Hood College- Navigation, Summer 2009 - 39

40 HOOD MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2009 riet and Alan have discovered the joys of cruising and have been to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Canada and New England. But they rightly point out, “The best cruise by far was the one in Alaska. It was absolutely awesome!” We still love calling Alaska “home” after 35 years. Laurie Wheeler Brown and husband Brownie (Fayette) now split their time between homes in Florida and North Carolina. They were looking forward to having daughter Melissa visit them in North Carolina this summer with her three children. Laurie’s son Alex lives nearby with his two children so all the cousins will get to play together. “It will be hectic with all ﬁve ‘grands’ together—ages 7, 5, 4, 2 and 18 months.” Our condolences to the family of Ann Sturm Emerson who died March 2, 2009, in Rockport, Maine. I’m still involved with the writing and illustrating of children’s books. I’m thrilled that my latest book, “How Do You Say Goodbye to an Elephant,” just won a ﬁrst-place award for children’s nonﬁction. You can see what I’m up to on my Web site, www.alaskazoobooks.com, and order lots of books there great gifts for all these grandchildren! 1967 Participation: 30.08% Total Class Dollars: $15,719 Judith Lehman Ballinger P.O. Box 298 Cape May Point, NJ 08212 (609) 898-9647 judyballinger@hotmail.com Barbara Morgan Herron 4504 Fernhill Ave. Baltimore, MD 21215 (410) 664-0976 bherron@baltometro.org A couple of themes emerged in messages from classmates this time around. A number of us have been blessed with aging parents and at least two of us have gone bionic with replacement parts! Kris Campbell Joyce noted that she, Judy Lehman Ballinger and Cheryl Wray Kirk—the triple from French House—are gifted with 90-plus-year-old mothers. She believes that Cheryl’s is the oldest at 95, next Judy’s at 93 and then her mom, heading for 92. They have been sharing lots of stories about the ins and outs of parenting at this stage. Kris just completed a year of teaching 60 private art students working with the theme of green art and the Amazon. To prepare, she and husband BJ visited the Amazon last summer. She still does art out of her home studio in Concord, Mass., and is preparing for a big exhibit in August 2010 entitled “All Earth is Seashore.” Grandchildren—Emma, 7, and Ryan, 5—are truly children of the modern generation with lots going on in their Baltimore lives. BJ (also still working in his family blueprinting business) has modernized his childhood Lionel trains for them but they prefer the computer for fun! Beth Costello Hobby wrote, “I’ve been retired from my job as executive director of a large Big Brothers Big Sisters agency for four years and have ﬁnally learned how to relax! I still do restoration of old paintings, a skill I learned 35 years ago, and am also involved in volunteer work for my church. I play electronic drums with our church’s praise singers once in a while and have enjoyed getting back into music.” She was planning a driving trip from home in Illinois through Kentucky and Tennessee, ending up in North Carolina for a visit with Sue Bracken and Ginny Price Bracken. She also keeps in touch with Ruth Conger Crespi and enjoys her long e-mails. Marty Cramme Ewell checked in from St. Mary’s, Ga., where she enjoys the slow pace and wonderful view Be a part of the Hood Legacy. Gift Planning options allow you to support Hood College and may provide tax beneﬁts for you. A charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or bequest can make a signiﬁcant impact on the future of Hood. For more information and gift calculations, please visit our recently updated Planned Giving Web site at www.hood.edu/giving/planned.cfm or contact the Ofﬁce of Institutional Advancement, at (301) 696-3828 or by e-mail at pergola@hood.edu.

Hood College- Navigation, Summer 2009

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