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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

A LEGACY OF IMPACT

NEW GRADS, NEW DREAMS

Two first-generation college students embrace everything Agnes Scott has to offer.

Discover the strong partnership between Agnes Scott and the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations.

Graduate programs prepare students to compete for jobs and meet community needs.

SUMMER ’26

Ring Leaders The black onyx ring is so much more than a piece of jewelry—it is a symbol of the circle of support formed at Agnes Scott College that continues long after graduation.

’26

SUMMER volume 100, number 1 Managing Editor: Cari Wade Gervin Editorial Advisers: Kayla Whitter, Director of Advancement Communications; Jaime Hunt, Interim Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing; Cheryl Webster, Vice President for College Advancement; Mary Rinaldi Winn, Senior Director of Office of Alumnae Relations; Hannah Suggs, Alumnae and Donor Relations Manager; Kathryn L. Hoeflich, Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Board of Trustees Contributing Writers: Melanie Blanchard, Michael Blanding, Ana Marie Cox, Anjali David, Donna Williams Lewis, Charles Moss, Shelia Poole, Alexa Robinson

This special print edition of Agnes Scott The Magazine has been mailed to alumnae donors and friends of Agnes Scott College. Alumnae usually receive a copy of ASTM via email, and print copies are distributed by mail to alumnae class secretaries and members of the Tower Circle Society, The 1889 Society and the Frances Winship Walters Society. Information about these societies is available at agnesscott.edu/ giving/gratitude-and-donor-recognition. This and previous issues are available at agnesscott.edu/magazine. The content of the magazine reflects the opinions of the writers and not the viewpoints of the college, its trustees or the administration.

Designer: Garon Hart Graphic Design Photographers: Aretta Baldon (Shades of Light Photography), Agnes Scott College Archives, Cari Wade Gervin, Adam Hagy Photography, Audra Melton, Jamenda Whitehead ’08 (JAM & CO Studios), Kayla Whitter

Nondiscrimination Policy: Agnes Scott College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability or veteran status or any other prohibited factor under law. For the full policy, visit agnesscott. edu/nondiscrimination-policy.html.

Mission: Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times.

Change of Address: By mail to Office of Advancement Services, Agnes Scott College, 141 E. College Ave., Decatur, GA 30030-3770; by telephone, 404.471.6472; or by email to alumnae@agnesscott.edu.

Email: info@agnesscott.edu Website: agnesscott.edu

@agnesscottcollege @agnesscottcollege Agnes Scott College

ON THE COVER:

Left to right: Class of ’26 graduates Kathy Araujo Hernandez, Mekdes Aniley and Sarah Angstadt. * Agnes Scott College has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Agnes Scott College’s Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes ’65 and James B. Hawkes Physician Assistant Program anticipates matriculating its first class in October 2026, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the July 2026 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation- provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

COVER STORY

FEATURE STORIES

Ring Leaders The circle of support formed at Agnes Scott College continues long after graduation, shaping how alumnae work, lead and build community.

More Than a Ring At her Sophomore Ring Ceremony, Ryan HayesOwens celebrated finding her place. That was just the beginning.

Graduating to New Dreams Graduate programs prepare students to compete for jobs and meet community needs.

20 A Path to Opportunity Two first-generation college students embrace everything Agnes Scott has to offer.

22 Growing Beyond Campus Walls Agnes Scott professors mentor students inside and outside the classroom.

27 A Legacy of Impact The partnership between Agnes Scott and the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations has withstood decades of change.

MAIN NEWS 4 6 7 8 9 9 10 11 12 13

Agnes Scott in the News Around Campus Ring Ceremony Amphibian Center Universal AI Initiative Board of Visitors Writers’ Festival Graduation Alumnae Weekend Campaign Launch

ALSO INSIDE 3 29 31 33 36

President’s Message Alumna Spotlight Donor Spotlight Faculty Spotlight Class Notes

Contents

President’s Message The Power of the Ring Agnes Scott College students and alums are builders, disrupters and leaders. This issue of Agnes Scott The Magazine captures that spirit at a moment when the college itself is stepping boldly into its next chapter. In April, we launched a $120 million philanthropic initiative: “Ring Leaders: The Campaign for Agnes Scott.” This fundraising campaign is the most ambitious in our 130-year history. We named it for the iconic onyx ring that connects Scotties far and wide, as we hope this campaign will also connect alumnae with the future of our college. “Ring Leaders” will expand scholarships and student support, strengthen the faculty-student learning experience and help Agnes Scott grow graduate programs. The campaign asks all of us to stand up for the exceptional, life-changing experience Agnes Scott provides—to rise to meet this moment for Scotties today and for generations to come. I invite you to learn more about the campaign in these pages and consider the role you might play in the next chapter for the college we all love. The alumnae featured in our cover story embody exactly what this campaign celebrates. You will meet Lily Chan ’75, who has expanded learning opportunities across Southwest Asia; Kate Tobin ’88, an Emmy Awardwinning science journalist; and powerhouse attorney Tiffany Nuriddin McKenzie ’07. These alums remind us that a liberal arts education is not a thing of the past—it is a superpower for the future. You will also meet two recent graduates forging their own paths: Kimberly Sanabria ’26, a first-generation STEM Scholar, and Lily Brickmeier ’26, an English major pursuing a career in library science. Their stories bring into focus the donor-funded scholarships that make an Agnes Scott education possible for so many students. In this issue, we also celebrate the faculty and staff whose mentorship turns these experiences into life-changing opportunities, like Philip Ojo, who accompanies students on excursions to Paris, and

“The campaign asks all of us to stand up for the exceptional, lifechanging experience Agnes Scott provides— to rise to meet this moment for Scotties today and for generations to come.” Bella Tobin, who spends her summers working with Thrive Scholars. These professors represent the kind of mentorship that makes an Agnes Scott education transformative. And then there is the ring itself. Our issue examines what the ring means to current and past members of the “Black Ring Mafia.” After all, the ring is more than a piece of jewelry. It is a promise to yourself, to your community and to every Scottie who came before and will come after you—to live honorably, think deeply and to engage in the intellectual and social challenges of our times. This year is a defining moment for Agnes Scott. Through “Ring Leaders,” we have an opportunity to invest in what makes this college extraordinary and ensure that future generations of Scotties can lead, innovate and make a difference. Join us as we embark on this journey toward a strong future for Agnes Scott. Warmly,

Leocadia I. Zak President 3

In the News Agnes Scott …

… Designated Top Fulbright Producer

… Joins Southern College Consortium

After six Agnes Scott College students were selected for Fulbrights in the 2025-26 academic year, the college was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution. The designation places the college among the nation’s leading colleges for student participation in the prestigious international exchange program. “Agnes Scott’s recognition as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution reflects the depth of our academic rigor and the global mindset students develop here,” said Rachel Bowser, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange initiative of the United States Department of State, supporting students and scholars in more than 160 countries.

Agnes Scott College has become a member of the Associated Colleges of the South, becoming one of the first institutions invited into the consortium in 25 years. The membership connects Agnes Scott to a collaborative network of leading liberal arts colleges working to advance innovation in teaching, learning and student success across the region. “Partnerships like these allow us to learn from one another, strengthen our institutions and better prepare students to lead thoughtful, purposeful lives in an increasingly interconnected world,” said Leocadia I. Zak, president of Agnes Scott. Through ACS, Agnes Scott faculty and students will have new opportunities to collaborate with peers across the consortium on initiatives that support teaching excellence, leadership development and the continued evolution of residential liberal arts education.

… Among Top 5% of Colleges for Women Agnes Scott College is among the top 5 percent of colleges in the country for women, according to a new Newsweek publication. The “America’s Best Colleges for Women” ranking highlights institutions that support gender equality and empower women. The methodology evaluates colleges across four areas: leadership, pay and policies, safety and opportunity. The recognition from Newsweek underscores what defines Agnes Scott: a college grounded in the enduring promise of women’s education. That mission lives in every dimension of the Agnes Scott experience: academic rigor, global learning and intentional focus on leadership that helps graduates step confidently into the world.

… Earns Climate Honor This spring, at the Climate Luminary Honors in Chicago, Agnes Scott College received national recognition for its Climate Resilience Plan, a joint partnership with the city of Decatur. The Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit honored the team effort to address the impacts of climate change and create collaborative frameworks to alleviate the pressures on our community. The Climate Luminary Honors is a program of the nonprofit Second Nature. For more than a decade, Agnes Scott and Decatur have collaborated on strategies to address local climate impacts through shared planning, community engagement and student involvement. Since 2021, the initiative has supported regional pilot projects, workforce development opportunities for more than 150 students, and expanded support for community partners across metro Atlanta. “I am thrilled that Agnes Scott has been nationally recognized for the local climate action work of creating a joint Climate Resilience Plan in partnership with the city of Decatur,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak.

… Recognized as a “Best Private College Making an Impact” Agnes Scott College was named a “Best Private College Making an Impact” in the fifth edition of The College Finder. The trusted resource also placed the college on several “Experts’ Choice” lists, including “Notable Hidden Gems,” “Colleges That Are Changing Lives” and “Colleges with Lots of Cooperative Education/ Internship Programs.” The College Finder highlights colleges that provide exceptional undergraduate experiences. Insights from more than 1,450 college counselors inform every “Experts’ Choice.” “Agnes Scott’s recognition in The College Finder reflects what our community lives every day: a deep commitment to empowering students to discover their strengths, expand their ambitions and lead with courage and purpose,” said Alexa Gaeta, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions.

… Honored for Historic Preservation Excellence Agnes Scott College’s oldest and most iconic building, Agnes Scott Hall (Main Hall), was honored for Excellence in Sustainable Rehabilitation by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The organization recognized the recent renovation of the building, which earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—the highest level in the certification rating system. Historic preservation and whole-building sustainable rehabilitation are part of a core strategy to achieve the college’s 2037 carbon-neutrality goal. “Through material and building stewardship, the reuse of Agnes Scott’s historic buildings plays an integral role in having reduced our emissions by 52 percent since 2008,” said Kimberly Reeves, executive director of the Agnes Scott Center for Sustainability. “Additionally, by maintaining these spaces, we perpetuate our sense of place for past, present and future students.”

… Named Top Producer of Gilman Scholars Since 2012, 65 Agnes Scott College students have received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, making the college now a “top producer” of scholarship recipients. “At Agnes Scott, we want students to graduate with the confidence and perspective to navigate an increasingly interconnected world,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. Administered by the U.S. Department of State, the Gilman Scholarship Program supports high-achieving undergraduate students with significant financial need, enabling them to study or intern abroad for academic credit. Agnes Scott’s placement on the list reflects an approach that treats global engagement as a core component of the academic experience, via the Summit initiative.

main news 6

Around Campus Professor Hughes Receives Top Psychology Honor

President Zak Named to AAC&U Board, Top 500

This spring, Agnes Scott College psychology professor Jenny Hughes received one of the highest honors in her field. Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, named Hughes a Distinguished Member. Since 1929, only 53 psychologists worldwide have received this distinction. “To be honored by Psi Chi feels really special,” Hughes said. “Over the past 28 years, I have made so many wonderful friendships working with Scotties in our Psi Chi chapter. I look forward to continuing to be involved with Psi Chi for years to come.”

In February, the American Association of Colleges and Universities appointed Agnes Scott College President Leocadia I. Zak to its board of directors. AAC&U is a global membership organization dedicated to equity, innovation and excellence in liberal education. “This is a crucible moment for higher education— one that brings both unprecedented challenges and opportunities,” said AAC&U president Lynn Pasquerella. “I look forward to working with these visionary leaders to shape the future of higher education.” Atlanta magazine also named Zak to its “Top 500 2026,” the annual list of the city’s most powerful leaders. The magazine highlighted how Zak’s leadership has led to record enrollment, as well as the expansion of graduate programs at Agnes Scott.

New Major in Environmental and Sustainability Studies

Aniley Selected as Woodruff Fellow

Starting this fall, Agnes Scott College will offer a new major: Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Although ESS has long been offered as a minor, this heightened commitment to the interdisciplinary program will equip students to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The new major expands opportunities for students to engage deeply with climate action, environmental justice and community-based problem solving. Students can choose to study in one of two focus areas: Climate, Ecology and Health, or Environmental Justice, Advocacy and Communication. Grounded in experiential learning, students will participate in research, internships and community projects throughout their academic journey. A required capstone project will connect students with real-world partners to address environmental issues. “An ESS major equips our students to do serious, interdisciplinary, justice‑oriented work on climate and environment, and to carry Agnes Scott’s values into the world in very concrete ways,” said Jennifer Kovacs ’02, Charles Loridans Associate Professor of Biology.

Mekdes Aniley ’26 has been selected as the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations 2026-2027 Fellow. This prestigious one-year position deepens a recent alumna’s understanding of philanthropy. At the same time, she will gain hands-on experience with one of Atlanta’s leading charitable institutions. Fellowship candidates are vetted through a competitive application and interview process. The program is open to students from select Georgia colleges and universities. Aniley follows in the footsteps of alumna Lindsey Garland Padget ’15, who held the position ten years ago. After completing the fellowship, Aniley plans to build a career that bridges policy, implementation and community impact, reflecting the shared values that define this enduring partnership.

Top Faculty and Staff Honored Three Agnes Scott College professors received top honors this year at the final faculty meeting of the year on May 15.

• Tracey Laird, the Harry L.,

Corinne Bryant, and Cottie Beverly Slade Professor of Music, received the Sandra T. Bowden Faculty Service Award. This award recognizes a tenure-track faculty member whose service has contributed substantially to the betterment of Agnes Scott.

• Alan Koch, Charles A. Dana

Professor of Mathematics, was honored with the Veritas Award for

Excellence in Teaching. This award honors a full-time faculty member who has improved the campus community and learning environment for students, both inside and outside the classroom.

• Hal Thorsrud, a professor of

philosophy, received the Joseph R. Gladden Jr. Public Lecture Award. This honor is given to a faculty member whose scholarly activities are especially noteworthy. Recipients are asked to give a public lecture to the Agnes Scott community on a topic related to their scholarly work.

On May 20, several staff members were also honored for their service:

• Emily Myanna and Jared Wilbur received the I Am Agnes, We Are Agnes Excellence Award.

• Kayla Whitter received the

Inclusive Leadership Staff Award.

• Blayne McDonald received the Green Champion Award.

• The Enrollment/Admissions and Communications and Marketing

departments shared the Team Innovation Award.

Ringing in Their Future On Feb. 21, the class of ’28 followed in the steps of so many Scotties before them—they accepted their black onyx class rings during the annual Sophomore Ring Ceremony. “Today is not just about receiving a ring, it’s about joining a legacy,” said alumna speaker Christina Gutiérrez ’12. “When you wear

this ring, you carry a promise—a promise that if a Scottie calls, you answer. If a Scottie doubts themselves, you remind them who they are. And a promise that when the world feels scary, this community remains steady.” Family and friends gathered in person to share in the excitement, admiring the new jewelry adorning

students’ hands. Although the Bluebells may have two more years of college, they have already discovered the power of the ring. “Wear this ring with pride,” Gutiérrez said. “Wear it as armor when you need courage, and wear it as a reminder that you are supported by a century of humans who believe in you fiercely.”

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Amphibian Foundation Partnership Expands Experiential Learning on Campus In February, Agnes Scott College announced a new partnership with the Amphibian Foundation, a nationally recognized leader in amphibian and reptile conservation. The alliance will expand education and research opportunities for students while also enhancing conservation of some of the region’s most endangered creatures. “Agnes Scott is the perfect location for our conservation projects,” said Mark Mandica, who co-founded the Amphibian Foundation with his wife, Crystal, in 2016. “This partnership not only gives us the space and stability we need, but it also connects our work with a community that values science, sustainability and hands-on learning.” Jennifer Kovacs ’02, Charles Loridans Associate Professor of Biology and co-director of the environmental and sustainability studies major, will lead the on-campus collaboration. The Bullock Science Center will soon host multiple laboratories dedicated to the conservation of endangered salamanders, frogs, toads and other reptiles and amphibians. The labs

will also offer experiential learning, serving as a living classroom for students. “One of the most important things we can do is teach the next generation to be stewards of their environment,” Kovacs said. “This partnership is going to help us do that work, bringing endangered species and the people fighting for them directly to our campus, before these species disappear forever.” The South is home to around 20 percent of the world’s salamanders, but many species are critically threatened by changing environments and climates. The campus labs will support new breeding programs and artificial outdoor ponds for field-to-campus egg rearing. Agnes Scott students will gain hands-on experience in conservation science through research that spans disciplines, including biology, environmental science, ecology and genetics. “The partnership reflects Agnes Scott’s commitment to innovation in teaching and learning,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “It advances the college’s strategic plan, Pathways to Success, by expanding experiential and community-engaged learning across disciplines.” Agnes Scott will also now host Critter Camp, the flagship youth program of the Amphibian Foundation. Now in its twelfth year, Critter Camp has become a national model for youth engagement in conservation research. The program will introduce young people across the Atlanta region to STEM careers while strengthening community sustainability efforts. “It is true community involvement, and it is exactly the kind of bold learning and leading with compassion Agnes Scott is known for,” Kovacs said.

Two axolotls live on the second floor of Bullock Science Center. Axolotls are a type of salamander known for their adorable features. Although most axolotl toys are pink, the salamanders are more commonly brown or black in the wild. Pink axolotls have leucism, a genetic trait that causes a loss of pigment.

Agnes Scott Launches Universal AI Initiative Continuing its tradition of innovative education, Agnes Scott College has launched a new Universal AI initiative. Beginning next fall, every first-year student will receive AI literacy instruction as part of the Summit curriculum. Agnes Scott is one of the first institutions to embed student AI education at this scale. “Artificial intelligence will shape every sector of society,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “Universal AI ensures that our graduates are not just users of these systems but informed participants prepared to engage them thoughtfully and ethically.” The program’s core is designed to teach the difference between AI competency and AI fluency. Using AI tools is easy, and most incoming students will already have basic competency using generative AI. Fluency is harder earned. It requires understanding how AI systems were built and what they can and cannot do. Fluency also means recognizing the inherent bias built into models trained on imperfect data and asking who benefits and who bears the costs when these technologies are deployed in hiring, healthcare and beyond. The Universal AI program explores the biases, privacy concerns, labor disruptions and environmental impacts

of AI software. Students will consider who shapes these systems and who those systems tend to leave behind. Generative AI systems have largely been built by narrow segments of the population, underscoring the importance of Agnes Scott preparing a broader set of leaders to share their future. “Agnes Scott has always educated students to take their rightful place at the table,” Zak said. “Universal AI is, in that sense, an extension of the college’s mission: ensuring those students can engage AI as critics, creators and leaders.” Universal AI reflects the same conviction behind that recognition— the most valuable thing a college can give a student is not just mastery of the current generation of tools, but the judgment to know when to use them when to question them and when to say no. “Critical thinking and judgment have never been more important,” said Rachel Bowser, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “We are building on the natural alignment between the liberal arts and the discerning use of AI while also recognizing that students want to understand emerging technologies as both a source of challenges and solutions.”

Board of Visitors Builds Local Connections Six new Atlanta-area leaders joined the Agnes Scott College Board of Visitors in April. The volunteer board of notable community representatives provides support to Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak and acts as an ambassador for the college’s mission. “Agnes Scott prepares students to lead with purpose and impact,” Zak said. “The experience and perspective our new Board of Visitors members bring will be invaluable as we continue creating opportunities for students to connect with leaders whose work is shaping communities, industries and public life.”

The newly appointed members include: • Jennifer Dorian, president and CEO of WABE • Patti Garrett, former mayor of Decatur, Georgia • Rev. Rebekah LeMon, senior pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church • Kathleen “Kat” Marran, former vice president of marketing at UPS • Erica McGill, senior vice president of business strategy and transactions at Georgia Power • Leslie Zinn, CEO of Arden’s Garden The six women will join over 20 other executives on the board to help strengthen the college’s engagement with the broader professional and civic community, complementing the distinctive Summit curriculum.

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Annual Writers’ Festival Sparks Inspiration BY SHELIA POOLE

One of Imani Milligan’s most prized possessions is a short-story collection, Counternarratives, by John Keene. That book helped the Agnes Scott College senior and creative writing major find her voice as a writer—a discovery she was able to share with Keene in person this April, during the 55th annual Writers’ Festival at Agnes Scott. “[He showed] how valuable it is to shift perspectives and take chances in the kind of story you want to tell,” Milligan said. Milligan was among the student winners in the annual competition linked to the festival. She does not think she would have been able to write her prize-winning short story had she not read Keene’s book first. Keene, the 2022 National Book Award for Poetry winner and a MacArthur Fellow, spoke on April 9 to dozens of Agnes Scott students and community members, emphasizing the importance of claiming and affirming your own voice, whether writing poetry or fiction. “Your voice is always there,” Keene told the audience, which seemed to hold its collective breath as he read. Festival organizer and English professor Alan Grostephan celebrated the influence of the Punks: New & Selected Poems author, who is currently a professor of English and African American Studies at Rutgers UniversityNewark. “The impact of John Keene’s writing has jumped borders and slipped through walls and on bedside tables and into people’s dreams,” Grostephan said. “First as pleasure, then thought, and last as pleasure, which is literature’s most important function.” This year’s festival also featured Aisha Sabatini Sloan, essayist and winner of the 2021 National

Left to right: Charleen McClure ’10, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, John Keene Magazine Award for Columns and Commentary, and poet Charleen McClure ’10. Past visiting writers have included Rita Dove, Nikky Finney and Percival Everett. The two-day festival is believed to be the longest-running continuous writers’ festival in the South. Student Sam Snyder ’26 has attended every festival since her first year. She said what struck her most was the diversity of genres and perspectives from the authors, as well as being part of a gathering of people who came together over a shared love of writing. Learning about how they approached their work and the journey from concept to the printed word was “amazing,” she said. Keene’s Punks particularly resonated with her. “He approached poetry in a way

that I had not necessarily seen before, the way he brings in both detail and description,” Snyder said. Snyder recalled writing that she marveled at his poetic voice, which weaves its way through every sentence. “[The writers] gave me permission to take the time to develop my own writing and allow myself time to continue to learn at my own pace and experience life that I can draw upon in my writing,” Snyder said. In the end, it was an extraordinary experience for students to learn from accomplished writers outside of the classroom, organizers said. “One of the things I love about these three authors is that they are all difficult. They all challenge the reader,” Grostephan said.

