New Beginnings after our 50th Reunion

After our 50th Reunion some classmates began exploring new activities. Other classmates submitted links to their own sites. If any link is incorrect, please send the updated info to Carol Lightwood.

New Beginnings

Calling all creative and energetic members of the class of 1963. Writers, artists, poets, philanthropists, bloggers, photographers, founders: Send links to your work to Carol Wilson Lightwood for posting on our Links You’ll Love section at the bottom of this page. We can be great resources for each other as many of us begin new endeavors or continue existing ones.

(Please note: some links may no longer be current)

Here are a few to start:

Betsy Abbott Quilt Art to be exhibited at Wayne Art Center, PA

The Wild Ravenwood quilt created by Betsy Abbott

Betsy took up quilting as an art form after retirement and her quilts have been shown in several galleries. From March 18 to April 30, 2016 one of her works will be included in a quilt art show at the Wayne Art Center. The opening reception will be April 2nd. For more information visit her website.

Georgia Pugh’s Seawall Series exhibit at Alumnae House

One of the Seawall Series of paintings by Georgia Pugh at the Smith College Alumnae House.

If you are in the Northampton area between January 19th and April 18th, 2016, be sure to stop into the Alumnae House to see the exhibition of Georgia Pugh’s paintings entitled ‘The Seawall Series’. There will be a reception for the artist on March 4th, between 5 and 7 p.m.

For more information go to Georgia’s website: http://www.georgiapugh.com

First play by Janice Ambrose produced in Tucson

A scene from The Earth Mother's Tale performed at the Old Cabaret Theater in Tucson.

A scene from The Earth Mother’s Tale by Janice Ambrose performed at the Cabaret Theater in Tucson.

Janice Schwartz Ambrose, a theater major, had her first story published while still at Smith. After graduation life with all its complications came next. Now, 50+ years later, she has had her first play produced.

In January, 2015 the Old Pueblo Playwrights performed ‘The Earth Mother’s Tale’ at the Cabaret Theater in Tucson. When asked how long it took to write it, Janice said “All my life. It is my shadow. And I certainly hope to write more.”

Two Kickstarter successes with classmates

Susan Gilbert Tileston and Mary Buford Hitz have both used Kickstarter successfully to fund new projects. Susan found a new life as a member of a dance troupe and Mary decided to produce an audio version of her latest novel, Riding to Camille.

Susan wrote: Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? For the past 2 summers, my husband and I, plus 10 other untrained dancers, all over the age of 60, have been involved in rehearsing and performing Dancing in the Third Act. The brainchild of Toronto choreographer Randy Glynn (age 64), this is an hour long ‘dance’ piece incorporating our 800 years of lives lived.

We performed to sold out crowds in our home town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia (pop. 450), took it on the road to Yarmouth, NS. This past summer, we formed The Company of Angels, performed Dancing in the Third Act plus a new piece with 8 teenagers at Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal (started by our chief angel, Randy) and opened two dance festivals in Montreal and Moncton, NB. Taking 14 people on the road isn’t cheap, so I ran a Kickstarter campaign that exceeded our $9000 goal.

What’s our biggest challenge? Remembering the steps! What’s the best thing about this project? Laughing ourselves silly, and having such enthusiastic audiences.

Here are links to videos of parts of The Company of Angels performance, and interviews with some of the dancers. (Unfortunately the videos are no longer available.)

Louise Peabody had her own show at the Alumnae House Gallery last year and there is an interview with Louise about her artwork posted on the College Alumnae website.

Class Artists and Reunion Art Exhibit
Pam Winton Gosner has done a beautiful job of putting many of the works in our Reunion Art Exhibit online. Sadly, Google removed this online exhibit in 2019, but there is a listing in the archives of the artists whose works were displayed.

If you have a ‘New Beginning’, something you’ve begun since you retired, please let us know! We would love to post information about whatever it is–a new company, a new endeavor, a new passion, or a new exhibition! Send information and links to Carol Wilson Lightwood (carollight@sbcglobal.net).

Links You’ll Love

(Please note: some links may not be up to date.)

Literature Links:

Karen Bass Torop: Poems published in the poetry journal Theodate

Carolyn Benson: Her Breath, a poem published by the Smith Poetry Center

Mary Buford Bocock Hitz: Never Ask Permission: a memoir of the life of Elisabeth Scott Bocock, The MBH Blog

Nancy Hicks Marshall: Books by Nancy

Claire Moses Goldberg: Books by Claire

Clare Stein Rosenfield: Healer, and Author and illustrator of Ninsun: Wise Mother of Gilgamesh, You Announce an Importance, a poem published by the Smith Poetry Center

Carol Wilson Lightwood: Writer, Blogger, Photographer, I Saw It In Tucson

Kathy Sanderson Zwick: Veneer, a poem published by the Smith Poetry Center

Margaret Rawson Freeman: Founder of Myrifield Institute for Cognition and the Arts

Visual Arts Links:

Nancy Neaher Maas: Watercolor artist’s Online Gallery

Louise Peabody:

Susan Tileston: MY STORY photo project, working with refugees on both sides of the Thai/Burma border

Pam Winton Gosner: Artist and Blogger

Carol H. Goodfriend: Drawings and Prints

Smith Links You’ll Love

Smith College Alumnae Association Website

Smith Poetry Center, where a lovely poetry reading by Maxine Kumin was organized by classmates in 2011, in memory of Maggie Soule.

On Facebook and LinkedIn there are many many Smith groups including some for special interests–Smithies in entertainment, in design, house-sitting, etc–as well as regional groups. Just search using the keywords Smith College,