The purpose of this page is to give highlights of our lives so we will be
aware of what has happened and what is happening to us since graduation. If
you haven't done so, please e-mail Liz Doughty your info so you can be included! This
page will be updated periodically to include future response. For those who
have already sent info, continue to update as new noteworthy occurances
happen.
Cort Doughty- Cort and Marti, his wife of 34 years, live in Columbus Ohio.
Cort is an attorney with a local firm and Marti is retired. After 30 years in one house, they found their dream home on the other side of town last October and are settling in nicely. Their children, Chris and Elizabeth, are both self-avowed 'computer nerds,' living in Silicon Valley, CA. Cort and Marti spend their free time with their cancer-fighting WonderBeagle, Buddy and the newest addition to the Doughty family, Ben, and hearing tales of their "grandbeagles," Liz's beagles Alice and Zeus.
Bill Durkin- Bill and wife Connie of 34 years, live in Tampa, FL. Bill is
a CPA & Certified Financial Planner while Connie works for the State of
Florida as assistant director of Information Technologies at the University
of South Florida. They have 2 daughters, Debbie and Diana who are both
CPA's. Bill says hobbies & interests include snow skiing, some fishing ,
biking, and boating. Bill & connie go to Colorado for 2-3 weeks/yr. to ski.
Fran Lechiara Ganim- Fran and husband Joe live in So. Charleston, WV.
They have been married 10 years. Fran was widowed & Joe divorced when they
married. Fran is a psychiatric nurse at Thomas Memorial Hospital and has
served in various capacities, including Director of Quality Assurance during
her near 30 yrs. there. Joe worked as an agent and Sales Manager for
Prudential Insurance until a stroke forced him to go on disability
retirement. Fran had 2 daughters from her first marriage: Phyllis, an OB
nurse, who also works at Thomas Memorial and Ginny who is finishing her
dissertation for her Ph D in Spanish Literature at the University of KY. Joe
has 3 daughters and a son from his previos marriage. Mary works for
GSA(General Services Administration, a part of the Federal Government) and
lives in Philadelphia. Teresa is a mental health therapist who also lives in
Philadelphia with her sister. Mike is a student at Kennesaw State University
and works in a factory in Cartersville, GA. Elizabeth is a Senior Airman in
the USAF and is a cardiopulmanary technician at Travis AFB, CA. They have
one grandson, Christopher, who is Phyllis' son. Fran loves to shop and
travel. This year she went on a Caribbean cruise and to Las Vegas. She
can't wait till she retires in 3 years to do more travelling and heavy duty
shopping. Joe enjoys traveling, singing in the Church choir, and his
computer when Christopher lets him use it.
Theresa Rose Annie Helms- Theresa and husband David live in Lawrenceville,
GA. Theresa is a nurse administrator of Childrens Medical Services, a public
health organization. She is also in the US Army Reserve Nurse Corps with the
rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She has been in the military for 24 years and
served a year of active duty during Desert Storm. They have 2 children from
Theresa's first marriage. Daughter Sharon is employed by American Eagle
Airlines based in St. Thomas USVI. Son, Scottie Karl, is an agent with the
Immigration and Naturalization Service in Miami. They also have a son &
daughter from David's previous marriage.
Necia Harol Parr- Necia now lives in Charleston, WV and works for the WV
Health Dept. She retired from Cal Tech in Pasadena, CA after 17 years
working in several of their libraries. For 2 years, she had her own library
at Cal Tech - The Public Affairs Library. Prior to that, she taught high
school English for 2 years in Dallas, TX.
Sam Peters- Sam and wife Carol Elder, married for 16 years, live in
Baltimore and are both teachers. Sam teaches art courses at both the
Maryland Institute and Towson State University. He also has an art studio in
Baltimore and exhibits his work both in the U.S. and Brazil. Carol is a high
school Spanish teacher. They travel overseas frequently and plan to move to
southern New Mexico in the year 2000.
Jo Etta Taschler Preston- Jo Etta and husband Joe live in are now living
in Eagle Rock, VA . They moved from Lancaster, CA after Joe's retirement
from the USAF and Jo Etta's forced retirement from nursing due to ill health.
Jo Etta was a nurse for 26 years prior to retirement. They have 3
children,seven grandchildren and two dogs. Jo Etta's 7 sisters and brother
are doing well. She says the highlight of her nursing career was her time at
the NASA-Dryden Flight Test Center where she took a 2 hr. flight with the
Space Lab astronauts on the modified KC-135 aircraft. This is known as the
"Vomit Comet" because you experience space flight weightlessness.
Sue Marony Stricker- Sue and husband Bernie (CCHS Class of '54) just moved
back to WV from Baton Rouge, LA. They also lived in Brussels, Belgium for 2
yrs. Sue says she is a retired housewife while Bernie recently retired from
Albemarle Corp. of Baton Rouge. Currently, he is doing consulting work on a
part-time basis. They have 4 daughters: Jane, an occupational therapist,
patty, who is working on a Ph D in Special Ed. at U of VA., Kathy, who is
completing her education at George Mason University in Social Work and Kathy
who has several degrees including a medical degree from LSU. Sue & Bernie
als have 3 grandchildren: Monica, Christopher, and Stephanie. Sue says their
hobbies and interests include: bridge and other card games, gardening and
music. She says she likes shopping and cooking. She asks that if anyone has
any unique recipes to send them to her! Bernie adds golf and reading to his
list of interests.
Barbara McKeny Thaxton- Barbara and husband "Spunky" live in
Charleston,WV. Barbara works for the State of WV and just got promoted to Executive
Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the Governor's Office. "Spunky" is self
employed and is owner of W.L. Construction Co. They have 2 children, Wilbur
L. "Burr" II and Victoria Lynn as well as 4 grandchildren (2 girls 8 &10 and
2 boys 5 & 8). "Burr" works for the State, managing the Consuladated Print
Shop. Vickie has a Master's degree in Health Care Management. "Spunky"
managed the Riverfest festival this past year in St. Albans and has been it's
Past President. He is also Past President of the National Utility
Contractors' Assoc. He is going to Bombay, India for 4-6 weeks to put in a
tunnel. Both Barb & "Spunky" enjoy traveling and boating and Barb plans to
play golf at the next reunion with the new clubs "Spunky" got her for her birthday.
Bill Wade- Bill and wife Marian " Mary Ann " live in South Charleston, WV.
Bill is a retired pipefitter from Union Carbide and Mary Ann is a retired
home economist from Appalachian Power Co. They have one son, Nishan " Shan
", a student at WVU. Bill's hobbies & interests include Habitat for
Humanity, woodworking and the Neighborhood Crime Watch while Mary Ann enjoys
genealogy and cooking, especially Armenian food.
Betty Toussaint Wagner- Betty and husband Ron live in Michigan. Betty was
a mental health specialist who recently resigned from the Pontiac, Michigan
Head Start. She is currently looking for a contract job as a play therapist
for children and families. Ron is a manufacturer's rep for the auto
industry. They have 3 children: Ron Jr., Greg, and Kristin and twin
granddaughters, Julia and Diane. Both Betty & Ron enjoy golf and recently
worked the Buick Open Golf Tournament. They also enjoy travelling and
recently went to the Napa & Sonoma vineyards in California.