From Connie Kallman, Class Secretary
We are sorry to report the deaths of three classmates. Sally Burrow Abarno Balisciano died on Feb. 10, 2020, in Salem, Mass. Bonita Stanton died on Jan. 19 in New Jersey. Mary Stimson McNamara died on Jan. 26 in Savannah, Ga. The class extends heartfelt condolences to their families and friends.
Our condolences also to Susan Cardos Martinello, whose husband, Mario, died in August 2021 from a neurodegenerative disease. Only the month before, Mario and Susan attended the Indian wedding of their son Alex and Sanjana Rao in Virginia. Susan has found solace in a new friendship with Abby Bogin Kenigsberg ’60, who lives in the same Austin, Texas, apartment community and shares her love of poetry.
Kim Noland still works, mostly from home, and also serves as president of the Shelter Island Association. “This year, I am busy with civic work—the small town where I live is working on a comprehensive plan after many New Yorkers moved here in the pandemic,” she says. “My daughter lives in London, and friends and family in the U.S. recently gathered for a virtual baby shower on Zoom. The wonders of modern technology—Amazon delivered champagne and cake to the guests pre-party. I’m looking forward to becoming a grandmother.”
Betsy Bassett reports a terrifyingly close encounter with a wildfire: “We were visiting our daughter Victoria and her family in Superior, Colo., on Dec. 30, 2021, when with no warning, we were ordered to evacuate immediately as the Marshall Fire advanced toward us, driven by up to 100-mph winds. About 35,000 people were displaced as the fire swept across 6,000 acres in a matter of hours. We spent our four-night evacuation with [husband] John’s sister, Camille Pane ’82, and her family in Denver. Victoria’s home survived, by two blocks, but nearly 1,000 others were lost.”
Some far-flung friends sent brief messages. From Ann MacNamara (Springfield, Va.): “Greetings + Love.” Elaine Shiang: “Retired from MIT’s medical department after 35 years; now growing shiitake mushrooms and grandchildren in Cambridge, Mass.” Barbara Sladeck (New Britain, Conn.): “No computer—no email. The last dinosaur.” Lee Barber Nowoslawski: “Alive and well and living in Utah with my husband of 45 years, two children, and four grandchildren.” Mary-Ellen Perry: “Our 20th year of specialized transportation from Exeter, N.H., to everywhere. Assistive and supportive customized journeys for your bucket lists!”
News from Barbara “Bobbi” Turner: “My husband and I live in Glendale, Calif., near our eldest’s family and her two terrific children. The youngest, Ethan Archer, was born just before the pandemic. We have been so fortunate to see them weekly. But we have had only rare visits with our two daughters in Brooklyn. I am still working as a physician-researcher, part time (sort of). Medicine has been a wonderful (albeit demanding) profession. I’m delighted to report that I am the co-recipient of the 2022 Elizabeth Kirk Rose Women in Medicine award from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Looking forward to catching up with 1972 classmates at reunion.”