WL 1969 - Last edited – September 24, 2009 - Bios are 5 years old unless they include (09) with the name.
David Anderson David works at Children's National Medical Center in D.C. where he has been running the Printing Shop at the hospital since 1970. He is married and has two kids. David lives in Falls Church, VA. He is currently checking around in the NOVA area for the Class of 1969 to see if he can place some public service type ads announcing the reunion and website. We hear he may have had luck placing a couple of the announcements. Thanks, David!
Eva Glow Arwood Brownlow: (09) I've read the bios from 5 years ago, & find it fascinating how many directions our classmates have gone, and how many are still in the area.
My HS years were not normal. My parents divorced when I was 12, and my mother left town. My father was semi-retired during my high school, leaving me alone or with my older brother most of the time. He would pay the rent for several months ahead, and then leave for Mexico. I had no way to contact him, and since he left no money for food, I worked 2 jobs to survive, leaving no time to enjoy high school but no time to get in trouble either. Consequently, my high school years have few highlights. I was friends with Linda Wilkins and Vicki Allen from our early days at Cherrydale Elementary. I was also a friend of Broni Bowden, and was very sad to learn of her sudden and early death. My BFF is Mary Cross, who moved overseas and graduated HS in Germany. We have kept in touch over the years, just not as much as I would like. Ironically, after moving over 20 times around the globe with her air-force family, Mary settled in D.C., and then I left the area 25 years ago.
I did not have an opportunity to go to college; instead I stayed busy working for a few years after high school just trying to stay afloat. I worked at several hotels, but particularly the Georgetown Inn. At 21, I married a man that I worked with, Arnie. He was an alcoholic and eventually lost his job, and was arrested for DUI a couple of times. He wore me out emotionally dealing with him. Then one morning, I experienced an epiphany on my way to work. I was 23 years old, and knew I had to change my life. Arnie & I had no children, no house, no $ which seemed like a fine time to start over.
I left Arnie & Arlington and went to work for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, the start of my government career. My mother worked for NIH and at that time was a widow, having lost her 2nd husband to cancer. My relationship with my mother was always strained, and was not improved by her leaving my father for another man when I was 12. The reason I continued to work at our relationship was for the sake of my younger brother, who she took with her when she left our father. He was only 7 at that time, and my separation from him haunted me for years. Nevertheless, the government job worked out for me. I had 4 great bosses at NIH that helped me learn federal budgeting and advance to a decent job (with decent pay.) I made lifelong friends at NIH and still look at my 9 years spent there as the highlight of my career and a really enjoyable time of my life.
Unfortunately, my second husband, Shithead, turned out to be even more emotionally draining than my first except that I came away from that relationship with the prize, my son, Daniel.
I was a single mother for about 4 years. When Dan was just a year old, I met my current husband, Jerry Brownlow. Jerry is an engineer and worked for the Department of Energy. He is originally from El Paso and came to D.C. to further his career. In 1984, Jerry was transferred by DOE. Putting our 3 failed marriages behind us; Jerry and I married and moved to Albuquerque as a family.
Jerry is the only father Dan has known. He adopted Dan in 1987, the year our second son, Mark, was born. When Mark was 5 we built our house at in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, where we live now. Dan went to high school in Vermont (a long story about ADD) and loved it. Dan is still there 11 years later; now married to Abby and they are busy raising our two grandchildren, Sylvia (3) and Ben (2). Dan is an electrician (there were 5 electricians in my family, including my father and brother.) Abby is an emergency room nurse, and they live on 10 acres in the beautiful rural town of Danville, Vt. They have horses, chickens a big garden. I have traveled to visit the children about every 3 months since my little Sylvia was born in 2005. I love being Grammy like nothing else.
I quit my job at NIH when we moved to Albuquerque, but 18 months later I started working for DOE as the Budget Officer, then the Administrative Officer for the group of federal agents that move nuclear weapons around the country.
