Alumni Notes
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1943
Norma Walker '51 and Pauline Dionne (former Keene State College staff member) have made frequent visits to Dr. Christine Sweeney. On her 100th birthday they delivered a certificate from the Alumni Association and signed by Dr. Melinda Treadwell along with some gifts. Christine is living in a retirement community and was delighted with their visit.
1946
Breeze Saladino Mosley received several visits from Norma Walker '51 and Pauline Dionne (former Keene State College staff member). They bring a sandwich so they can enjoy sharing lunch with Breeze. Her daughter always has a variety of ice cream "goodies" in a cooler for dessert waiting for the group to enjoy.
1951
From Class Secretary Norma Walker:
Our class is down to 28. Some of you I haven't heard from in a while or at all. Please drop a line to let me/us know how you are and what you are doing. Now that we are in our 90's I realize we aren't as active as we used to be but that's okay. I enjoy hearing from/about you. If you would rather not have your news shared just say so.
At Christmas I got carried away and added information about you on your holiday card. It took time and some searching to find you and what you did at KTC for fun and activities. I think I might have gotten carried away with what I learned to do as an elementary school teacher but I had fun and I hope you enjoyed a trip down ""Memory Lane."" Those that responded enjoyed the trip and shared it with their children. I think it was Dottie who noticed (in a group photo) that all the girls in the front row had on saddle shoes. Some of the classmates that responded were Polly, Barbara, Irene, Margaret, Rachel Plimpton, and others. If some of you haven't let me know your thoughts I would love to hear from you and it makes no difference whether you think that it was too childish or if it was fun. I enjoyed revisiting each of you and our days at KTC."
Back in July Norma Walker started a project to encourage classmates to return and celebrate their 70th anniversary since graduating from KTC. The responses were much as she expected because of age, distance and health. However, one classmate did return and it was Ralph Dwire. He came to the Golden Circle gathering at the college camp in August.
Several felt uncomfortable in attending due to COVID. Norma went because it was held outdoors in the August sunshine. Those who could not attend were: Irene McAlister Wilkins (VT), Carol Jones Jackson (FL), Pauline Bullard Brown (NH), Barbara Sullivan Brooks (NH), Margaret Rhoades (NH - had broken her wrist), and George Lewis (VT). Those that said the distance was a problem: Dorothy Zekos MaacPherson (MD) and Elsie Bowes Brenner (UT - staying married sixty years, with two daughters, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild).
Ellie Banfill's daughter shared Ellie, who was still living at home, had passed away in June 2020.
Nancy Clonaris Coldwell wrote that her Mom Althea Roy Clonaris had died on March 12, 2020 from throat cancer.
Earlier in the spring Norma Walker had heard that Elaine Schmidt Chelsey had left us. She was always a hostess when the Golden Circle met for lunch at Hart's Turkey Farm along with Moe Bowler '50.
Our class was saddened to read about the passing of classmate Mark Cross. He was a veteran of WW11 and had fought in the North African and Italian Campaigns. After receiving his education at Keene Teachers College he taught for two years. Then he went into Human Resources where he was well received because of his excellent work. Mark and wife Janet were married for 62 years.
1956
Betsy Chickering called Norma asking about David Costin back in the spring. She had been a caretaker for a very dear friend of Norma's. They became friends when Norma went to visit. Betsy and her daughters work as caretakers but they are also involved in horses. They give riding lessons.
Ray Richard attended the Golden Circle gathering at the college camp last August. Recently he and Norma were at the same dentist office. Ray had taught at Con Val where her children were students. He told her that one of his daughters is a children's author and has published several books. Ray sent the greatest holiday card that just listed how many crossword puzzles, hidden word puzzles, TV programs, etc. etc., he had done in the last year. The list was something we could all relate to.
Norma Walker '51 received her annual holiday phone call from Cliff Boivin. They met at a Golden Circle Luncheon that was held in the North Country several years ago. They caught up on family news, classmates and mutual friends. Alice Lewis Wilkinson lives up that way, too. She and Norma email frequently.
The class sends its deepest sympathy to the family of David Costin Jr. who was a long-time faculty member of Keene State College, an active alumni, a wonderful father, and husband plus a faithful friend to many. He will be missed.
1960
Gail Sheldon, the Class of 1960 Class Secretary shares the following note from her class: Greetings! Hope you enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to a NEW Year! To inform you: KSC Advancement Office sends yearly reports of YOUR Endowment Scholarship recipients' letters of heartfelt appreciation for Scholarship aid. Thankfully students are pursuing teaching careers in difficult times and our class is helping them. Classmates who have been in contact with me: Irene Plourde, Carol Vorce Fletcher, Bob "Lefty" Joy, Kathy Bergeron Macdonald, Jo Ann Dailey Demars, Sr. Claire Coll, Sr. Kathryn LaCasse, and Joe Dutile. Sad to report - Roland Blanchard died Nov 27, 2021. Please contact me or the Alumni Office to inform of new addresses. Looking forward to seeing your response. Let's communicate!
