Alumni Updates: Class Years 1960-69
Archive
Below are archived updates for alumni graduating between 1960 and 1969. Visit the main Alumni Updates page for more updates received this year.
Stephen Wing '68- A.B. in English- Hello, readers of Inside Tucker Hall,
First, congratulations to the English Department's faculty and students for launching this attractive and readable newsletter! I enjoyed Volume 1, Issue 1 and look forward to the next one. Here is a bit of news you may find interesting: Since college, military service, and graduate school, I have been practicing Landscape Architecture in Connecticut for four decades. So imagine my surprise when I received a letter from a professor of English at Amherst College, Christopher Grobe. He was searching for the author of a poem he'd found in Anne Sexton's archive at the University of Texas, "To Anne Sexton from the Second Row". It was a poem I'd sent her with a note after a reading she'd given at William & Mary in April, 1966. Grobe's essay, "From the Podium to the Second Row: The Vanishing Feel of an Anne Sexton Reading" is included in This Business of Words -- Reassessing Anne Sexton' edited by Amanda Golden (U. Press of Florida, 2016). Grobe includes and discusses a number of poems written with similar motivation by people from all over, including another W&M student, Thomas Roach. The poems are included with excerpts of our notes. Grobe considers her readings as performance art and laments the rarity of recordings of her readings (how technology has changed!). He cites the poems and echoes the idea of numerous critics that her readings were a strong enough flavor to make some uncomfortable with her work per se.
It is the only poem of mine ever published outside The William and Mary Review.
Best regards,
Stephen Wing, W&M, Class of 1968, Milford, Ct (01/2019)
Robin Gaiser '68- B.A. in English- Thanks for a great first edition of "Inside Tucker Hall." As an alum of 1968 I have to chuckle that any such publication for that era would be printed on paper and likely named "Inside the Wren," home of the English Department and our classes. I am an author of two published memoirs, "Musical Morphine: Transforming Pain One Note at a Time" (Pisgah Press: 2016), a Best American Book finalist in 2017, and "Open for Lunch" (Pisgah Press: 2108), as well as several published short stories, and a poem here and there. Last spring I was a a guest writer for the "Great Smokies Review" in their column "Writers at Home" and for the blog "Memoir Writers' Journey." I am currently challenging myself to write fiction and have four short stories ready for critique in my class at UNCA. I would love to share my story ---- how I finally knew I had to write and how I got from knowing that to writing and then actually being published. Great fun and a lot of hard work! And never too late-----my first book was released a month before my 70th birthday! I currently have a full schedule of book talks and readings, was featured on a TEDx Talk last spring which is on my website www.robingaiser.com along with more book information, radio interviews, my own blog, etc.
Let me know if I can participate in English Dept. doings, offerings beyond sending this update. (01/2019)
Victoria Williams Giraud '64- B.A. in English- Although I've written 7 books available on Amazon, my English talents have focused on editing books in all genres. Over the years I've probably edited at least 150 books. I discovered I enjoy the editing as much as personal writing. My authors have come from all over the world--South Africa, England, Australia, Nepal and Hong Kong, for instance. An upcoming edit will be for a Nepalese author who is writing about the Gurkhas, young Asians who fought for the British. I've already edited 12 books for Tim Gurung. He's fairly adept in English and several other languages. It's been fascinating learning about other cultures, especially with him. I credit my skill and knowledge to the English department at William and Mary, notably Dr. Donald Ball. I also have to mention the Flat Hat, which I wrote for all of my years at W&M. I came west to LA in the late 60s and used my English and journalism talents for interviews and stories for many newspapers and magazines. I remain a fan of the English department and the excellent education I received. (10/2018)
Martha Wessells Steger '66- A.B. English (Honors)- One of the last writers to interview Tom Wolfe before his death in April, I sold the cover story to Fine Books & Collections Magazine: https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine_books_blog/2018/05/in-memoriam-tom-wolfe.phtml (10/2018)