The Steven R. Guthrie Memorial Writers’ Festival Contest is open to students currently enrolled in a Georgia college or university. Submissions were judged by the visiting writers, and winners each received $500. Fiction: Imani Milligan ’26, Agnes Scott College Poetry: Noelle Jones, University of Georgia Dramatic writing: Kaiman Smith, Berry College Nonfiction: Abigail Sanders, Berry College

Graduation: Ready for What Comes Next The class of 2026 has officially moved on to new and exciting things. During an emotional commencement ceremony on May 16, the Lightning McQueens crossed the stage, received their diplomas and moved their tassels to the other side of their mortar boards, now Agnes Scott College alumnae. “Lightning isn’t only about speed—it’s about standing out, doing what’s right when everyone else is complacent,” said class speaker Chandler Grant ’26 in a speech that used McQueen’s narrative journey in the movie Cars as a metaphor for her class. “This, Scotties, is where we embody McQueen to the fullest. While it may seem like the world has gone quiet about injustice, we have taken action. … We’ve left a legacy of creativity, empowerment, and activism.” Commencement speaker Morgan Shaw Parker, president and chief operating officer of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, also shared words of advice for the graduating class, urging them to “dream big” and “do things that scare you.” Parker emphasized the importance of “leading from the bench,” saying that teamwork and community are essential for success in business and in life. “You cannot change the world alone,” Parker said. “There’s a saying that you can go faster alone or farther together. And that couldn’t be more true. … So look around and remember that relationships matter more than titles and salaries and things.”

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Alumnae Weekend: Forever Connected, Forever Scotties To the surprise of no one, Alumnae Weekend 2026 was a roaring success. Held April 17-18, over 600 attendees from classes “ones” and “sixes” celebrated milestone years. We were honored to welcome members of the class of ’56 back to campus as they celebrated an extraordinary 70th reunion.

Ring Leaders Campaign Launch Kicks off the Weekend The night before the official start of Alumnae Weekend, Agnes Scott College faculty, alumnae, friends and philanthropic partners gathered to launch the new $120 million fundraising campaign, “Ring Leaders: The Campaign for Agnes Scott.” The most ambitious campaign in the college’s history will help advance top strategic priorities: student success, world-class teaching and graduate programs that respond to workforce needs. “This campaign is truly comprehensive, designed to meet the evolving needs of students and ensure that Agnes Scott remains a place where bold dreams are nurtured and brilliant futures are realized for generations to come,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak.

COV ER STO RY

Ring Leaders The circle of support formed at Agnes Scott College continues long after graduation, shaping how alumnae work, lead and build community. BY ANA MARIE COX

nder pressure from the outside, a circle is the strongest shape. It distributes a structural load evenly. It protects. It connects. For Agnes Scott College alumnae, the onyx ring can be a reminder of the power of the community they are part of and, equally, of the liberal arts tradition that ensures no gaps in their experience. There are no weak spots in an Agnes Scott education—nor an Agnes Scott graduate. From that strength comes an unparalleled ability to lead. Lily Chan ’75, chief executive and vice chancellor of Wawasan Open University, led the charge to establish enhanced educational options for working adults at her university, drawing on her own life-changing experience. Kate Tobin ’88 synthesized the work of the biology laboratory and the editing bay to win filmmaking awards. Tiffany N. McKenzie Nuriddin ’07 brought the ability to see the narrative in a stack of legal documents to her career as an estate law specialist and partner at Harrison LLP. Scotties gather the diversity of their experience into a holistic approach that pushes them ahead of the curve. “Leadership is not linear,” Chan says.

RI N G L E ADE R S

EXPERIMENTS IN EDUCATION A scientist and educator, Chan has led in boardrooms and in labs. Her experience has given her the ability to think through problems analytically, and she naturally brings a deft touch to those she brings into her orbit. When Chan traveled to the campus from Malaysia to begin her studies, it was her very first time on a plane. Her friends and family were dubious. “People said Agnes Scott, who is Agnes Scott? But I did not care,” Chan says.

“Leadership is not linear.”

“The benefit of Agnes Scott is that you study widely. You do not just determine your borehole early on and go deep and forget about everything else that is on the periphery.” —Kate Tobin ’88

—Lily Chan ’75

Having studied science in high school, Chan knew she had given herself a challenge by choosing a liberal arts college. And, indeed, she almost flunked English the first time—not because English was her second language, but because she only knew how to apply critical thinking to scientific concepts, not literature. But the institution’s alchemy kicked in, and Chan found a mentor in history professor Penny Campbell. Chan took almost every history course she taught. At one point, Campbell jokingly asked Chan, “When will you stop following me?” Chan went ahead to major in biology, but a passion for the deep work of history and literature informed her career. “I have curiosity and the interest to learn and to read whatever I can lay my hands on,” Chan says. The ability to dive into other disciplines has meant developing relationships across interests and making connections that others cannot. Echoing her experience with Campbell, Chan has her own circle of people whose loyalty brings them back, wherever she might go. She will hire someone at one institution and then, “two companies later, they suddenly reappear and want to work with me again.”

KNOWLEDGE THAT RUNS DEEP

Emmy Award-winning producer Tobin draws on her double major in biology and English to piece together stories that must communicate complex ideas to a wider audience. “The benefit of Agnes Scott is that you study widely,” Tobin says. “You do not just determine your borehole early on and go deep and forget about everything else that is on the periphery.” Moving between the library and the laboratory gave Tobin more than the practical foundation for her career— it gave her the confidence to take on everything that crossed her desk as a young science journalist at CNN.

“There were all sorts of daily news stories thrown at me, and it was like jumping in the deep end of the pool,” Tobin says. “I covered 20 space shuttle missions and Mars landings. The whole realm of science and technology could potentially touch my plate.” Now working with PBS on news reports and documentaries, she has continued to explore that deep end—sometimes literally—with stories about the melting of polar ice caps and even beaver dams. “I had never thought about beavers as being players in Colorado water issues, but it turns out that they are a keystone species,” Tobin says.

NUMBERS ADD UP Nuriddin, a partner at Harrison LLP, arrived at Agnes Scott thinking that she hated numbers. Then she discovered economics. Today, she is an estate law specialist who unearths the stories, lessons and goals buried in clients’ financials—an approach that has enabled her to advocate for a wide variety of clients, from athletes to entertainers to CEOs. “When I can put a story to numbers, it makes much more sense to me,” Nuriddin says. “I actually really like it now, and I ended up getting a master’s degree in tax law, surprise!” While their fields of study varied widely, Nuriddin found that her classmates all approached them with an almost single-minded intensity. She says that same passion has remained a defining trait of her fellow alumnae long after graduation, informing their careers, community involvement and family life. “I always call the Agnes Scott woman a really feisty person,” Nuriddin says. “You know what you want, and you are not going to take BS from anybody to get it.” However, that feistiness is paired with curiosity about both subjects and people. Nuriddin notes that problems in the real world often do not have clear answers. In those situations, expansive attention and well-cultivated

LILY CHAN ’75

KATE TOBIN ’88

TIFFANY N. MCKENZIE NURIDDIN ’07

“The ring is the one thing that reminds us that we … were all dedicated to bettering ourselves as women, bettering our education and our ability not just to get a degree, but to think deeply.” —Tiffany N. McKenzie Nuriddin ’07

relationships can surface a path forward where others might not see as clearly. Nuriddin uses this blend of skills in her work and in her community involvement. Beyond the Agnes Scott alumnae board, she serves on the board of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta. Moving between worlds, she says, gives you more than just awareness and expertise in different disciplines. “When problems are really complex, you have to have emotional intelligence and apply that to situations that your clients might be in or that your friends might be in or your family might be in,” Nuriddin says. “I have a little boy who is 2, and emotional intelligence is one of the biggest things I want to teach him.”

THE CONNECTIONS NEVER FADE These Scotties say that 360-degree exposure to the arts and sciences gave them the foundation to excel in their fields, while the 360-degree support from fellow students and faculty gave them the resilience to keep going. As with the studies themselves, the friends they studied with keep them strong. “The connections I made at Agnes Scott really changed me,” Chan says. “That support has taken me through all my adult years since then.” When it is time for a reunion and another journey across the oceans, Chan lifts her onyx ring out of its

place in her safe deposit box. Symbolically, she says, it is just an initial step to connect with the friends she is about to see. But then she remembers how they are already connected. “Whenever I get together with my classmates, we chat for hours,” Chan says. “It is as if we never left.” Tobin talks to friends from Agnes Scott every couple of weeks, and a small group of them meet at least once or twice a year. Tobin does not wear her ring every day, but keeps it close. “We all wear our rings when we see each other,” Tobin says. “It is a symbol of that wonderful group of friends that I have stayed close with all of these years. When I think about the ring, I think about the friends and the closeness, and it gives me a very warm fuzzy feeling.” Nuriddin had the chance to think deeply about the meaning of the ring recently, having spoken at the Sophomore Ring Ceremony this year. She brought up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in her speech—the idea that a human being needs to feel supported by those around them to engage with big ideas, and that a strong community allows people to feel safe. “The ring is the one thing that reminds us that we all went through the same experience—that we all walked the same halls,” Nuriddin says. “We were all dedicated to bettering ourselves as women, bettering our education and our ability not just to get a degree, but to think deeply.”

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What Onyx Means to Me BY ALEXA ROBINSON ’26

I rang the bell this past Friday, a sign of something more. But I forgot my onyx ring as I rushed right out the door.

So when I stepped up to that bell tower, I didn’t stand alone. My friends were right there with me, that love was fully shown.

The ring I wore, it wasn’t mine but somehow, it still fit, because being part of Agnes Scott means we all share in it.

And for a moment, I could feel it, like something wasn’t right. Alexa, how do you mark the milestone if the symbol’s not in sight?

They cheered me on, they hyped me up, they made sure I could see this moment I’m stepping into belongs to both you and me.

And that is what I’ll carry forward, a seed that we’ve all sown. No matter where I’m going, I will never walk alone.

But before I could overthink it, before the doubt could cling, my friend said, “Take mine, wear it,” and passed me her own ring.

Cameras out, smiles wide, capturing it all in frame, that win felt so much bigger ’cause they were there calling my name.

Just like that, no hesitation, no question, no delay. That’s the kind of community Agnes has built along the way.

So when I rang that bell, I rang it loud, I rang it clear— for the past, and for the future, for everything that got me here.

Because this isn’t just a ring, it’s not just black and gold. It’s every story, every struggle, every Scottie’s growing soul.

For the grad school, for the joy, for the doors I’m walking through. But mostly for the people who helped make it all come true.

ALEXA ROBINSON ’26

Thoughts on the Black Ring Mafia BY ANJALI DAVID ’26 I’m a proud member of the Black Ring Mafia. Yes, it’s a silly nickname we give ourselves—Scotties aren’t sending anyone to “sleep with the fishes” or “making offers you can’t refuse. As a brand new graduate, I’ve learned just how powerful the network is. The Black Ring Mafia has infiltrated every industry with hard work and leadership. My initiation began in my first semester at Agnes Scott College. Under Career Exploration Center director Lucy Moran’s watch, I learned to tailor ANJALI DAVID ’26 my resume to the job rather than waiting for the job to match my resume. Armed with my career coach-approved LinkedIn profile, I continued my initiation: informational interviews and networking. What began as curiosity about different career fields turned into warm introductions to potential employers. And every time I looked into a new industry, I found an alumna with similar job experience who was willing to talk to me. One alumna even offered to pass on my resume to a recruiter. The rest was up to me. Deciding on what I want to do after leaving Agnes was difficult. The world feels like it’s full of possibilities, and it’s up to me to decide what I want to do next. What I have learned is that I have a mob of people to support me. But like they say, you never leave the mafia—you never leave the Agnes community. As I prepare for a master’s in management at Georgia Tech, I know I can reach out to onyx ring leaders to learn about their perspectives and experiences. I felt so excited to ring the bell in May. It was another reminder that no matter what I chose, I couldn’t go wrong, because I’ve got a whole Scottie family in the world looking out for me.

More Than a Ring At her sophomore ring ceremony, Ryan Hayes-Owens celebrated finding her place. That was just the beginning. BY CARI WADE GERVIN

By the time of her SophoAfter dinner with her family, more Ring Ceremony, Ryan Hayes-Owens apologized to Hayes-Owens ’22 could admit Fonseca. to herself that yes, she had a lit“I said, ‘I am so sorry that tle bit of a crush on her friend my grandma kept calling you Joseph Fonseca. my boyfriend.’ And he said, “We were part of the same ‘But what if I really was your friend group, and I liked him, boyfriend?’ And then he asked but I did not want to make me out,” Hayes-Owens says. things complicated,” says That date—February 22, Hayes-Owens, now a broadcast 2020—was the beginning of journalist in Raleigh. something special. Five years Mutual friends had tried to to the day later, Fonseca set her up with the Morehouse proposed. This year on College biology major during their anniversary, the newly her first year, but Hayesmarried couple signed their Owens turned the offer marriage license. The signing down. Majoring in sociology/ was three days after their anthropology (with a double actual ceremony to ensure minor in human rights and their wedding, proposal, Ryan Hayes-Owens ’22 showing off both her rings on film and media studies) did relationship and ring ceremony her wedding day. not leave much time for anniversaries remained on the distractions. same day. “I had just gotten to college, Every year, Fonseca buys and I did not want to date,” two bouquets of flowers—one Hayes-Owens says. “I ended honoring the two of them, and up meeting Joseph months one honoring Hayes-Owens’ later at a party and telling relationship with Agnes Scott. my friends, ‘That guy is kind “The ring ceremony was a of cute.’ And they all started very big moment for me at laughing and told me that Agnes,” Hayes-Ownes says. was who they wanted to set “I felt like I made it, because me up with. We ended up statistically, most people drop becoming friends and did lots out of college that first year. of activities together.” I had two sick parents at the Joseph Fonseca gave Hayes-Owens a bouquet after her A year later, her “friend” time, and so college did not Sophomore Ring Ceremony—and later asked her out stood with her family to watch always feel accessible. Having on their first date. her receive her black onyx ring. that ring on my finger proved There was just one problem. I had made it. I got to keep my scholarship, I built a “My grandma actually would not stop calling him beautiful community there, and then I met my person my boyfriend!” Hayes-Ownes says. “It was really there. That is why we celebrate both things—and now I embarrassing.” have two awesome rings for the same date!” 19

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A Path to Opportunity Two first-generation college students embrace everything Agnes Scott has to offer. BY KAYLA WHITTER

For two recent Agnes Scott College graduates, the path to graduation was paved by more than hard work. It was made possible by scholarships, mentors and a campus community that saw them and accepted them as they were. Kimberly Sanabria ’26 always knew she wanted to go to college, even though she would be the first in her family to do so. Lily Brickmeier ’26, also a first-generation college student, wanted to find an environment that mirrored her home experience of being surrounded by strong, smart women. Both found a community that met them where they were while empowering them to explore, learn and grow in new and surprising ways.

A COMMUNITY THAT FELT LIKE HOME

Sanabria grew up in Newnan after her parents moved to Georgia from Veracruz before she was born. She did not feel pressure from her parents to attend college, though they always supported her journey. “I remember in third grade always thinking about college,” Sanabria says. “That was always the goal.” Sanabria enrolled in a cohort-based STEM program throughout high school. The program granted her access to advanced coursework, but she was missing a cultural connection. “A lot of students were white,” Sanabria says. “I was also from a low-income household, so that played a part in how I navigated my experiences. After school, I would participate in clubs for 30 minutes, then get changed and go to work.” Agnes Scott’s diverse student population helped Sanabria feel like the college was a good fit. However, without financial support, the college would have been unaffordable. Luckily, Sanabria received the Summit STEM Scholarship. She decided to attend. The program mirrored aspects of her high school program, including mentorship from professors across STEM disciplines. Sanabria was able to move into campus early for the program and immediately met math professor Alan Koch. “I told him I was lost and looking for this group of people, and he said, ‘We are those people,’” Sanabria says. “He was really nice and welcoming.” In her four years studying chemistry at Agnes Scott, Sanabria has mentored others, serving as a Summit peer advisor and on the executive boards for Pathmakers, Latines Unides and Scot-Techs. As a

KIMBERLY SANABRIA ’26

“I remember in third grade always thinking about college. That was always the goal.”

—Kimberly Sanabria ’26

Schmidt Scholar, Sanabria also co-led a Journeys course and immersion experience. During her time as a Summit STEM Scholar, Sanabria attended a conference where she spoke with representatives from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. That conversation led Sanabria to apply to and attend the school’s Pharmacy Scholars Program, a fully funded five-week program exploring careers in pharmacy. Now, Sanabria is heading back to Ann Arbor full-time—she will begin her doctor of pharmacy program this fall.

LILY BRICKMEIER ’26

“I thought that if this was the person she became because of Agnes Scott, I want to become that kind of person, too.”

—Lily Brickmeier ’26

“I am interested in being a clinical pharmacist, but I am also considering research,” Sanabria says. “At the core, what I care about is social determinants of healthcare—how people have access to care and advocating for people without a voice.”

FINDING A CAREER IN THE PAGES For Brickmeier, literature has always been a source of joy, leading her to Agnes Scott. Brickmeier attended Glynn Academy in Brunswick, where Paige Browning ’92 became one of her favorite teachers. Browning always kept an Agnes Scott coffee mug in the classroom, and the college stuck with Brickmeier. “I loved how she discussed literature,” Brickmeier says. “I thought that if this was the person she became because of Agnes Scott, I want to become that kind of person, too.” A single mother raised Brickmeier and her two sisters, so the idea of a women’s college also seemed appealing. The more she learned about Agnes Scott, the more interested she became. Earning the Agnes Assurance scholarship meant Brickmeier could afford the education she had dreamed of—one that would lead to a career involving books. Initially interested in publishing, Brickmeier pivoted after discovering library sciences. She began as a volunteer in McCain Library her sophomore year, rising to lead student assistant. Brickmeier curated programs such as “Mystery Date with a Book” and a banned books escape room last October. Last summer, Brickmeier wanted to intern in a large library. Casey Long, head of research and instruction services in McCain Library, helped connect Brickmeier with a collaborative internship at the campus libraries at both Emory University and Georgia Tech. Library internships are not known for their high salaries, but with an Advantage Award—funding for sophomores and juniors taking low- or no-pay internships—Brickmeier could afford to take the position. At Emory, Brickmeier helped catalog a massive collection of art books donated by Elton John, learning the craft while gaining access to a collection many could only dream of. “I said, okay, I know who Elton John is. I do not know how to catalog, but that just sounds like a cool way to learn,” Brickmeier says. Brickmeier’s experience at Georgia Tech was just as meaningful. Working alongside the school’s affordable learning librarian, she researched open education resources to find different ways to create access to course materials. This hands-on experience led Brickmeier to her next stop: a master’s in library science at the University of Maryland. “My goal is to build a career at the intersection of tech and public service,” Brickmeier says. “We have to find ways to adapt but still be accessible to ensure the library remains both a space of community and for intellectual discussions.”

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Growing Beyond Campus Walls Agnes Scott professors mentor students inside and outside the classroom. BY MICHAEL BLANDING

So much learning in college happens in the classroom during discussions, group projects and pop quizzes. But even more formative experiences occur outside classroom walls, oftentimes facilitated by professors who are as much mentors as teachers. Much of their labor is invisible: writing recommendation letters for jobs and graduate opportunities, giving practical advice on their industry, and fielding late-night emails or exasperated questions during office hours. That leadership, however, can be crucial in guiding students onto a fulfilling path after their four years in Decatur. Two professors at Agnes Scott College who exemplify the role of mentor to students are Philip Ojo and Bella Tobin. Each, in different ways, helps bridge the gaps that could hold students back from their potential and prepares them for life both during and after college.

A CULTURAL TRANSLATOR A Nigerian by descent who grew up in Côte d’Ivoire, Ojo is keenly aware of the mentorship that set him on his own path in life. As he earned his doctorate in francophone literature at the University of Oregon, his professors helped him understand the demands of scholarship and the quirks of American culture. At Agnes Scott, former dean Rosemary Zumwalt ensured Ojo pursued his own

research alongside his teaching responsibilities. “Without those people, I would not be where I am today,” Ojo says. Now, Ojo pays it back as an adviser to the African Student Association and to many students of African background, assisting them with navigating life issues and academic demands. Ojo’s research focuses on francophone literature with a concentration on Africa and the Caribbean. For years, he took students on trips to the island of Martinique; now he takes them to Paris as part of a Global Journeys class called “Mosaic France,” focusing on the city’s multicultural and multi-ethnic fabric. On the latest trip, students visited ethnic communities, cultural and religious spaces, as well as an immigrant-owned factory, where they learned the basics of high-end handbag craftsmanship. Beyond the group activities, Ojo encourages his students to go out on their own and explore. “They might get lost on the metro, but they come back with a big smile—it is empowering,” Ojo says. When Ojo recently asked students to describe their Journeys trip in one word, they did not hold back: Exciting. Community. Informative. Enlightening. Connection. Life-Changing. “The experiential learning they

PHILIP OJO

“In Africa, your success is measured by the success of your child. For me, it is the joy of seeing my students becoming successful in their career paths.” —Philip Ojo, Agnes Scott College French professor 22

“If they can figure it out, they realize they can do hard things. I think that is the most important thing that I am teaching—it is about the math, but it is more about those moments where they are challenged, and that light bulb goes off.”

—Bella Tobin, Agnes Scott College math professor

get through that kind of format is permanent,” Ojo says. “They get to discover the people we talk about in the classroom for themselves.” Ojo also teaches students the nuances of French culture, especially in professional settings, often connecting them with internships and employment in Atlanta at the French consulate, the nonprofit Alliance Française or the French-language Théâtre du Rêve (Theater of the Dream). Recently, he was thrilled to connect a rising senior with a former student he had helped find a job in international development in Paris, creating a “second-generation” mentorship opportunity. “In Africa, your success is measured by the success of your child,” Ojo says. “For me, it is the joy of seeing my students becoming successful in their career paths.”

