Takoma Park, a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., to visit her daughter Wendy and her family. She also wanted to visit the D.A.R. archives to see if she could locate her ancestors’ place of origin in Germany. Last July, she and a friend found what they believe was the original Haas homestead in Upper Macungie Township. Janet Moyer Paulus and her husband, Dick, always look forward to the holidays with their family. Their daughter does Thanksgiving; then Janet and Dick have everyone for Christmas, including their Penn State grandchild (a junior) and (with luck) their grandson, who is in the Coast Guard. Janet recently had a telephone conversation with Rheta Adams Weidenbacher ’44. Rheta has health problems, which keep her pretty much housebound and on oxygen, but Janet says she has a good attitude and positive thoughts, and she stays in touch with the world. Both Jackie and Janet have some similar plans. They expected to visit Ann Bachert at Kirkland Village, a retirement and care facility in Bethlehem, early in November. Later in the month, Florence Drebert Fritts and her husband, Warren, and (they hoped) Jim Cherrington (husband of Doris Fetterman Cherrington ’43) were to join them at Janet’s home in Allentown for their annual lunch. I received a letter from Alice Joyce Yeager in August. She and her husband, Robert, are very active and are busy attending the symphony, theater, and ballet. She says the Bradenton, Fla., area where they live is very supportive of the arts. She and Robert took part in a Moravian alumni gathering last year, at which President Rokke was the speaker. Gloria Gately Chipman and her husband, Frank, returned from another cruise October 31. This time they flew to Montreal and cruised to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with stops in Quebec, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Va., and Charleston, S.C. The weather was windy and cold in the northern cities but quite warm in Charleston, and because of the unusually hot summer in Canada and Maine, the autumn leaves were still beautiful. After Christmas, they were to go to California to see the Tournament of Roses parade. Included in the seven-day trip were three days in San Diego (with tours of the zoo and the harbor), a visit to Robert Shuler’s Crystal Cathedral for its holiday pageant, and a day to watch the floats being finished for the parade. All three of their daughters were planning to be with them the weekend before Christmas, as well as their grandchildren, ages 23 and 20. The grandchildren were to leave December 23 to visit their Belgian grandmother in Bruges. Andy and I were planning to leave for Wellington, Fla., the first week in January for another busy winter. We will have a different house there this year, so I will have a new temporary address when I next ask you for news. NEWS OF 1944 NEWS OF 1943 From June Bright Reese: The Class of 1943 is busily preparing for our 60th reunion on May 30-31. Most of our plans were finalized at several meetings, the last one during our customary fall mini-reunion. The committee, chaired by Betty Adams Roach, comprises Margaret Johnson Bartlett, Bette Karte ’41 Sec, Janet Williams Sander, Nancy Reichard Kichline, June Bright Reese, and Margaret Terr Willey. We look forward to seeing all of you then. At Westminster Village, two residents recently gave a presentation about a World War II magazine called Homefront. Published in the Bangor area, it kept servicemen connected to families and friends at home. The magazine grew, and by February 1944 some 7,000 copies were printed each month. On the front page of the November 1944 issue, there was a photo of a group of girls called the Fairest of the Fair. The girls, in beautiful gowns, were seated in a V-formation, and at the apex of the V was a member of the Class of 1943, Gertrude Randolph Starner. Another issue featured Laenore Yeisley Cawley ’41 Sec. Sad to say, both Trudy and Laenore have passed away, but we remember them well. Please put May 30-31 on your calendar and plan to attend our 60th reunion. You’ll be glad you did. From the Alumni House: Harlan Fulmer’s wife of 55 years passed away in June. We send our condolences. NEWS OF 1942 NEWS OF 1941 From Ruth: I must begin on a sad note. We lost one of our classmates July 11 when Harriet Fatzinger Phillips passed away. She is survived by a son, Fred, and three step-grandchildren. The details came from Ruth Reitz Balish, who had been her close friend and fellow nurse. Ruth and her husband, George, live in Florida and are surviving various physical problems but keep busy visiting with relatives and various activities, including D.A.R. meetings. One of our classmates was featured recently in an article and a picture in the Morning Call. Lois Yerger Fischel was responsible for starting the Great Decisions program at the YWCA. The group is now part of the Foreign Policy Association, and its meetings continue at the Banko building on Westgate Drive in February and March. Thelma Heiberger and her husband, Bob, live at Sacred Heart Assisted Living Apartments in Northampton. Ruth D’Aleo lives in Luthercrest, Allentown. I made an error about her in the last column: Cameron is not a new grandchild but a great-grandchild. Ruth Overfield Fidorak hosted a group of us October 18 at the dedication of the new classroom building at Moravian. Letty Cliff Shurskis stayed with me several days, and we attended this delightful affair with Leona Quinn, Mary McElroy ’39 Sec, the Fidoracks, the Fischels, and Marie Overmeyer Teixeira. Betty Barton Dodd was to join us, but she fell getting out of her car and ended up in the hospital. Marie Texeira is still occupied with art activities in Washington, and her son picked her up after the program. I am still doing a bit of traveling. I was in Europe for 10 days in June with a group, mostly Moravians. We were in Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, and Budapest. Then, it was off to Indiana where my granddaughter, Rachel Saner, was married to Tex Eisenhour on a farm amid the soybean fields and cornfields and woods. After the wedding, there were games, sports, and dancing and lots of food, of course. What a lovely way to begin married life! NEWS OF 1940 From the Alumni House: We are still looking for a class correspondent. Interested? Please contact the Alumni Office at 610 861-1366. NEWS OF 1939 From Betty Batdorf Hummel: Sorry there was no news in the last issue, but I haven’t been hearing from any of you lately. Cleo Funk Rohrbaugh saw her youngest granddaughter, Jill, get married in September on a boat in Puget Sound. The newlyweds came back to Bethlehem for a visit, and her parents had a reception so family and friends could meet and greet them. Cleo has a son and daughter, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, but Jill is the adventurer in the family. Five of her grandchildren or their wives are in the teaching profession. During Alumni Weekend, I had several old friends staying with me. Isabel Rohrbach Smith ’38 came from Kansas and stayed with Christine Roberts Fraley ’38 in Carlyle for a few days. Then they drove to Allentown. They also spent some time with Olivia Musselman Barnes ’38, and all four of us went to dinner before Isabel and Chris left. We have kept in touch ever since graduation, and Isabel and I took a trip to Mexico in 1980. It’s always good to get together. May it continue for a long time! NEWS OF 1938 NEWS OF 1937 NEWS OF 1936 From the Alumni House: We are saddened to report that your class correspondent, Harold Orvis, passed away May 30. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends. NEWS OF 1935 |
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Marjorie Schuessler Sherry, class president, leads the Class of ’48 at its 50th reunion in 1998. Photo: Gregory M. Fota '69 |