Charles Regan shared an update with the College: I have been dividing my time these days between Connecticut and South Carolina. Been retired now for 20 years from Manchester Community College, Connecticut, as Director of the Business Careers Division. However, my wife is still working as a professor and department chair in the College of Engineering and Computing at the University of South Carolina. I was saddened to lose my brother John Regan, who was also a Keene State alum, four years ago. I am a strong Keene supporter and am always grateful for the many opportunities that my education at Keene has afforded me over the years.
1961
Class Secretary Dotti Simpson shared the following news from her class:
The Class of 1961 held a successful 60th class reunion this Fall with a great help from the Alumni Office. Dr. Melinda Treadwell, President of KSC, came to our class meeting along with a recipient from the Class of the 1961 scholarship fund. Our attendance was small but our friendships are still strong and fun. Covid-19 was a deterring factor! KSC was especially careful. We are so proud of what KSC is today. Beautiful campus as well.
We will try to get a scholarship report out to classmates soon. Bob Saulnier has done an excellent job communicating and keeping a watch over the endowment fund established through KSC. Last report we were giving out three $1,000 scholarships a year. Bob is hoping for four a year. It makes such a difference to these young struggling students wanting to be teachers. Be sure to mark Class of 1961 fund on any of your donations.
We lost more classmates this past year- John Letourneau, Susan Freeman, and Tom Kalampalikis. We currently have 107 active class members and 68 deceased. We have 42 with email addresses and 65 without. Please share your contact information so we can stay in touch. Many of us are traveling, enjoying our grands and great grands, replacing knees, hips, and anything else that is wearing out. Please let us know of your current situations.
1963
Julie Worchester Hopkins Swan shares: Many of us have turned eighty this year. Seems significant, with so much living to review with classmates. I loved my career in education. KSC prepared me well. Also got a MEd from Antioch along the way. Taught grade 1, remedial reading, coordinated district competency and accountability office, and worked at high school guidance, then elementary guidance. Loved that the Con Val District with eleven schools, let me make judicious shifts. Twice married, now alone. Two daughters, three grandsons, and three great-grandchildren so far, and they all live nearby. So fortunate! Travels have taken me across country, many winters in Caribbean, a tour of USSR in '85, and a leave of absence to spend with a family in Kenya in '89. Miss Keene's geography class came in quite handy, as did so many classes at KSC.
1969
Sherman Williams recently shared an update with the College: I retired from the USAF as a LtCol. I went on to serve as a middle and high school guidance counselor. I completed my work experience as a transporter at a 400-bed hospital. I completed a Master of Education in Counseling from Boston University. My first tour with the Air Force was as an English Language Instructor in Saigon. We have been married for 52 years. We have four children, 11 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
1972
Brian Burford retired after 26 years with the New Hampshire State Archives. He continues to serve as Acting State Archivist temporarily on a part-time basis. He looks forward to hearing from classmates interested in commemorating the 50 years since his class graduated from Keene State at the next alumni reunion. He writes "Where has life taken you for the past half-century? If you haven’t been on campus lately, you really should come back to see how it has changed—but also remained the same!"
Gary Parnham shares "Been a long and crazy road since graduation. Taught bio at Portsmouth High for 18 years; went on to hold Director positions in Human resources in colleges in Boston and in Connecticut. Now living in CT and looking at the possibility of relocating to New Mexico (who knows?). Hope all my classmates are well and happy."
Peter Brown and his wife, Suzanne '73 have relocated from New Hampshire to East Tennessee for retirement and are now 2.5 and 3 hours fro their grown children and their families. They share "We are blessed and life is good."
1984
John Uniack Davis and his wife, Jennifer are in our sixth year living in Dakar, Senegal, after previous posts as a family over the years in Niger, Mali, Ghana, Madagascar and Turkey. He is currently West Africa Regional Director for the public health non-profit Helen Keller International, and Jennifer is a private sector social performance consultant with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group). Their son, Moussa, graduated last year from California State University at Fullerton; son Zachary is at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.; and daughter Abigail (“Biba”) is at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. Their ties to New England remain strong, and they look forward to moving back to New Hampshire in the next few years. Fond regards to all of his Keene State classmates and friends!
Mary Lavoie took advantage of the USNH COVID Early Retirement Program and retired from her job as an Academic Advisor at Granite State College in early March. Since then she have been working on completing the memoir that she started writing 5 years ago. She plans to self publish (under a pen name) and has recently sent her manuscript to an editor. Shes excited to see this through to completion!
Karen Cherella Haining recently shared with the College: I've lived in the UK for the last 33 years having come over with an American company in 1989. I still manage to keep in touch with my Kappa Gamma sorority sisters and other college friends. A few reunions have taken place over the years and some have even made it over to London! Would love to hear from anyone wanting to reconnect.