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL An assistant professor in mathematics at Agnes Scott, Tobin researches number theory and arithmetic dynamics—complex topics that get abstract in a hurry. However, she takes pains to make math accessible and fun for students. Nothing pleases her more than seeing a student walk into her classroom thinking they cannot do math and walking out with new confidence and skills to apply. “I try to make sure that students are challenged and really seen in the classroom, that they do not feel out of place,” Tobin says. “I also want to make sure that they leave with confidence—the most important thing is not that they get the answer, it is that they believe that they can get the answer.” It might seem surprising that for a seemingly blackand-white subject like math, the “right” answer does not matter as much to Tobin. But her approach to teaching is why students love her.

“If they can figure it out, they realize they can do hard BELLA TOBIN things, right?” Tobin says. “I think that is the most important thing that I am teaching—it is about the math, but it is more about those moments where they are challenged, and that light bulb goes off, and they have those ‘aha’ moments. It shows them that whatever they do in the future, they can feel stuck and get through it.” Outside of the classroom, she helps students get unstuck in their career choices, counseling them through the wide array of options for math majors. And for the last five years, Tobin has taken her mentorship outside of Agnes, serving as the mathematics coordinator for Thrive Scholars, a six-week summer program that prepares students from low-income backgrounds for top universities. “Having this support is so important to level the playing field,” Tobin says. “If you do not see people who look like you in roles of power, it can be hard to imagine what it would be like.” As a woman in mathematics, Tobin knows what it is like to be underestimated in your chosen field. “When I was a student, people would say, ‘You don’t look like a math major,’” Tobin says. “Comments like that make you feel like you just do not belong.” Having a female mentor in academia encouraged her to keep going, and Tobin tries to return the favor to all her students. “When you are doing math, you often feel alone, grinding through it by yourself,” Tobin says. “She told me how much she valued me and made me feel seen. It gave me a wonderful model that impacted the way I reach out to students now.” 23

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Graduating to New Dreams Graduate programs prepare students to compete for jobs and meet community needs. BY DONNA WILLIAMS LEWIS

Amber Brown ’24 needed to advance her career. Andrea McDowell ’23 wanted to get better prepared to apply to medical schools. Dr. Christie Savas ’17 was ready to follow her heart and become a physician. They each found a bridge to their futures in Agnes Scott College’s innovative graduate and postbaccalaureate health sciences programs—and a growing number of students are following in their footsteps. Building on decades of excellence in medical sciences education, Agnes Scott is expanding these programs, which saw enrollment increase by 39 percent between 2023 and 2024. The college now offers post-baccalaureate programs in pre-allied health and pre-medicine and master’s degree programs in clinical mental health counseling, school counseling and medical sciences. A new physician assistant training will launch this fall, pending accreditation by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).* Positioning students for success, the college fulfills its mission to strengthen the healthcare workforce and increase equitable access to quality healthcare.

WISE COUNSEL After graduating from Georgia Southern University, Brown found that she needed more than a bachelor’s degree in psychology to get the kind of jobs she dreamed about. She realized she would need to go back to school. Luckily, her search ended quickly when she learned about Agnes Scott’s master’s in clinical mental health counseling. The program prepares students to become

licensed professional counselors and to engage in an intersectional and social justice-oriented mental health practice. Brown had already fallen in love with Agnes Scott as a child while touring the campus with her sister. Pursuing graduate study at the college seemed like a no-brainer, and she enrolled in 2022. After Brown’s first year of coursework, she started an internship with Someone Cares, a nonprofit communitybased health and wellness organization serving metro Atlanta. Now on staff as a mental health therapist, she specializes in trauma, grief and support for marginalized communities, including people dealing with substance use disorder and transgender affirmation. Brown says Agnes Scott prepared her well for the challenges of her job. “I think it has allowed me to really put myself in other people’s positions,” Brown says. “What we had to learn opened my eyes and, I think, made me a lot more self-aware and mindful of how I show up.”

BOOSTING KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE McDowell was certain as she started college that she would go directly to medical school after graduating from the University of Tennessee. Then the pandemic hit, forcing all of her classes online in her sophomore year. “By the time I got to my senior year, I just did not feel like I was prepared academically to go to medical school,” McDowell says. “There were just things I wanted to learn, and I wanted to strengthen my GPA,

“What we had to learn opened my eyes and, I think, made me a lot more self-aware and mindful of how I show up.” —Amber Brown ’24 24

“ I think you can get a quality education anywhere, but you cannot get quality experience everywhere. Agnes Scott really provided me with a quality experience.”

—Andrea McDowell ’23

which wasn’t where I wanted it to be.” McDowell was also concerned about her lack of clinical experience. When she saw an ad for Agnes Scott’s accelerated master’s program in medical sciences, she decided the college could help her meet her needs. She enrolled in 2022 and graduated a year later. Now a first-year student at Rush Medical College in Chicago, McDowell is also president of the school’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association, an organization that works to diversify the medical profession. She ascribes Agnes Scott with helping to make her medical school dream a reality. McDowell particularly credits the care she received from advisers, even beyond graduation. With their help editing application essays, she was offered “almost full tuition” at Rush, she says. “I think you can get a quality education anywhere, but you cannot get quality experience everywhere,” McDowell says. “Agnes Scott really provided me with a quality experience.”

A HEART FOR HEALING Entrenched in the corporate world in her mid-20s, Savas turned to Agnes Scott at a pivotal point in her life. The Georgia Tech business graduate had always been drawn to healthcare and had tried to gear her consulting projects toward that space. But something was missing.

“I really wanted to be on the front lines of healthcare,” Savas says. “I felt like going to medical school was a scary prospect, but also one that might eventually bring me joy, and it might be a way to give back to communities.” Savas mustered the courage to apply to Agnes Scott’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program. She told herself that if she could get in, becoming a physician might be her calling. When her acceptance came, there was no turning back. Savas immersed herself in a whirlwind year, enjoying working with her peers in a small cohort and developing new strategies for studying efficiently and retaining knowledge—tools that she knew would be valuable in what she calls a “learning career.” After her 2017 graduation, she went on to Mercer University School of Medicine. Today, Savas is an internal medicine physician at Mercy Care, a health center that treats unhoused, underserved and uninsured patients in Atlanta. She credits Agnes Scott with the foundation of her medical career. “I really enjoy being a physician and building relationships with my patients, and serving Atlanta’s most in-need community is rewarding,” Savas says. “The post-bacc program was the first step to all of that, so I will always be grateful to Agnes Scott.” ———————————————————————— * See full accreditation statement on p. 2 for more information.

“ I really enjoy being a physician. The post-bacc program was the first step to all of that, so I will always be grateful to Agnes Scott.” —Dr. Christie Savas ’17

The partnership between Agnes Scott College and the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations has withstood decades of change. BY MELANIE BLANCHARD

For almost a century, the relationship between Agnes Scott College and the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations has helped shape the college—and many students’ lives. The Foundations—the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation—are rooted in the legacies of founding Coca-Cola leaders Woodruff, Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans and her first husband Joseph. Their philanthropy long outpaced any single enterprise and today supports education, arts, health and community development across the region through strategic grantmaking totaling more than $500 million annually.

LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD EVANS

“ Easing a student’s financial burden, even a little bit, frees both their mind and their time.”

external voice

A Legacy of Impact

—Miller Lansing ’17, Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholar

Evans seated on the steps of Malvern Hall, her home in Hot Springs, Virginia.

“ Mrs. Evans clearly valued her relationship with Agnes Scott College, and we continue to appreciate its distinctive role in educating talented female students.” —Erik Johnson, president of the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations

At Agnes Scott, that support has translated into tangible, transformative results, as the Foundations have contributed nearly $40 million, strengthening everything from scholarships to campus infrastructure. The result is not just institutional growth but also a sustained ability to deliver on the college’s mission, reflecting the vision and values, particularly those of Evans. A trailblazing corporate leader and philanthropist, Evans served as a member of Agnes Scott’s Board of Trustees from 1949 until her death in 1953. “In 1948, the Foundations made a significant commitment to Agnes Scott toward construction of Evans Dining Hall, and a few years later, Mrs. Evans singled out the college for a specific bequest in her will,” says Foundations President Erik Johnson. “She clearly valued her relationship with Agnes Scott College, and we continue to appreciate its distinctive role in educating talented female students.”

THE SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT One of the biggest impacts of the Foundations has been advancing access to academic excellence for generations of bright young scholars across the Southeast. The Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship Program provides needbased scholarships to women attending 170 colleges and universities across nine Southeastern states. Agnes Scott has received nearly $10 million for this program, which provides critical support for women who might not otherwise be able to attend the college. As a Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholar, psychology and dance dual major Miller Lansing ’17 found a deep sense of connection and belonging at the college. She has since built a dynamic career in nonprofits, dance and aviation. “Easing a student’s financial burden, even a little bit, frees both their mind and their time,” Lansing says. “Students are freer to explore service opportunities, delve deeply into their studies and build life-changing relationships when they are unburdened from financial stress.” Another recipient, Jediah Agbossoumonde ’24, says the scholarship created lasting change in her life. 28

“Time on campus is best spent honing skills, making connections and expanding intellect, not worrying about tuition and fees,” Agbossoumonde says. “The Whitehead Scholarship eases the burden for students like me.” Beyond scholarships, there is the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations Fellowship, a prestigious, yearlong experience. Fellows deepen their understanding of philanthropy while receiving hands-on engagement within the Foundations’ grantmaking team. Mekdes Aniley ’26 is the second Agnes Scott student selected for this opportunity, following alumna Lindsey Garland Padget ’15, who held the position a decade ago.

LEAVING A CAMPUS LEGACY The Foundations continue to propel Agnes Scott forward and expand what is possible for its students. Together, this partnership has opened doors to opportunity and fostered a campus environment where bold ideas are nurtured and promising futures take shape, enriching nearly every corner of campus life. From the Woodruff Athletics Complex to Campbell Hall, from Evans Dining Hall to Main Hall to sister structure, Rebekah Scott Hall, Foundations investments of nearly $30 million have supported both new construction and innovative modernization of campus facilities, ensuring that academic and residential spaces foster a dynamic and memorable student experience. The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation’s investment in the Main Hall renovation has had a significant impact on the college’s environmental sustainability. The college’s oldest and most iconic building reopened in 2024, powered by a 184-kilowatt solar panel array that provides 58 percent of the building’s total electric load. In 2025, Main Hall earned LEED Platinum certification for its exceptional energy efficiency, water conservation, and sustainable design, advancing the college’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2037. “Without the Foundations’ generous support, Agnes Scott would not have the reputation for innovation that we have developed in recent years,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “We look forward to continuing this partnership for decades to come.”

From the Federal Reserve to local civic leadership, Agnes Scott helped one alumna to find her voice in spaces of power. BY CARI WADE GERVIN

When Laurel Graefe ’07 says she ended up at Agnes Scott College by happenstance, she is not joking. “In high school, I was able to get out of class if I took the SAT, so I signed up,” Graefe says. “When I finished the exam, there were boxes for schools you could check to send your results to. I recognized the name Agnes Scott because my fifth-grade teacher was an alumna and had talked about it, so I checked the box.” Her senior year, Graefe applied to Agnes Scott and was accepted. She visited the campus, fell in love with the college and changed her life forever. “I did not grow up in a place or in a community where people really talked about college that much,” says Graefe, a native of rural Virginia. “To this day, choosing to go to Agnes is the single most pivotal decision I have made in my life. Landing at Agnes Scott was truly the first time in my life that I had the experience of being invested in by adults for my intellect, and it shifted the way I saw myself.”

alumna spotlight

Laurel Graefe ’07

MAKING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MATH AND MONEY Once she moved to Deactur, Graefe was not sure what she wanted to study—or what she wanted to do with her life. She stumbled into her major, economics, by happenstance, too. “That is the beauty of a liberal arts college,” Graefe says. “I do not think I was even familiar with what economics meant, but I took the course because it fit into my schedule as a distributional requirement.” Graefe says she expected the class to be about finance and budgeting. “On the first day of class, Rosemary Cunningham, who was then the department chair, started to talk about how you can use math to help understand real-world problems,” Graefe says. “I looked around the room, and everyone’s eyes were glazed over. But for the first time in my life, I felt like someone was speaking my language.” From that very first week of class, economics became Graefe’s world. She pursued an internship with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and Graefe earned her place the summer after her sophomore year. “It was this big, status-y internship—and then the actual work was, like, photocopying textbooks and wrapping gifts,” Graefe says, laughing.

LAUREL GRAEFE ’07

“To this day, choosing to go to Agnes is the single most pivotal decision I have made in my life.” —Laurel Graefe ’07 Still, that busywork was enough to keep her hooked. She continued working part-time at the bank until graduation. “When I finished school, I planned to get a Ph.D. and become a professor,” Grafe says. “I decided to stick around the Fed for a couple of years and build up my resume to help get myself into a fancier grad school. And then the financial crisis happened, and all bets were off.” 29

“Powerful rooms—like the ones I regularly found myself in—are often really full of people who have similar upbringings and who see the world in a particular way. I think my skills to speak the different languages of power and trust-building overwhelmingly come from an experience on campus where I was in rooms with people who were different from me, because the incredible diversity of perspectives was such a dramatic change from where I grew up.” —Laurel Graefe ’07

LEARNING THE ECONOMY INSIDE-OUT The cascading changes of the 2008 recession led to new opportunities for Graefe to get involved in policy work. Eventually, she transitioned to the Federal Reserve’s Nashville office. After completing an MBA at Vanderbilt University, Graefe became the branch’s senior officer in 2018. The office was just a few hundred miles from Graefe’s hometown, but everything about it was a world away. “Powerful rooms—like the ones I regularly found myself in—are often really full of people who have similar upbringings and who see the world in a particular way,” Graefe says. “I think my skills to speak the different languages of power and trust-building overwhelmingly come from an experience on campus where I was in rooms with people who were different from me, because the incredible diversity of perspectives was such a dramatic change from where I grew up.” Graefe says her Agnes Scott education and experiences have been formative in shaping how she interacts with the world—and how she approaches hiring. “There has been this national conversation about job readiness, and one of the things that people often bring up is that studying history and poetry and all of these things do not make them job-ready,” Graefe says. “But time and time again, what has stood out in my career is that it is actually not the technical proficiency from school that makes the difference. I can teach whatever 30

technical skills someone needs, but curiosity and creativity cannot be taught on the job. And that is the thing I learned at Agnes Scott that made a difference in my career—how to engage thoughtfully with the world.”

FROM MACRO TO MICRO After 20 years at the Fed, Graefe decided to step away last summer. She had started spending time rock climbing in Chattanooga during the pandemic, so making a full-time move to the smaller city felt like the obvious decision. “I am still engaged in national work, but I am appreciating the opportunity to pause and step back and to think about what my personal definition of success is,” Graefe says. For the first time in her adult life, Graefe is spending most of her time focusing on economics at the local level. “I have gone from this very macro perspective to—I think for the first time in my life—to a life where I am home most days of the week,” Graefe says. “Although I am doing consulting for some interesting Fortune 100 firms, I have been spending the majority of my time in civic work. I have joined the Chattanooga Housing Authority board of commissioners, and I am really trying to be more embedded in place-based work.” Recently, her sister Annie Graefe ’11 followed her to Chattanooga, moving just a mile away. “We have both become rock climbers,” Graefe says. “It is really special to get to share that.”

Trustee Elizabeth Hardy Noe ’86 reflects on giving, leadership and legacy. BY KAYLA WHITTER

There is a particular kind of generosity that goes beyond a check—the generosity of conviction. It is the decision to put your name, your resources and your legacy behind something you believe in. For Elizabeth Hardy Noe ’86, that something is Agnes Scott College. “Significant changes are occurring in higher education today,” Noe says. “As a recognized innovative institution, Agnes Scott is well-positioned to lead the kind of change that will benefit our students and will enable us to lead into generations to come.” As chair of the Board of Trustees and co-chair of the college’s ambitious new $120 million fundraising campaign, “Ring Leaders,” Noe occupies one of the most influential roles at the college. But her connection to the institution runs far deeper than the title of trustee. It runs back forty years, to the classrooms and community of the small liberal arts college that taught her to think differently about the world and her place in it.

A TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION Noe applied to Agnes Scott because her mother encouraged her, as she had once wanted to attend. Initially hesitant about attending a women’s college, a campus visit changed Noe’s mind. “It was so radically different than I had expected,” Noe says. “I attended one of Margaret Pepperdene’s English courses. She was so fascinating, and I just knew she had to be my professor.” Other institutions had offered Noe full scholarships, but the opportunity to connect deeply with faculty and classmates felt unique to Agnes Scott. And Pepperdene did, in fact, become Noe’s professor, inspiring the first half of Noe’s double major in English and political science. Noe says that her experience at Agnes Scott helped her not just to use her voice but to believe in it.

donor spotlight

A Ring Leader in Every Sense

ELIZABETH HARDY NOE ’86

“While I already had a lot of confidence coming into college, I did develop a different and more mature confidence—a deeper understanding of what women face in the world and how to navigate that experience,” Noe says. Noe used that confidence to build a successful legal career in an era where women regularly faced discrimination. After graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989, Noe developed a practice specializing in capital markets transactions, securities law compliance and mergers and acquisitions, eventually becoming a partner and the chair of the corporate department of the prestigious global law firm Paul Hastings.

Agnes Scott provides all of its students is increasingly essential in meeting the needs of our communities and workplaces.” That forward-looking perspective is characteristic of Noe’s approach to her relationship with the college. Her affection is deep and genuine, her gift strategic. She and George surveyed the full landscape of causes worthy of philanthropic investment. They chose Agnes Scott because of their understanding of the impact it could have on the institution. The decision to direct the majority of the gift toward unrestricted funds shows trust in leadership. Unrestricted giving provides the college with flexibility to use the gift where it is most needed. In a time when higher education faces pressures from every direction, an unrestricted gift is among the most valuable things a donor can BUILDING WHAT offer. COMES NEXT What makes Noe’s advocacy particularly compelling is how she Noe retired from legal work in speaks about giving. She understands 2021, but not from her many roles a campaign of this scale succeeds serving the community. Now she because of the collective commitment is helping to shape what Agnes of an entire community, not because of Noe at her 40th reunion. Scott will become with the new a single transformative gift. fundraising push. “It is not as much about the amount of money you The college officially launched the “Ring Leaders” give,” Noe says. “Whatever amount is right for your campaign in April, and Noe and her husband, George, family and your plans is valued, needed and appreciated marked the occasion with a significant estate commitment by the college. It is the collective of everybody joining directed largely toward unrestricted funds. Fittingly, the together to give that makes a difference.” announcement came during Alumnae Weekend, as Noe Those words resonate with particular weight coming celebrated her 40th reunion. Decades after receiving her from someone who has watched the higher education degree, she gave back in a way designed to ensure Agnes landscape shift in real time. For Noe, her gift reflects a Scott endures for decades more. college that is doing exactly what she believes a college “We are giving to Agnes Scott because of who and should do: preparing students for careers, lives of what it is,” Noe says. “The leadership development purpose and civic engagement. 32

The Jamaican-born professor is searching for intelligent life among the stars and passing his passion for astronomy on to his students. BY CHARLES MOSS

Earlier this year, Agnes Scott College astronomy proreally great, but with astrophysics, it just feels like it is fessor Hodari-Sadiki Hubbard-James’ passion for the growing as time goes on. It is just dilating. It is getting stars earned him a special honor. He was selected as one larger. The amount of information that we can find out, of 80 young U.S. scientists by the National Academy or the number of questions that we can ask about the of Sciences (NAS) to be a 2026 Frontiers of Science universe, consistently becomes more and more as we Fellow and spoke at the national symposium—a rarity pass through time.” for an academic at a smaller college. After completing his bachelor’s degree as a proud But astronomy was not always his first love. first-generation student, Hubbard-James earned his Hubbard-James originally held aspirations to become master’s in biomedical engineering from the University a track and field star, like so many of Cincinnati in 2014. He became notable Jamaicans before him. a biomedical engineer and lab Unfortunately, an asthma diagnosis technologist, conducting validation at age 8 put an end to his dream. studies on clinical chemistry analyzIn 2008, when Hubbard-James ers. In 2023, he earned his doctoral was 19, he moved from Jamaica to degree in astronomy from Georgia the U.S. to attend college. Going State University and joined the facinto his first year as a biology major ulty at Agnes Scott. at Kentucky’s Berea College, he needed to find a way to make some FROM BIOMEDICAL money. His physics professor was ENGINEERING TO THE also an astronomer and offered a SEARCH FOR LIFE summer research internship. Though Hubbard-James excelled in physics in high school, he never understood Hubbard-James’s biomedical how to apply it to real-life scenarios. engineering and lab experience allow HODARI-SADIKI HUBBARD-JAMES After a summer as the student coorhim to be more comfortable in the dinator for the college’s planetarium, experiments he is currently leading things began to click. When the job ended, he switched with his students. As part of the Interstellar Search for his major to physics. Life Around Nearby Dwarf Stars (ISLANDS) Lab on “That summer was a very transformative one for Agnes Scott’s campus, the students explore the quesme,” Hubbard-James says. “I was working on research tion, “Where can life exist in our cosmic around measuring the mass of supermassive black neighborhood?” holes that are the center of galaxies. During that “The experiments we are doing are really like microprocess, I fell in love with astronomy. Physics was biology experiments and tissue engineering

faculty spotlight

Hodari-Sadiki Hubbard-James

“Technosignatures are searching for technological sources or beacons on other exoplanets or in the universe in general. And that shifts it from being, ‘We are looking for basic life,’ to, ‘We are looking for intelligent life that could have created this technology,’ and it just blows your mind.” —Hodari-Sadiki Hubbard-James, Agnes Scott College astronomy professor 33

Astronomy professor Hodari-Sadiki Hubbard-James instructs students during class in the Bradley Observatory and Delafield Planetarium. experiments,” Hubbard-James says. “And that is what I did as a biomedical engineer. So that really informed what I am trying to do now, which is seeing how plants—and hopefully in the future, single cell organisms—can grow under different types of light.” The project involves replicating the light of a K-type dwarf star, which is cooler and slightly smaller than the Earth’s sun (a G-type). These stars are more common in the Milky Way galaxy and potentially offer habitable environments for planets. Hubbard-James’ research measures whether common plants can germinate and grow under these conditions. So far, he says, the experiment has been successful. But Hubbard-James’s favorite project is based around the search for technosignatures on other planets. “Technosignatures are searching for technological sources or beacons on other exoplanets or in the universe in general,” Hubbard-James says. “And that shifts it from being, ‘We are looking for basic life,’ to, ‘We are looking for intelligent life that could have created this technology,’ and it just blows your mind.”

MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS

In addition to his role as professor, Hubbard-James is the co-director of the Bradley Observatory on campus, where Agnes Scott students—through the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy, on which he

serves as Agnes Scott’s representative on the board—can access three remote telescopes located in Arizona, Chile and the Canary Islands. He is also Agnes Scott’s faculty athletic representative, acting as the primary liaison between the academic community and the athletics department—a role he relishes due to his continuing love for track and field. In the community, Hubbard-James is deeply committed to increasing diversity and access within STEM. As a member of the National Society of Black Physicists, he works to build networks for students of color in physics and astronomy. He has volunteered as a math and SAT instructor for students at Freedom University, which provides tuition-free college to undocumented students. And he has led workshops and outreach events with a focus on engaging Latina and Black communities in planetary science. He is also a member of the Research Consortium on Nearby Stars, which surveys the solar neighborhood. While Hubbard-James is passionate about the discoveries he is making, it is students that he cares about the most. “My favorite part of the job is the students,” Hubbard-James says. “Students at liberal arts colleges are a little bit more well-rounded in how they view the world. They have so many different pieces of them that you do not necessarily realize until you start working with them. And I think those sections of them bring a new tone to the research and the classroom.”

class notes All news current as of April 25, 2026.

’45 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. Wendy Whittle Hoge celebrated her 102nd birthday in March! Her daughter Leslie is happily retired and lives nearby, so Wendy sees her once a week. Her other daughter, Hilary, lives in Maine and Massachusetts and works part-time as a psychiatrist. Wendy’s husband, Benjamin Hoge, passed away Dec. 15, 2020.

’46 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. No news was submitted.

’47 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. No news was submitted.

’48 Adele Dieckmann McKee adelemckee46@msn.com No news was submitted.

’49 Mary Coulling maryc@kalexres.kendal.org

Nancy Dendy Ryle reports that her daughter, Patty Ryle, has published a memoir in essays and poetry, No Such Thing as a Common Crow, available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Patty has a bachelor’s from Eckerd College and a master of divination and a master of theology from Emory.

Mary Price Coulling moved from an independent living cottage to an assisted living facility within Kendal Retirement Community. She fought a serious bout of pneumonia in December, but after hospitalization and a month of rehab, she is back in her assisted living apartment.

Tech. She never stopped talking about Agnes Scott and her wonderful professors. She made friends that she kept her whole life.

’51 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

’50 Sally Aycock marv_sally@yahoo.com

No news was submitted.

’52 Mabel “Mabie” Hudson is still living in her home after the loss of her beloved husband, William. She remarks on how quickly the circumstances of life change! Mabel is still teaching art and enjoying painting. Mabel shared that physical limitations become more apparent when you are 97, but we do keep going. “We all have so many blessings,” she says. Betty Phillips Lindsay shared that she continues living at Carolina Meadows, a continuing care retirement community in Chapel Hill, N.C. She has no family near but appreciates FaceTiming friends and family on the phone. Betty reports that she has many greatgrandchildren, the eldest of whom is now learning to drive! Betty’s anticipating her 97th birthday this year. She shared something her husband, Landon, used to say: “I’m upright and taking nourishment!”

No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. No news was submitted.

’53 Anne C. George acgeo@att.net In February, Keller H. Barron and her daughter celebrated Keller’s 94th birthday with a trip to Washington, D.C. Her fourth great-grandchild arrived in March. Jeanne Walker shared that her granddaughter, Kaitlyn Walker, opened a law office in Savannah and another in Atlanta. She is a proud grandmother and is glad to have Kaitlyn in Atlanta! Eugene Rogers, husband of Susan Dodson Rogers, passed away April 11.

’54 Tad MacMillan, the son of Kathleen “Casey” Conrad Haff MacMillan, wrote that his mother passed away in August 2025 at the age of 95. She came to Agnes Scott in 1946 when she was 16. She absolutely loved it, even though she did not graduate because she got married and got a job to put her husband through Georgia

Frances Minick fminick@gmail.com Barbara Northey Severinghaus began her eighth year of residence at a lovely senior facility in Joplin, Mo. It is 20 minutes from her daughter’s home—a perfect distance for daily phone calls and visits. Barbara is still

in good health and enjoys her three children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, who live all over the U.S. and in Amsterdam. Barbara has moved nineteen times—to Iowa, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, New England, Minnesota and Missouri—all with the baby grand piano that she has had since she was 5. All of these moves have culminated in a wonderful collection of friends and experiences for Barbara! Betty Ann Walker Morris reported that she is living in Austin, Texas, with her Chihuahua. She has a piano in her apartment, which she plays often. Betty earned her master’s from Juilliard and her doctorate from the University of North Texas. She retired from teaching after 28 years as a professor of music. Frances Sistar Minick stays busy with news, games and exercise in her residence at the Sunrise at Five Forks. She also enjoys seeing the entertainers and musicians who come in the afternoon. Katharine Gross enjoys seeing her two children. In November 2025, her daughter, Pam, and her husband took Katharine to California for a stay in the mountains at their cabin. Katharine still enjoys walking using hiking poles.

’55 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. Hannah Jackson Alnutt reports that she is enjoying her friendship with Bradie Barr ’85! She says it is such fun to see a young person who was at Agnes Scott! Hannah is still reading and working on her crossword and sudoku puzzles.

’56 Helen Haynes Patton helenpatton@comcast.net

Helen Haynes Patton has come home to Agnes Scott—almost. She and her husband, John, live in Sunrise, which is just across the railroad track from ASC’s sophomore dorm. Being in this location brings back so many memories for her. Sarah Adams reports that after the Palisades fires in January 2025 burned everything she ever owned, she moved to Santa Barbara. She is now in a senior living facility called Maravilla. She is very happy there and keeps a very busy schedule. Sarah’s oldest son and his wife take care of her. Sarah is happy she has the company of a friend from Agnes Scott, Ducky Green. Sarah welcomes visitors. Stella Fitzgerald and her husband George celebrated their 68th anniversary. The couple continues to live in their home and reports that they are reasonably well. Ann Alvis Shibut is still writing Quilt Guild newsletters, making quilts, knitting, reading, baking and generally enjoying life at a slower pace. The presence of a smart little 4-year-old great-granddaughter adds a great deal of spice to life. Ann says that helping her granddaughter and her husband open a new business has been inspiring and informative. Life is not dull! Rameth Richard Owens’ husband, Walt, passed away four years ago, but Rameth still lives in Clemson, where they built their house on the lake in 1967. Rameth says she is fortunate to have escaped the ills that plagued her parents in their old age. The closest thing to a significant problem she has is her balance. Her younger daughter, Charlotte Ladd, is thriving in a new job as director of adult outpatient psychiatry at Mount Sinai-Harlem Health Center in New York City. Rameth’s older daughter, Rameth Ann Parler, passed away in November 2025 from cancer.

’57 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. Frances Cork Ross shares that there is not much news. She says that at 90, one does not have as many options. No more foreign travel—just bridge, painting, DAR and church activities. Frances says that at her age, she feels a day is well spent if she manages to stay upright on flat land! No more skiing, ocean, beach, tennis or running matches—sad! Frances is still proud of dear old ASC and sends her love to all her classmates. Cynthia Bailey Pyle has moved from her hometown in Florida to be near one of her two daughters. It is a joy for her to be living near family. They have three sons; one in high school, one in college and one in graduate school. They are all kind and very busy. Cynthia says, “Greetings from Texas!” Susanne Benson Darnell shared that she is now 90 years old and has many blessings. ASC is near the top of that list! The gift of her three children and two grandchildren is another blessing. She and her family lived in Ecuador for six years, where she had her children and helped local churches. She worked at the University of Memphis as the dean of the College of Liberal & Professional Studies and taught sociology. Susanne says that she is grateful and honored by what ASC has become in recent years! Martha Jane Morgan Petersen reports that in January, she had a one-woman show of 12 art quilts and 12 paintings she made between 1963 and 2025. The art hung in the gallery of her retirement community in Black Mountain, N.C. Her family came to celebrate her 90th birthday last December.

class notes

Helen Sewell Johnson continues to spend her days pushing a needle around and taking weekly lessons with her classical guitar. She is delighted that her granddaughter was admitted to Agnes Scott.

’58

Sadly, Blanche Helm Nichols passed away May 22. She was a dedicated class secretary, and she will be missed!

Elizabeth Hanson Duerr ebelld@aol.com

’60

John William “Bill” Goodhew, husband of Joan St. Clair Goodhew, passed away Feb. 20. He also served on the Agnes Scott Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2008.

’59 Mary Clayton DuBard dubardmary2@gmail.com Melba Cronenberg Bassett moved to Atlanta in February! She is settling right in at St. Anne’s Terrace, just 10 minutes from her daughter. (Her dog, Fred, not so much!) Mary Dunn DeBorde broke her leg in January but has responded well to copious rehab. Wardie Abernethy Martin, in Atlanta for a baby shower for an upcoming great-grandchild, was able to visit and cheer her on. Gertrude “Trudy” Florrid van Luyn is part of a group that regularly sings for the memory care unit in her retirement community in Richmond. How wonderful that her gift continues to bless people! Continuing with a broken leg theme, Pauline Winslow Gregory broke her femur in the fall. She has recovered nicely, helped by visits from her local grandson and her daughter, Polly, in Atlanta.

Richard Eugene Markwalter, husband to Maria Harris Markwalter, passed away Nov. 9, 2025.

Mary Mac Witherspoon Harrell is enjoying her family, including three great-grandchildren and another on the way. Recently, a granddaughter was ordained as a minister in the Global Methodist Church and is serving in Florida.

Rebecca L. Callahan callahan80009@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’61 Dee Irwin dee.irwin@gmail.com Panni Dore Grubb writes that she and Bobby are giving up their threeweek rental at Pawleys Island, where they have spent nearly 50 years with family and friends (including some of you). They cannot manage the steep stairs anymore and are now looking for something with an elevator—and some grandchildren who are not too busy to visit. In May, they traveled to Baltimore for their granddaughter’s graduation from Johns Hopkins University. She then headed to New York City for a job on Wall Street. Their grandson finished his first year at Haverford College, where he plays lacrosse. They were also happy to reconnect with Mary Park Cross Ford, having feared she might have been a victim of the damage to her lovely mountaintop cottage in Asheville. Although trees fell on her house, Mary moved out, rebuilt and is now back home and doing well. Virginia Johnson Braswell has moved into a one-story house in Owensboro, Ky., where she attends a monthly book club, as well as church, Sunday school and Bible study. She exercises twice a week. In December, she welcomed her first greatgrandchild. She retired as executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Owensboro after 30 years!

Page Smith Morahan writes that she is now the founding co-director emerita of the International FAIMER Institute, a global nonprofit that supports the education of healthcare professionals worldwide. She had been committed to this endeavor for over 25 years. In 2025, she was honored at the 30th anniversary of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, which she founded in 1995. However, Pam is most excited about her recent acceptance as a Signature Member of the National Association of Women Artists, the oldest art organization for women in the U.S. She just created her latest calendar, Messages of Kindness from Around the World, making at least the 20th year of creation! In 2025, Pam traveled to Belgium, the Netherlands and Iceland. This year she plans National Geographic photo expeditions to Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Egypt. Visit her art website, pagespagesgallery.com. Bunny Henry Coates writes that one of her grandchildren recently got married, and three others are doing well in college. Kay Gwaltney Remick is still at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond, Va., where she stays involved with classes, exercise and concerts. Her five grandsons are doing great. All of them are in college except the oldest, who has been working for the past three years. All the family gets together every June at Ocean Beach. Judy Albergotti Hines lives at Bishop Gadsden, a retirement community in Charleston, S.C. In May 2025, she traveled to the U.K. for a rendezvous in London with her stepdaughter, Tara. Judy then took a train tour in the Scottish Highlands. She joined a tour on Huguenot history, during which she discovered that she descends from

2025. She still plans to spend some weeks of summer in her condo in Asheville, N.C.

Ana Maria Aviles McCaa ’61 and Judy Albergotti Hines ’61. Italian Huguenots. Although Judy has macular degeneration and a creaky knee and ankle, she traveled essentially by herself. She is the mother and stepmother of five adults and the great-grandmother of two. Now a widow, Judy loves keeping up with classmates from Agnes Scott, especially Panni Doar Grubb and Ana Maria Aviles McCaa, both of whom live nearby. A few other ASC alumnae, all younger, also live in Judy’s retirement community. Sandy Davis Moulton writes that after five years of debating whether to move to a retirement community, she and her husband, Robert, decided to stay at home. Sandy exercises twice a week at the senior center, plays bridge and continues writing a fictional account of Scottish immigrants who arrived just before the American Revolution. Her daughter, Paula, lives in Birmingham and comes home twice a year. They see their son, Mike, several times a week, as he lives 2 miles away. Sandy and Robert have two grandsons, two granddaughters and two great-granddaughters. Ann Womeldorf Noland still lives in Nashville, Tenn. She often travels with her daughters to Florida, where she also visits classmate Letitia “Tish” Moye Unver. Mildred Love Petty moved into Lenbrook Retirement Community in Atlanta in 2024. Her husband, Robert Carter Petty, died Oct. 22,

Dee Conwell Irwin and husband Tom made their 20th move—this time to Aiken, S.C., where they have lived twice before. One daughter lives in nearby Augusta, Ga. All five grandchildren are in college or have recently graduated. Dee keeps busy creating quilt tops for the Linus Project and Quilts of Valor and has a weekly visit with classmate Jane Weltch Milligan. She hung up her downhill skis this year after many years of enjoying her only successful athletic accomplishment. Mary Wayne Crymes Bywater writes that even though her dear husband, Ted, passed away two years ago, she has remained in her lake house in Orlando. She has enjoyed trips to Ireland and England with her three adult children and their spouses. She recently welcomed her fifth great-grandchild to the world. With family, friends and bridge to keep her occupied, life is full. God is good! Roxy Richardson Herzog has had two heart valves replaced, but she continues to stay busy. (She goes by Roxy now rather than Georgeanne.) She belongs to DAR and does more than she should, but she enjoys it. She has moved into a condominium, which she remodeled. She kept most of her mother’s antiques, which is a lot like having her childhood back. She belongs to a wonderful small church that focuses on helping those in need. Every year, they give away complete Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts for single-parent families. She really enjoys helping shop for the gifts, as her own sons are each about 1,500 miles away, and Christmas is rather quiet. Kacky Chambers Elliot writes that she is alive and still lives at home with Webster, her 9-year-old cat. Does

not know what “ole man winter” did to the rest of y’all, but she and Webster went to the Hampton Inn for five days in January, during which 2 to 3 inches of ice pellets covered the ground, froze, thawed and froze again. Kacky still tries to swim around 3,100 yards, three days a week (depending on which way the indoor pool is set up, what errands she has to do after the swim, and whether she is getting lunch afterward). Since losing her traveling companion in October 2024, she has stopped competitive swimming. Kacky stays busy catching up with Furman friends and attending the Greenville Symphony. She also spends time with her sister Barbara Chambers Ford ’64, who now lives across town in a retirement community, Cascades at Verdae. Kacky attends Furman’s men’s home basketball games and goes to multiple doctors’ appointments. (Who does not have those?) Jane Henderson Yates moved to Savannah two years ago and would love to connect with other alumnae in the area. She is still traveling. In February, she went to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Last November, she took a river cruise from Zurich to Paris, which reconfirmed that she is not a cruise person!

’62 Milling Kinard emkinard@verizon.net In October 2025, Ann Lee Sullivan Gravatt enjoyed a Duke Universitysponsored trip to Morocco. The program offered an extraordinary opportunity to experience Morocco’s mountain landscapes, desert vistas and the rich cultural and religious traditions of imperial cities Rabat, Fez, Marrakech and Casablanca. At age 85, she rode a very feisty camel across the dunes of the Sahara. What a trip!

class notes

In August, Betsy Jefferson Boyt flew to Atlanta to join Peggy Frederick Smith for a trip. At the retirement community where Peggy lives, they had dinner with their favorite historian and former professor, Michael Brown, who also lives there. They then drove to western North Carolina, where they enjoyed a visit with Mary Stokes Humphlett at her home on Lake Santeetla. The three went to Mary’s favorite flower farm, where Betsy and Peggy took part in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census. Using checklists and instructions, they observed pollinator activity on a particular plant, noting how many butterflies, bees, moths and other insects landed on the flowers over 15 minutes. Taking part truly opened their eyes to activities one can see while standing still! After this adventure, Betsy and Peggy went to Montreat for several days to attend a fabulous Road Scholar program about Broadway musicals.

’64

’67

Lucy Molinaro lucythelibrarian@yahoo.com

Avary Hack Doubleday avaryd@juno.com

No news was submitted.

Linda Richter Barnes and her husband, Cecil, celebrated Christmas with their family in Saint Lucia. The 10 of them ranged from 7 to 80 years old. Their adventures included sea kayaking, chocolate-making with mortar and pestle, visiting a volcano, swimming and snorkeling in the Caribbean, and deep-sea fishing that landed barracuda and a 300-pound blue marlin. Last year was a big birthday year, with Erin turning 40, Kindra 50 and Linda 80. The whole family celebrated Christmas morning with their own service of scripture, poetry, song, prayer and communion before flying back to Georgia and Texas.

’65 Carol Lumpkin lumpkin@optilink.us Jere Keenan Brands keeps taking “One Last Trip” with her cousin Ann. Last November, after a visit to her son and his wife in Sicily, they joined a group tour to Greece and Albania. Albania was the draw for her. Their days were quite fascinating. They learned a lot and, of course, enjoyed great food and drink and lots of walking, all uphill. She continues to pursue her lifelong dream of learning Italian. Trying to stay young-ish!

Lucy Ellen Jones Cooley has enjoyed hearing about the many ways her classmates celebrated their big birthdays last year. Several Peter Pans shared these stories on a Zoom call. Lucy Ellen and her husband, Pem, are still going strong and exploring new horizons. She celebrated her birthday with a family trip to St. Simons Island and a trip to Eastern Europe.

Sue Grey Reynolds reports that she and Ed are hanging in there. They both use walkers, but they are able to stay in their own house because they have good help. They are enjoying life! When Sue Amidon Zoole met her church’s new rector, the Rev. Richard Proctor, she was delighted to learn that his mother had attended Agnes Scott. She was even more surprised and happy to discover that his mother was classmate Betty Gillespie Proctor! Small world! Ovid Benjamin “O.B.” Sparks III, husband of Annette Smith Sparks, passed away March 28.

Sarah Timmons Gladden ’65 and Elaine Orr Wise ’65. Sarah Timmons Gladden and daughter Louise visited Elaine Orr Wise in early December for a Louisville Cardinals basketball game, as well as a few days of touring Louisville sites. It was a special time to be together again, even though the Gamecocks won!

’63 Mary Beth Thomas thomasmb1980@gmail.com

Joseph Walter Pyle, husband of Anna Freeman Pyle, passed away Jan. 4.

’66 Peggy Marion Ryals mryals001@sc.rr.com No news was submitted.

After traveling a lot in 2025, Ann Roberts Divine is staying home for a while. In addition to doing a lot of knitting, including participating in a project to knit mittens for Ukrainian children, she has been “curating” her collection of yarn. There is a lot more space in the house! Avary Hack Doubleday and her husband, Gerry, celebrated their 80th birthdays at Zoo Atlanta in October. Their nieces planned all the details for a fun evening with the animals and special family and friends. In March 2025, Avary had a knee replacement, which went well.

was definitely the trip of a lifetime, even with extremely rough seas for a few nights. In November, Susan went to Montreat for a Road Scholar Program: “Agatha Christie, Classic Mystery Films and Sherlock Holmes’ Legacy.” It was such fun, and now there are more books to read. December marked Susan’s 80th birthday, and her daughter and son planned a grand celebration. She even amazed her granddaughter by wearing a “Happy 80th Birthday” tiara to dinner that night! Mary Jervis Hayes ’67 and husband Craig at a castle hotel in Ireland. Mary Jervis Hayes and husband Craig had a somewhat damp (but absolutely delightful) trip to Ireland in early November to celebrate both their birthdays, where Mary turned 80! They were greeted at their first stop, a castle hotel, by a bagpiper, flutes of champagne and a Downton Abbey-worthy welcome by the hotel staff. They covered Clare, Killarney, Waterford and Dublin, and were charmed by the friendly and welcoming people everywhere. Susan Stevens Hitchcock is excited about recruiting a super smart and savvy high school senior whom she met last year. Her name is Charlotte, and she has been home-schooled since returning from London after living there for several years with her family. She is also a small business owner. Not only did she receive an acceptance letter from the college, but Charlotte also was invited to apply for a presidential scholarship! Susan also reports that she and her husband, Garland, had a fabulous 10-day dream vacation in Palm Springs in February during Modernism Week 2026. Next travel plans: an “ocean to ocean” cruise in the fall. Susan Sleight Mowry traveled to Iceland in May 2025 with National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions. It

Clair McLeod Muller and family enjoyed celebrating Clair’s 80th birthday and her 55th wedding anniversary with her husband, Thos, in Scotland last year. Clair remembered the trip at Christmas time with silly Nessie kitchen gadgets in family stockings. Clair said that Nessie did not show her head while they were in Scotland, but they were assured that she does exist! Ellen Hall Wood wishes everyone well. She is beginning to think about her dahlias, vegetable garden and the farmers market.

in the middle of an ice storm in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 25. Pat’s son, Alex, and his wife, Robbie, are the proud parents. For the last six years, Nancy Thompson Beane has been involved in Theological Horizons, a ministry for students at the University of Virginia and the broader community (including Atlanta). She has served as chair of the board of directors for the last five years. She will leave the board at the end of June. As of April, she joined the Agnes Scott Alumnae Board. She and her husband, John, are also involved in a very meaningful prison ministry at Arrendale State Prison for Women every Monday. For her 79th birthday in 2025, Donna Evans Brown completely lost her mind (not!) and bought a six-month-old Miniature Schnauzer puppy. It took them about four months to adjust to each other, but now Trixie is great company. Donna is renting extra warm clothes for a trip to Alaska to see the northern lights.