Alice Carlton '69- AB in English- Retired after 40 years in private practice as a clinical social worker, I now have time to pursue my love of writing. I am on the second revision of my first novel. (4/2018)
Martha Wessells Steger '66- A.B. Honors, English- Received second place, in the Arts & Entertainment category of the National Federation of Press Women's 2017 communications contest, for articles on Highclere Castle/Downton Abbey's library (published in Fine Books & Collections Magazine) and the 50th anniversary of the TV program, American Bandstand (published in Boomer Magazine). An article/interview with author Tom Wolfe is in the April issue of Virginia Business Magazine by Martha Wessells Steger ('66). Her last interview for the magazine was with President Reveley of Longwood University before the vice-presidential debate in the 2016 election. (04/2018)
Linda Felcone Hull '68- BA, MA in English- Hoping to at least set foot on campus next weekend at reunion time. I'm in Richmond a lot because my mother is still living (alone) at 97. Still write, but not for money at the moment. Only for pleasure. I'm back and forth from Richmond to New Jersey like a yo-yo. Fortunately I listen to books on tape while driving, so it's a pleasure. If I do make it to W&M for the reunion I hope to run into some of my former classmates and teachers. (10/2017)
Tom Baker '66- BA in English- I am pleased to announce that my new novel, GREEN, was published by LETHE PRESS on August 15, 2017. Kirkus Reviews wrote: "A sharp and intriguing tale about a gay draftee in the '60's." Available at Amazon and Barnes & Nobel or on my website TomBakerBooks.com. I'm working with the staff at Swem Library to set up a reading on campus, hopefully in the spring. Sorry I cannot attend Homecoming this year...my best wishes to everyone. (10/2017)
Barbara Smith Drucker '64- B.A. English- I just returned from singing Mozart's Coronation at Carnegie Hall with Old Dominion University and other groups. The performance was March 27. It was a great experience. (3/2017)
Robin Gaiser '68- B.A. English- My memoir, "MUSICAL MORPHINE:Transforming Pain One Note at a Time (Pisgah Press: June, 2016) was released in print and audio formats in June. The book follows my work as a Certified Music Practitioner into the lives of the critically and chronically ill, elderly and dying in Hospice, hospitals and nursing homes. The shadow narrative delivers messages of hope, passion, courage and wisdom for all who face roles as caregiver or cared for, and whom among us will not be in those positions? Let 'Musical Morphine' fill you with insight and inspiration. (Available from the publisher as well as Amazon.com) (10/2016)
Thomas Lipscomb '61- B.A. English- After a long career in book publishing, from college texts to bestsellers, I founded Times Books at the New York Times and wrote numerous news articles and commentaries for major publications from the WSJ and NYT to RealClearPolitics. I then moved into high tech and founded and CEO'd two public companies based upon my digital patents. (see how flexible a W&M English degree can be in the 21st Century? And I nearly flunked physics.) Now I just won the Playwrights First Award for the best unproduced play of the year, and I am busy getting it produced and finishing a nonfiction investigative report on the strange case of Rudolf Hess, called LAST MAN IN SPANDAU. (09/2014)
Deirdre Mullane –I graduated from W&M more years ago than I care to recall, with a double major in English/Government, and after working as an editor and publisher for nearly twenty years I'm now a literary agent, based in New York, and work with many academic clients. I wanted to make an introduction here with the suggestion that you might keep my contact information ready, or pass it along, should you or one of your colleagues in the department be looking for representation for a project that has trade or "cross-over trade" appeal -- that is a book that might engage general readers as well as specialists. Generally, this might be a book published by such houses as Knopf, Pantheon, Norton, Bloomsbury, Viking, Scribner, Harper, Oxford, Yale, or the like, such as biography or duel biography, or a kind of group study (such as Christopher Benfey's recent Summer of Hummingbirds, etc), a work of narrative or creative nonfiction, or a close look at a particular literary movement or cultural moment. (Regrettably, I don't handle much in the way of poetry, memoir, or fiction.)
