Hello, everyone! As I write this column, we are at the end of another summer still wondering when we will finally be rid of COVID. I do hope that by the time you read this you will have been able to celebrate the holidays with your family, and that all of you are well.
I am happy to report that our 60th Reunion Scholarship Drive is doing very well. As of now, with the generous support of so many of you, we are on target to reach our goal and even exceed it before our 60th Reunion in September. The class executive committee wants to thank all of you who donated in 2021 and we hope that you will all step up again this year. The Class of ‘62 has two ways of giving — our Val Beck Sterritt Scholarship, which is our legacy to the university; and the class fund, which helps pay reunion costs and mailings.
While nothing can be set in stone, the university reunion plans are moving forward for this September on campus. In addition, the Class of ‘62 is planning two days of pre-reunion activities at the Schoodic Institute, which is a part of Acadia, located near Winter Harbor. Think lobster bakes, boat rides, and ocean views everywhere! Check out the Institute’s website for details on their facilities.
In mid-June, over 20 of our classmates, spouses, and partners gathered at Frank and Mary Hilton Shorey’s beautiful hilltop farm in Anson for a midday picnic. The farm that has been in Mary’s family for a few hundred years is set atop Hilton Hill with breathtaking views of the Maine countryside. One of the highlights of our afternoon together was Mary’s recounting of her family history. Anyone who knows Mary appreciates her wonderful, dry sense of humor and storytelling. She had us all in stitches. The idea for the picnic came out of a Zoom get-together in March, thus many of those classmates were featured in my last column.
However, there were a few people at the Shoreys’ whom I hadn’t caught up with in over a year, so I asked them to send me news of their summer. Jean Britton O’Brien wrote that she spent most of her summer at her Pemaquid Harbor home waking up each morning to the sound of the sea. One favorite part of the summer was that she had her three sons, their wives, and five grandchildren all together to celebrate after the long COVID separation. In September, another highlight was spending three days on Monhegan Island with Joel Chaison ’66G, David Bernstein ’63, and his wife, Lois Ingeneri Bernstein ’65.
John ’62 and Carol Hall Nichols spent the summer enjoying long-awaited time with their family including their great-grandkids. Carol wrote that “beach time, board games, bocce, and giggles” defined their time together. Ron and Trudy Chambers Price also joined us at the picnic. Trudy spent most of this past year converting a room in their home into a “family history and art museum.” A true labor of love. After the picnic, Mary Gay Baldyga and Brenda Freeman Kuich headed west to explore the impressive views of the lakes and hills in the Rangeley area. They completed their trip on the southern coast of the Pine Tree State enjoying the beaches, salt air, surf, and quaint villages.
Keep your eyes open for updates on reunion plans and scholarship news. In the meantime, stay safe, be well, and keep in touch.