’68 Betty Derrick bderrick@agnesscott.edu Twelve members of the class enjoyed a cruise along the Atlantic coast line from New York City to Newfoundland, planned by the class’s vice president, Libba Goud Patterson. The group enjoyed excellent food and wine, as well as playing games and bridge. The cruisers are grateful to Libba for her excellent planning and for initiating this adventure. Their ship was just the right size and beautiful. Jim Jarboe, husband of Mary K. Jarboe and an honorary member of the class of ’68, accompanied the group. Pat Bell Miller welcomed her fourth grandchild, Elliott David Miller,

Paige Maxwell McRight had fun catching up with long-time Decatur friends, Kent and Bob Leslie, while they escaped the cold in Safety Harbor, Fla., in January. Bob is a retired Agnes Scott math professor. Ann Teat Gallant and her husband, Philip, welcomed their first greatgranddaughter, Mala Bear Lickle Lau, born Dec. 12, 2025, to Skylar Lickle and Kelson Lau in Maui. Eleanor McCallie Cooper is chair of the Board of Directors of Wauhatchie Forest School, which is a nature-based elementary school for students ages 3-11. It has 169 students and 29 staff members, and it is the oldest and largest outdoor school in Chattanooga. It is part of a movement of forest

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with their daughter, who lives in Wellington. Class of ’68 friends enjoying their Atlantic Coast cruise: Patrice Cragg Darden, Helen Roach Rentch, Gué Pardue Hudson, Ethel Ware Gilbert Carter, Laura Warlick Jackson, Libba Goud Patterson, Betty Derrick, Ann Glendinning, Mary K. Owen Jarboe, Ann Wilder and Tricia Bradley Edwards.

schools across the nation. Eleanor would like to know if anyone else has experience with outdoor schools. If so, please contact her at eleanorcooper@epbfi.com. Sadly, Eleanor’s husband, Melvin Cooper, passed away April 10. Sally Bainbridge Ackridge sends Happy 80th Birthday wishes to our classmates entering that ninth decade. Her mantra is, “I was made for this! And those Agnes Scott years are a big part of that foundational courage!” She reports that her great-granddaughter, who is named for Rebecca Lanier Allen, was born last year. Bradie Barr ’85, her county neighbor and ASC graduate and Trustee, keeps Sally’s connection to the college strong! James Negro, husband to Mary Wilkins Negro, passed away Dec. 10, 2025.

’69 Lalla Griffis Mangin lallamangin1@gmail.com Evelyn Angeletti e_mangel@bellsouth.net

Marion Hinson Mitchell and her husband Jack had an amazing cruise from Buenos Aires, Argentina, through Drake’s Passage, past the Antarctic Peninsula and back up the coast of Chile. They enjoyed interesting excursions and saw

penguins, seals, whales and albatross. She sums it up as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Penny Burr Pinson celebrated the 35th anniversary reunion of the Sautee Outdoors Live Festival at the Sautee Nacoochee Center, which she co-founded in 1990. Many of the returning performing and visual artists credited enviable professional careers and collaborations to Sautee Nacoochee experiences. Penny calls herself “The Ghost of Sautee Past” and served as the emeritus hostess of the various events, along with cherished past colleagues. She continues to be grateful to the Agnes Scott dance program for providing the prologue to her own dance story. Classmates Judy DeWitt and Martha Wilson Kessler remember! Dorothy Gayle Grubb Haas fully retired this past year. She continues to live off the grid on 40 acres in the coastal range of Northern California. The community produces much of its own food, and Dorothy oversees the flowers. She is facilitating SoulCollage groups at her local library once a month, and that satisfies some of her need to contribute to the community. Bunny Teeple Sheffield and husband John are headed to New Zealand to spend autumn there

Minnie Bob Mothes Campbell and husband Mike went to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. It was a bucket list item for her, as well as a nod to her Texas heritage. Her favorite event was the opening parade down Fort Worth’s Main Street. She could not verify the count, but supposedly there were 3,000 horses and riders in the parade! Ellen Joyce Sherling and her husband, Bill, continue to engage their minds and make new friends with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes at Auburn University. She writes that aging together is a blessing fraught with challenges. They consider themselves lucky that they can continue to laugh at the unexpected bumps along the road. Lalla Griffis Mangin and her husband, Al, cruised with American Cruise Line from Jacksonville, Fla., to Charleston, S.C., with stops at Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island, Savannah, Hilton Head and Beaufort. Family has asked us to share that Jo Ray Freiler Van Vliet and Nicki Noel Vaughan are both in memory care. Robert “Bob” Gooding, husband of Patricia “Pat” Grant Gooding, passed away Sept. 20, 2025.

’70 Janet Pfohl Brooks jbrooks48@aol.com Karen Cappel Hendrickson and her husband, Joe, are still living in Seattle. They are grateful to be living close to their two children and three grandchildren. Lily Comer Keyes writes that she is grateful to be able to stay in touch with close ASC friends, regularly playing bridge online with Mary Wils

Hatfield LeCroy, Edi Guyton, Bryn Couey Daniel and Laura Watson Keys. Daughter Sidney received her MSW from Smith College in 2024 and is currently living in Brooklyn and working with foster families at a nonprofit in the city. Lily recently lost her only sibling, Sidney Comer, to Alzheimer’s on Jan. 2. She is thankful to be able to spend time with her niece and family, stepping in as their “stand-in grandmother.” Chris Pence spent the first week of February photographing wildlife in Yellowstone. Charles B. Richardson III, husband of Cathy Whitman Richardson, passed away April 9, 2024.

’71 Cindy Ashworth Kesler cindyk315@gmail.com Annette Friar Stephens and Becky Naylor spent ten memorable days in Italy in October. The highlights include getting lost walking in Venice during a huge rainstorm, buying way too many Murano glass earrings, seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa and eating lots of delicious food. Their biggest thrill was in Florence, where all those art history classes came back to them as they saw the actual paintings, sculptures and buildings they had first seen long ago on slides in art history classes at Agnes Scott. Mary Alice Isele continues her busy life with church, garden club, pickleball, book club and in-home dog-sitting. She travels to Denver at least twice a year to visit her sons and their families, with grandchildren ranging in ages 5 to 14. She regrets missing her 55th class reunion, but she was cruising the Dutch waterways, enjoying the spring tulips. A highlight of G.G. Sydnor Hill and husband Fred’s past year was a

Leanna recently celebrated almost five years cancer-free. She successfully battled a rare form of liver cancer, helped along by regular affirming and supportive messages from many wonderful Scotties.

G.G. Snydor ’71 and Bernie Todd Smith ’71 enjoyed the beautiful Multnomah Falls in Oregon while on a Lewis and Clark river cruise. cruise in October on the Snake and Columbia Rivers with Bernie Todd Smith and three family members. Back home, G.G. continues playing cello and piano with friends while trying to keep up with her five grandchildren, all aged 5 to 14. G.G. regrets missing her 55th reunion. During that same time, she was on “Granny duty” while her daughter, Sims, presented an academic paper in Italy. Bernie Todd Smith echoes G.G.’s enthusiasm for the University of North Carolina-sponsored Lewis and Clark trip, noting the wonderful historical information covered. There were beautiful views, including Multnomah Falls in Oregon. A fun “small world” moment occurred when they met Hugh Morrison on the trip, brother of our classmate Margaret Morrison Hamilton! Sarah Ruffing Robbins is the Lorraine Sherley Professor of Literature at Texas Christian University. In addition to teaching, she continues her work co-directing “The Genius of Phillis Wheatley Peters” project. (Read more at wheatleypetersproject.weebly.com.) Sarah has also edited two issues of ABO: Interactive Journal forWomen in the Arts, 1640-1830, which focus on teaching Wheatley Peters. Sarah enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren: Adam, 9, Leanna, 6, and Charlie, 3.

Carolyn Nodell Glasgow ’71, very literally at Hanging Rock State Park! Carolyn Nodell Glasgow says that she continues to test her athletic ability, and sometimes she is successful. She included proof in a photo submitted showing her hanging at Hanging Rock State Park. In January, her family grew by one more grandchild, making a total of seven grandchildren. During this past year, Margaret Funderburk O’Neal has visited friends in Savannah, Skidaway Island, St. Simons Island, Seaside and Grayton Beach. Visits in March to London and Paris were return visits to both cities, but with a new friend. Bunny Folk Zygmont reports that she is fascinated with genealogy. This interest began after her sister’s death over 20 years ago, when her sister’s husband handed her a box of papers passed down from their great-grandfather, Elias Day. Although family reunions of her Folk, Ratchford, Wyatt and Day lines have come to an end, two other family lines are active. The Grigsby line has a national organization, and there are very dedicated Bolt family

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researchers, both disseminating family history as it is uncovered. She gathers with cousins annually at the Day Family Cemetery for a Wreaths Across America ceremony to honor family veterans. In December 2025, she spoke about Nathaniel Henderson, a Revolutionary War patriot ancestor for whom there is a memorial marker in the cemetery.

’72 Anne Kemble Collins annekcollins@gmail.com Belita Stafford Walker was in a Publix grocery mid-January sporting her ASC sweatshirt, and a gentleman remarked, “I’ve not seen that name in a while.” When she asked the circumstances of his having last seen it, he relayed that a cousin lived in Decatur and graduated in 1976. Belita told him to be sure to tell his cousin of his encounter with her. In February, Belita heard Anne Sarah Rubin present research highlights of her forthcoming book, Food and Famine in the Civil War, as part of the local library’s series, “Food and the Soul of America—an American 250th Celebration.” Sandra Smith Harmon lives in the hills of northeast Georgia, where the views are lovely, and her surroundings inspire her to keep moving. Apparently, walking hills and stairs requires functioning knees! Luckily, by the time this magazine is published, Sandra will be rehabbing her right knee replacement surgery. She has already recovered from a left reverse shoulder replacement in June 2025. Sandra has no trips to report, but she and Jim are looking forward to future journeys and getting back to hiking, birding and other first-hand appreciations of God’s stunning gifts.

Louise Röska-Hardy covered childcare during spring break in Huntsville, Ala., again this year. She planned to get together with Lucinda

Martin Schreeder. Louise’s daughter, Susanne, turned 40 on March 11. Last year, Lucinda and her husband, Marshall, gave Louise a map that Lucinda discovered in an antique store, and it has been a lovely addition to Louise’s collection. She collects antique maps from the Rhineland Palatinate area, which often feature the village where she lives. Louise’s oldest maps are woodblock prints from the 1590s, and most are from the first half of the 17th century. The information included on them from the mapmakers is fascinating. Louise and her husband Karl have six grandchildren, half of whom live in Huntsville and half in Germany. Pam Arnold Milhan reports that she and her husband, Randy, continue in parenting mode. She enjoys hearing about Agnes Scott friends through class news and other platforms. Pam and Randy currently have four children at home, ages 8 to 16, who keep their parents very busy! Their oldest just graduated from high school early and will attend Florida State University. She has been homeschooled and dual-enrolled at St. Petersburg College since age 13. She was inducted into the SPC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa this past fall and plans to major in biology before becoming a veterinarian. Mary Beaty Watkins is focusing on enjoying the present. This is the first winter she and her husband, Jim, have not gone to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands in many years, and they have “paradise” withdrawal. Mary’s gut and lower back issues and Jim’s mobility have slowed the couple down. However, they still take frequent trips to the north Georgia mountains and western North Carolina. Mary and Jim split time between their little paradise in Pawleys Island, S.C., and the Oakhurst section of Decatur, where their two children’s families

live a half mile apart. Mary and her husband enjoy the small moments with them. Mary is obsessed with NCAA women’s basketball, especially the South Carolina, Iowa and LSU ladies’ teams. Katherine Amante “Montie” Smith Acuff sends greetings and love. She and her husband, Steve, have plans for some trips later in the year, so her classmates can look forward to hearing about them! Anne Kemble Collins and her husband, Steve, recently had a wonderful visit with their older son, Stuart, his wife, Goree, and fouryear-old grandson, Odhran. Their younger son, Penn, also stopped by. The family stayed with Steve and Anne for two weeks while seeing the sights in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. Odhran is fascinated with rockets, so they visited the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando. Of course, “Florida” equals “beach,” which proved to be a lot of fun as well. Stuart, Goree and Odhran live in Jeongeup, South Korea, where Stuart and Goree teach English. Visits from and to them are very special (and rare) events. Penn is a little closer to home in New York City, working at Weill Cornell Medicine. When she is not attending the soccer games of her three grandsons or Atlanta United, Mary Ann Powell Howard is busy training for her 20th Peachtree Road Race. She and Anne Kemble Collins are busy every Wednesday at Mission Haven, serving missionaries and Columbia Seminary students. Gigi Wilson Muirheid took the Agnes Scott Winter Seminar this year. Professor Nicole Stamant led their group in a study of 20th-century memoirs of American girlhood. Eleanor Barrineau also took the class, which met in the newly renovated Hopkins Hall. The old

dorm has been transformed into classrooms for the fall opening of the new physician assistant program. Gigi and husband Terry have also been busy attending basketball games, as their son-in-law coached his team to the Elite Eight. Terry and Gigi’s younger grandchildren are 22, 16 and 12, and lead busy lives. The 16-yearold, Bennett, continues to dance competitively, focusing on Irish dance and traveled to Chicago this spring for the World Competition.

’73 Peggy Callaway pcallaway51@gmail.com Paula Holmes paulabholmes@sbcglobal.net Jane Parsons Frazier and her husband, Wayne, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June. They recently took a cruise through the Panama Canal and found the history and mechanics fascinating.

Broadway. Sadly, Judy’s husband, Jake Grubbs, passed away April 11. Polly Holmes and her husband, Gene, celebrated the marriage of their oldest grandson in Montgomery, Ala., in February, with over 40 family members in attendance. It was a real Southern affair with Bridgerton-inspired live string music and decorative floral displays. Before returning to their home in Texas, Polly and Gene enjoyed a few restful days at the family farm outside of Greenville, Ga., where Polly grew up. Harriett Schneider Williams is in upstate South Carolina, serving on the Foothills Presbytery Committee for Preparation for Ministry. She works with candidates young, old and in-between as they complete requirements for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She has traditional students who just finished college and are headed to seminary (many of whom are down the road in Columbia), as well as mid-career men and women who cannot ignore the call to ministry any longer. Harriett never anticipated this role, but she finds it deeply rewarding.

Judy Hamilton Grubbs ’73 with daughter Catherine and twin granddaughters Sawyer and Hazel in New York City. Judy Hamilton Grubbs took her daughter, Catherine, and her twin granddaughters, Sawyer and Hazel, 11, to New York for a quick girls’ trip in December to see the Big Apple decked out for the holidays. They rode the subway, took the Circle Line boat around Manhattan Island, and even hailed a cab! Mostly, they walked and saw as much as they could in about 36 hours. The highlights included ice skating at Rockefeller Center, shopping at Macy’s and seeing The Lion King on

The seven grandsons of Peggy Williams Callaway ’73. Peggy Williams Callaway, who never had any boyfriends in high school or college, now has three very grown sons and seven grandsons. Nary a girl in sight! Dr. Steven Smith, husband to Lynda Deen Smith, passed away April 25, 2025.

’74 Jamie Osgood Shepard gojamieshepard@gmail.com Ann Elizabeth Clites annclites52@gmail.com

Louise Huff Armitage ’74 thanking the National Capitol Police at a recent rally in Washington, D.C. Louise Huff Armitage became a grandmother last year. She spent several months caring for her first grandson, Colin, in Belgium while her older daughter was posted there for work. Louise’s younger daughter’s son, Harry, is two-and-a-half months younger and lives in Frederick, Md. For the past four years, Louise has volunteered with Afghan refugees. Through her church, she has received training to accompany immigrants to court. Last summer, Louise enjoyed getting together with Janet Sarbaugh. Patsy Cook Bates looks forward to spending more time with her grandchildren in Hendersonville, N.C., now that her husband, Mark, has retired. Patsy’s son is part-owner of a boys’ summer camp in N.C. Her daughter, who lives in New York, places international counselors at camps around the United States. Betsy Bean Burrell had an amazing trip to Scotland last May with her church choir. Their performance in Edinburgh’s St. Giles Cathedral was the highlight of her trip. In July, Betsy

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Melisha Miles Gilreath has enjoyed visiting all 50 states. The final trip was to Hawaii. Melisha and her husband, Ron, flew to Honolulu and toured Pearl Harbor. They then boarded a cruise ship and visited the islands. Melisha reports, “America is truly beautiful.”

Betsy Bean Burrell ’74 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with a statue of Greyfriars Bobby. headed out with a family group and others to Croatia. Sally Harris ’80 was part of the group. Last summer, Betsy, Karen Dick Bruhns, Teresa Lee and Taffy Stills headed to Karen’s place at Seven Devils, N.C. They spent time hiking, shopping and attending plays. After visiting her daughter in Boston in September, Betsy traveled to Iceland with friends. She swam in thermal waters, hiked over the Continental Divide, saw geysers, hiked to massive waterfalls and glaciers, walked on black sand glacier beaches, went whale watching, rode Icelandic horses and saw the Northern Lights. Taffy Stills, along with several ’74 alums (Ann Early Bibb, Karen Dick Bruhns, Anne Kerner and Teresa Lee), participated in the Atlanta area alumnae chapter’s Winter Seminar. New this year was a pilot program for participation remotely. Lynn Ezell, Mamie Grisham Kneller, Lib McGregor Simmons and Marta Powell took the bait! The seminar, led by English professor Nicole Stamant, explored “Coming of Age in the 20th Century: Memoirs of American Girlhood.” Taffy reports: “For some of us, the readings were (frankly) challenging— but we learned a lot about this growing genre of books. We hope the remote option can continue, and that more of you can join us!”

Cindy Goldthwaite’s son Will was in a bad auto accident on Feb. 22. He was flown to the Grady Trauma Center in Atlanta for treatment. On March 3, he walked out of the hospital. Cindy writes, “I cannot say enough good things about the team there— amazing nurses and collaborative teamwork among practitioners. I’m equally thankful for the help of my daughter, Dana, and the support of my church, friends and family. I’m now decompressing in the garden.”

Leda Sox ’10, daughter of Lynn Williams Sox ’74, with her son, Elliot. Lynn Williams Sox enjoyed a Christmas visit from her daughter, Leda Sox ’10, grandson, Elliot, and son-in-law, Matt, in St. Augustine, Fla.

Martha Howard Whitaker ’74 wrote a book, Grandma’s Voice: A Children’s Guide to ALS.

Jamie Osgood Shepard ’74 with husband Randall aboard the Queen Mary. Jamie Osgood Shepard traveled in January with her husband, Randall, to visit their granddaughters in California. When she is not traveling, Jamie teaches “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” to military veterans and spouses. She volunteers with the League of Women Voters, Bay County’s Free Library on Wheels, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Panama City and her church. Jamie’s current motto is, “If you don’t run, you rust!”

Martha Howard Whitaker wrote a book, Grandma’s Voice: A Children’s Guide to ALS, and it was published shortly before her death in March of last year. All proceeds from purchase go to ALS United North Carolina.

Mary Jane Kerr Cornell ’74, husband and grandchildren Gabe,Teo, Owen and Mila in Montreat, N.C., on NewYear’s Eve.

’75 Becky Mistretta beckymistretta@bellsouth.net Nancy Oliver LeSourd’s daughter, Cate, graduated in May 2025 from the University of Illinois in Chicago with her master’s in social work. She was selected for a two-year clinical post-MSW graduate fellowship at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. Her son, Luke, began his tenth year with NFL Network. He is the producer of GameDay Morning, the flagship fourhour live television show leading into Sunday football games! June Thompson Bond was delighted to reconnect with everyone at the 50th reunion. Her family grew last year with the arrival of her grandson, Samuel, born in Kansas City on May 27 to her middle daughter, Laurel, and Laurel’s husband, Matt Bounds. Samuel was welcomed by his older siblings, Sophie and Oliver. Additionally, on May 31, their oldest daughter, Ashley, married Ian Jennings in a private ceremony joined by Ashley’s sons, Liam and James, and Ian’s son, William. In June, her father-in-law turned 100! He was living independently in San Francisco, but the family decided it would be safer for him to move closer, into an assisted living facility in Kansas. Susan McLarin Caffery was very sorry to miss the 50th reunion due to long-planned travel. In December 2024, she met her older son and his family in Tenerife. The visit included trips to the zoo and water park, as well as swimming in the chilly, remarkably clear ocean waters. During the first quarter of 2025, she continued her travels with a visit to Scotland, followed by a Rhine cruise. These experiences rekindled her love of travel and served as a reminder of the freedom and opportunities that inspired her decision to retire. Susan stays active and engaged by attending exercise

classes, enjoying lunches with friends, volunteering on committees at her church and spending treasured time with her five grandchildren. She also participates regularly in a book club, a Bible study group and a supper club. Margaret Robinson Lemon has a new grandson, William Montgomery Lemon, born on Sept. 12, 2025. William is her eighth grandchild and fifth grandson!

