Our Maine Mini Reunion, September 15-18, 2026

Late September turned out to be the perfect time to visit Maine and enjoy a mini reunion with classmates. The sun shone everyday, the waters in the harbor below our hotel rooms were calm, the streets had just the right amount of bustle--festive but not crowded. Jane Bragg and Nancy White chose an excellent hotel and there were enough lobsters to keep us well fed. 

Fourteen of us gathered in Boothbay Harbor on Tuesday afternoon, visited the beautiful Coastal Maine Botanical Garden on Wednesday, and toured the Frances Perkins homestead/National Monument and St Andrew's Episcopal church in Newcastle on Thursday. This is where Frances visited and attended church when visiting her grandparents as a child and recharging as an adult serving as Secretary of Labor under FDR. We prepared for our visit by sharing info from the many books and articles we had read about Perkins life and accomplishments.

We all missed Stephanie Smith who had long hoped we would come to her beloved Maine and who helped with the initial planning, but the general feeling among us was that she was with us in spirit and would have loved that we were there. We appreciated the special time of remembrance Fran led at the church. 

Those attending were Alice Andrus, Mary Doyle, Karel Koenig, Jane Bragg, Nancy White, Sally Nunneley, Ann Backus, Judy Reeve, Paula Kaplan, Fran and Bob Hargreaves, Sheila Denny- Brown, Cyndy Curry Nilson, and Mary Ann Weiss. 

Here are some snaps of our time together in Maine...

Judy Reeve, Mary Ann Weiss, Jane Backus, Nancy White, Sally Nunneley and Cyndy Curry-Nilson

Sally, Cyndy, Paula Kaplan and Karel Koening

Paula  and Sheila Denny-Brown checking out plant names at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden

Mary Doyle and a friendly paperbark maple.

Mary and Alice Andrus offering observations

Lively Sally among living walls

We all stuck our heads in one of these holes to listen to the fullsome sound, but there seem to be no pictures that capture the moment... I wonder why.

A gift shop decoration that sparked ideas ...

Waiting for Frances Perkins National Monument tour

FP's favorite white chair

A place to walk in the woods behind the Perkins' homestead

Fran Hargreave at St Andrew's Episcopal church, Newcastle, ME

Boothbay habor