1950

Maurice Bowler and classmate Walter Bucklin attended the Keene State Golden Circle alumni gathering held in Dunedin, FL, in February. Walter's family is preparing to go to their remote cabin in Murphy, NC, for a few weeks.

IN MEMORIAM: Gordon Courchene '50
January 4, 2011

IN MEMORIAM: Dean S. Downing '50
May 12, 2010

1951

News from Norma Wright Walker: "Our class sends its condolences to the family of Claude Leavitt, who passed away in January. He was our class president and a supporter of Keene State College. Charles Manos, Del Langille, and I attended the memorial service in Bedford. Claude had accomplished so much in his professional life. A wonderful video was shown."

"As we celebrated our 60th it was nice to have Carol Adamsom Reidy, Elaine Schmidt Chesley, Pauline Bullard Brown, Barbara Sullvan Brooks, Dorothy Zekos MacPherson, Del Langille, and Stanley Johnson join me for the festivities. Martha Bassett Sargent was unable to attend reunion due to family events. She was missed. My college roommate Rita Hayes Evens was also unable to attend. Del had eye surgery at the beginning of June but had a ride to reunion. He certainly is a dedicated classmate.

"A wonderful long letter arrived from Ruth Lake LaVine who lives in Maine (for more than 20 years) with her husband, Bob '50. Ruth taught first grade in Poland for 20-plus years. She did Title 1 for several years.

"I called John Wright, who now lives in Lancaster, NH. He was on our lost list so it was great to find him.

"Patricia Parent O'Donnell, who lives in Clearwater, FL, set up a Golden Circle luncheon in Dunedin in February, where 13 alumni and guests gathered. It has been 60 years since she and I have seen each other. Thanks, Pat, for all of the time and effort you put in to make the event successful. And thank you to the Alumni Office for giving me the opportunity to journey to Florida and share in the gatherings held there. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates and other alumni, and visit with year-round alumni who don't come north often.

"Beverly Proctor Boyer spends her summers in Delaware and New Jersey with family and her winters in Florida. Bev's letter is always filled with family activities. She and Elaine Schmidt Chesley attended the KSC alumni gathering in Bonita Springs, FL. Carol Jones Jackson and her husband, Howard '49, also attended. We hadn't seen Carol since graduation.

"Pauline Bullard Brown and her husband, Clayton, headed for Florida in January but returned home in April. Patricia Perkins Durling also spent the cold months in Florida.

"Nina Krochmal Witham always writes a nice note on her cards. She and Bob '53 went to Marco Island for several weeks. They enjoyed being beach bums for six weeks.

"Marilyn Wilcox moved to The Villages, Florida. She shared lunch with the Keene State Golden Circle alumni when they met there in February. Paul Davidson '58 and his wife, Nancy '72, made the arrangements for the gathering. Marilyn said she likes living there because there is so much to do.

"Martha Bassett Sargent lives in Virginia. Her husband, Dick, is a UNH graduate. Martha enjoys keeping up with KSC news through letters and the magazine.

"A lovely letter arrived from Irene McAlister. She had her appendix removed. Her family members took turns caring for her. Irene spends about a month each summer in Nova Scotia. She drives all the way since ferry service has been discontinued. She's done the 750 miles by herself.

"Barbara Avery Clark is a stay-at-home grandmother and loves it. She often thinks about all the friends she made at Keene Teachers College.

"Dorothy Zekos MacPherson and Ken '50 live in Maryland. Ken had some health problems but is on the mend. Dorothy is busy with the usual household tasks. They plan to go to Bethlehem to visit Patsie '53 and Beverly Bonardi Bouchard.

"Charles Manos attended his grandson's high school graduation the weekend of our reunion. This young man is tops in his class, and he's also an excellent tennis player and a National Merit Finalist. Charlie is a proud grandfather.

"We were sad to hear Archie Gleason passed away. His sense of humor and fun for living will be missed, especially by those of us who worked with him stuffing envelopes at the Alumni Office. He had a way of keeping us all laughing.

"I wish to thank all of the classmates who took time to write a note or make a phone call as a contribution to class notes. Please let me know any time you have news to share.

"I was honored as an Outstanding Woman of New Hampshire for the Monadnock region in March. It was a beautiful evening with family, staff, and close friends."

IN MEMORIAM: Allison A. Gleason '51
February 7, 2011

IN MEMORIAM: Claude Leavitt '51
January 12, 2011

1952

Irene Dunbar retired from teaching in New Hampshire 25 years ago. She's active in the senior community of Ossipee.

Claire Simensen writes: "I heard from June and Dick Chambers. Dick celebrated his 80th birthday in December. I guess many of us have reached this milestone. They also celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August. The Chambers spent a week in New Orleans at their son's luxurious hotel and had a marvelous time.
"I'm sad to report that my roommate, Shirley Coffin Houle Grover, had a stroke on September 6 and died on the 15th. Some classmates and I were able to visit her after our 55th reunion. She was so glad to see us. Shirley had sight and hearing problems, so she didn't join us at reunion. But, she was always smiling. Hope some of you will share your news after reading this. We do look forward to hearing from you."

