Smith College Class of 1966

Recent Deaths of Members of the Class of ’66 

August 2024 

Julia Ann Turnquist Bradley 

Julia Ann Turnquist Bradley died May 2, 2024.  No obituary has appeared, so  the following information has been pulled from various sources online.

Julia majored in American Studies at Smith and lived in Wilder House.  Her en gagement to Lee Richards Bradley of Weston, CT was announced in the New  York Times in April of her senior year, and they were married in Helen Hills  Hills Chapel on June 6, 1966.  She earned a MAT in 1967, and a Master of Li brary/Information Science in 1970, both from Columbia University. She then  earned a JD from the University of Connecticut and started work for Connecti cut Legal Services, both in 1979. She was a staff attorney specializing in Dis ability, Family, and American Indian law.

She entered her current spouse/partner in the Smith College Network as Keith  Acker.  A 2023 obituary for Keith Woodhull Acker of Cromwell, CT says that he  was married to Julia for 37years.   At the time of her death, Julia was living in  Blue Hill, Maine.

Susan Lynn Chambers Brennan 

Susan Lynn Chambers was born May 8, 1944, in Tarrytown NY.  She died in  New Zealand on March 20, 2023 (US) after a long illness. She was a graduate  of Smith and Dartmouth Colleges and then Harvard Medical school in 1972.  Her major at Smith was Biological Sciences and she lived in Wilson House.

Forever in pursuit of challenges and interests, she was an accomplished  small-plane pilot during and after college. She was the second female to join  the surgical residency program at what is now the Brigham and Women’s  Hospital in Boston, MA.  A multi-talented physician, she had experience be yond surgical training in research at the NIH, emergency medicine, a psychi atric fellowship in NY, and was a certified acupuncturist. She moved to New  Zealand in 2000 and designed the house she then had built.  She opened a  crystal shop in New Zealand, continuing her passion for learning, alternative  medicine, and holistic spiritual healing, until incapacitated by her terminal ill-

ness. She is survived by two older brothers; her husband of 49 years, Murray;  her children and their spouses; and six beloved grandchildren.

Josephine Northup Chromy  

Josephine Northup Chromy (Josie) was born on June 18, 1944, in Asheville,  North Carolina.  She died on January 16, 2024, surrounded by family.

Josie was a gifted educator and a person of great faith. After earning her BA  degree in Economics at Smith, where she lived in both Gardiner and Tenney  Houses, she went on to receive a Master of Arts in Teaching from the Universi ty of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, followed years later by a Master of Education  (Special Education) from Western Carolina University. She supplemented her  education degrees with a multitude of religion classes.

Josie was quick to volunteer and the first person to notice anyone in need, es pecially people who are often overlooked. Her smile lit up every room and she  seemed tireless. She enjoyed reading biographies and light fiction, as well as  discussing philosophy and questions of morality. She loved the beach and en joyed taking her family there.

She cherished every moment with family members, especially her children  and their families including grandchildren, and her siblings and their families,  and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Bonnie Fraser Gregg 

Bonnie Fraser Gregg was born in Buffalo, NY on September 19, 1944.  She died  on January 21, 2024.

Bonnie lived in Jordan House, rowed crew, and toured Europe with the Smith Princeton Chamber Singers. She majored in Economics and graduated Magna  Cum Laude.

After graduation, Bonnie joined AT&T and became an expert in the IBM soft ware used by AT&T.  Of her many accomplishments, one stands out:  the IRS  challenged $1.3 billion of uncollectible bad debt that Bonnie had booked in the  first four years after the AT&T divestiture. Once notified, Bonnie cancelled her  vacation, reconstructed what she had done 10 years prior, then met with the

IRS auditors and successfully defended her methodology.  She was commend ed as “extremely effective, thorough, professional, and persuasive – Bonnie was sensational.…”

Bonnie was an excellent golfer and pianist, and loved traveling, the theater,  concerts, lectures, and reading. Most important, she was a good friend to  many.  She is survived by her sister Jane Gregg Lehmbeck and her family.

Polly Price 

Polly Price was born in West Chester, PA on August 21, 1944.  At Smith, she  lived in Sessions House, majoring in History and Art History.  She died on June  7, 2024 after a brief period of treatment for cancer.

After a short stint as a teacher, Polly began her long career in nonprofit admin istration. In 1974, she co-founded the Cultural Education Collaborative in Bos ton, a pioneering effort to bring together resources of the major arts institu tions to assist court-ordered desegregation and school improvement efforts.

In 1994, Polly began a twenty-year career at Harvard University, initially as the  Associate Dean for Administration of the Graduate School of Design.  After  serving as head of Human Resources for the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sci ences, she became head of Human Resources for the university. She was rec ognized for her efforts to increase diversity and improve childcare and other  staff benefits. She retired in 2004 and traveled extensively with her husband,  Tom Parker.

Polly played a major role as a volunteer in Deval Patrick’s successful campaign  to become the first African American governor of Massachusetts. She then  briefly came out of retirement to run his transition team.

Polly leaves her husband, son, two grandchildren, and three step-grandchil dren.

Barbara Reeves 

Barbara Reeves, born October 8, 1944, died at home in Blacksburg, Virginia,  on January 22, 2024, after retiring from a rich academic career.

Barbara lived in Laura Scales and received her degree in Physics at Smith,  where she was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa. She went to graduate school at  Harvard and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1967, and AM and PhD de grees in History of Science in 1969 and 1980. She was initiated into Sigma Xi  as a full member while she was a PhD student at Harvard. She was on the fac ulty at Cornell, Ohio State University, and finally at Virginia Tech, where she  taught courses in History, Religion and Science, and Science and Technology in  Society, on both the graduate and undergraduate levels, from 1993 to 2019.  She was honored to receive an Earth Sustainability Curriculum Development  and Teaching grant from the Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching  at Virginia Tech.

Susan Werner Thoresen 

Susan Werner Thoresen was born November 5, 1944, and died in Portsmouth,  NH on June 14, 2024.  She lived in Laura Scales House and majored in Gov ernment.  In 1967, she received a Master of Public Administration from Syra cuse University.

Sue’s early professional career was as a city planner. She became a financial  advisor in 1990.  Sue retired in 2014 and completed a children’s book, The  Yoyo and the Piggy Bank. She completed another book, Choose Joy, just before  her death.

Her volunteer activities focused on protecting the environment, supporting lo cal cultural organizations, being a delegate to the New Hampshire Constitu tional Convention in 1974, and working for a pro-choice health care center.  She served Smith College and our class in many roles, including most recently  as our class Planned Giving Chair.

On May 3, 2024, Sue was recognized by the New Hampshire Women’s Founda tion with an award given to women who have dedicated their personal and  professional lives to lifting up women and girls in the Granite State. The award  recognized Sue’s lifetime of service as a community leader, volunteer, and  philanthropist.

Sue is survived by her husband of almost 57 years, two children, and four  grandchildren.