Mary Steubing Thompson ’75 says, “Hello, everyone!” Mary Steubing Thompson lives in Colorado with her husband, Jim. They will mark their 53rd anniversary in June. After retiring from Procter & Gamble, they settled on the Gulf Coast before moving to Brunswick, Ga., to help their parents. Following their parents’ passing, they moved to Denver to be near their grandchildren. They enjoy urban living with easy access to shops and restaurants. They volunteer at the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Museum of Nature and Science. Vicki Stephan Burgess and her husband, Bruce, have appreciated spending time with their grandchildren, who reside in Tampa, approximately two hours from their home in Fort Myers, Fla. Currently, Vicki is engaged in genealogical research and is actively involved with Rotary and the Junior League Sustainers. Mindy Rapp Stuk visited her son, Paul, and his family in Salt Lake

Terry Davis Braun ’75, Mindy Rapp Stuk ’75 and Betsy Davis Hudson ’78. City in February. She then met up with Terry Davis Braun and Betsy Davis Hudson ’78 in Ogden, Utah, despite a major snowstorm. They enjoyed their time together in an empty restaurant before Terry and Betsy drove back to Idaho Falls. They also briefly chatted via text with Nan Berry Coppedge, another former Winship mate. Mindy appreciated reconnecting after many years and cherishes the enduring friendships from her college days. Back in Salt Lake City, the snowstorm provided a skiing opportunity on a hill near the house for the grandkids!

Helen Dewitt Whittaker ’75 on her Western vacation. Helen “DB” Dewitt Whittaker and her husband, Gary, had a great trip to Montana and Colorado last fall. They visited Glacier National Park and drove through the snowtopped mountains and glistening, yellow aspens. They also stopped in Bozeman to visit some friends.

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’76 Brandon Fortune ebbfortune@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’77 Ruth McMullen Valdez ruthbursi@bellsouth.net No news was submitted.

’78 Paula Lipford pslipford@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’79 Sandra Eichelberger sandraei@yahoo.com Robin Kessler Nelson and her husband, Monte, had a wonderful visit with their daughter, Shivaun, and family in November. They went on a candlelight tour of George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, which included an informative tour, an 18th-century dance lesson and an amazing dinner of crab cakes at the lovely restaurant there. They have also been traveling back and forth to Robin’s mother’s home in Richmond, Va. Robin’s mother passed away Sept. 7, 2025. They have been visiting with Robin’s sister, Rhea, and her family, working on settling their mother’s estate. Closer to home, they have been spending time working at their local food pantry, helping at church and renovating their bathroom.

K.C. Docie says she now lives mostly in Canada and has become a permanent resident. But she is still a U.S. citizen and will never give up her right to vote! She lives up north in a small town along the Rideau Canal, built in 1812 as a sailing pathway from Lake Ontario to Ottawa. The canal route runs through a series of lakes connected by locks, many of which are still operated by hand.

K.C. and her husband, Larry, bought an 1830s stone house in a small community. Since they are retired, they have a lot of time to do things! K.C. still sings with local choral groups, which is her passion. She is also learning to do Tai Chi. K.C. says Agnes Scott really set her on her path to studying behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University and then starting a business as a life coach. In early February, Laurel “Laurie” Kramer slipped on some ice and broke her wrist, so she was in a cast for the first time ever. She and her husband, Dennis Garber, spent January in North Florida in their camper, visiting her brothers and their wives. Pensacola was warm enough to venture out kayaking, and they saw three small groups of porpoises. One jumped out of the water in front of Laurel, which was a thrill! Both of Susan Bethune Bennett’s daughters informed her at Thanksgiving that they are pregnant and due in July! Unfortunately, one lives eight hours away, and the other is seven hours away. (Luckily, they are only three hours from each other.) One friend said it will be like having twins in different states. So, Susan is busy this year with baby shower trips and helping out once they come! These will be her first grandchildren. Ginny Lee McMurray has been working hard in rehab and physical therapy after knee replacements last August (left knee) and November (right knee). She can climb stairs and get on the floor to play with her grandson, Wendell, 2, so that is progress. Ginny and her husband, Shawn, took a quick trip to Atlanta in December to hear their daughter, Margaret, perform with Capitol City Opera in “The Boar’s Head Feast,” a madrigal dinner at Petite Violette. They were joined by Elizabeth Wells Lang, her husband, Don, Susi

Gomez Boutier and her husband, Patrick, for an entertaining dinner.

Linda McInnis ’79 in front of Puppy by Jeff Koons at Guggenheim Museum Balboa. Linda McInnis was in Spain for an extended period in 2025! She was mostly in northern Spain but also visited Paris. On her way back to her Spanish home base, Linda spent a few days in Bilbao, where she visited the Guggenheim Museum and found great food off the beaten path. She also absolutely fell in love with the city of Leon. She highly recommends it for anyone interested in a deeper history of Spain than touristy spots provide. Debby Daniel-Bryant traveled to Denver for a baby shower for daughter Leah Bryant ’13. Her daughters Rachel Bryant Pack ’09 and Sarah B. Roberts also attended. Leah turned the shower into a surprise reveal party. Pink creamfilled doughnuts let everyone know that a future Scottie is in the works, due mid-October. Sandra Eichelberger continues to enjoy being retired. She spends time traveling and attending concerts— mostly the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra—with her partner, Brad Permar. They enjoyed her 50th high school reunion in October and

Diann Sanders Baker writes that she is STILL a working person, with now 47 years in banking—wow! She sees Debby Daniel-Bryant several times a year, as they both have season tickets to the Aurora Theater in Lawrenceville.

Sandra Eichelberger ’79 and partner Brad Permar at the residence of Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace in London. planned a big trip to Ireland for May. Sandra works extensively with her church—so much so that she realized she was working almost 40 hours a week! So she resigned from some committees. She is also taking bridge classes weekly and loving it! Sandra’s middle son, Michael Dickson Cherry, passed away March 27, 2025. Evelyn Kirby Jones has now been retired for six years! She and her husband, Ronald, set a retirement goal to travel. Despite the COVID lockdown, they have been traveling big time! They have now been to all seven continents. They have taken cruises and land tours and have ventured off on their own. Their favorite trip was a 74-day cruise that sailed round-trip from Ft. Lauderdale, through the Panama Canal, around South America and back up the Atlantic coast. They had several days in Antarctic waters (so that is a little fudge on the seventh continent). They were also in Rio during Carnival. On another trip, they cruised through the Philippines, Indonesia and the Great Barrier Reef. They have also discovered Road Scholar tours in Southeast Asia and up the Norwegian coast. They plan to visit five of the “Stans” in Asia this year. Evelyn is looking forward to seeing us all at our 50th reunion in 2029.

Sandy Fowler ’79, Nancy “Eleanor” Graham ’79, Susi Gomez Boutier ’79 and Virginia Rockwell ’79 on a bateaux mouche in the Seine River in Paris.

Recently, Tish Dupont Easterlin and her husband, William, attended a birthday/anniversary party for her good friend of more than 45 years, Meredith Manning ’82, and her husband, Bobby Stepp. Also present were Laura Klettner Bynum ’81 and her husband, Jim Bynum. It was wonderful to see them both! Tish has a new grandbaby, Bennett Robert, born in May 2025. This brings the total to four grandchildren, ages 1, 2, 8 and 10. They are a joy, and all live fairly close in Athens, Ga., and Charleston, S.C. Tish is now volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for three wonderful children in foster care. For those who are not familiar, CASA is a nationwide program that pairs trained volunteers with specific children in the foster care system. More CASAs are needed. Ideally, every child in foster care should have a CASA—they can make a world of difference in a child’s life. Tish highly recommends volunteering. Tish and William travel whenever possible. Last year, they managed trips to Costa Rica on an orchid safari, to Ireland for a family wedding and to Scotland so that William could “bag a munro” (climb one of the 3,000foot mountains) for his 70th birthday. While William climbed the vertical ascent with their three children, Tish hiked in a more horizontal direction with their oldest grandson and one of their daughters-in-law.

Sandy Fowler claims she does not have any particularly exciting news, except that she is now obsessed with learning French. (She says she forgot all she learned in high school and Agnes Scott.) In addition to learning on her own for many months (spurred on by gathering in Paris last summer with Linda McInnis, Virginia Rockwell, Eleanor Graham and Susi Gomez Boutier), she is now enrolled in French 201 at the College of Charleston. She says it is great fun to sit in class with twentysomethings!

After teaching French and Spanish for 19 years, Susi Gomez Boutier retired in 2021. She is now enjoying her third career as a real estate professional with Keller Williams. She says it is a GREAT life. She even had the pleasure of helping Elizabeth Wells Lang and her husband sell their home and relocate to Decatur! Susi enjoys seeing them—they are only a 10-minute drive away! Susi and her husband, Patrick, have been doing a good bit of traveling—mostly to France and the Outer Banks. They

Angela Fleming Rogers says she has been finishing up home repairs due to damage from Hurricane Helene. Just like in If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, repairs have involved several “just one more thing” projects. Her poor husband, Jerry, has been hit with two storms—first a hurricane, and now a wife who is a reno-tornado! Angela sees Julie Johnston Wiggins and Lark Todd Sessions ’76 regularly at church. They are all currently serving in the same women’s ministry, which is great!

class notes

also had a delightful visit to Lynden Harris’s beautiful farm last summer. Her ASC Crone group (as they call themselves) continues to keep their friendships warm with visits to-andfro. Patrick and Susi are planning another trip to France this summer to celebrate his 70th birthday with family and friends. They daydream about owning a little house there someday, but they have not yet taken the leap.

Linda McColl Montreuil ’79 enjoys skiing in Banff, Canada. Linda McColl Montreuil has been enjoying skiing with her family in various places, including Banff, Canada. Linda and her husband, John, recently welcomed Elizabeth Wells Lang and her husband, Don, at their beach home in Hilton Head.

As part of her new life in Decatur, Elizabeth Wells Lang is enjoying living near Agnes Scott. Attending various events and activities and meeting current students, who are so intelligent and driven, makes her proud to be a Scottie. Elizabeth and a new friend and fellow alum, Joanna Wiedeman Quillen ’85, took part in their first Winter Seminar, a sevenweek lecture and discussion series for alumnae. English professor Nicole Stamant led the class, “Coming of

Age in the 20th Century: Memoirs of American Girlhood.” It was fun to be back in the classroom again with other Scotties. Linda McColl Montreuil and Elizabeth joined other metro alums at the High Museum for a fascinating tour of Minnie Evans’ art, led by alumnae docent Kay Summers ’60. Linda, Anne Jones Fears and Elizabeth also attended the Decatur Chapter Alumnae Luncheon on campus featuring a talk by Stamant on the importance of a liberal arts education. It is always such a joy to be on campus and around both alumnae and students. At the end of March 2025, Nancy E. “Eleanor” Graham retired as an administrative judge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after 28 years in that position and as a senior trial attorney prior. She concluded her career with a significant settlement that altered U.S. Customs and Border Protection policies relative to pregnant employees and provided over $50 million to the class. Bravo Eleanor! Shortly before Eleanor’s retirement, her granddaughter, Julia Sage Carbo Bach, was born. A grandson, Graham Nial Carbo, followed in June 2025. After retirement, Eleanor began a series of road trips. After visiting her brother in Florence, Ala., she met Virginia Rockwell, Susie Boutier and Elizabeth Lang in Hayesville, N.C. Other Scotties, including Sandra Eichelberger, hosted her in Atlanta. She then traveled to Bentonville, Ark., where she met a friend and enjoyed the magnificent Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Eureka Springs. In August, Eleanor met several classmates—Sandy Fowler, Linda McInnis, Virginia and Susie— in Paris. They stayed in a flat in the Marais neighborhood. After their Paris adventure, Virginia and Sandy joined Eleanor on the first leg of the Orient Express train from Paris to Milan. The highlight of their self-guided

tour was a visit to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which houses many drawings and writings of Leonardo da Vinci. From there, they traveled by train to Bologna, and Eleanor’s husband, Jay Ginsberg, arrived. They stayed three weeks in the heart of Bologna’s historic district, enjoying great meals and wonderful sightseeing in the mural-laden town of Dozza. After Virginia and Sandy left, Eleanor enjoyed visiting Bologna’s many museums and taking rail excursions with Jay to Verona and Parma. This past year, Eleanor also continued work with her nonprofit, Salon Bywater. The organization celebrates New Orleans artists by recording interviews with them that are donated to the oral archives of the Historic New Orleans Collection. Finally, Eleanor is an active member of her neighborhood association, advocating for historic preservation and smart growth in Bywater.

’80 Debbie Bonner dbbonner@cox.net

Debbie Boelter Bonner ’80 and friend Melody Underwood feeding a kangaroo in Australia. In January, Debbie Boelter Bonner and a friend from Baton Rouge flew over 20 hours to Australia to attend the Australian Open. Following several days at the tournament, they visited the Mornington Peninsula, where they viewed koalas, kangaroos and penguins. They also toured local surfing beaches and wineries.

The experience justified the lengthy journey. Debbie now has only two Grand Slam championships left on her bucket list. Kathleen “Kat” Boushell will celebrate her 11th anniversary with Emory in July. She works in information technology within the administration. Her son, James Shirk, is 25 and currently a doctoral candidate in physics at Stony Brook University. He is presently conducting research at the Jefferson Lab in Virginia. Joy “Wendy” Brooks Crew recently served as president of the U.S. chapter of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Wendy and her husband, Richard, attended the Royal Ascot in England last June, where they saw the king and queen. They also traveled to Mardi

Gras in New Orleans. As a member of the Krewe of Iris, Wendy enjoys participating in the parade. However, she notes her arm aches more with each passing year. Despite her husband’s retirement, Wendy remains active and engaged. Cindy Dantzler Hammond, together with Elisa Norton Cooper, Susie Ham Deiters, Sharon Maitland Moon, Lynne Perry Sales, Peggy Somers Shepard, Mary Ann Mappus Taylor, Keller Murphy Torrey and Allison Taylor Turk, convened in Highlands, N.C., last October for fun and fellowship. The event provided an excellent opportunity for the group to reconnect and share updates on their lives, even though they cannot believe they are in their sixties. Following a challenging winter marked by heavy snowfall, particularly the blizzard on Feb. 23, Sarah “Sally” Harris and her family cleared their driveway and departed for an eightday vacation to Costa Rica on Feb. 26. They appreciated both the beautiful landscapes and the vibrant local wildlife during their stay, and upon returning home, found the snow melting quickly. The Harris family is now contemplating a trip to Portugal in the autumn. Their extended family has grown to include nine great-nieces and nephews, with twins joining on Oct. 28. Sarah Hunter’s granddaughter, Nico Swearingen ’29, just wrapped up her first year at ASC.

Lynne Perry Sales ’80, Cindy Dantzler Hammond ’80, Susie Ham Deiters ’80, Elisa Norton Cooper ’80, Sharon Maitland Moon ’80, Peggy Sommers Shepard ’80, Keller Murphy Torrie ’80, Mary Ann Mappus Taylor ’80 and Allison Taylor Tuck ’80 in North Carolina for a mini-reunion.

visiting Germany, Austria and Hungary. Although the weather was overcast, the markets still offered a vibrant, festive atmosphere.

Kathy Hollywood recently welcomed two granddaughters: one from her daughter in Tucker and another from her son in Seattle. The new additions expand her family beyond the original three grandchildren, who live locally. In December, Kathy and her husband, Bruce, embarked on a Christmas market cruise along the Danube,

Gwen Spratt ’80 and her family traveling in Europe. Gwen Spratt and her family have frequently traveled from their home in Gargrave, England, where her partner, Aden Draper ’06, continues to work remotely. In the last quarter of 2025, they explored numerous destinations across England, including York, Kendal, Bainbridge, Malham, Wirral, Liverpool, Wool, Lulworth Cove, Brighton, London and Bath, with side trips to Stonehenge and Avebury henge—the largest in the world. Their adventures also took them to Ireland, where they visited Dublin, Blarney and Galway, as well as to Wales, where they stopped in Holyhead and Cardiff. Over Christmas, they made a quick trip to Atlanta to reunite with family, including Gwen’s sister, Melinda Spratt McKinnon ’83. This year, their travels continued, with visits to Glasgow for the Celtic Connections music festival and to Newcastle, where they explored the remains of a Roman fort along Hadrian’s Wall. They have certainly stayed busy!

class notes

The Class of ’81 logo. The class of ’81 has a little less news this time, because we were all so busy planning for our upcoming reunion! We digitized our logo, cleaned up our social media and had an amazing time together with our classmates. It is hard to believe it has been 45 years since graduation. Our next column should be full of amazing news, once we have had a chance to process our time on campus!

’81 Liz Steele Forman forman21@comcast.net

Laura McCrary Hurban enjoyed a bounty of new grandbabies in 2025! Robert Tucker Bell was born to Laura’s daughter and son-inlaw in August, joining 3-year-old big sister, Mary Lile Bell. Stella Elizabeth Saunders was born to Laura’s son and daughter-in-law in September. Going from one to three grandchildren has been a hectic blessing. Laura is splitting her time between her home in Rye, N.Y., and Atlanta. She loves her time in Atlanta, where she can visit family, help with grandchildren and also spend time with her ASC pals. Laura and her husband, Bob, put travel on pause after Bob’s 2024 bike accident. Happily, they are dusting off their passports and hope to hit the road again very soon. If you find yourself in NYC, Laura is always up for a quick trip into the city to catch up!

Although Diane Shaw retired from her work as a rare book cataloger for the Smithsonian Libraries in 2022, she is back working as a part-time contractor and volunteer at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. Diane is cataloging fine press books and helping to organize vast vertical files of ephemera about artists and art galleries. There are hundreds of thousands of pamphlets, posters and small catalogs in the collection. It is a treasure trove of information about art from the early 20th century through today. The class of ’81 Facebook group is very active, so please join us at facebook.com/groups/agnesscott1981 to keep up with the latest!

’82 Kathy Fuller-Seeley khfuller@aol.com Lee Kite lee.kite@alum.agnesscott.edu John Thomas Garrigues Jr., father to Catherine Garrigues Szelistowski and grandfather to Mary Piercy ’08, passed away Sept. 11, 2025. J. Scott Shirley, husband to Georgia Anna Mitchell, passed away Feb. 13.

note, they have been to Alexandria, Va., to visit Beverly Bell a couple of times recently. It is so refreshing to have time together at a slower pace. Karla Sefcik MacKenna and her husband, Jay, had a great time tailgating and attending the Georgia/ Alabama game in Athens last fall with Fran Ivey Lemmen ’84 and her husband, Tim. Kathryn Hart Bissette is still working as the bookstore manager for St. John’s Cathedral Bookstore & Gift Shop in downtown Jacksonville. They launched a website (jaxcathedralbooks.org) for the store a year ago, and it has been a great success. (Use code ASC10% for a discount!) Kathryn and her husband, Mack, continue to travel a lot while they are young enough to enjoy it. In 2024, they went to Turkey with Scottie Echols Waddell and her husband, Dan. This summer, they went on a cruise to Spain and Portugal with her sister, Mary Jane Hart Gordon, her brother-in-law, Mark, and two other couples. She is also going to travel with Cheryl Carlson Goodnow ’84, Helen Stacey Bernett ’84 and Sissy Owen Macfie ’84. Next spring, they will do another trip with Scottie and Dan. This time, they will travel to Greece and celebrate a Greek Orthodox Easter service in a small village.

’83 Margaret Kelly Parry maggieparry@comcast.net Susan Helms and her husband, John, had an amazing trip to Southeast Asia in May. They were able to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. The people, food, cities and countryside were beautiful. Everyone they met was so kind and interested in their background and life. They found Ho Chi Minh City extremely emotionally difficult to tour. They even went down in the Cu Chi Tunnels to get a firsthand look and feel of the daily life of the Viet Cong soldier. On a lighter

Jane Zanca celebrated her 79th birthday! The big present was that her grandson, a 2025 college graduate, returned from a month in Japan, a gift she was able to give him thanks to her Agnes Scott education and the wonderful career she had as a medical writer and editor. Jane feels she has succeeded in her goal as a Scottie: to raise her family well so they would value learning and become citizens of the world. Her grandson is learning Japanese. Her daughter is a traveling nurse in a Hispanic community, where she is learning Spanish. Her son, who had Down syndrome, passed away suddenly in 2013. Jane spent the last

four years cleaning out and downsizing to a condo. She has also restored herself as a writer and is working on a book that draws on years of memories. The body is creaking, but the brain is fine! She is excited to see that ASC has a physician assistant program— something she wishes she could take advantage of even today. Blessings to all the young women who do not know yet what fantastic advantages they will have as ASC grads, including the acquired grit to deal with anything life throws at you. Sallie Rowe Roberts and her husband, Ray, enjoyed 10 days in Paris last March. It was Ray’s first time there, and Sallie’s first trip since 1972! Sallie also spent three weeks working at Camp Alleghany, so her granddaughter could become the fifth generation in the family to attend the camp. This spring, Ray published a book, A Democratic and Republican Faith: Public Theology for a Church and a Nation in Crisis. In July 2025, Elisabeth Smith moved to Searsport, Maine, a lovely small town about halfway up the coast of the state. She is pastoring two small United Methodist churches there. It is a beautiful area. Penobscot Bay is about a block from her house. Jody Stone Graham’s son, Jonathan, and his wife, Abi, welcomed a baby girl, Rylie, on Sept. 16, which is just one day after the infamous Julie Babb’s birthday. Rylie was born one month early, but fortunately she is very healthy! Valerie Hepburn, Cheryl Andrews and Emily Sharp Robinson enjoyed a long-overdue mini-reunion with their class of ’82 pals, Crystal Ball O’Connor and Beth Shackleford. The group gathered in mid-September in Athens, Ga., at the homes of Beth and Valerie. They enjoyed great memories, discussed hopeful futures and ate Emily’s world-famous

Junior League snacks. Following Saturday brunch at Beth’s home, the group watched Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, tearfully bidding farewell to their good friends, the Crawley family. They spent the evening with libations, laughter and a Dawgs victory over Tennessee. How fortunate they are to celebrate 46 years of friendship and to look forward to many more. Laurie MacLeod Bennett had knee surgery last April. It was not a full replacement, just a meniscus removal. (It had detached and was floating around in her kneecap.) Twenty sessions of physical therapy later, her knee feels pretty good, and the scars are almost completely faded. Dana Wright Wertz decided, with regret, to retire at the end of the 2025 school year due to changes in the school system. More time with grandchildren in N.C. has been wonderful. However, crossword puzzles, mysteries and television have not given her the same fulfillment as teaching. Dana is now starting to substitute teach and volunteer at nearby schools in Decatur and New Smyrna Beach, Fla. She and her husband, Craig, are spending more time in Florida and will be moving there this year. Call, text or DM for more details! Susan Whitten Padgett and Roy have the joy of their first grandchild, Lydia Jane, born to their daughter, Mary Grace, and husband, Kevin, in Charlotte, N.C., last July 27, 2025. An added joy is that she lives 10 minutes away, so they enjoy frequent visits. Susan also had a fun visit with Carol Goodman and Amy Potts in South Carolina in July, when Amy came east for an event. Shari Nichols Clifton has been able to catch up in person with Susan Whitten Padgett and Emily Sharp Robinson thanks to

her son, daughter-in-law and twin granddaughters moving to Charlotte, N.C.! She is determined to plan a multi-class mini-reunion, as there are so many Scotties in the area. Shari and Stuart miss having their granddaughters close by, so she anticipates many trips to Charlotte. Their younger son and his wife have moved to Monroe, Ga., so there will be trips that way as well. Her mother, stepmother and Stuart’s mom keep them on the road, too. She hopes to be telling you about the fun trip she and Cathy Zurek have booked (after talking about it for a year)! They are still in Brunswick, so look her up if you head that way. Priscilla Eppinger recently completed nine years as executive director of the American Baptist Historical Society in Atlanta. She took advantage of a three-month sabbatical to travel to Australia for the Baptist World Congress. Following the Congress in Brisbane, she visited Liz Kennedy Bullock, a Rotary Club exchange student at Agnes Scott in 1979-80. Priscilla and Liz went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, enjoyed a forest trek led by an Aboriginal guide, visited a koala sanctuary and toured the Sydney Opera House, where they attended a symphony concert. Priscilla next visited New Zealand, where she enjoyed seeing sights from the TranzAlpine train on South Island, climbing a volcano and visiting Hobbiton on North Island. It was an amazing six weeks Down Under!