I'm currently working with Scott Reynolds Nelson in the history department at W&M, Cathy Davidson at Duke, whose work you may know, as well as numerous other historians, journalists, and other academics. More information about my books and authors can be found at my website, www.mullaneliterary.com (2010)
Ron Audet – '61 " Now that my wife has finally retired, we have realized a life-long dream of living in Italy. This past summer we sold, gave away, or trashed most of our belongings and moved to Florence, a city we had visited often and truly loved (and still love). We lived for the first few months in a 13th-century apartment building directly on the famous Piazza Santa Croce, but we have now moved to a much more spacious and much quieter apartment just outside the historic center of the city but within walking distance of just about everything. It is really impossible to express how happy we are here and how much more we come to love Italy in general and Florence in particular every day. We would be happy to see old friends from W&M who might be in Florence. We would enjoy getting together for a drink or dinner. Just email us ronaudet@yahoo.com." (2010)
Margaret (Barnhart) Gunn '61 - After William and Mary, I taught English at York HS for 4 years. Then while at home with children, I worked as a volunteer for the usual organizations. Later I took graduate courses in English and Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University and copyedited an encyclopedia of short fiction for one of my professors. Then I switched to Information Systems and earned a degree there. I worked first as a technical writer in a computer department, and then transferred to a programming team in the same department. I worked as a computer programmer/analyst and systems engineer for some years, while taking classes all along in PC applications and Web development. When the Internet exploded, I moved back into technical writing, this time writing user manuals in print and on line for computer systems as well as developing Web sites. Along the way I have written and compiled reunion booklets and yearbooks for hereditary societies, serving as an officer for most of the groups. I contribute to a number of lineage Web sites. I am a sailor and developed a Web site and served as a flag officer for my yacht club. Now living in Williamsburg, I serve on the Beacon of Freedom Award committee for Colonial Williamsburg and the public library, previewing books targeted for local 4th - 6th graders, the winner of which earns the annual BOFA award. In the William and Mary sponsored Christopher Wren Association for lifelong learning, my husband and I are enjoying classes in genealogy, history, and other subjects. We are also active in the Williamsburg area alumni group and participate in neighborhood activities. My daughter Nancy, W&M '88, is an Emmy-winning executive producer for Donald Trump's Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice. At age 43 she gave birth to a daughter Charlotte. Needless to say, we spend some time visiting Nancy, Curtis, and Charlotte at their home in Los Angeles and while they are working in New York. Along the way we travel the migration routes of my ancestors from the earliest settlers in Virginia, always spending time in courthouses and libraries—just what I had envisioned as retirement! (2010)
Ann (Lee) Bruen '57 - writes: "I guess you don't expect people who are in their 70's to still be working, but perhaps that is a credit to the department in itself...or an indication that I am not smart enough to say "No" when asked to edit something. Aftere graduation, I spent 28 years as an "active duty" Army wife, completed an MA in English and George Mason, and then started my own career as an editor. The highlight of that career was a period when I was employed as a senior copy coordinator at Time Life Books. Since then, I have freelanced as an editor for a variety of clients. Always have I treasured my time at W&M and my training there, all of which prepared me for a happy and fulfilling life. (2010)
Ann (Cheetham) Colley – '62 "In 2010 Ann C. Colley was named a SUNY Distinguished Professor. This is the highest rank in the State University of New York system. It is a promotion that recognizes the individual's groundbreaking research and international reputation. She teaches at SUNY College at Buffalo. Her recent book, Victorians in the Mountains: Sinking the Sublime, will be available in December, 2010. Her other book publications are Robert Louis Stevenson and the Colonial Imagination; Recollection and Nostalgia in Victorian Culture; The Search for Synthesis in Literature and Art; Edward Lear and the Critics, and Tennyson and Madness. This coming semester, Professor Colley will be a Visiting Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge University." (2010)
Linda (Hull) Felcone '68 - BA, MA - "Hello, fellows. I have actually made a living as a writer and editor for a long time (30 years). I still write creatively for fun. I live in New Jersey and actually like it. I love the New Jersey Turnpike. I am often in Virginia, and still am a Virginian at heart. (2010)
Victoria Williams Giraud '64 confirms that majoring in English was a good choice for her: "I've used it in my career, almost all my life. The Flat Hat got me started and after relocating to Southern California, I wrote and edited weekly newspapers and helped create and write various magazines. I wrote and self-published an historical fiction novel, Melaynie's Masquerade, and am now involved in editing and rewriting books for aspiring authors in almost every genre (70 so far!). Thank you, Dr. Ball -- I had him for five classes! Look me up at www.victoria4edit.com. I started a blog, WORDS ON MY MIND, in May. I write about true life experiences and include photos. Check it out:
