Aylene Davis Goddard ’38 died on Oct. 4, 2017.

She lived 100 full years fulfilling her keen curiosity and intellect, and pursuing honest endeavor. She married Glendon Goddard in 1940, raising their three children in Vermont. After moving to Michigan, she earned two M.A.s while teaching science in Kalamazoo schools. In midlife, she took up hang-gliding, which led to a move to Kitty Hawk, N.C., where she and Glendon founded a Unitarian church. Aylene’s talents were diverse and multiple. She was a botanical scholar, knit intricate designs, sewed all of her own clothes, and was a veritable library of information.

Sally Goddard, daughter

Jeanne Haselton Rich ’44 died on April 15, 2017.

Jeanne cherished her time at Wellesley, where she studied psychology, rowed crew, volunteered to care for WWII British evacuee children, and bonded with lifelong friends. Jeanne was part of a long lineage of Wellesley women. Her mother, Marjorie Scudder Haselton ’19, was born in India to missionary parents and was sent, alone, by ship to America to attend Wellesley. Marjorie’s sisters, Helen Scudder Bouchier ’23 and Kathleen Scudder Reed ’26, followed later. Jeanne was also distantly related to Vida Dutton Scudder, who taught English lit at Wellesley from 1887 to 1927.

Jeanne was predeceased by her loving husband, Woody, and son, Terry, and is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

The Rich Family

Mary Ellen Dandy Marmaduke ’49 died on Sept. 5, 2017.

With her Wellesley degree in zoology, Mary Ellen believed she could do anything, and she did. After raising three daughters, she taught high-school science, then worked as a consultant in health education, and at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

The consuming project of her mature life was the publication of a biography of our father, Walter Dandy: The Life of a Premier Neurosurgeon, in 2002. The project united our far-flung family, and brought requests for talks about him in hospitals around the country. We will miss her effervescent spirit, as will daughters Susie, Maggie, and Polly.

Kathleen Dandy Gladstone ’50
Margaret Dandy Gontrum ’56

Beverly Bonelli Rase ’50 died on Oct. 18, 2017.

Beverly was raised in Fort Worth, Texas, and loved her Wellesley experience. She married a University of Texas professor and lived most of her life in Austin, where she started and ran a private Pre-K–12 school for more than 40 years. She always said she started it for her two children. Kirby Hall School is renowned for its academic excellence and for “being sweet to the children.” Fiercely proud of her family, she was known for her smile, her indefatigably positive attitude, and her unwavering support of loved ones. She is missed.

C. Victoria Rase Shinn ’83

Ruth Carlson Mullaney ’52 died on Nov. 29, 2017, holding her daughter Martha’s hand.

Ruth was the epitome of Non Ministrari sed Ministrare. As her children grew up, Ruth was involved as a Girl Scout leader and P.T.A. member. As a member of Church Women United, Ruth brought together women from different traditions and kept her children informed of other cultures. She enjoyed traveling the world and took her children and grandchildren on a cruise across Canada to Alaska. Ruth loved Wellesley, being a part of a long family tradition of Wellesley alumnae. Ruth came to our 65th reunion in June 2017, and we were blessed by her presence. We shall miss her and her ever-present smile.

Nancy Liberman Ratliff ’52

Virginia Rausch Boothe ’52 died on Nov. 18, 2017.

Breaking with family tradition to go to Smith, Virginia was an enthusiastic member of the class of ’52. She remembered the class cheer “Out for ’52, shout for ’52” to daughter Malinda years later when she entered the class of ’91. Moving to New York after graduation, she rose in her career to become secretary to Arthur Watson, chairman, IBM World Trade, before relocating with her husband to Maryland to raise a family. Working on charitable projects as her children grew, Virginia had tremendous organizational and technical abilities that she brought to every role. She was fond of animals and travel. We will miss her kind, gentle spirit.

Daughters of Virginia

Emmy Lou Townsend Reeves ’53 died on Aug. 20, 2017.

Emmy Lou was a great student, listener, advisor, fixer, non-complainer, and fun! I feel privileged to have been her roommate at Wellesley, her apartment-mate in Boston, and to have had her as a bridesmaid and a close, lifelong friend. Emmy and Emery from MIT were a perfect match for 63 years, and had four sons and five grandsons. She was an enthusiastic volunteer all her life, especially for the oceanic museum near her home. To her friends, the most memorable events of her life were the two cross-country bicycle trips she made with Emery. Spirit, spunk, stamina! That was Emmy!

Mary Dee Dineen Klingenberg ’53

Virginia Davies Ollis Gest ’54 died on Sept. 18, 2017.

Yet another of our best, brightest, and nicest is gone. In her apartment after a meeting, Ginny suddenly died. Her door was still open.