Mark graduated in 2009 from the Art Institute in Denver with a BA in photography and was awarded the best portfolio in his class. His forte is commercial art (advertising) and photo documentary work, but due to the current poor economy, he will soon start work as a cruise ship photographer. He hopes this job will allow him to save up some $$$ to travel between cruise contracts, allowing him to take the kind of documentary photographs he really wants. I have always been the amateur artist, but cant pretend to match the talent of my artist son. I am glad that we have been able to support his passion, and hope he can live the dream I didnt have the luxury to pursue.
My passion for art was satisfied when I discovered scrapbooking 15 years ago through Creative Memories. I am an avid scrapbook-album maker and instructor making 116 albums to date. Creating digital albums is my newest pursuit. Visit my website at www.mycmsite.com/evaglow.
I still have a day-job with DOE, now the Employee Concerns Program Manager, & I marked 33 years with the government in 09. Jerry retired from DOE almost 10 years ago, and enjoys his passion for golf. We have lived with and loved our terriers as part of our family. Weve raised 4 West Highland White terriers and this year adopted a wild & crazy Jack Russell.
I spent several weeks in DC in 2008, as I had to move my fragile Mother to NM following a severe heart attack. The good part of those trips was seeing old friends and taking the opportunity to bring my kids and grandchildren to DC for a visit. Seeing the Lincoln Memorial through the eyes of my daughter-in law, who had never been to DC before, reminded me how very lucky we were to grow up in the beautiful & powerful city of Washington.
Life happens when youre not looking. I lost my younger brother 9 years ago to cancer. My mother is the only one of our parents still living. My grandmother lived to 93, and for one year, I was the center of 5 living generations following the birth of my granddaughter. My older brother, Fritts, lived in California for many years, and now lives 45 minutes south of us in New Mexico. We have friends all over the country. I never thought I would leave Washington, but it was the best thing I ever did, as that one fork in the road opened up the world for me. We have been fortunate enough to raise two wonderful sons, wander through most of the continental US, see a little of Europe and Hawaii, and hope now that tuition is behind us, that we can enjoy new adventures together which includes spending more time with friends.
Charlie Batten - I'm currently living very happily in Conestoga, Pennsylvania with classmate Dotti Blum. We have one cat. My two children, Maggie (with grandson John) and C. J. are still in Northern Virginia. I am currently employed by Giant Food in Jessup, MD and will celebrate my 20th anniversary with them this December. Life is good in Lancaster County, PA as long as you avoid the Amish vehicles' exhaust!!
Don Bell (09) “Hello good people, I just logged onto the alumni website received courtesy of Mike Taylor. I have re-located to the area after being out of the loop since graduation. School in Colorado, military service in Germany, a move to Idaho then to Alaska for the last 23 years. I still am an Alaskan resident but family business has me coming and going. While here, I'd like to stay in touch with all the folks I knew way back when, so, add me to your newsletter and advise me more on the details concerning our next reunion. I guess I've missed a few. My e-mail address is . I welcome replies from anyone I knew and from those I've yet to meet.”
Steve Bloom lives in the Washington suburbs with his wife Karen Newell, his son Daniel, and step-daughter Jamie. He launched his professional drumming career in 1969, andhas performed and/or recorded in over a dozen countries from the Middle East to Africa to Canada with Tito Puente and other Latin and Cuban artists, plus stars of the genres of Jazz, Celtic, and New Age music. Throughout the nineties, Bloom studied in Cuba and elsewhere with masters of the bata drums, Cantos and other sacred Afro-Cuban traditions, and he hasreceived initiation from elder bata masters to play “consecrated” bata in Santeria ceremonies. He is the director of Havana Select, an ensemble of drummers, singers, and dancers that performs colorful Afro-Cuban folklore,and Sweet Saludos, a band performing world-class popular music from Latin America.
Richard Blewett : I've lived in the Boston area since graduating from Cornell: married an Boston-Irish lass one Halloween many years ago, bought and restored an old Victorian house, and we were adopted by a fascinating street-savvy cat. In software since the '70s, I've been employed variously within the
toy and game industry - from Parker Brothers during the first wave of videogames, to Hasbro Interactive for yet another generation. Since the mid-'90s, with a crack team of writers, I've edited many U.S. editions of Trivial Pursuit... I don't really know all the answers - I just know where to look them up.
