February 2023

From Suzy Eberson Adams, Susie Fickel Kroeger, Doris Mortinson Sisely, and Nancy Selinka White

Dear Classmates,

Greetings from your scribes! A couple of months ago, we sent a letter announcing that, for our upcoming 60^th reunion, our class book will appear on the class web site. We asked for contributions by February 2, and, while that is not a strict deadline, we are still shooting for early February so the book can be posted in April.

Many thanks to those who have already contributed. To those who have not yet done so, we are sending this friendly reminder, hoping that you can set aside some time this month to write your personal contributions for our book.

Our original letter provided some ideas and suggestions for topics to consider. To review:

•  Take inspiration from our reunion themes: Ever Adapting, Still Evolving, Always Involved. How have they applied to your life?
• Respond to one of the following questions: 

What is the best thing that happened to you since graduation?

What is a favorite MHC memory?

How has your life been different from what you expected in 1963?

What is the greatest challenge you’ve ever faced?

Is there anything you would change if you could turn back the clock?

What part of your MHC experience are you most thankful for?

In what way(s) have you changed since graduation?

• Share reflections on paths your life has taken since 1963.

We also provided a few sample contributions, not necessarily suggesting that you follow any of them (although you may if you like), but simply encouraging you to go in any direction you choose with length, tone, and subject. For convenience, we’re incuding those samples at the bottom of this emai.

One more thing worth mentioning again—this should NOT be a chore. A few sentences, a list, or even just some photos (with captions, please) would be fine. On the other hand, if you’re so inclined, go on as long as you wish (with a maximum word count of 700).

Finally, please email what you’ve written, as an attachment, if possible, to Nancy Selinka White (nancywhitemail@gmail.com). I will send copies to our other three scribes. If you have a problem with attachments, you can just copy your text into the body of your email.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

All the best,

Nancy, Suzy, Susie, and Doris

Earlier letter:

Greetings, dear classmates,

This letter comes to you from your four scribes, Nancy Selinka White, Susie Fickel Kroeger, Suzy Eberson Adams, and Doris Mortenson Sisley. We have been collecting letters for the Quarterly class notes over the past five years (thank you for your contributions!) and now that our sixtieth reunion is coming up in the spring, we are making plans for our reunion book. The tradition has been to publish a printed book in which we catch classmates up on our activities and life events over the five years since the previous reunion. This time we'd like to try something a little different.

First, our reunion book will appear on our class web site. (We hope to provide print copies as well.) Second, rather than asking you to write about your past five years, we’d like to go back 60 years! (Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to write a full-length autobiography.) And instead of news, we’re hoping that you will share reflections (e.g., thoughts, ideas, evaluations, memories) that come to mind when you consider developments in your life from your time at MHC to the present. 

We don’t want to make this a “tall order.” Just write whatever you want, use any tone or style you like (humor always welcome!), and make it as long or as short as you want. There’s no minimum number of words, but we are asking for a 700-word maximum, just to make the text manageable. 

To help you begin, if you want or could use help, here are some starter ideas: 

 

Take inspiration from our reunion themes: Ever Adapting, Still Evolving, Always Involved. Use just one or all three, and apply the theme elements to your own life in any way you like. 

Or…

Respond to one of the following questions:

What is the best thing that happened to you since graduation?

What is a favorite MHC memory?

How has your life been different from what you expected in 1963?

What is the greatest challenge you’ve ever faced?

Is there anything you would change if you could turn back the clock?

What part of your MHC experience are you most thankful for?

In what way(s) have you changed since graduation?

 

Attached to this email is a file with some sample submissions. (Scroll all the way down to the bottom to find the attachment.) Note: Please feel free to ignore the samples completely if you prefer to just “do your own thing.”

 

Most importantly, please contribute to our book whether or not you plan to attend reunion. All of us will be interested to read anything you’d like to share—the more people who write, the better. And send photos if you can! They will make our book more fun to read and to look at. (Would you please supply a caption for each photo to identify people or to explain anything that needs clarification?)

Don't worry about formatting at all. Just be sure to put your name at the top, and we’ll do the rest once we establish a consistent style for all entries. Other than that, we will not edit or cut what you’ve written. Our involvement will simply be to place all your pages, along with photos, on the web site in alphabetical order according to college last name.

Please let us have your contributions by February 2, 2023, so that we will have time to get them up on the website for viewing by the class sometime in April. Whatever you write will be private— the book will be password-protected and only members of our class will be able to view it.

And finally, please email what you’ve written, as an attachment, if possible, to Nancy Selinka White (nancywhitemail@gmail.com). I will send copies to our other three scribes. If you have a problem with attachments, no problem--just copy your text into the body of your email.

All the best,

Nancy, Suzy, Susie, and Doris

 

[ATTACHMENT]

Samples of what a letter for the reunion book might look like:

Following are a few sample letters we have already received so you can see how they differ in tone, length, and subject. 

 

Stephanie Smith

Living in Maine near Portland, loving Helen Weinland's cat Eleanor, helping folks with their taxes…I still love art! 

That is me in the red vest.

 

Mary Ann Searles Weiss 

Ever Adapting

 In June of 1963 I expected to live a life much like my mom’s—wife, mother, community volunteer, but soon after my marriage that September, I realized that I wanted something different and fortunately my husband was open minded and supportive. I soon was working at a community center in East Harlem. I thought I was marrying a future lawyer, but Ted decided to go back to graduate school and became a Geography professor, requiring moves from NYC to Massachusetts and Kentucky. Wherever we lived, there seemed to be an interesting job for me, but never one I had planned on.  I never felt prepared, but somehow managed to figure out what needed to be done. Ted called me a utility player, like in baseball. One aspect of my work that required serious adapting was technology. I was teaching at a university when personal computers and the world Wide Web became important. I found it fun and could always call upon the IT student workers to bail me out when in a jam. Thanks to that experience, I have been happily coordinating our class website.

Still Evolving

After retiring from NKU, I “found” or rediscovered my love of art—something I had enjoyed at MHC. I started taking painting lessons at a nearby cultural center, and since then, I’ve won a photography prize, and begun chairing the Women’s Committee of the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Always Involved. 

This is challenging…. Involved in what? I would like to be more involved with my children and grandchildren, but they, fortunately, are wonderfully involved in their own exciting, busy lives. I am involved in getting ready for everyone to come to Cincinnati at the end of July—for one day. In the meantime, our grands are in South Dakota on a mission trip, teaching in London, studying in Berlin, coaching in New Orleans, etc. I am involved with them in my mind and on Zoom, but not so much physically. For many years I was an active leader in our church, but there came a time when I intentionally passed on responsibilities to the next generations. I am with my husband a lot, but we are wary of couple isolation. So I seek out opportunities to make relationships happen like book groups, a women’s lunch group, the museum board, art lessons, reunion planning with our classmates. But somehow it all feels more challenging than when the kids and friends were built into our everyday lives. But yes, I am still involved.

 

 

A big deal was celebrating my 80^th with my sibs in Wisconsin, including an informal harp concert and being with my children and grands at Baden Springs, Indiana.

 

 

 

Beverley Brown Bryant: By the Numbers

Ever Adapting:

1 Marriage

1 Divorce

 2 Children

5 Grandchildren

3 Degrees

 

Still Evolving:

13 homes in 10 different states

8 different careers

10 mini triathlons

12 swim competitions

5 different boats

10 body parts removed

15 volunteer organizations

 

Always Involved:

Stay involved in the things that keep my life in perspective.

Remove everything from my life that does not bring me happiness.

Stay in my home as long as possible.

Keep my dear friends!