Welcome to the Mount Holyoke College Class of 1968

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Join us at the link above for the Friday Morning Music Club's 135th Anniversary Celebration!

Featuring outstanding performances and an exploration of FMMC's storied history

The pandemic brought many of us together. We “saw” each other monthly instead of semi-annually; no one missed a “gathering” because she was on vacation; even those far apart from each other “met” with little difficulty. We recognized that acircle of friends provides support and good cheer during these challenging times. If you didn’t contact your roommate, consider doing so. If you didn’t hear from your roommate, was it because she didn’t know your email address? To update your contact information, either send an email to ais@mtholyoke.edu and request that your email address be added, or update your entry in the Alumnae Directory.  

If you do contact classmates, please continue to tell Susan Clark Iverson at siverson@mindspring.com, and send her a screen shot or picture whenever one is available. Then look for it on our new, better website at www.mhc1968.com. Our Quarterly scribe, Eloise Prescott Killeffer, posts the information from classmates that doesn’t fit in the “Notes” there as well.

Momentum is building for our 55th Class Reunion in May 2023! Sue Graham Simpson and Nancy Huttemeyer Davis, our VPs and Class Reunion Co-Chairs, continue to plan and recruit volunteers to oversee the many parts of our weekend together. They even sought advice from the Class of 1965 reunion co-chairs, whose 55thlast spring unexpectedly became a “Re-Zoom-ion.” 

Sue and Nancy extend kudos to all our classmates who have already agreed to help:

• Gayle Gunderson Richardson and Chris Anderson Salmon will chair the Program Committee, for which Carolyn Dorais and Jan Andrews Owens have also volunteered.
• Linda Graham McElroy is composing a Hospitality Team to welcome us; helping her so far are Judy O’Connor Hayes, Laurie Trees Rodgers, and Debbie Dunn Rottenberg.
• Holly Vincent Bean and Mobby Brown Larson will lead the Class Memorial Service.
• Meg Boyd Meyeris our liaison with the Class of 2018, our 50-year connection class.
• Arin Edwards will again lead our Reunion Attendance Outreach effort to encourage classmates to join us for the 55th.
• Carol Foy Graham and Donna Machcinski Petersen will see that we are decked out with signs and costumes as co-chairs of the Parade Committee.

Others who have volunteered to help include Susan Clark Iverson, Suzanne Lenz Janney, Betsey Huebenthal Johnson, Jamie Gardner Vernon, and Nancie Fimbel. If you’d like to help, please contact Sue at agssgs@cox.netand/or Nancy at ndavis2@cox.net. In particular, they need co-chairs for the Reunion Book, Class Dinners Friday and Saturday, and a Tech-Advisory Committee to provide our committees with technical expertise as needed.

Treasurer Stephanie Whalen Cosgrove reminds us that a successful reunion depends on our having money in our treasury. We need seed money for the Reunion Book and Class Costume, for example. We also like to provide reunion “scholarships” to help classmates travel to reunion. So far 57 out of 347 classmates have paid $50 dues for 2018-2023.  (Thank you, all!) Go to https://mhc1968.com/class-dues; you will see your name if you have paid.  If it isn’t there, you have a great opportunity to contribute to Reunion.  Send checks to Stephanie Cosgrove, 56 Spruce Ridge Dr, Brentwood, NH 03833.  They will be most welcome!

Before Reunion, the Nominating Committee fills out its membership with two president-appointed members. They and the three elected members determine the slate of officers for the next five years, 2023-2028. With suggestions from the current members, Chair Paula Braga Leidich, Cindy White Morrell, and Susan Rieger,I have appointed Meg Boyd Meyer and Susan Inui. Thanks to them both for agreeing to serve. If you’d like to be considered for a class officer position, contact Paula at hqnjyx@gmail.com. 

New for our 55th Reunion: Alumnae Association policy changes will make our next reunion financially more accessible than our 50th:  registration fees will be lower and weekend packages more flexible. Combined with our Class reunion scholarships, these changes should make it possible for many classmates to attend. Please plan to come!

Also new, we are planning an art show for our 55th Reunion, a Gallery of Creativity, thanks to the work of Cornelia Davis and Suzanne Spaeth Marinell. Any creative work that is transportable and easy to display will be welcome. We expect to see knitting, sewing, cake decorating, collage, etc. as well as traditional “fine arts.” Plus, of course, books by 1968 authors.

In the meantime, we hope to enlarge our display of the creative handwork that is on our website at www.mhc1968.com.  All creative work that can be photographed is welcome. Ice sculpture? House building? Send your jpg image to Cornelia at cambia716@yahoo.com. Include your name, title of piece, materials used, and size and date of creation.  Please update the author list on the website, too. 

Besides Reunion-related activities, other things are happening. But first: Are you good at MHC trivia? Quick! Who wrote this?  

“. . . the other property not named in this instrument I give to the Trustees of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.” November 27, 1846

Mary Lyon, of course. MHC calls the group of alumnae and friends who have the College in their wills the Mary Lyon Society. We now have a class chair for the MLS, Gayle Gunderson Richardson, who will be encouraging us to document gifts we have written into our wills or to add gifts we have in mind. Check out mtholyoke.edu/go/inspiring for a simple explanation of the three Giving Programs. 

Our Head Class Agents, Ellen Jacobson Petrinoand Linda Gross, report that we are well on our way to reaching our annual fundraising goal of $185,000 with 55% participation, assuming our giving patterns remain constant this year. The College is focused on increasing student financial aid. We are encouraged to establish scholarships to be matched by gifts from two alumnae who have promised $11 million. Watch for two mailings from the College providing details—or, if you can’t wait, have a look on the MHC website. Directly helping a particular student might just be your good deed for 2021!

Your class officers are mindful of how unusual 2020 was, and we hope you lived through it with a minimum of harm. By the time you receive next year’s letter, surely we’ll all be vaccinated and doing our “normal” activities: having lunch with friends, going to movies, and travelling. In the meantime, stay safe!  

Sincerely,

Nancie Fimbel , President

on behalf of the Officers of the MHC Class of 1968