’84 Linda Newland Soltis linda.soltis@international.gc.ca Patti Leeming Barrett reports that her daughter, Katy Chamberlain Papay ’12, and husband Matt welcomed a son, Jeremiah Blaise, on Oct. 9, 2025, joining sister Tallulah Rae. Patti treks to Asheville, N.C., once a month to visit her

class notes

grandchildren. She and her husband run a small business, Wizarding Arts, on weekends. Patti is marking her 21st year with the Fortune 500 company, Corning. Meg Jenkins Locke had the experience of a lifetime when a producer invited her to attend the 2026 Academy Awards. In addition to watching the movie stars arrive via red carpet, Meg also attended an afterparty at the Loews Hotel. Meg’s favorite celebrity conversation was with Glennon Doyle. Meg continues to focus on making films. On March 11, Patti Pair-Martin and husband Thomas welcomed their first grandchild, Harrison Parker Whittemore Jr. In January, Catherine Fleming Bruce was featured in an EBONY magazine article about women of color running for the U.S. Senate. Catherine is a longtime supporter of Run Sister Run, a political action committee that creates pathways for minorities to step into leadership roles.

’85 Ellen Grant Walker arizonascarlett@yahoo.com

has reconnected with Noel Durham Robinson, and they love taking an annual girls’ trip to spend time together. Life is good!

No news was submitted.

’86 Holly Rogers Markwalter hmarkwalter@yahoo.com

A photo by Amy Jackson Hoskins ’86 in Hard Candy zine. Ruth Feicht ’86 met up with Nelathi “Nela” Nanayakkara De Soysa ’89 in Sri Lanka. Ruth Feicht went on an around-theworld trip in December and January. She was able to meet up with Nelathi “Nela” Nanayakkara De Soysa ’89 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Nil Akat Cain ’03 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Amy Jackson Hoskins had four poems published online by Four Feathers Press (4fplove.blogspot.com). Additionally, the zine Hard Candy (hardcandynash.com) published one of her photos, taken in New Orleans the year before Hurricane Katrina.

On Feb. 10, Louise Gravely Hughes welcomed her first grandson, Dean Crawford. On Feb. 21, Fran Ivey Lemmen and her husband, Tim, welcomed their first grandchild, Oliver. He was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., where daughter Meghan is a medical resident. Having frequently traveled to Michigan over the past few years, Fran is thrilled that Meghan has been accepted into a pediatric fellowship at Emory University Hospital.

On March 8, Janet Bundrick Burnley and her husband, Rick, welcomed their second grandchild, Martha, named after Janet’s mom. She joins a big sister, Emerson.

Kjerstin Boggs Terry ’86 joined Charline Pinnix Ruffin ’86 to celebrate daughter Julia’s college graduation.

Joanna Durand ’86 and Noel Durham Robinson ’86 on a girls’ trip. Joanna Durand has been happily retired since 2020 and splits her time between Hoboken, N.J., and Roatan, Honduras. She is in a committed relationship, and they have three kids between them, ages 27, 24 and 21. She

Charline Pinnix Ruffin’s daughter, Julia, graduated from North Carolina State University in December with a bachelor’s in agricultural science. She concentrated in horticultural science and soil science, with a minor in extension education. Kjerstin Boggs Terry and her husband, Lenny, joined Charline’s family to celebrate this milestone.

’87

behalf of all of the class volunteers, she extends a sincere thank you to Ellen Parker Gaffney for her enduring energy, leadership and love of Agnes Scott over all these years. Her ability to keep classmates motivated and connected is truly special.

Melissa Martin Calandro melissajcalandro@gmail.com Kecia Cummingham retired after 38 years in the financial services industry—just in time to be celebrated during Alumnae Weekend as the president of the ASC Alumnae Association! She extends her heartfelt appreciation to Ellen Parker Gaffney for her continued encouragement throughout her volunteer journey. She looks forward to being president as her class approaches its 40th reunion.

’88 Mary Edwards Katz ’87 with her children: Elizabeth, 28, Sarah, 26, and Andrew, 23. director at the Carson Center for the Performing Arts in Kentucky. She enjoys spending time with her three children: Elizabeth, 28, a film director in Los Angeles, Calif.; Sarah, 26, a second-grade teacher in Dallas, Texas; and Andrew, 23, a Northwestern graduate working in television. Mary stays active and adventurous. She has walked the Camino de Santiago and is planning to hike the Alta Via in the Dolomites. She is also currently training to run the New York City Marathon.

Natalie Whitten Irwin ’87 and Bradie Barr ’85 pregaming at a Baltimore Ravens football game. Natalie Whitten Irwin went to a Baltimore Ravens football game with her family last season. She enjoyed a special reunion with Bradie Barr ’85 and her spouse, Tollie Miller. Bradie and Natalie, both economics majors, were close friends despite being two years apart. After Natalie graduated, she and Bradie became roommates in Richmond, Va., where they both worked for Sovran Bank. They had not seen each other in more than 35 years, making their reunion all the more meaningful. Many thanks to Ruth Feicht ’86 for reconnecting them after all these years! Mary Edwards Katz retired after a 22-year career in performing arts management, most recently serving as the executive and artistic

No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. Donna Blanton and her husband, Robbie, have enjoyed occasional getaways to their beloved mountains since becoming empty-nesters last summer. They have even stayed in a tiny cabin with their tiny dogs a few times. Donna enjoys teaching adult ESOL students at the Latin American Association in Atlanta and Friends of Refugees in Clarkston. She also tutors a local high school student in French. For several years, Donna has served as a district delegate to the North Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Athens, occasionally running into everyone’s favorite Scottie, Gué Hudson ’68! In her free time, Donna chills with BritBox mysteries and PBS dramas and savors NYT Cooking recipes. She adds, “Y’all are welcome to join us at our humble abode in Norcross for some tasty food!”

’89 Pam Callahan Sandlin ’87 enjoying fall foliage with Doug Bengtson, Elizabeth Adams Bengtson ’88 and Rike Sandlin. Pam Callahan Sandlin and her husband, Rike, enjoyed a trip to North Carolina to see the fall foliage. They were delighted to catch up with Elizabeth Adams Bengtson ’88 and her husband, Doug. Melissa Martin Calandro continues to enjoy corresponding with classmates and encouraging everyone to share their news. On

Dolly Purvis dali.llama@yahoo.com Jeanne Bressoud Higgins writes that her mother, Linda M. Willson, died in February after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. Jeanne’s husband plans to retire later this year. She will continue working full-time as a hospice chaplain and part-time at her church. Carolyn Weaver reports that she spent more than two weeks in Nepal last November with Overseas

class notes

before her 99th birthday in June. Nancy had been in hospice care in a skilled nursing facility in Asheville, where she had lived since 2021. Carolyn spent most weekends this spring with her mother. Donations can be made in Nancy’s memory to the Rebecca McPherson Weaver Scholarship at Agnes Scott.

Carolyn Weaver ’89 paragliding over Nepal. After majoring in math at Agnes Scott, calculating altitude and trajectory firsthand seemed like the logical next step. Adventure Travel. This small-group outfit had been previously fieldtested by her ASC alumnae mother and sister. The Nepalese people were gracious and welcoming. The highlight of her trip was several days in the Annapurna range, close enough to the mountains to admire them without gasping for oxygen. She would return in a heartbeat. Carolyn added that her mother, Nancy Weaver ’48, passed away May 24, shortly

Allison Adams retired from Emory University after nearly 32 years. She says it was a privilege to spend most of her professional life among the extraordinary people who make up Emory’s intellectual community. However, retirement gets five stars. It is a must-try, and she highly recommends it. Angela Studer has taken a new position as a CRNA at Appalachian Regional Hospital in southeast Kentucky. She and her husband moved from Mississippi at the beginning of the year. Angela says it is the best anesthesia job she has ever had. The plan is to work several more

years and then join her husband in retirement, possibly abroad. Susanne Hollister writes that she and her family are doing well. Her oldest granddaughter graduated in January with a bachelor’s in nursing from Chamberlain University. She has passed the state boards and is now a registered nurse. Dolly Purvis recently took a communications job at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, doing the usual mix of writing, photography, graphic design and web work. One new task is managing the church’s Zoom rooms, a task that proves the great technological mystery of our time—“Where did I put the remote?”—travels easily from home to the workplace. She reports plenty of Scottie sightings among the membership, including classmate Sandra Shuford Crowder. Linda “Pug” Franks, mother to Cindy Franks, passed away Oct. 17, 2025.

’90 Teresa Ramirez Dore tdore891@gmail.com

Heidi Staven Carpenter ’89 (center, back row) with students from Reay Kaplan’s puppetry class at Agnes Scott after her guest workshop. Following in the footsteps of her father, Lee Staven, an ASC art professor for many years, Heidi Staven Carpenter was a guest lecturer at Reay Kaplan’s puppetry workshop—proof that the Staven family tradition of teaching art at ASC is alive and well! 56

After spending 15 years as a high school math teacher, Julia Valentine Grecol joined the Tennessee Department of Education as a math consultant. She works with district leaders to implement customized improvement plans that strengthen student outcomes. Julia is also currently working towards a doctorate in STEM education at Tennessee Tech University. Her husband is semi-retired, and her kids are finding their way into adulthood. The girls stay busy with their families, and one is working on her master’s. Julia’s son is following in her footsteps as a high school math teacher. She enjoys every minute possible with her precious grandchildren.

Paige Edwards Stanfield reports that her son, John Stanfield, married Allie Edwards in a gorgeous wedding on Feb. 14. In attendance were Teresa Ramirez Dore, Katie Patillo Fisher, Dr. Jennifer Burger, Heidi Wilson Ream, Julia Davison Bellamy, Carol Gibbs Crochet, Pamela Clemmons Kidd, Jenny Gruber Brand, Debbie Sirban Doyle and Anita Pressley. Dr. Dan West, father to Elizabeth West Jones, passed away March 30. He had been a Trustee since 2012 and also served as interim vice president for institutional advancement.

’91 Annmarie Anderson Anderson.Annmarie@gmail.com

Cara Cassell ’91, wife Kerri Williams M.A.T. ’94 and three Bryn Mawr students. Cara Cassell and her wife, Kerri Williams M.A.T ’94, visited their goddaughter at Bryn Mawr in February. They attended the preview week of the musical Starstruck and luckily escaped Philadelphia just before the blizzard arrived. Allyson Whitley Burroughs is busy running her own marketing and communications consulting practice, which she founded in July 2024. Her daughter, Grace, graduated from the University of Georgia in May 2025 and is working as a vet tech. Her son, Lawson, just completed his first year at Georgia College & State University

in Milledgeville. Her husband, Mark, celebrated his 27th year with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is delighted that a group of her ASC classmates reconnects and rejuvenates every year at Smithgall Woods State Park in north Georgia. The 2025 trip marked the ninth year of the class of ’91 Women in the Woods gatherings. (It would have been the tenth, had it not been for COVID.)

’92 Aida Najarian aidanajarian@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’93 Tonya Grieco bluesilver71@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’94 Christia Holloway recently joined the staff at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. She is excited to have found a position where she can utilize her professional skills while indulging her lifelong interest in local history. Founded almost 150 years ago, Westview is the largest cemetery in the Southeast. It is the final resting place for many notable Georgia figures, including Agnes Scott’s first president, Frank Henry Gaines. Christia is looking forward to creating programming to highlight the cemetery’s unique history, including walking tours. She plans to research other Agnes Scott connections at the cemetery, and she invites local Scotties to visit and explore. Susan Cowen Morse is navigating midlife changes with all the grace she can muster. Three years post-divorce, Susan has faced more changes than she thought possible. Still, she has discovered beauty in the opportunity to grow stronger and build resilience. In fall 2025, Susan moved again, but she still lives in the region of New Hampshire where she has been for 30 years. She enjoys living on a farm, which offers more privacy than the previous apartment. Though the past three years have been rough, she says she is proud of consistently teaching yoga classes in her community and of her professional growth. Susan is grateful for all Scottie friends who have supported her in small and big ways over the past few years.

Nikki Webb Alger nicolealger@me.com Last November, Karyn Adams was elected to the City Council of Knoxville, Tenn. She continues to serve as principal and creative director at HA ThirtyOne. Karyn founded the higher education strategic marketing and communications firm 16 years ago. Anika Hagenson began a new role as director of state government affairs at CoreWeave. She will help establish their state team and drive their legislative strategy across the country.

’95 Emily Stone emilyrdstone@outlook.com Quisla Alexander has accepted a new position as a clinical laboratory scientist in the microbiology lab at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Our condolences go to Quisla and her family on the death of her father. Susan Aho Lang’s daughter, Amanda, is getting married this summer. Amanda graduated from Georgia Tech and currently works as a nuclear engineer. In June 2025, Daniela Edelkind Lafond and Susan Aho Lang went on a girls’ trip to Washington, D.C. They went on several tours and visited numerous museums.

class notes

’97 Deanna Turner georgiagirl121@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’98 Jennifer Odom jennifermodom@hotmail.com Charmaine Minniefield ’95 with a new installation in her ongoing public art series.

Daniela Edelkind Lafond ’95 and Susan Aho Lang ’95 in Washington, D.C. Lisa Sebotnick Durette’s daughter, Allison, finished her senior year of high school!

Kathryn Kovarik ’95 and her daughter on a visit to Agnes Scott. Kathryn Durkee Kovarik is excited that her daughter has chosen to attend Agnes Scott this fall. She plans to study astrophysics. She will be in the class of 2030, which means that she will be on campus for reunion weekends the same years as the class of ’95!

Charmaine Minniefield recently completed a new installation of her ongoing public art series in downtown Decatur. This was followed by an installation at historic South-View Cemetery, the burial ground of

Atlanta’s first free citizens and many notable individuals, such as Hank Aaron and John Lewis.The project, which honored the 140th anniversary of the cemetery’s founding on April 19, was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Imlay Foundation, the Homestead Foundation and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. This site was the fourth in the metro Atlanta area for Minniefield’s work, which highlights the city’s African American history. Minniefield will continue to serve the South Atlanta community as an artistin-residence with programming that creates space for remembrance and reflects on freedom. The installation is slated to move next to the King Historic District. (Learn more at PraiseHouseProject.org.) Minniefield and her husband also run a cultural tourism and travel business, guiding tours to historic sites in Atlanta, the Gullah Geechee Corridor and West Africa. She lives in Clarkston with her family. Her 12-year-old daughter attends Beacon Hill Middle School. Kreisha Shropshire has a new grandson! Anmanari Tuari was born Feb. 16 to Kreisha’s son, Niamke. Kim Whaley has a new grandbaby! Kimber Walt Hathaway was born April 20, 2025.

’96 Mary Carol Patterson Sheffield msheff@uga.edu No news was submitted.

No news was submitted.

’99 Liza Fewell liza.fewell@gmail.com

Heather-Leigh Owens Nies ’99. Heather-Leigh Owens Nies continues her work as an LCSW in Georgia at StorieBrook.com, the agency she co-developed with Rachel Anne Kieran. In January, she began a doctorate program in social work at Tulane. Heather-Leigh has three children. Catherine, 20, studies forensic chemistry. Roz, 18, studies sound engineering. Vivian, 15, is still in high school. Heather-Leigh also serves as a Gwinnett County elections official and enjoys time with her cat, Ringo. Tiffany Prather McAneny left her beloved Florida homeland and now lives in Davidson, N.C. She moved for a new role within TIAA and is now the managing director of the business controls office. The family is enjoying their new town, and she is attempting to learn to drive in the mountains.

Heather Scott is pleased to announce her appointment as the inaugural associate dean for University College at the University of North Georgia. She is also now a tenured associate professor of higher education in the College of Education. Carla Brunjes-Burkhead is proud to report that she started a second job as a professional ski instructor at Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage, Alaska. It is “snow” much fun! She also recently celebrated six years as a program officer with the state, where she administers AmeriCorps funding.

Their daughter, Amelia, finished her first year at the University of Texas and loves it. She especially enjoys performing a cappella with the group Absolute Pitch. Their son, Roman, just graduated from Texas A&M University. He was accepted into TAMU’s professional program in accounting at Mays Business School and started his first internship in tax accounting.

Liza McDaniel Fewell accepted a position as a first-grade teacher at a charter school in Norcross last June. She continues her master’s in teaching at Augusta University. Her eldest is pursuing a degree in computer science at Kennesaw State University, and her youngest is a junior at the School of the Arts in Gwinnett.

Deborah Vincent Scianna deborahscianna@yahoo.com In 2024, Amber Raley married her longtime partner, Jae Schmidt, in a civil ceremony on Valentine’s Day. Classmates Otise Reed and Kate Kauffman attended. A reception followed at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Soon after, the couple purchased a small mid‑century ranch house in Farmers Branch—directly behind the house they had rented for the previous five years. Amber recently completed a certificate in transportation planning and policy at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she continues her doctorate studies in urban planning and public policy. Marguerite “Mandy” Lane’s daughter, Penelope, is in sixth grade. Mandy still teaches piano. She also spends time battling cuts to special education funding in Georgia.

’00 Jackie Pardue Goldfinger jacqueline.goldfinger@gmail.com Yalonda Rice yalondarenee@gmail.com

’02

Tony Award nominee Saycon Sengbloh ’00 on the red carpet at the 2026 BronzeLens Film Festival Women Superstars Honors.

Annea Claire Robinson was recently appointed deputy chief information officer for the city of Chattanooga.

’03 Nancy Bennewitz Joy has finally settled into a new home in Roswell, Ga. Her two daughters are enjoying the schools—the oldest just started at Pope High—and they are also happy to be just a ride away from Agnes Scott campus! Please stop by if you are in town. (Kolbi has already reserved the basement!) Cara Carroll Payan and her husband, Manny, recently purchased Reliable Cable Company in Fort Lauderdale. The company installs fiber optic and CAT6 cable in commercial settings nationwide. They relocated from Texas back to their home state of Florida, and they are excited to begin the next chapter and see where this adventure takes them!

Saycon Sengbloh recently completed two new films, Love Brooklyn and Vera’s Holiday Flop, and sang at the BronzeLens Film Festival Women Superstars Honors. Sengbloh was brought in to razzle-dazzle the audience with one of her signature songs, “It Was a Very Good Year.” Saycon’s mother, Deborah Murphy, passed away Jan. 21. Mendi Winstead is now an assistant district attorney for the Fourth District of Tennessee.

’01 Cristy Sellers Smith csellerssmith@pacificu.edu No news was submitted.

Anla Gisclair Etheridge butterflyanla6318@gmail.com Koa Castle-Woolley was named assistant vice president and branch manager of the Kamuela branch of First Hawaiian Bank. She has worked for the bank for 23 years. Additionally, the governor named her to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation board of directors, which required confirmation by the state Senate. Koa also started dancing for a hula halau last fall, after 20 years of not dancing. It is been a humbling, but enriching, experience. For 30 years, Koa’s halau has partnered with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, the PGA Tour’s opening tournament.

class notes

They dance at the opening ceremony and at the closing ceremony, which occurs on the 18th hole as the winner is announced.

’04 Martha Gaston magaston@aol.com

Alexis Fillos ’04 with daughter Charlee Fillos-Ibbs ’28 after her ring ceremony in February. Alexis Fillos recently celebrated the ring ceremony of her daughter, Charlee Fillos-Ibbs, marking the class of ’28 Blue Bells’ official entry into the Agnes Scott sisterhood. Michelle Los continues her work at Northwestern University’s Mesulam Institute, where she contributes to research and clinical initiatives about primary progressive aphasia (PPA). In October 2025, she taught a seminar on the neuropathological fingerprints of language in PPA at the 63rd Annual Academy of Aphasia. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time on the lake with her partner, Charles, spoiling her tabby, Simone, and nurturing a growing passion for the WNBA.

Elizabeth Simpson completed a master’s degree in applied linguistics in November. Last summer, she and her family moved back to Spain, after spending a year in the U.S. Her kids loved American school (for the most part), and the family visited 26 states!

