Welcome to the Mount Holyoke College Class of 1968

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Dear Classmates,

Our 55th Reunion weekend is almost here, 94 days to be exact according to the Alumnae Association’s Countdown clock, and we hope you’ll be able to join us! Thanks to the efforts of the co-chairs of our 11 committees, we have a full weekend of fun and stimulating programs and activities planned for you.

Registration for Reunion: Registration will open in mid-March. Be on the lookout for an email from the Alumnae Association describing a variety of packages for housing and meals, depending on your arrival date, including a Saturday-only plan, as well as fees for guests. If you wish to arrive early to take advantage of Friday programs, there is a Thursday overnight option (for an additional fee). The registration deadline is April 15; a $25 late fee will be applied to registrations received after that date.

Our class is offering financial assistance in the form of five scholarships/grants (up to $200 each) to help cover the Reunion housing & meals costs (not transportation). More information will be included in the Alumnae Association’s Registration email. All inquiries regarding financial assistance applications will be handled through the Alumnae Association and kept confidential. For help, you may contact Luisa Tavares in the Alumnae Association Office 413-358-2201 or ltavares@mtholyoke.edu.

Reunion Book personal pages: We encourage all classmates to submit a personal page for our online 55thReunion Book. So many of you responded to our Class Survey in the fall. We look forward to a large number of you contributing your personal pages -- even if you are unable to join us in person for Reunion. It’s so enjoyable to read about what our classmates are doing at this stage of our lives. The official deadline for submitting personal pages is February 24th. Email your personal page to reunionbook68@gmail.com or mail your submission to MHC Reunion Book, c/o Joy M. Camp, 287 Grove Street, Melrose, MA 02176.

If you have any questions or if you need a few extra days, please don’t hesitate to contact any Reunion Book Committee member: Joy Camp joymcamp@aol.com or cell 781-771-3720; Pam Daviau Joseph pamjoseph@msn.com or cell 508-404-8626; or Linda Torlai Stauffer lstauffer@comcast.net or cell 774-279-7396.

Programs and Activities:  Our Program Committee co-chairs assure us we will leave South Hadley at the end of Reunion Weekend inspired and invigorated. Here are highlights of our Reunion Weekend.

• The Class of 1968 will be treated to a personal Tour of the Fimbel Maker and Innovation Lab. 
• Saturday’s pre-dinner Social/Reception will be celebrated in the Fimbel Lab.
• Following Saturday Dinner, our four class honoraries will participate in an informal panel discussion.
• Friday afternoon, ’68 Class Honorary Professor Catherine Corson will lead a campus walk highlighting her students’ environmental studies projects.
• Prior to dinner on Friday, we will reunite with members of the Class of 2018, our 50 year Connection Class, for a photo opportunity. 
• We will march in a traditional Laurel Parade Saturday morning. (Remember to pack your white outfit.)
• Our Class Meeting and Memorial Service to remember classmates we’ve lost since our 50th Reunion will be held Saturday afternoon, with the plan to make these important events available via Zoom for classmates unable to attend Reunion in person.

Just added: a book discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the 2022-23 MHC Common Read, will be led by ’68 Class Honorary Professor Amy Martin. 

• Consider locating a copy now, and start reading this highly acclaimed book.
• In addition to the original book, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults is also available; this version summarizes the author’s main themes, and is an option for those of us with limited time.

Class Zoom Meeting Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM East Coast Time:

Please join us for our second Class Zoom which will be led by one of our new Class of 1968 Honoraries, English Professor Amy Martin, Director of theWeissman Center for Leadership. We look forward to learning more about this important program that is celebrating 20 years empowering MHC students, faculty and staff. 

Zoom link: https://mtholyoke.zoom.us/j/99022983075       Meeting ID: 990 2298 3075                        Find your local number: https://mtholyoke.zoom.us/u/aeq40BswdY

Our Class President Nancie Fimbel will facilitate, and she will send out a Zoom invitation and reminder shortly.

Two Quick Reunion Reminders:

1. Please submit your personal page to reunionbook68@gmail.com by February 24th.
2. Class authors, please contact Gayle Gunderson Richardson richardsongayleg@gmail.com or Christine Anderson Salmon csalmon@nycap.rr.com to submit information about one of your works for our MHC Class of '68 Digital Authors’ Gallery.

All these plans would not have come together so smoothly without the hard work of our 55th Reunion committee co-chairs and volunteers. Thank you! 

We look forward to re-connecting with many of you in May!

Nancy Huttemeyer Davis and Sue Graham Simpson,  55th Reunion Co-Chairs

ndavis2@cox.net and agssgs@cox.net  

January   2023

Dear Classmates, PerSisters,

Our parade costumes have been delivered, 202 of you   told us your favorite decade of life in the surveys you returned, and we’re   about to select the hors d’oeuvres for our Saturday night reception in the   Fimbel Maker & Innovation Lab.  Thanks to Reunion Co-Chairs Nancy   Huttemeyer Davis and Sue Graham Simpson, plus the   amazing co-chairs of their eleven committees, here comes our 55th  Reunion!  Expect emails requesting your personal update for the   online Reunion Book, describing the stimulating weekend planned for us, and   providing registration materials for the May 26-28 weekend.  Our   Class Agents will also be in touch to encourage you to give MHC a generous   donation, of course.   