Unlike many, Ginny got stuff done. Papers were in on time, her room ready for inspection. After being head of the Vil Juniors, she left Wellesley to marry. She didn’t graduate, but later earned her degree from Indiana University. A loyal friend, she sent us “mummy mail,” letters sealed with thick layers of packing tape. Opening one could take a week. Ginny raised three fine children, read, traveled, hobnobbed with professors, taped envelopes, and went to meetings.

Ellen Boroughf ’54

Helen Newman Chooljian ’54 passed away peacefully at her home in Princeton, N.J., on March 19, 2017.

Mom loved Wellesley and was active for many years with the Wellesley Club of Central New Jersey, where she especially enjoyed working on the annual Wellesley antiques show. Needless to say, she was pleased when I chose to attend Wellesley. I will never forget the first day of my freshman year when we arrived at Munger Hall to get me settled in. We went up to the third floor and down the hall on the west side of the building and entered my dorm room, and at that moment, you would have thought Mom had won the lottery. She gave a delighted laugh and exclaimed, “This is the exact same dorm room that I was in freshman year.”

Anne Chooljian ’78

Marion Talbot Lilley ’58 died on Nov. 17, 2016.

Marion was born and raised in Rockland, Maine. There was never a student more eager and able to soak up every opportunity that Wellesley offered. Marion had a keen mind with a sense of humor based on the way her mind worked. You could almost see the neurons firing as she made connections that created brilliant, dark, hilarious humor. She loved Miss Hill and astronomy, which was her major. She loved her daughter, music, and Miami. She faced challenges bravely, and she is missed. RIP, Marion.

Debby Bogin Cohen ’58
Susan Klee ’58

Dorothy “Dolly” Newman Langdon Chapin ’59 died on Oct. 19, 2017.

At a Nov. 13, 2017, memorial service for Dolly, friends lauded her intellect, spark, and style. I saw Dolly exhibit these qualities in her personal and professional lives. At National Cathedral School, where she chaired the English department, her students were devoted to her. At People magazine, she covered the White House, but also managed to write about characters such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Ringling impresario Irving Feld. Dolly was predeceased by Aldus Chapin, the love of her life with whom she shared a passion for art. Dolly leaves her son, Alex Gove, who lives in San Francisco with his wife and two sons. She will be missed.

Linda Hadley Vaughn ’59

Lorie Selz Hartman Sullivan ’60 died on Sept. 3, 2017, of complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Lorie and her husband had recently moved from Wykoff, N.J., to a Mennonite community in Lancaster, Pa. She is survived by her devoted husband, Greg, and daughters Kabi and Tanya Hartman from her first marriage to Jan Hartman. She received her Ph.D. in English from the Graduate Center in New York City, and was a professor at the Gallatin School at New York University until her retirement in 2003. Adored by her students, Lorie brought passion and humor to the classroom, bequeathing her love of literature to the next generation. We remember her as a joyful music major, choir participant, and lovely friend.

Peggy Decker Cohn ’60

Astrid Witschi-Bernz ’60 died on Oct. 5, 2017, in Switzerland.

We all met Astrid in Switzerland through her efforts to keep Swiss-based alumnae in contact. She cared deeply about Wellesley in its mission to educate women. She encouraged and supported many of us in our private and professional lives with great kindness, attentiveness, and enthusiasm.

Astrid was Swedish by family, raised in Manhattan, and educated at Wellesley, Middlebury (M.A.), and Harvard (Ph.D.). She married a Swiss-Bernese lawyer and brought her intellect and appreciation for languages, history, culture, art, politics and nature to her life in Bern and Switzerland. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. We are saddened by her passing and will hold her in our thoughts.

Liesl Eschenheimer Graz ’52
Nancy Howe Scherer ’58
Martha Fetherolf Loutfi ’62
Marlene Oster-Rosenthal ’76
Sharaneh Zolfaghari-Biéler ’77
Elizabeth Stevenson Haefliger ’93

Sally Meyer Matchett ’63 died on Oct. 5, 2017.

Sally taught philosophy at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo.; was an expert tennis player and golfer; had boundless energy and zest for fun; was spiritual, but not religious, and at times irreverent; was an activist for liberal causes; and cared deeply for others, including her family and the many philosophy students and recovering alcoholics she counseled. With her late husband, Ken, she raised three wonderful daughters who collaboratively and lovingly cared for her during her illness. She loved to travel and was endlessly curious about people, cultures, and life in general. A great loss.

Carol Herzman Fishman ’63

Ellen Washington Dawson ’65 died on Oct. 12, 2017.