LaToya Rivers-Azanga and her family continue to thrive in Arizona. Her oldest child, Crescent, 21, is in college working toward a degree in electrical engineering. Tafarah, 20, is exploring her academic path as a sophomore. Zeauxlyna, 9, is in fourth grade and likes tap dancing and graphic art. Genesis, 7, is in second grade and interested in almost everything. LaToya and Papichio have been married for 18 years, supporting one another through life’s many adventures and turbulent times. LaToya works at nonprofit HonorHealth in the transformation office as a process design and improvement program manager, supporting network initiatives. Two years ago, she founded a startup, Your Community Board, which connects subject-matter experts with leaders and organizations seeking to advance their market value, optimize operations and develop leadership skills. The organization hosts a “Beyond Professionalism” educational series to promote health literacy and broaden access to expert insights. Guest speakers included Dr. Sharayne Mark Coffin, Zeena Regis ’02 and Dr. Kateena Johnson Addae-Konadu. LaToya is grateful to them for lending their expertise. The organization also launched a grant-funded pilot program with the American College of Physicians to transform care of obesity. She also serves as the current president of the Arizona Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives and as the membership and programming chair for the National Association of Health Service Executives.

family recently checked out Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The hikes they took ranged from a few steps from the car to hours-long. They had a great time in Utah! She is enjoying living in Colorado.

’05 Megan Golden meking.teacher@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’06 Courtney Ware Lett courtneydware@gmail.com

Jennifer Jones ’06 celebrated the 10th anniversary of her company, Cosmopolitan Plated.

Ann Willard-Fiddler was awarded the 2025 Pro Bono Champion of the Year by Georgia Legal Services Program, Dalton Office, for doing the most pro bono legal services across five counties.

Jennifer Jones celebrated the 10th anniversary of her D.C.-based company, Cosmopolitan Plated, which offers creative group cooking and food experiences. To mark the anniversary, Jennifer published a cookbook, Extraordinary: Cooking, Conversations, Community, the Cosmopolitan Plated Way! You can order it at cosmopolitanplated.com.

Emily Bielawski Buckley is now a plant care specialist with Ambius. Her

Sarah Meng joined Aden Draper, Gwen Spratt ’80 and their child,

Penny, at their home in Gargrave, England, where the stone-architecture village is surrounded by cascading fields, pubs are dog-friendly, and “hi ya” is the way to greet a passerby.

Cara was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at the University of Louisville, so she has been extra busy this season! Also busy: Rachel Wacks, who successfully defended her dissertation on Dec. 8, 2025. She is now officially the Jewish doctor she always thought she would marry. Her doctoral hooding ceremony took place on May 9, 17 years to the hour after she graduated from Agnes Scott.

Mollie Barnes ’06 celebrated the publication of her first book, Paper Heroines. Lizzy Schwartz ’06 and sister Justine Schwartz ’10.

Asia Hall Wynn was promoted to associate director of academic advising for Oxford College of Emory University. She manages all staff advisers for the advising support center and works with the director on operations and planning.

After three and a half years of writing and editing, Elizabeth Wilson’s debut memoir, Lonely Girl, was released by Whispered Wisdom Press in late June.

’10 Meredith Goodman Ash meredithgreggash@gmail.com Jessica E. Probus jessicaprobus@gmail.com

’07 Kristin Hall kristinshawhall@gmail.com No news was submitted. Lizzy Schwartz ’06 and her wife, Jess Warneski. After seven years together, Lizzy Schwartz and Jess Warneski married Nov. 1, 2025, at Five Birds Farm in beautiful Hunterdon County, N.J. It was a perfect day! Scotties in attendance included Lizzy’s sister, Justine Schwartz ’10, Jill Carson ’04 and Emily Rose. Sadly, Lizzy and Justine’s father, Bruce Schwartz, passed away shortly after, on Dec. 23, 2025. Mollie Barnes published her first book, Paper Heroines:Women Writers in Conversation and Community Across the Sea Islands, 1838–1902, with the University of South Carolina Press.

’08 Lily Takata ltakata01@gmail.com Evan Joslin evanjoslin12@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’09 Tiffany Claiborne tiffanydaniellec@gmail.com After a long, difficult IVF journey, this March, Cara Snyder welcomed her second child, Evi Loretta (named after both partners’ mothers). Cara sends lots of love to other Scotties experiencing infertility. Additionally,

Lauren Smith ’10 with wife Audrey and kids Sam and Lennon. Lauren Smith lives in Columbus, Ohio, and works as a trauma and critical care surgeon. She and her wife, Audrey, are raising their two kids, Sam and Lennon. When she is not on call, Lauren can usually be found negotiating child diplomacy with varying degrees of success, planning the next family adventure or escaping outdoors whenever Ohio weather cooperates.

class notes

Breana Jones was recently promoted to director of claims customer engagement at Allstate Insurance. She will lead a new AI-enabled claims system while supporting legacy platforms and ensuring customers do not get lost in the process. She also completed her 450-hour comprehensive Pilates certification and plans to start teaching—as soon as she figures out how to do her new day job. Mia Jacintho is living in her home state of Massachusetts, where she enjoyed a very snowy winter. She has advanced in her nursing career and is now an ECMO specialist in the cardiac ICU. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her wife and 2-year-old son and traveling when possible.

American Football League team. When she is not lifting heavy things, tackling someone or escaping into a book, Kristi is a data analyst for Surescripts. You can follow her sports adventures on Instagram at @kristi_trains. Laura Reynolds Nadine currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, where she continues her 32-year career as a music teacher, film composer and violinist. She also consults with schools and residential communities on music programs for people with special needs. She has championed the work of autistic people via film, music and art, and soon will open her own disability-friendly performing arts school. Though she did not walk the graduation stage at Agnes, she feels she is a Scottie through and through. Visit lauranadine.com for more.

Amy Laurent learned how to knit 20 years ago while sitting on the floor of her dorm room in Walters, and it is still her favorite hobby. She enjoys making anything from sweaters to socks, and has recently learned to spin her own yarn. She lives in Brooklyn with her 9-year-old Shih Tzu mix, Bennie Sue, who is wholly unimpressed by her handiwork.

Kristi Chenault Herin lives outside of Chattanooga, Tenn. She competes in powerlifting, plays rugby and recently joined the Georgia Vipers, a Women’s

Elaine Koutroulias’s pandemicera divorce led her to the love of her life in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Newly married, the couple honeymooned in Bulgaria so Elaine could meet her in-laws. She then returned to her job as a public librarian, just in time for summer reading.

Olivia Carlisle ’10 with pup Harper.

Sarah Dhalla ’10 was the faculty speaker at Seminole State College’s Spring 2025 commencement.

Kristi Chenault Herin ’10 at a powerlifting competition.

mom to an 8-year-old, who has the attitude and sass of an 18-year-old.

Sarah Dhalla lives in the Orlando area and is thrilled to share that she was awarded tenure as a professor of physics and astronomy at Seminole State College. In fall 2024, the University of Central Florida Knights football team honored her as an Academic Success Partner of the Game. She was also invited to serve as a faculty speaker at Seminole State’s Spring 2025 commencement. Sarah remains deeply committed to STEM outreach, visiting local elementary schools and judging Lockheed Martin science challenges. Outside academia, Sarah is a single

Olivia Carlisle began a job at the National Archives in late 2024 but quickly realized it was not a good fit. She accepted a position at the University of Georgia and moved to Athens in the fall of 2025. She is looking for new friends in the area. However, she is sometimes held hostage by her dog’s demands to frolic in their new backyard—and by her dog’s firm conviction that the mailman is evil and must be stopped, loudly. Ashley Fournier Blackwell recently celebrated two years as deputy director at the nonprofit Electrification Coalition. She was also selected to participate in her county’s Citizens Academy. Ashley lives in Lilburn, Ga., with her husband, Brent, and their twin daughters, Ellie and Sophie.

Margaret McMillan and her husband, Jason, welcomed their son, Robert, on Aug. 22 in Knoxville, Tenn. He has auburn hair, just like his mom! Their dog, Peanut, is adjusting slowly, while their cat, George Raisin, seems eager for a new playmate.

specializes in federal appeals and in cases with the potential for farreaching impact to advance civil rights.

’13 ’12 Devin Alford dalfor14@pratt.edu

Sarah Bowen Hersh sbowen314@gmail.com

Stephanie Slack started a new position as a teacher in the DePaul program at Mount St. Joseph High School.

Michie Summers-Perez Whatley gave birth to her first child, a sweet baby girl named Haven, on Jan. 15. She and her husband are doing great. They celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary last October.

Kaitlyn McCune married Brittany Misercola on Nov. 8, 2025, at Glenapp Castle in Scotland. The ceremony was attended by 75 friends and family members, who traveled to celebrate with the couple.

’11

fills their lives with laughter and many, many chew toys.

Beverly McCall graduated in December with a master’s in professional accountancy from Georgia State University. Rae Pietkiewicz has been promoted to the Special Victims Unit of the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she will be handling both misdemeanor and felony domestic violence cases. Additionally, Rae and her wife, Sam, recently adopted a rescue dog, Bruno, who

Caitlin White caitlinthomaswhite@gmail.com

Chesya Burke ’13. Chesya Burke was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor of English at Stetson University, where she is also the director of Africana studies. Inseparable alumnae Shein Ei Cho and Osasha Fertal reunited in Japan and Thailand this winter. Shein, who traveled with her husband, Erik, and

Qian “Chelsea” Zhang ’10, Lu “Lois” Hao ’14, Chan Jin ’11 and Yilin Zhao ’13 had a small reunion in Houston. (Not pictured: Jing “Cicy” Cui ’10, who also attended.) Chan Jin, Qian “Chelsea” Zhang ’10, Yilin Zhao ’13, Lu “Lois” Hao ’14 and Jing “Cicy” Cui ’10 had a small reunion in Houston in December. They toured around NASA, drove racing simulators and had a great time catching up with each other. Mehwish Shaukat is the executive director of the Appellate Justice Center, an organization that engages in strategic civil rights litigation. AJC

Sarah Fordham ’13, Crista Carter-Moore ’13, Elli Anne Karras ’13, Destani Parker ’13, Juliette Lockman ’13, Lola Clairmont ’13 and Gala Cude ’14 gathered for a baby shower honoring Natalie Jorges-Castellanos ’13, center. 63

class notes

cruise beneath fireworks, then careened through darkened Bangkok streets in a tuk tuk.

Osasha Fertal ’13 and Shein Ei Cho ’13 in Bangkok, Thailand. 19-month-old son, Zayrik, works in science publishing. She regularly flexes her comedic and narrative prowess at improv and storytelling events in the Bay Area, where she lives. Osasha works in tourism in Japan, promoting her second home, Toyama Prefecture, to the world. They sailed into 2026 on a river

Claire Cusack is a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Louisville. She recently defended her dissertation, “Personalized Models of Eating Disorders Maintenance Mechanisms: an Idiographic, Dynamical Systems Approach.” Claire then headed to the University of California, San Diego, to complete her pre-doctoral internship. Kate Donlon and husband Garry Smith are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Terra Lily Smith, born Nov. 5. Perhaps a future Scottie of the class of 2048? Welcome to the Agnes Scott family, Terra Lily!

Genefine L. Sapateh ’13. Genefine Sapateh marked nine years as a business owner. Her online marketing company has rapidly expanded with new partners after a record 2025. She also works as a logistics management specialist with the U.S. Air Force, and she helped deliver the first two T-7 Red Hawk jets.

’14 Aminah Hussain aminah4488@gmail.com

Justine Schwartz ’10, Rachael Floyd ’17, Amanda Miller-Pasqua ’13, Paige Sullivan ’13, Kirby Rogers Darden ’13, Caitlin Thomas White ’13 and Kathryn Dean ’13 at Sullivan’s wedding reception. Paige Sullivan had a busy fall in 2025. She started a new job at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, got married to a helluva Georgia Tech engineer, and moved to a new home in Tucker. Naturally, she spent the holiday season after that doing as little as possible. Her October wedding and afterparty were attended by quite a few dear Scottie friends! 64

Alex Ambrose ’14 and daughter Maeve. Hopefully a future Scottie! Alex Ambrose, husband Andrew Scott, and big brother Owen welcomed Maeve Lily Scott on Jan. 14. The family resides in Richmond, Va.

’15 Ashley Girone ashley.girone@gmail.com Shanice A. Bennerson-LaGon started a new role as a sales team member at a local State Farm agency. She also obtained a mixologist certificate in late 2025. After spending a decade in the San Francisco area, Connor Day relocated to Philadelphia in December 2024 to pursue a master’s in arts administration at Drexel University.

Dr. Lena Noelle Glowka married Dr. Terrence Feldheim in Savannah, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2025. The couple met during their anesthesiology residencies at Yale University. The wedding party included bridesmaid Grace Starling. Lena is currently working at Yale as a board-certified anesthesiologist.

in Santa Barbara, Calif. She will be treating both public and shelter animals, and she is so excited to do some good work!

’17 Jessica Luegering jessica.marie.luegering@gmail.com

Lindsey Garland Padget began a new role as associate director of client services at Coxe Curry & Associates.

Lyric Simms ’17 and Chantelle Kodua ’17 at their wedding celebration in Mexico City.

’16 Claire Kirchharr clairemk14@gmail.com

Elizabeth “Stokes” Lorenz ’17 with daughter Brigid Evelyn Lorenz.

The second half of 2025 was certainly a wedding season for the class of ’17! Chantelle Kodua and Lyric Simms got married on Aug. 15 in Mexico City. Jennifer Marshall and Christian Hill were married on Oct. 11 in Little Rock, Ark.

Elizabeth “Stokes” Lorenz and her husband, Max, welcomed Brigid Evelyn Lorenz to the family on Jan. 15. They are so excited to give Eleanor a sister!

Dr. Lena Glowka ’16 and husband Dr. Terrance Feldheim.

Maya Djordjevich ’17 and her guinea pig, Archie, in front of the Santa Barbara Mission.

Grace Starling ’16 and Dr. Lena Glowka ’16.

Maya Djordjevich is starting a new position as a staff veterinarian at the Santa Barbara Humane Society

Catherine Pratt ’17 and husband Tyler Surratt at their wedding in Eugene, Oregon. Catherine Pratt and Tyler Surratt were married on Nov. 22 in Eugene, Ore. Congratulations to all the happy couples, and thank you for sharing your joy with us.

class notes

Sophia Kumin ’17 is now accepting clients in her new therapy practice. This year, Sofia Kumin opened her private therapy practice. If folks need a therapist in California, she is accepting new clients! Visit sophiakumintherapy.com for more information. Rebekah Fields has just been promoted to branch manager at the Greenville County Library System. Rachael Scott recently moved to the Research Triangle (the area between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill) in North Carolina. She is loving it so far!

Allison Dupuis ’18 and husband Patrick Carmody on their wedding day. Allison Dupuis married Patrick Carmody on Nov. 15, 2025, in Savannah, Ga. She will remain Allison Dupuis, and the groom will keep his last name, too! Fellow Scottie Zoe Katz ’19 was a member of the bridal party. Courtney England Faust launched a business, Wandering Lane Whimsies, in partnership with her dad. They attended their first event as vendors in October.

Shaniece Wilson launched a business called Outsiders Included, which she began creating in 2023. She reports being excited to receive her business license in New York.

’19

’18

Laura Sato laurasato96@gmail.com

Abigail Camden camden.abigail@gmail.com

No news was submitted.

’20 Lauren Neal lauren.neal827@gmail.com Amber Mills earned her MBA with a concentration in healthcare administration and is now bridging healthcare and financial stewardship as a senior auditor at Bank of America.

Maya Brooks ’18 after graduation.

Alexis “Lexie” Smith ’18.

In May 2025, Maya Brooks received her doctorate in history from the University of Georgia. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park.

In January 2025, Alexis “Lexie” Smith started a new career in financial planning with Northwestern Mutual, where she works as a financial representative.

Nia Thompson reached doctoral candidacy at the Morehouse School of Medicine last summer. Lizzie Apel started a new job at Oregon Physics, a company specializing in the design and

manufacture of custom physics instruments for research. Lizzie is serving as a staff technical writer. Hannah Piecuch is working as a labor and delivery, postpartum and abortion nurse at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Jasmine Young Lane will graduate from Emory in December of this year as a family nurse practitioner with a doctorate in nursing practice. She also got married last August! Catherine “Gracie” Seaver became a fully licensed professional counselor (LPC) and will become the director at Roots Therapy this year. Taelyn Reid was published in the journal Global Policy. Her article discusses different practices of power and their impact on societal stability.

’21 Teresa Enriquez Texis tenriqueztexis@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’22 Amil Greene amil.greene1@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’23 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu. No news was submitted.

’24 Nathalie Slaughter nathaliesslaughter@gmail.com No news was submitted.

’25

Kamaria McCrary lives in Atlanta and works as a digital court reporter for Gallo Legal Services. Florine Jordan lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and works full-time as a clinical associate at a partial hospitalization program for young children and teenagers. She is primarily working on psychoeducation around emotion identification, distress tolerance and assertive communication.

Sadie Boonin booninsadie@gmail.com Leyoncé Latus is pursuing a master’s in public health in behavioral, social and health education, with concentrations in maternal and child health and infectious disease epidemiology, at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She is a graduate research assistant in the epidemiology department. She shares that she feels very empowered since graduating from Agnes Scott. Bailee De Shong lives in Richmond, Va., and works for the governor as the Boards and Commissions special assistant under the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Rowan Christopher is getting their doctorate in plant biology at the University of Georgia.

Jules Skowronek ’25 enjoying her job at the ranch. Jules Skowronek is in Fraser, Colo., where she is head wrangler at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. She has found a great community and is enjoying learning to ski.

births ’09

Evi Loretta, born to Cara Snyder, March 2026

’11 Haven Whatley, born to Michie Summer-Perez Whatley and Douglas Whatley, Jan. 16, 2026

’13 Terra Lily Smith, born to Kate Dunlon and Garry Smith, Nov. 5, 2025

’17 Brigid Evelyn Lorenz, born to Elizabeth “Stokes” Lorenz and Max Lorenz, Jan. 15, 2026 67

deaths ’46

’57

Betty Condrington, Jan. 2, 2026

Susan Oliver Bostick, Dec. 19, 2025 Sara Townsend Holcomb, April 25, 2026

’48 Mary Shreve Mohr Palmer-Ball, Dec. 18, 2025 Nancy Lou Deal Weaver, May 24, 2026

’49 Dorothy “Jean” Fraser Duke, Nov. 7, 2025

’50 Margaret Reinartz Brewer, April 1, 2025 Kathleen “Casey” Conrad Haff MacMillan, August 2025

’52 Katherine Currie Neal, Jan. 13, 2026 Margaret “Billie” Bryan, Feb. 8, 2026 Dorothy Duckworth Williams, March 10, 2026 Catherine Liming Redles, March 27, 2026

’53 Margaret Maier, April 29, 2025 Betty Lou Reed, Dec. 22, 2025 Lilla Kate Parramore Hart, Feb. 11, 2026 Rev. Allardyce Armstrong Hamill, March 24, 2026 Anne Jones Sims, March 25, 2026

’54 Jane Crook Cunningham, Oct. 2, 2025 Judith “Judy” Promnitz Marine, Oct. 14, 2025 Kathleen Whitfield Perry, Dec. 27, 2025 Mary Pritchett Webb, March 2, 2026 Charlotte Randolph DeLay, March 25, 2026

Lillian Null Kirkpatrick, Feb. 13, 2026 Martha “Jimsie” Oeland Hart, Feb. 22, 2026 Frances Gwinn Wolf, April 14, 2026 Elizabeth MacKay Fisher, April 24, 2026

’59 Blanche Helm Nichols, May 22, 2026

’60 Betty Dana Hundley Herbert, Oct. 3, 2025 Louisa Warnell Neil, Dec. 27, 2025 Barbara Specht Reed, Jan. 6, 2026 Caroline Mikell Jones, Jan. 21, 2026 Sallie Meek Hunter, Jan. 26, 2026 Dorothy “Dolly” Bates Baker, Feb. 3, 2026

’61 Mary Beth Crawford, daughter to Cora Richardson 1924 and niece to Nellie Richardson 1926, Oct. 10, 2025

’62 Caroline Johnson Curran, Feb. 1, 2026 Suzanne Orme Roth, March 19, 2026 Suzanne Crosby Brown, April 17, 2026

Christine Theriot Woodfin, March 24, 2026

’69 Myra Beth Mackie, April 10, 2026

’71 Laura Sears Gossett, mother to Susan Bellamy ’99, Dec. 8, 2025 Gertrude Allen Ritchie, Feb. 28, 2025

’72 Gale Woodson Fisher, Feb. 21, 2026

’81 Harriet Greene Wiseman, April 24, 2026

’82 Elizabeth Young, Oct. 10, 2025 Susan Phillips Boston, March 26, 2026

’90 Andrea Johnson Swilly, former director of major gifts, Jan. 29, 2026 Michele Moses, niece to Deborah Rosen ’66, April 21, 2026

’97 Desiree Zaballero, March 8, 2026

’00 Amber Q. Wright-Jones, Dec. 13, 2025

Nancy Abernethy Underwood Young, Jan. 9, 2026 Mary Beth Thomas, April 5, 2026

Faculty, Staff and Others

’64 Linda Sharp Abney, Oct. 28, 2025

Ann Evans Manchester, Jan. 20, 2026 Pauline Waller Hoch, April 14, 2026 Carolyn Alford Beaty, April 23, 2026

’65

Barbara Shedden Mattison, Jan. 5, 2026 Rev. Anna Sayre, Feb. 1, 2026 Mary Ann Pearlstein Aberman, March 13, 2026

’68

’63

’55

’56

’58

Mary Kundahl Kieser, April 25, 2025 Helen Mann Liu, Dec. 24, 2025 Vicky Campbell Patronis, Feb. 22, 2026 Irma “Gail” Savage Glover, March 31, 2026

Leila “Lee” Taylor Brown, July 2, 2025 Joan Hunter Murphy, Jan. 8, 2026 Laura Sanderson Miller, April 19, 2026

John William “Bill” Goodhew, Trustee from 1999 to 2008 and husband to Joan St. Clair Goodhew ’58, Feb. 20, 2026 George Bullock, husband of President Emerita Mary Brown Bullock, March 22, 2026

’66

Dan West, Trustee since 2012 and father to Elizabeth West Jones ’90, March 30, 2026

Eleanor Cornwell, Dec. 9, 2023 Martha Booth Burleigh, April 27, 2024

Robert Brown Jr., Trustee from 2004 to 2012, April 23, 2026

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