As fall arrives in New England, the foliage reaches its peak, painting the landscape with spectacular bright red maples.
New England fall colors at their peak.
This article aims to capture the essence of community and personal experiences, reflecting on life's journey through the stories of classmates and their connections to places like Provincetown.
Classmates' Updates
Cynthia Crook Lieck reported from Venice, Fla., that she survived Hurricane Ian. Aston Gardens Independent Living sustained a lot of damage, both visible and hidden. Thankfully, her two daughters experienced no real damage to their homes. She spent four days on the island with one daughter after Ian passed, returned home for two days, then spent four more days with her other daughter as a rain-penetrated LR wall needed immediate treatment for five days. She is grateful for her daughters and their efforts and feels well, expressing gratitude for those who suffered far more.
Mary Lou Roberts Friberg called seeking the address and telephone number of another classmate. She also reported that her husband passed away last August at 96, after 73 wonderful years together.
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John Stuart reported that he went to medical school after Colby and practiced for 23 years in Providence, R.I., after completing a residency and internship. While there, he delivered his daughter, who is now also a doctor and with whom he now lives in California. John states that he’s “living a good life!”
Dwight Erlick called from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He’s a retired psychologist with a son and daughter and three grandsons and a granddaughter. He spends his summers in Portland, Ore., with his daughter. He’s a great proponent of Match, having discovered the site eight years ago. He’s also a Rummikub addict, playing three or four hours a day! “Life is pretty good!”
Richard Tardiff notified that his father, Donald Tardiff, “passed away on December 15 of last year at the age of 97.” Todd Sigety wrote, “My dad, Ernest Sigety, passed away peacefully in his sleep April 2, 2022, at home in Alexandria, Va. It was one month shy of his 98th birthday.”
Al Stone, now 94, is the grandfather of five Colby alumni. “I can report that they’re all prospering. Meanwhile, I’m privileged to still be allowed to go to work most days as one of their employees, which I consider my good fortune. Navy, I’ve been blessed with good health, a long life, and nine additional grandchildren!”
The Springvale Public Library honored Harland Eastman with the naming of its genealogy room as the Harland H. Eastman Room. Harland is a long-time trustee of the library and is also president of the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society, which dedicated a park next to its building as the Stephen Emery Eastman Park in memory of Hal’s late son.
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For Fred Boyle, 2022 brought many challenges. With the death of his wife, Barbara, in March, he moved into an apartment and sold their home of almost 40 years. My latest book, Early Families of Buxton, Maine, came out in June 2022.
Louise Ginsberg Hirshberg lives in Exeter, N.H., and has become active in the game of pickleball. In fact, Louise writes that she is the senior New Hampshire pickleball champion! She also confesses that the competition at the senior level is thin. Louise visited Colby recently and is impressed with what the College and the town of Waterville have done together.
Priscilla Eaton Billington sent a note, saying she went to Massachusetts Eye and Ear last fall for a “thumbs-up” decision on having an implant in her ear. It would be a long process but could be done before she left for her Florida home in December. Her Colby daughter, Dianne (Billington Stronach ’75), enjoyed her Colby reunion but returned home with a Covid infection, despite having a fourth shot protection.
Carolyn English Caci said that having had a broken hip in January 2022 and then a broken wrist in June, she decided to move to the assisted-living section of Brooksby Village in July. Carolyn is learning to love her newest change in her way of living.
Nancy Moyer Conover lives in Storrs, Conn., and is a big rooter for the UConn women’s basketball team. All the homes in her community have expansive front porches, which encourage conversations with passersby. Nancy traveled to Sweden last summer to visit the home of her maternal grandmother. Nancy concluded, “America is a country of emigrants, so I encourage everyone to look to their roots in the ‘old’ world and see where they take you.”
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Whitey Thurston sold his home in Penobscot, Maine, last August and moved permanently to Englewood, Fla. Whitey found traveling back and forth and maintaining two properties “became too much for me.” He said he would miss his summers in Maine but will always have fond memories of those delightful times.
John Krusell phoned from his home in Kissimmee, Fla. He continues to live alone but appreciates the visits and support of his family. John was upbeat about life and retains an active mind. His love of reading remains one of his greatest pleasures.
Tom Hunt and his wife, Susan (Miller ’56), celebrated their 66th year of marriage. It has been a 70-year relationship when including their going-together at Colby, which Susan is eager to count. Last Sept. 2, Tom began his 92nd year of life. He concluded, “These are big numbers, and we are grateful we’ve had a very good life together.”