Dyan develops software for Massachusetts General Hospital. She's a Master Gardener, as well as an officer and co-founder of the local Garden Club. She couldn't be nicer, and I'm lucky she puts up with me.
Broni Bowden Lambelet - Live in Orlean, Virginia (western Fauquier County) with too many kids (5 ? - 3 boys, 2 girls ages 13-30), too many dogs (3 mini schnauzers, 2 labs + a corgi) - have too little time but a great life. B.A., Sociology, Mary Baldwin College. Currently Director of Administration, Learning Tree Farms (non-profit site offering educational field trips for kids) on 2000 acres in northern Fauquier. Soon to be re-elected Marshall District member of Fauquier County School Board (2nd term) served as Chairman of the School Board 3 of the last 4 years. Who would have thought.
Dorothee (Dotti) Blum: (09) Since seventh grade, my dream job has been to teach math and I have been very fortunate to have achieved this goal at various levels. I have been on the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at Millersville University of Pennsylvania since August 1988. Currently I am an associate professor and my research interests are in graph theory, combinatorics and the history of mathematics. My alma maters are UNC-Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech. In the 1970's, I was very honored to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer twice, teaching math to seventh and eighth graders on the beautiful Caribbean island of Nevis and to college students in the African Country of Zaire. In 2006 I had the amazing experience of visiting the Galapagos Islands. A few months after our 35th reunion Charlie Batten (also W-L '69) came into my life. We share a happy and satisfying relationship in Lancaster County where we have become ardent supporters of the musical arts through the Lancaster Symphony Orch estra and other regional organizations.
Vicki Ettleman Futscher: (09) After 34 years working for the feds I retired in the spring of 2007 and am thoroughly enjoying my new-found freedom. My husband retired in June 2007 and to be closer to my mother-in-law who lives in Arizona, we bought a second home just north of Tucson, and spend the winter months there hiking, biking, and showing visitors the local sights. We travel as much as we can and enjoy the drive from Virginia to Arizona in the fall and the return trip in early spring. I still garden (two yards now), read, chase butterflies, study the art of calligraphy, and am learning bookbinding skills.
Candace Carver – Dace sent in this pic also. THANKS!
She writes: Happily divorced and relocated to my dream life in Steamboat Springs, CO several years ago. I work in the non-profit world and spend my time skiing, hiking, horse packing and volunteering on our backcountry Search and Rescue Team. I have 2 children, 2 grandchildren, 2 dogs, 2 horses, and one fiancé. Life could not be better!
Susan Cahill – Aylward: Married 22 years to Bill Aylward, former television news correspondent with ABC EyeWitness News in NYC and NBC, Washington. Currently writing as an independent producer/director. 4 step children, 5 grand children, 2 great grandchildren. After W-L: Mary Washington College BA in ’73; VISTA Volunteer 73-74 in Puerto Rico; Georghe Washington U MAT in ’75; DC Public Schools teacher and administrator 75-78 and at Washington International School as teacher for ’78 – 81. Capital Hill committee staff ‘ 83 – ’85; Alexandria Public Library ’83 – ’85; Friends of International Education ’85 – ’90; National Restaurant Assoc Librarian ’85 – ’90; Catholic U for MLA ’93; and ’93 til now American Association of Landscape Architects.
Brenda Carmichael – After graduation from W-L, attended the University of Portland, Portland Oregon. I met and married my husband (Sylvester L. Lee Jr.) who was in the US Army. We traveled to Fort Bragg NC and later to Karlshrue, Germany. We retired from the Army after 21 years. We have three beautiful children – Philemon, Lynnetta, and Stephanie. We are proud grandparents of three – Jazmyne, Desean, and Kawan Jr. and a son in law Kawan Peterson Sr. I went to work for the US Postal Service as a carrier. I am now retired as a city carrier in Petersburg, Virginia. I live in Colonial Heights, Virginia with my husband of 27 years. I enjoy being a housewife now and we are Deacon and Deaconess at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Petersburg. God has been good to me.