www.victoria4edit.com/blog I also edit books, mostly for first time authors and my web site can be reached through my blog. (2010)
Martha (Wessells) Steger '66 - BA with Honors writes: "Since retiring from the Virginia Tourism Corporation after 25 years in late 2007, I've reverted to my former career of freelance writing and editing -- most of it travel-related, so Tom ('65) and I are enjoying the travel as well. Most of my expertise is on Virginia sites, most of my subjects are Virginia-related; and most of my media outlets are also in-state, such as the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, Virginia Business, the Midlothian Exchange and RichmondBizSense.com. I also do some literary writing, having sold two short stories since 2007 to the advertising-supported Delmarva Quarterly and having received third place in poetry this year in the National Federation of Press Women's Communications Contest for my Civil War-related poem, "Summer at City Point." Tom and I are birders, and my article on "Birding the Virginia Backyard--and Beyond" won the Marjorie J. and Norman E. Rollins Award for outdoor writing this year from the National League of American Pen Women. (2010)
William Young '62 - A.B. English William writes: "Since 2000, I have been busy writing--along with my wife Nancy K. Young (1962). Our area has been American social history with an emphasis on popular culture. All of our books are available in Swem Library. The tiles: The 1930s (Greenwood Press, 2002) The 1950s (Greenwood Press, 2004) Music of the Great Depression (Greenwood Press, 2005) The Great Depression in America (2 vols. Greenwood, 2007) Music of the World War II Era (Greenwood, 2008) World War II & the Postwar Years (2 vols. ABC-Clio, 2010 (forthcoming in October). In addition, I have written a considerable number of articles and reviews since 1962. (2010)
Paula Lauritzen Delo '61 put her English degree to good use in jobs ranging from publishing to serving as communications director for several large, national organizations. Her last position was as Executive Editor of a scholarly press, where she was responsible for four peer-reviewed journals, one with a circulation of 165,000; a $2.3 million annual revenue book program; a 32-page monthly newspaper; and seven editorial boards, comprised of faculty from across the US. "Many thanks to the English Department," she says, "I have felt that my professors were always there with me throughout my career." (2007)
Gale Gibson Kohlhagen '69 received an Alumni Medallion for her dedication to the 
College as shown most recently in her work on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. She has also served since 2000 on the National Council for the National Museum of the American Indian, and is the author (with Ellen Boraz Heinbach) of USNA: The United States Naval Academy (H.N. Abrams, 1995). She divides her time between Charleston, South Carolina and Chromo, Colorado. (2006)
Paul Lankford – '69 A.B. English Language and Literature. After graduation in June of 1969, I began my 40-year teaching career that fall in Virginia Beach, VA. For 31 years, I taught in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, first at Bayside High School for 10 years and then as English department chair at Green Run High School for 21 years. During that time, I was honored with these awards: City and State English Teacher of the Year (1982), City Teacher of the Year (1990), Hampton Roads Teacher of the Year (1990), Alpha Delta Kappa Friend to Education Award (1991), Great Citizen of Hampton Roads (1991), Founding Fellow of the ODU Institute for the Advancement of Teaching (1992), TEACHER TO REMEMBER ALWAYS (1994). I co-authored CLASSICS IN WORLD LITERATURE, A GUIDE FOR TEACHING SHORT STORIES OF THE WORLD, and TO LIFE. I also chaired the Comparative and World Literature Committee of NCTE and served as Executive Secretary of VATE during those years. In 2000, fearing the impact of the SOL movement on intellectual freedom, I resigned and served my remaining nine years at Cape Henry Collegiate School, a private preparatory school also in Virginia Beach. (10/2011)
Carol (Hamersen) Garrard – '69 English with Honors. After getting an M.A. in English Literature at the University of Virginia, I began teaching in the Virginia Community College system, and while working fulltime I completed and received the Ph.D. in English Literature from UVA in 1977. In October of 1979 I married John Garrard, then a professor at the University of Virginia, and in 1985 we moved to the University of Arizona. With John, I have co-authored (well, in one case, co-edited) 4 books. The latest of these is Russian Orthodoxy Resurgent: Faith & Power in the New Russia, Princeton U. Press, 2008, and Oxford, 2009. An earlier book, The Bones of Berdichev: the Life & Fate of Vasily Grossman (The Free Press, 1996, NY, NY, and London, Canada and Australia) was translated into Italian in 2009, and as Le Ossa di Berdicev: La Vita e il Destino di Vasilij Grossman (Marietta 1820: Milan, 2009), won the Giovanni Comisso Premio, the Italian national prize for history/biography. In 2010, this book was translated into Spanish, and published by