Art Eddy died Feb. 19, 2023. Art wrote a wonderful biography for our 50th Reunion book. He closed by saying, “Colby served me well, my memories are positive, and my life has been (and still is) completely due, in no small part, to what happened to me during my four years ‘on the hill.’” His daughter Sara wrote when he passed, “He was 90 and, until the last few months, lived a fully independent and active life, including playing as many rounds of golf as he could manage!” Art served as our class correspondent with distinction for nearly two decades.
Sue Johnson flew for the first time since Covid. She traveled from her home in Virginia to visit her sister Nancy, who lives in Massachusetts. Sue continues her love of knitting, which she learned at Colby from Ginny Kane Hawrylycz. Many of us were recipients of Sue’s beautiful socks. Sue is currently learning a new skill, playing the harp. She takes pride and great joy in her eight great-grandchildren. Sue also said in this time of life, she has a desire to grow closer to God and develop a greater awareness of “the other side.”
Christine Henderson Harper left Colby after two years to marry. Yet, Chris is one of our most loyal and generous members of the Colby family. Currently living in Unionville, Ontario, Canada, Chris turned 90 in August. She enjoyed a family reunion and celebration of her birthday. She keeps busy by going to exercise class, knitting for a charitable group, doing work for a small firm, and reading a lot.
Mary Mastin Campbell spoke of her longtime meaningful relationship with Betsy Powley Wallingford. She also remembered fondly Ned Shenton “as a quiet but strong presence.” She requested Mira Ptacin’s essay on Ned and has obtained his memoir.
Ten of our ’54 classmates are Floridians: Carole Bullock Adams, Lakeland; Margaret “Peggy-Jane” Moore Blair, West Palm Beach; John Krusell, Kissimmee; Colby Thompson Lowe, Gainesville; Al Packard, Merritt Island; Mark Powley, Cape Coral; Jim Rapaport, Boca Raton; John Resler, Miami; Allen Sandler, Boca Raton; and Whitey Thurston, Englewood. Each person’s experience with Hurricane Ian was different depending on their location. Whitey Thurston said it most succinctly for all, “Survived Ian.”
On a sad note, the beloved wife of Karl Dornish, Jane Millett Dornish ’55, died last October. She was the daughter of our much-loved alumni secretary Bill Millett. Kay Hartwell Philipps commented that she enjoyed reading about David Ward’s research in our last column. Every summer Kay’s family spends a week together at Rockywold Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake, N.H. “I call it my spirit home. This year my husband and I planned to drive to Maine after Squam and visit the Colby Museum of Art. Unfortunately, age-related problems prevented this excursion.” Kay is curious if many alumni have visited the art museum. Have you?
Speaking of David Ward, he reports that his 25 years of research on federal supermax prisons still garners attention. Last summer two producers from the History Channel interviewed David for a series on famous prisons, which was scheduled to air at the end of 2022. They spoke to David about his Alcatraz project and about the prison’s successor in Colorado, a project he worked on from 1994 to 2002.
Peter French wrote in from Yonkers, where he lives in a castle known as Greystone Court with a view of the Hudson River. “When I was 84 and my wife, Marietta (Roberts ’57), had died, I decided to buy a castle in Yonkers that I fell in love with at first sight. Secretly, I think I always wanted to live in a castle. Everyone thought I was crazy to do it, including me. Now that I’ve lived another five years and lived here, I’m glad I did it. I’m hoping for at least another five. It’s been a good place to sit out the pandemic. Now that my children are running my business [French Color and Fragrance], I have time to work in a lab I set up in the basement to do what I learned at Colby: chemistry.
Joanna McCurdy Brunso wonders how many classmates are left. When she lived in upstate New York, several classmates would get together at someone’s house. She still hears from Lois Latimer Pan, Kathie Vogt, Cookie Allen, Yvonne “Vonnie” Noble Davies, and Heidi Pauly Lansing. Joanna lives in the Seattle area during the warm months and snowbirds in Green Valley, Ariz. Any classmates nearby? She dreams of travel: this year she will go to Atlanta for her oldest son’s retirement.
