Summer 2010 - The Green Issue - 51

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ria). Our Saturday night class dinner at Danielle’s was quite the fun event. We had a bit of luck on our side as the host made a last-minute decision to set up our dinner inside (instead of the patio) and, lo and behold, there was rain—not to mention rather high temps. We remained comfortable, cool and dry inside the lounge enjoying the great company of our classmates and spouses. Attending with me, Marsha Evans were: Lia Fowler Boggs; Betsy Bond Brennen; Christine Santrizos Chagaris; Deborah Crawford-Reynolds; Ann Fussell Divecha and husband Dave; Tammy Leisinger Gantz and husband Paul; Donna Crock Johnston M.A. ’97 and husband Willy; Susan Bond Kearney; Carolyn Clough Kilgus; Brenda Ayers McCutcheon M.S. ’90 and husband William; Meredith McQuoidGreason; Wendy Kimball Murray; Kelly NickolesAuber; Melanie Carroll Psaltakis; Heather Moncrieff Shackley; Lisa Fowler Spencer and husband Arthur; Janice Peacock Spiegel and husband Howard Spiegel ’86; Krista Stone Steiding; Mary Svetz-Juliano; Kathy Nack Tracey M.A. ’95 and husband Rick; Katherine Anger Turcotte and husband Rich; Deborah Hall Webber; and Karen Elm Wirth. I’ve posted numerous pictures of Reunion Weekend (including our class dinner) on Facebook and on a separate pic-sharing website. Feel free to friend me on Facebook (or e-mail me at marsha.evans@mchsi.com) and I’ll send you a link to the website. Hope to see you at the next reunion!” Thanks Marsha—it sounds like the weekend was a blast! It was nice to get a letter from Susan Audino B.A. ’99: “In order to accommodate our alpacas, we have purchased a house and 20 acres of land in central Ohio, about 15 miles southeast of Columbus. Our closing date was initially scheduled in October and finally happened Dec 29. It’s a lovely home, about five years old and big (just shy of 4,000 sq. ft.) to accommodate friends, family and the business. Unfortunately it was vandalized a bit and so renovations and repairs are underway. We contacted a nice group of Amish men who will soon start building the barn to house our ’pacas. Soon after, a very high fence will be erected to keep the property’s pack of coyotes (there have been several sightings) away from the alpacas and then hire some guard dogs to help.” Sue has now finalized the business and has moved to Ohio. Anyone who would like to see the farm and read more of her story can visit the farm’s website: http://alpacagreen. com. Our condolences to Susan, as she lost her mother over the Christmas holiday. Amie Jamison Sweren sent me a response to fill us all in. Her husband is now working at the Univ. of Delaware and runs the IT security department. Amie works part time as a bookkeeper in an accounting office that deals with people of extreme high net worth. In addition, she co-chairs the catering committee at her synagogue. It’s loads of fun and is essentially another part-time job that she doesn’t get paid for (don’t we all feel this!). As the boys are getting older, Amie wanted to get out and do something but still have flexibility. Her boys are 11, going on 35, and currently in sixth grade. They are making new friends and seem to enjoy their new school. They will be bar mitzvahed next year! They are also taking music lessons at the School of Rock and are having fun being rock stars! Amie also reported that she and her family moved about six miles from their old address but it is worlds apart! It’s a farmhouse that someone else took the time to gut and re-do. Amie reported, “I love it but could not have survived a renovation. The original portion of the house is from 1856, then additions were made in 1902, 1960 and a new master suite in 2007. I just love living in a house with history but with new plumbing and wiring!” Julie Peddicord Wuslich also responded to my postcard request: “I must admit I have been curious about a lot of our long-lost classmates. As for me, I’ve been married for 15 years to Ray Wuslich, an attorney. I have two sons—David, 7, and Christopher, 5. I’m an attorney in the criminal division of

the U.S. Department of Justice, where I’ve been for almost 19 years. We live in Arlington, Va. I’ve maintained contact with another Hood alum Lori Landis ’84. Not much else … my life is busy but pretty uneventful.” I was thrilled to receive an e-mail from Amina Mohamud ’84, who filled me in on the past few years: “I am presently living in Waterloo, Belgium (in the suburbs of Brussels), with my husband of 20 years and our two children—Yonis, 18 and Samira, 12. After graduating from Hood, I went to study at American University in D.C., where I received a master’s in economics. In 1986, I went to join the United Nations Development Programme as a junior professional officer and served places like Guinea Bissau, Rwanda, Mozambique and New York. Then I decided to join my husband in Papua New Guinea and have stopped working since 1997. Simon is from the Netherlands and we decided to come to Belgium where he serves as environmental economist with the European Union in Brussels. The past 10 years I dedicated to raising children and did not work. I had some difficult time, full of sorrow, and was a bit lost because of the perpetual violence in Somalia. We had rescued my family and relatives from the war, which spent a lot of energy. Now, my family is safe and they are refugees scattered in the Netherlands, U.S., UK, Sweden and Canada. I just completed one year of studying public international law part-time at the University of Kent at Brussels and by May of next year, at the age of 50, I hope to graduate. I hope to get a job in women’s rights and advocacy.” Amina also commented on Hood’s decision to go coed: “Yes, Hood has gone coed … maybe the time has come for Hood to serve the community in accepting boys, too. In our time, we needed to be educated in a women’s college in order to prepare us for a world where there were not enough laws which protected and provided opportunities for women—equal opportunity, anti-harassment legislations, etc.” I am so proud of Kris Gossard Pearl M.A. ’90 who, compelled by the loss of her mother, trained for and completed the Avon Breast Cancer Walk this past May. Kris set out to raise $1,800 and ended up raising close to $6,000! She has already signed up to complete the walk for next year, so friend her on Facebook to get a head’s up on donating and the details of her training for this past walk! What an inspiration you are Kris! Please accept our condolences on the passing of your mom but know she is proud of you, too! I will be sending more postcards out to try to get news from more alums. Please consider sending me a line or two—we have so much strength and love to share with one another!