Encuentros in Madrid, Spain, as La Vida y il Destino de Vasilii Grossman. John retired from the University of Arizona last August, and became Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies. We are still active with our writing and researching, and in fact giving a paper at the 31st Millersville University Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide this April 7th at Millersville U. We are then going to England for the final reunion of his British Intelligence cohort at Cambridge University, and then to Oxford University, from where he graduated and has been a visiting fellow at 2 different colleges. We are working on a new book about philanthropy in the new Russia. Yes, we would like to get back to William & Mary again--we were married in the Christopher Wren building, so W & M will always be magic for me. (10/2011)
Ronald Audet - '61; '71 A.B.; M.Ed. English; English Education Since 1991 I have been retired, having taught English in the public schools of Portsmouth, Virginia, for thirty years (with a few years of administration and supervision included). I was single until 1999, when I married Linda, also an English teacher as well as a teacher and coach of drama. She retired in 2010, and since June of that year we have been living very happily indeed in Florence, Italy, indulging in all the beauty and pleasure this magnificent city provides. We would love to hear from any W&M English alumni who might find themselves in Florence. ronaudet@yahoo.com (10/2011)
Frances Gilmore Harris – '63 BA English Education After many years of teaching, I offer a Shakespeare Read Aloud class to adults in Bronxville and Scarsdale, We read HAMLET, MID-SUMMER NIGHT'S DEAM AND watch scenes from films to help the reading. (10/2011)
Pam Michael Brown – ’65 BA English After graduation in 1965, I got married and moved to Richmond when my husband graduated from law school. For lack of career ambition or any better ideas, I took a position teaching 7th grade. I had no student teaching experience, so was amazed to discover on my first day that the administration had created, just for me, a class of slow children and discipline problems ages 12 to 18. It soon became apparent that none of them could read, so we dropped all the other subjects and started with the abc’s. Despite some success – they all learned to read – I decided I would rather have my own children and took an eight-year break from the work world. Sure no one would ever hire me after such a long time, I did graduate work in mass communications at VCU and, against all odds, landed my dream job as a feature writer for the Richmond paper. Historic Richmond Foundation was on my beat, which led to my becoming their director of public relations and development for eleven years. Combining my arts background from the paper and love for historic preservation, I then opened a gallery/shop devoted to the culture and history of Richmond in the venerable Jefferson Hotel. Ten years later, I sold the shop and retired to Williamsburg, where I surprised myself and took a position in the William and Mary Development Department. Five years later I retired again, but the day of my party, was offered a part-time job as 50th reunion gift officer. So here I am still, now approaching my own 50th reunion. So much for never planning to have a career. (10/2013)
Victoria Giraud Wiliams – ’64 BA English I write a bi-weekly online blog: Words on My Mind about my life experiences, including W&M: www.victoria4edit.com/blog. I have published several E-books, short & long on Amazon & have an Amazon author page under Victoria Giraud. MELAYNIE'S MASQUERADE is an historical fiction (also in paperback), AN ARMY BRAT IN LIBYA is a memoir. W&M, especially Dr. Donald Ball, helped nurture my writing talents. (10/2013)
Tom Baker – ’66 BA English My second book of fiction, "FULL FRONTAL, to make a long story short" will be published in November. This follows my debut novel, "The Sound of One Horse Dancing" published in October 2011. The same central character, Tim Halladay, is featured. For more information visit my website at TomBakerBooks.com. (10/2013)
Martha Wessells Steger ’66 AB with Honors English Martha Wessells Steger ('66) received four 2012 national writing awards: a second place for the Walker Prose Poem Award ("Emyl Jenkins: Pixie Dust in Her Writer's Space") and third place for the Norman E. and Marjorie J. Roller Award for outdoor writing ("Celebrating Virginia's Birding & Wildlife Trail") in the National League of American Pen Women's Biennial Writing Contest; and first place, advertorial writing (articles in Recreation News) and honorable mention, specialty articles -- food (also Recreation News), in the National Federation of Press Women's Annual Communications Contest. As chair of the first master class in writing offered by James River Writers, she worked with W&M's Humanities Professor Henry Hart, who taught the master class in poetry writing for JRW at VCU's James Branch Cabell Library in Richmond. (10/2013)
Jo Anne Welch Gild – ’62 BA English I taught English for a year after graduation, then married and started a family. In 1971 I got a job answering letters from people who had been victimized, in the consumer protection department of Housing and Urban Development. I facilitated a memoir writing class for the Shepherds Center in Oakton, VA for several years. After I retired from the Federal Government I began writing novels and my own memoirs, which I am still working on to this day.(10/13)