Kathy McConaughy Zambello went to Colby last June for Saturday events during Reunion Weekend. Mary Ann Papalia Laccabue came from Tarzana, Calif., with her daughter and two grandsons. The Class Parade was led by a 98-year-old woman, JoJo Pitts McAlary ’44, who walked on her own. Mary Ann and Kathy followed; Kathy carried our class flag. They were the only Golden Mules in attendance at the luncheon afterward. The campus has changed so much: an enormous field house, dorms by Johnson Pond, rotaries, and pedestrian-only walkways. He belongs to Sons in Retirement, which meets monthly and has speakers of general interest and a dozen interest groups: science, foreign affairs, military history, books, etc. He gets out around the Golden Gate in his Klamath boat for salmon and rockfish and Dungeness crabs in season. It was a slow salmon season north of the Golden Gate last year.
Frank Huntress’s big thing was watching, with a gathering, the Queen’s funeral with its precision and timing. He shared that the funeral had been “practiced” over a five-year period to avoid “hitches and glitches.” However, he did notice two errors in the names of two clergy. He had planned to attend our reunion but an eye problem canceled that. His general health is good and he takes services in Marblehead. He compares President David Greene with our President Seelye Bixler in their idealism. He wishes to be remembered by our classmates for memory’s treasure of friendship and wonderful years “on the Hill.”
Last summer’s highlight for Janet Nordgren Meryweather was her granddaughter’s wedding in New Mexico, an hour from Santa Fe. She stayed at the “Blame Her Ranch” for five days and slept in an air-conditioned Conestoga wagon with bathroom facilities outside. Before the wedding, they lost power and there wasn’t a generator. Thankfully, power was restored before the ceremony. Janet has recently dealt with colon cancer. She had surgery in Florida and chemo in Maine, and both procedures were easy with no side effects. She is a survivor of four melanomas and two breast surgeries. Her current CT scan shows her clean of colon cancer. She’s blessed by her wonderful team of physicians and maintains a positive attitude. In early December, she headed back to Nokomis, Fla., where her home was habitable except for lanai damage following Hurricane Ian.
Michaline “Mikki” Chomicz Mann feels lucky that despite our age, we’re able to enjoy our families, friends, and favorite activities. Her move to Wilmington, N.C., a few blocks from her daughter’s home, has been much easier than she thought. She misses everyone from up north but takes advantage of the internet. She’s now in an area with many interesting group activities and is close to the beach. She joined the Wilmington Choral Society and participated in its December concert. Last August she visited friends in Boston, which was a “delight. They drove me to Rhode Island for lunch with my granddaughter and to Worcester, my hometown. That’s something I have in common with President Greene since he grew up ...
Robert S Johnson is a photographer based in New York City and in Wellfleet, Massachusetts where he lives with Katherine Alford and their son Asher. Robert turned to photography full time in 2008 after a lifetime of taking photos. Since then he has devoted himself to work as a freelance photographer and educator. Robert’s photographs have been exhibited internationally, from New York to Budapest. He has published seven photo books and his work is included in private collections. Always a visual kid, he began taking pictures using his mother's camera on family trips and on the grounds of the Boston State Hospital, aka “Boston Lunatic Hospital” founded in 1839, where he was raised.Robert's photography includes expansive project-based visual poems, including TRANSLUCENT, which he describes as a project without end.
Vicky Tomayko is an artist and printmaker living in Truro, MA. Tomayko teaches at Cape Cod Community College, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown where she also manages the print studio. Tomayko was assistant professor of printmaking at Connecticut College, 1979 through 1981, and was awarded a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in 1985. She received an MFA in printmaking from Western Michigan University, and has been the recipient of two Ford Foundation Grants. She is represented by the Schoolhouse Gallery in Provincetown, and the A.I.R. Gallery in New York.
Robert Henry Studied with Hans Hofmann in New York and Provincetown, MA. and at Brooklyn College, where he is Professor Emeritus,.with Ad Reinhardt and Kurt Seligmann.
Catherine Hess, one of the artists and also a member of Wellfleet Preservation Hall’s Visual Arts Committee, curated the exhibit. In addition to Hess and Schulenburg, other artists include Maryalice Eizenberg, Taylor Fox, Jerome Greene, Kenneth Higgins, Joan Lockhart, Irene McGrath, Rosalie Nadeau, Susan Overstreet, Andrea Petitto, Carol Petretti, Dale Michaels Wade, and Robin Wessman. Artists who paint at Schulenburg Studio have exhibited portrait and figure work together at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Barnstable Town Hall, and the Eastham Public Library. Individually they have exhibited their work, including other genres such as landscapes and still life, at non-profit organizations, museums and galleries across the Cape.