News from Irene Parent: "You all must have heard that Claude Leavitt '51, Marion Brown's husband, passed away in January in Florida. We are so sorry to hear about the loss of another friend. Winnie Langtry continues to keep in touch with Anita Rawchuck Nestor. Anita and Alex continue to spend their winters in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Anita said it has been very cold there this year.) They return to California for the summer. Don Carle spent a week with his brother in Florida. He looks forward to the trip every year. Winnie and Claire Simensen both reached the big 80 this year. I'm sure most in our class have also reached this milestone. Bruce and I celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary in June and had a great time with family from California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. Classmates, please send us news."

IN MEMORIAM: Joseph W. Hanrahan '52
January 17, 2011

1953

Many friends and relatives gathered in Winchester, MA, in December to celebrate Bud Hayward's 80th birthday. Ever active, Bud operates a flower shop in the Western Hotel complex in Boston.

Dean Corrigan and his wife, Jane, split their time between Burlington, VT, and College Station, TX.

Jean and Don Johnson celebrated their 50th anniversary in August at a happy gathering of friends and neighbors. They also completed their four-volume Human Drama: A World History, as their last two volumes were published in March. The books are intended for high school students. Their granddaughter, Grace, was selected as one of 40 finalists from around the country in this year's Intel Science Talent Search. She enjoyed the week in Washington, especially meeting President Obama.

IN MEMORIAM: Irving Dinsmore Baker '53
August 16, 2010

1955

Shirley Wright is proud her granddaughter, Maria Franciosa '15, is attending Keene State.

IN MEMORIAM: Robert M. Geib '55
May 20, 2010

1956

Congratulations go to Margaret McCormack for receiving the Outstanding Church Women of New Hampshire award at this year's UCC Women's Spring Forum in Laconia. Margaret has served on nearly every church committee for many years and most recently as president of the Women's Fellowship, co-chairman of the Capital Campaign Building Committee, chairman of the Maintenance Committee, chairman of the WF Hospitality Committee, and liaison to the Antrim Girl's Shelter. The Women's Fellowship stated, "Margaret's sharing of her whole being embodies the very spirit of our church; she's open, welcoming, and generous."

1957

Class secretary Cynthia Faust writes: "John and I attended an alumni luncheon in February in Bonita Springs, Florida, hosted by Barbara and Bill Brackett, at the Barefoot Beach Boat Club. About 20 alumni attended. Kay McLean, Norma Walker '51 and Ken Goebel attended from the College and updated us on activities and future plans.
"Rollie Hardwick recently wrote with news about his life and family. He and his wife, Carol, live in Milford, NH. Over the years, they've traveled to the Caribbean - Jamaica, Guadalupe, Martinique, and St. Martin - and to Cancun, Mexico; Key West, FL; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at carnival time; and Hawaii. Since Carol is still working at a law firm in Manchester and spending time with her mother, Rollie has taken over most of the domestic duties at home. His free time is spent at Hampshire Hills Racquet and Fitness Club, where he and his partner are co-captains of the 7.0 mixed doubles tennis team. They have been fortunate enough to win the district contest five years in a row. They also ranked number one in New England at 3.5 levels in 2008. His son Dean has been the K-9 police officer in Milford for the past 18 years and recently retired his dog. He plans to do the last two years of duty dog-free and then retire from the force. His daughter Lea works for a firm in Wilton, NH, that deals with the processing of U.S currency. His daughter, Donna, is in marketing and works from home. She recently gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Simone-Olivia, who will become the most spoiled child on the planet, according to Rollie. Their family also includes two dogs, a Shih Tzu named Spoke and a Havanese named Kooba; both are friendly and loveable.
"Thanks, Rollie, for answering my plea for news from classmates. I hope more of you will follow his example."

Ed Briggs went to Ireland in February with his daughter's family to visit his granddaughter, who is in Cork studying for a semester. He said the trip was amazing! His son-in-law, Mark, did all the driving. They went about 700 to 800 miles in the five full days they were there! They went to Cork, Galway, Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Blarney Castle, and Bantry. There were green fields and flowers in bloom. The Irish are building an inter-county road system similar to our interstates. This allowed them to travel from Kinsale to Dublin in two and a half hours instead of the three to four hours the guidebook projected. They were in Dublin for two days and spent a night at a relative of Mark's and his Uncle Steve, who went with them. They enjoyed great hospitality and wonderful, traditional Irish food! Supper was a stew with roasted potatoes and baked pears for dessert. Breakfast consisted of porridge, warm scones, and dark wheat bread. The house they rented was all they could have hoped for and only a five-minute walk to downtown Kinsale. The brightly painted store and pub fronts and the cobblestone streets, which are wrapped around a harbor, gave it all the quaint charm you expect from an Irish town.

1958

Mary Pickett Hopwood spends summer at her camp in the north Maine woods on Moosehead Lake. She and her husband, Paul, discovered the area while Paul was stationed with the U.S. Air Force at Loring Air Force Base near Caribou.

Ken Giles's youngest daughter, Pamela, has twin daughters, Samantha and Tabetha. The girls turned two in May. His oldest grandson is 30 and his youngest grandson is 24. He writes, "How time flies!"

1959

IN MEMORIAM: Donald Finley '59
February 18, 2011