Jody Barstein Dietch is thrilled to announce the birth of her first grandchild, Noah Dietch, son of Howie (Katie) Dietch, class of 2015. Jody lives in Orange, CT and is an Executive Director for Congregation Beth El in Norwalk, CT. Howie is a high school history teacher in Manchester, CT and Head Varsity Baseball coach at Tolland (CT) High School.
1986
Leslie Ringuette was laid off in 2020 from her previous job of 14 years due to COVID-19 cutback and spent the year in confinement looking for a new job and enjoying the time off which was the first since college graduation. She now works for Millipore Sigma and love it! I also welcomed her first grandchild (a girl named Aisling), whose mom and dad are also KSC graduates.
1987
Dave Bringham lives in Newton, Mass with his wife and two children, and recently published his third book, a memoir, Great/Dismal: My Four-Month Tour of Duty on the Battleship Patchouli.
Gayle Patria DiMasi shared her granddaughter, Norah Isobel DiMasi was born on March 10, 2021.
1988
Donna Treat retired from teaching Art K-12 (and adult classes) in 2021. She is still active in the community, and her gallery/studio in her home.
1993
Sue Clark McLain lives in Washington state with her husband of 28 years and four children. She continued on with her education degree and became a certified Montessori teacher. She loves working with young children and spending time with family and looks forward to traveling again. She would love to connect with old friends and sisters from Kappa Gamma.
1997
Curtis LaBombard recently accepted a position with the USGS to be the next curator of the National Science Foundations- Ice Core Facility in Lakewood Colorado.
1999
Greg Brown was selected as the New Hampshire Assistant Principal of the Year by the New Hampshire Principal’s Association for 2022-23. He will be invited to attend the National Association of School Principal’s Conference where he will have the opportunity to engage with school leaders from across the country, gain unique recognition before a national audience, and benefit from complete access to premier professional learning offerings. He will also receive recognition at this year’s NH EDies Awards ceremony and at NHASP’s Annual Leadership Academy, scheduled in June 2022.
2000
Katherine Leftowski has missed working in the theatre so much that she now volunteers at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut. If you go to a show there, look for her!
Jennifer Mendicino defended her dissertation in August 2021 from the University of New England.
2001
Aimee K. Nastu has a 3 year old son, Brody, and just had a baby girl, Blake, in June.
2008
JJ Prior '08 M'10 and Emilia Whippie Prior '11 welcomed their first child, Eleanor Sage Prior, in November. Emilia and JJ are both fifth grade teachers in Keene area elementary schools.
From Megan M. Mohlmann: Since graduating Keene State College in 2008, I started dating José but knew I wanted to keep traveling. I then taught at Shanghai American School in Shanghai, China for three years from 2014-2017. Jose and I did two years distance and then he moved my last year to Shanghai to be with me. We had lots of fun traveling China and it was an amazing experience. I then moved back to Guatemala to be with José and went back to working at The American School of Guatemala. I love living in Guatemala and experiencing a different culture. Jose and I tied the knot by getting legally married on September 6th, 2021! We are very happy to start the next chapter in our lives. I hope to visit Keene State College with Jose and take a walk down memory lane to show him a place so close to my heart!
2009
Ali Heinonen Kreutz's family grew from three to five in April 2021 when her family welcomed the arrival of identical twins - Annika and Louisa. A high-risk pregnancy during COVID was not a picnic, but Ali had the opportunity to discuss her journey in an NHPR broadcast in March, and they all made it through and all are happy and health!
2010
Kenneth Wright recently deployed to Afghanistan and helped thousands of Afghanistan evacuees escape the Taliban.
2012
Laura Bedus earned her architect license in New York in July of 2021. Laura works for architecture and engineering firm edm, and successfully completed her AREs, the architect registration exams, a multi-division exam used to assess knowledge and skills in order to gain licensure. Laura joined edm in 2016. With over five years of experience at edm managing and developing projects, she helps advocate our sustainability and innovation initiatives. A proponent of healthy building design and sustainability, Laura is also a WELL accredited professional. “We congratulate Laura in becoming a licensed architect and are thrilled to watch her continue to grow,” says Tim Eagles, edm’s Principal and Director of Architecture.
2013
Jaime Del Pizzo was featured in the mini-documentary "I Still Hear You," sharing the trials and tribulations as an individual hard of hearing navigating the pandemic. One of Jaime's video projects at Keene was about living with a hearing disability and she continues to share her experiences and challenges via blogs and vlogs. Jaime was successful at Keene State with support from many staff members, has continued to build her career on skills acquired at KSC, and continues to live KSC values by encouraging those who are hearing impaired and educating those of us who are not. Now, Jaime is living and working in Washington State using photography and video production skills learned at Keene.
2018
Heather and William Wilde met each other while at Keene State College as first years and were married October 10th 2020. They welcomed their first child on October 11, 2021. Heather shares, "I wouldn't have the family I do now without my time at Keene State. I am forever grateful for the connections and education that I received at Keene."