Returning home after two weeks in Paris, Ellen became ill and died quickly and unexpectedly from complications of cancer treatment. She leaves her husband of 47 years, Stuart Dawson, her sister, Anne, as well as children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. With a heart full of adventure, Ellen embraced travel, the study of other languages, Japanese ikebana, and dog sledding with equal fervor. We, her Tower Court friends, remember her as always young, no matter how old she was, joyfully engaged with life, and the girl who twirled down the corridor of 1 West singing “I feel pretty.” We miss her.

Sue Hyman Besharov ’65
Cathy Colman ’65
Kathy Davis Dickerman ’65
Liz Haight Flinn ’65
Ann Hurst Harrington ’65
Lucy Wells Hausner ’65
Karen Knapp Mauger ’65
Patti Moehlman ’65
Chloee Kasselberg Poag ’65
Karan Early Shelley ’65
Ginny Kirmayer Slayton ’65
Sue Swanson ’65

Edith Wypler Swire ’65 died on Oct. 27, 2017.

I will always have fond memories of Edie: beautifully coiffed, exquisitely made up, and immaculately dressed. She, her twin sister, Janie, and her family became my U.S. family. For our room sophomore year, we crafted matching quilts, a large, hand-dyed rug, and upholstered chairs that matched the curtains. She was devoted to her husband, Jim, who predeceased her earlier in 2017, and to her daughter, Elizabeth, class of ’88. Edie also loved music, her avocation after Wellesley. A former member of the Boston Youth Symphony, she demonstrated exceptional talent on the violin and viola. Edie’s spirit and friendliness will remain in our hearts forever.

Robin Crossley McKelvey ’65

Courtney Graham Donnell ’67 died on Sept. 27, 2017.

Our beloved classmate died peacefully, surrounded by friends and her longtime personal assistant, Primo Przybylski. Comments of praise for Courtney at her memorial service noted her special talent for meticulous research as an associate curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, brave acceptance of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis as a young woman, which led to work with Access Living in Chicago to advocate for inclusion of all those with disabilities, and her extraordinary love for and loyalty to a huge number of friends.

Prue Richardson Beidler ’67

Holmes Bridgers Ramsay ’69 passed away on Aug. 25, 2017, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Holmes battled medical challenges over many years, beating cancer twice, but tragically developed fatal infections following a knee replacement. She was fiercely proud of Wellesley and staunchly loyal to her “Pomeroy posse” of classmates. Her vibrant spirit was laced with both classy Southern charm and indomitable grit. She reinvented herself many times—computer programmer, full-time mom, C.P.A., C.F.O.—but her greatest joy was family. She also passionately loved her dogs, flowers, politics, and dancing. Wanderlust took her to Alaska, to safari in Africa, kayaking in Antarctica. Still, her favorite spot to land was the family cottage in Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Her sparkle is greatly missed.

Gale Lyon ’69

Linda Serafini Costello ’73 died on Sept. 28, 2017, in New York City.

With her B.A. in art history, Linda took a librarian’s job, doing research for the M.B.A.s. Recognizing they were paid more than she, off to Columbia she went for her own M.B.A., and a 35-year career as an investment banker in N.Y.C. and Nashville, becoming a partner at J.C. Bradford. Jogging, walking on the beach, crosswords, Scrabble, gardening, and reading everything from nonfiction to French and Italian novels were Linda’s favorite pursuits. She adored her family, especially her daughter, Sarah, and was passionate about women’s rights and her beloved Labradors and Westies. Ovarian cancer claimed her much too soon. She will be greatly missed.

Susan Haltmaier ’73

Debra “Chas” Chasnoff ’78 died of breast cancer at her San Francisco home on Nov. 7, 2017, surrounded by her wife, Nancy Otto, sons Noah and Oscar, and close friends.

Chas was nationally known as a visionary filmmaker, LGBTQ rights champion, social justice educator, and change agent. She was vibrant, courageous, collaborative, and extremely loveable. Founding GroundSpark and leading New Day Films, she used film to tell stories to change the world. Among her 12 documentary films, the Respect for All series provides tools to educators, parents, and youth to talk about LGBTQ issues, bullying, gender conformity, and the importance of understanding experiences different from one’s own—exactly what the world needs most right now.

Polly Munts Talen ’77

Heather Keller Thomson ’02 passed away peacefully on Nov. 7, 2017, after a two-year battle with breast cancer.

Heather had an infectious laugh and smile that would light up a room. She embodied what it was to be the best of yourself and always made those around her better. Heather took great pride in her career in early-stage drug discovery; however, her husband and three beautiful children were the true center of her life. She will be missed for her positive spirit; nurturing, motherly ways; and unwavering loyalty to those around her.

Prathima Prasanna Vemulapalli ’02