Class Elections and Dues

An important ritual at our reunions is the election of new Class   Officers.  It’s important enough that we intend to broadcast it by Zoom   for those unable to attend reunion in person.  Our Nomination Committee,   chaired by Paula Braga Leidich, has been successful at   identifying a dynamic team to lead us from 2023 to 2028.  Here is the   slate to be voted on at our May business meeting:

• Co-Presidents: Carolyn Dorais and Sue   Graham Simpson
• VP/Reunion Co-Chairs: Judy O'Connor Hayes and Mobby   Brown Larson 
• Secretary/Scribe: Eloise Prescott Killeffer 
• Treasurer: Stephanie Whalen Cosgrove 
• Nominating Committee:  Nancie Fimbel, Nancy   Stowe Inui, and Meg Boyd Meyer, Chair 

Hearty thanks to Susan Inui, Susan Rieger,   Judy Parker Stone and Cynthia White   Morrell for working diligently with Paula to complete this slate of   capable, willing volunteers.  

In addition to selecting new Class Officers at our   business meeting, we need to approve the dues we will charge ourselves for   the next 5 years.  Your current officers are recommending that the dues   continue to be $50 for the five years, $10 per year.  This money pays   for mailings, down payments for reunion items, and little gifts we need now   and then.  It’s not too late to pay dues for the 50-55th  reunion cycle.  Class dues are tax deductible.  If you’re not sure whether you have already paid, you can   find the list of those who have paid since our last reunion at our class   website: https://mhc1968.com/class-dues   Send Treasurer Stephanie Whalen   Cosgrove a check for $50 payable to MHC Class of 1968 at 56 Spruce   Ridge Dr., Brentwood, NH 03833.  Thank you   to the 25% of you who have supported the class.    

We have a separate fund for grants   to help classmates with reunion weekend costs associated with lodging and   meals.  To keep the recipients confidential, the Alumnae Association   selects the awardees from the money we make available through our grant   account.  Donations to our grant account can also be sent to   Stephanie.  Please tell her specifically that your check is for grants. 

Save the Date: Class Zoom on Mary Lyon’s Birthday

You may recall that we added three honorary members   to our class last year, three current MHC faculty members.  Some of us   heard from Dr. Catherine Corson, the Miller Worley Professor of Environmental   Studies, on a class Zoom in October.  You are now invited to meet Dr.   Amy Martin, the Director of the Weissman Center for Leadership and a   Professor of English, at a Zoom on Tuesday, February 28 at 7 pm Eastern  time.  She will tell us about the programs offered by the Weissman   Center as well as her own research on Irish literature.  Watch for the   Zoom link in mid-February.   

Fund Raising

Our Head Class Agents Linda   Gross and Ellen Petrino report that between July 1 and   Dec. 31, 111 of us made donations to the MHFund totaling $204,159, well on   our way to meeting our goal of $275,000.  With another 94 donors, our   participation rate will shoot from the current 32% to our goal of 60%, an   achievable feat in a reunion year. Watch for the March4MHC campaign in the   first week in March; it focuses on participation and is intended to convince   you to attend reunion. 

The Mary Lyon Society honors women who   have named MHC as a beneficiary in their wills.  Our Mary Lyon Society   rep, Gayle Gunderson Richardson reports that as of   last count, the Class of 1968 has 62 members in the Society, more than any   other class!  To learn how to join, go to https://giftplanning.mtholyoke.edu.    Or contact Gayle Richardson at richardsongayleg@gmail.com.    

Personal Updates

Quarterly Scribe Eloise Prescott Killeffer  reminds you to send her your news at ehpk1@att.net.  Report a mini-reunion with classmates or a lifetime   achievement award: all news is welcome.  Read the “overflow” of notes from the magazine on our website at https//mhc1968.com.

See you on May 26!      What, you’re hesitating?  Then let me add one thing:

Reasons to Attend Reunion

Yes, of course, an important reason to attend reunion is to see   the gorgeous campus and reminisce about our four years there.  And   another is to renew friendships with favorite classmates and Faculty Honorary   Mr. Piper.  But come also to make new friendships.  Connect with   our class authors, for example, who will be recognized through the MHC Class   of ’68 Digital Authors Gallery.  Or talk to our ‘68 Class Artisans who   will have a digital slide presentation showcasing their work.  Hear from   our new Faculty Honoraries what successful academics think are the important   issues for young women to grapple with.  Experience how seriously the   campus takes environmental sustainability.  Come to learn as well as   remember.

See you in May!

Sincerely,

Nancie Fimbel, President

On behalf of all Class Officers