Doug Bennet graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a BFA in graphic design. And although he ended up parlaying his creative energy into a successful advertising career, he was always “ a brush stroke away” from wanting to get back into the art scene.
Ellen Anthony Coming to Cape Cod has been a journey of exploration, stumbling, healing.In 1989, after many odd jobs, I began work at the Wellfleet Public Library, writing in spare time.
Colin McGuire is a painter currently working in Marblehead, MA as well as Provincetown, MA. Colin received his MFA from Lesley University College of Art and Design and BFA from Montserrat College of Art, where he now works as an adjunct instructor. He also teaches and serves as chair of the art department at The Academy of Penguin Hall in Wenham, MA. He will be marrying his fiance this month in Wellfleet! Colin’s paintings are the result of a lifetime spent observing the coast. A dedicated painter for over a decade, his work is highly refined and sensitive, reflecting his experiences in nature and as an artist. His time spent as a fisherman and surfer along the New England coastline have etched the effects of light and atmosphere into the artist’s work. Trained as a plein-air painter, Colin often paints from the landscape, and aims to capture the energy and light ...
Amelia Toelke’s work was presented in the solo exhibition "Guilty Pleasures" in November and December at Atelier Grandon in Warsaw, Indiana. She grew up in New York; attended the Accademia di belle Art in Rome, Italy; and completed her graduate schooling in sculpture at Brooklyn College.
Kate Douglas is a writer, composer, and performer. She is a recipient of The Civilians/Princeton University’s Next Forever commission and has been awarded residencies at SPACE on Ryder Farm, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat,Millay Arts, and Goodspeed Musicals, among others.
Daniel Emond is a Queens-based singer, musician, composer for Musical Theatre, and recording artist. His rock opera KILL THE WHALE: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY has seen development in the Polyphone Festival, Yaddo, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Corkscrew Festival, NYU, the Melville bi-Centennial Conference, and Nantucket Theatre Workshop.
Julian Hornik is a composer, lyricist, and librettist based in Brooklyn. He has performed his work at, amongst others, Joe’s Pub, The Kennedy Center, New York City Center, and Carnegie Hall.
The Kilbanes are Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses, a married composing and performing team. Their rock musical Weightless (WP Theater, ACT, Public Theater’s Under the Radar, Z Space SF) was nominated for Lucille Lortel (Best Musical), Drama Desk (Best Music), and Off-Broadway Alliance (Best New Musical) awards in 2023.
Veronica ("Ronnie") Mansour is a composer/lyricist/artist. She holds an MFA in Graduate Musical Theatre Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Christie Baugher is a musical storyteller for stage and screen based in Los Angeles. She wrote the book, music and lyrics for The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul, which was a selection of the 2020 Pacific Playwrights Festival at South Coast Repertory and will receive its world premiere production in Los Angeles in spring 2024 directed by Danny Mefford.
Paris Ray Dozier is a composer & lyricist from Los Angeles, California, whose Musical Theatre productions have opened across the United States. Dozier's career began when he was 15, after attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
Jaime Lozano is a Mexican multi-hyphenate musical theatre storyteller considered by Lin-Manuel Miranda as the “next big thing” on Broadway.
Grace McLean is a performer, writer and composer. Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
Hurricane Ian Impact on Floridian Classmates
The experiences of the ten classmates residing in Florida varied depending on their location during Hurricane Ian.
| Classmate | Location | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Carole Bullock Adams | Lakeland | Survived Ian |
| Margaret “Peggy-Jane” Moore Blair | West Palm Beach | Survived Ian |
| John Krusell | Kissimmee | Survived Ian |
| Colby Thompson Lowe | Gainesville | Survived Ian |
| Al Packard | Merritt Island | Survived Ian |
| Mark Powley | Cape Coral | Survived Ian |
| Jim Rapaport | Boca Raton | Survived Ian |
| John Resler | Miami | Survived Ian |
| Allen Sandler | Boca Raton | Survived Ian |
| Whitey Thurston | Englewood | Survived Ian |
Whitey Thurston succinctly summarized the experience for all: “Survived Ian.”
Mary and I traveled to Charlottesville, Va., for my grandson’s wedding last fall. Four delightful days filled with festive events. We visited Monticello and were impressed with that magnificent estate. Mary and I rode in the back of the van the entire trip. Not bad for two mid-90 oldies!
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