1986
Giving Participation: 15.92% · Total Class Dollars: $6,103

Alison Drum Althouse 11818 Duxbury Place Midlothian, VA 23114 (804) 378-7541 alison86@verizon.net As we start thinking about our 25th (!) reunion, I (Alison Drum Althouse) would like to ask everyone to think about what sort of alumni giving legacy we want to leave to those who follow in our footsteps. As the new national chair for annual giving for Hood, this has been weighing heavily on my mind. For some, it might be the idea of donating a large sum of money; for others it might involve donating for the first time in years; while still others might be donating for the first time since graduation. Whatever the case, know that any amount you donate to Hood College will make an impact. Every single monetary gift, regardless of the amount, increases the overall percentage of alumni support, which is vital as Hood moves forward. It’s one of the first questions posed to our president when he is searching for

monetary support that continues to make Hood the incredibly vibrant campus it is today. Donating even $50 can make an impact. I’d like to challenge every single member of the Class of 1986 to donate $50 (or an extra $50) to Hood College. Think of it—less than $1 per week. Is that manageable? I believe that our class can make a huge contribution toward the life of Hood College. In the meantime, let me thank each of you who continue to donate to Hood College so faithfully. You are the backbone of our College. You are the ones who continue to believe in our alma mater. You are the ones who have helped Hood College grow and become one of the best places to send our daughters and our sons to college. And now … on with the news from our class! Julie Booth Little is still teaching theater and is currently in the middle of tech week for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with 47 students and two casts. Quite a handful but Julie loves it. Her daughter is now 15 and they’re already looking at colleges (yes, Hood is on the list)! Robyn Bray Harrison spends her days at the pool with the year-round swim team for her daughter Riley. An August trip to Destin, Fla., is planned and she’s hoping to bring home suntanned kids—not amberstained kids from the oil spill! Martha Church-Lombardi’s oldest son Justin graduated from Providence College (May 2009) and is job searching. Her middle son Alex will be starting at Marist College this fall in their Div. I swimming program; and youngest son Matthew continues to battle food allergies, asthma and arthritis with humor and maturity. Marnie enjoys her part-time job as “activities director” for an elderly lady, which allows her to continue to do all the running around with her boys. Irene Flores saw Mari Padilla Spina and Gyna Oliveros recently and had a great time full of laughter, just like the old days! Her daughter will be a high school senior this fall and Irene says she seems to be more mature than she was at that age. Thank goodness! Kellye Anne Greenwald has embarked on an improv comedy journey with the Baltimore Improv Group and loves it! She’s got her daughter Samantha with her all summer between her semesters at Univ. of Maine, and is shopping for colleges with her son Charlie, who will be a high school senior this year. Kellye and Warren continue to get to Rehoboth when they can and she’s looking forward to another fun season at the Maryland Renaissance Festival! Sheila Guth Snyder will spend her summer working full time and driving her 15-year-old twins, Stephanie and Andrea, between work and sports practices, since both play year round. They start 10th grade in the fall. Older daughter Alyssa is now 19 and will start her clinical rotations for the next two years for x-ray just like her mom and grandma. Martha Hearn Shimano still loves the Southern California weather and lifestyle that she’s been enjoying since 2002. She’ll be taking her daughter Katherine, 17, on college searches this summer, and Martha and Kozo will be going to Paris in July for the eighth straight year to watch the final stage of the Tour de France. They are starting their own family foundation to help high school kids who are involved with the arts, sports and academic achievement called Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls. They’ll team up with local celebrities and, while an upcoming year filled with legal forms, by-laws and financial planners might sound daunting, she and Kozo can’t wait to get started! Kimberly Howell Cox and her daughters are moving to their new home/duty station in Fort Rucker, Ala., ahead of hubby Darren, who takes command of a battalion there later this month. She’s looking forward to being a stay-at-home mom again and working on her golf game! Holly Junz Barth just moved into a groundfloor apartment with her boyfriend and is looking forward to spending more time with him when he retires this year. They’re also hoping to do some traveling in the future. Jennifer Lee Matts and her daughter Hannah took a lovely trip to England over spring break. They got to do lots of horseback riding but were de-

Summer 2010 - The Green Issue

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