MORE 59ERS CHIMED IN

What a joy to hear from DOREE MEEKER MARX and CHARLIE…. with a picture taken at the Getty Museum in California celebrating THEIR FIFTIETH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Some of us will remember their glamorous wedding in Washington … I felt so grown-up! Am I the only one who recalls that Bing and Kathy Crosby married that weekend as well? Doree retired as Director of Development at New York University and is now an entrepreneur. She also included a picture of HARRIET FULGHUM MEYERS and her! Harriett and JACK live in Wisconsin.


Cynthia had written me early on that four Japanese women planned to attend reunion ... one of them our "Harry", HARUKO HOSONO MIYAMOTO. Those of us who attended our 45th reunion will remember this quartet traveled together and entertained the gathering with some Japanese songs. At that time Haruko had stayed with Marie Anna in Washington. Well H1N1 interfered with this year's plans. Haruko's husband, KEIJI, is not well, so it seemed better for her not to travel. Only Yayoi (Class of 1974, I believe) came and she whispered to me that her husband is very displeased. She wore a mask in N Y C but not at GCU! Haruko had written me at Christmas of her anticipation of the reunion so I know she must have been devastated. Her letter follows:

FROM HARRY just before I left for Reunion
Dear Mary Anne,
I'm so disappointed at not attending the 50th Reunion of our class, especially because you chair Reunion 2009.

As I mentioned in our Christmas greetings, I was looking forward to go to the Reunion this year. However the diabetes problem of my husband prevented me from going. Originally we were to visit our son's family in Minneapolis first and I was to fly to NY alone leaving my husband in their care. Unfortunately this plan has not materialized.

So how are you yourself? I remember very well that you drove all the way from Albany to see me at the 45th Reunion. It was lucky that I managed to attend the 45th Reunion with the help of Marie Anna. I stayed at her house in Potomac and we drove up to Lakewood together. It was wonderful.

I myself am quite well. I retired from the translation job two years ago and I am enjoying reading and travel (within Japan). I joined the Soroptimist International Zushi-Hayama Club last year. This year we have been having visitors from Singapore, UK and US. We have a small tatami room and use it as a guest room. We go to Kamakura often. Do you remember Kamakura? Although we no longer drive our own car, we think of you whenever we are caught in the traffic jam in front of the Hachiman Shrine.

There are four alumnae (different classes) in Tokyo and when we met in March all of us were looking forward to attending the Reunion. Now Yayoi Ogawa is the only one who is attending. She has already left for NY.

Our son, Keito, his wife, Kaori, and their child Shusei (10 yrs.) live in Minnetonka because Keita works for Cargil. Fumiko lives in Brooklyn and works for the Japan Society, New York. She is married to Jorge de la Barre.
So much for now, and I am sorry I won't be seeing everyone.
Love,
Haruko



About 25 years ago or more, Haruko visited us in Albany and I drove her to one of the fabulous Adirondack camps where she was spending a week. The owners were among the people with whom she spent weekends while at GCU... who had been members of the Council on Foreign Relations and were friends of her father. The "camp" was indescribably gorgeous and luxe. When we took Harry's teeny little suitcase to the suite she was occupying, there was a maid there to unpack it! Before I left to return to Albany, I was invited to remain for lunch. And what a lunch! Cocktails on one enormous porch; then a move to the outdoor dining room on another, somewhat protected, but equally huge porch; and finally, the coffee and dessert on a third porch! A few years later, Stu and I were waking up one morning, watching the TODAY show, when the chandelier in our bedroom began to jiggle... uh oh ... an earthquake? Yes, indeed... the epicenter was in Blue Mountain Lake where Harry's friends' camp WAS ---read that again ... WAS. The structure broke in half and slid to the bottom of the lake! In later years, Stu and I visited Haruko and Keiji in New York City, London and at their home in Tokyo.

Before I drove Harry to the Adirondacks, Kath came up from the beach and she, Harry and I drove to West Point where ANN O'NEIL AND CARL BACON were then stationed. Ann gathered quite a group together for a mini-reunion and lunch. Kath kept the picture - and though faded and fuzzy I've been able to enlarge and reproduce it:



Sitting front center: Ann O'Neil; First rown: Peggy Blank, Lynn Aagaard, Kathy Flaherty, Mary Rita Brandoin; Back Row: Me, Mary Ellen Price, Haruko, Muriel Irving



DOTTI D'ANNUNZIO MONGELLI-CARDINALE sent some gorgeous pictures of children and grandchildren and, with inimitable "Dotti flair", one with a surprise twist which the portion of her note below will explain!

FROM DOTTI:
Below are 3 pictures you might want to include in the blog: #1 is my daughter Jeanie with Nicholas (9), Jessica (5), and Catherine (7); #2 is my son Gerry with his daughter Gigi (almost 2); #3 is a picture taken at the old Yankee Stadium a few years back when my son Gerry (on the right) and Reggie Jackson (on the left) threw me a surprise birthday party. I taught Reggie in 1960 when he was a ninth grader. We reconnected when Gerry, representing Goldman Sachs, put together the "Yes" Network with the Yankees.

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SAD ...AND SOME QUESTIONS