RE Log Spring 2018

SPRING 2018 Ransom Everglades LOG 47 1963 Darrow Dutcher Hodges visited cam- pus with her longtime childhood friend Lori Ryder last fall to see the campus in action. As part of her visit, Darrow entrenched herself in the RE community and even found herself on the water with RE sailing students during their PE class. Darrow recently created an endowment with brothers Arthur and David in mem- ory of their deceased sibling, Douglas Vogt Dutcher ’80 ; the endowment is known as The Douglas Vogt Dutcher ’80 Fund for Equity and Justice Initiatives . Income from the fund will help to support equity and justice initiatives at Ransom Everglades, which include programs to raise awareness, develop cultural com- petency and celebrate diversity in all of its forms. In its first year of existence, the fund was used to support the presenta- tion of the play “Incognito” during RE’s annual exchange program with Booker T. Washington High School. Darrow visited Matilee Howard Johnson ’61 in Aiken, S.C., after her trip to Florida. Matilee was the revered physi- cal education department head in the ’60s and queen of field hockey when there was an RE property on the bay across from the middle school. (Heaven!) She has spent her entire career in education and is married to Emerson Johnson, former headmaster of several private schools and former President of the National Association of Independent Schools. Everglades School for Girls 1961 Katherine Swenson Kahan writes, “I will always be grateful for the video of RE’s inspirational recovery from the dev- astation of Hurricane Irma. The sights and sounds, the strong and beautiful spirit of the Ransom Everglades community, and especially the words of Penny Townsend will be in my heart forever (video can be found at www.ransomeverglades.org/ page/about/videos ). Hope and trust that you have all had a wonderful holiday sea- son. Richard and I have just returned from two very happy weeks with our family in Hawaii. I am happy to be in touch with Jourdan Moore Houston , Darrow (Dutch) Dutcher Hodges , Andrea Lynch Cole and Carol (Kiki) Shafton Rock .” 1962 Lou Pfaelzer, see Jourdan Moore Houston ’62 Jourdan Moore Houston and Fraser stopped by to see Matilee Howard Johnson ’61 and her husband Emerson last July, soon after spending the Fourth with Bebe Ferrell McClain ’62 , Bill and two of their grandsons at their lake house south of Asheville, N.C. Mat and Emerson moved to Matilee’s hometown of Aiken, S.C., from Pawleys Island last year. (The Houstons even saw Mat’s elementary school, where she had once reigned as a little May Queen.) Jourdan and Fraser were en route to a family reunion at the Outer Banks, N.C., to see their two daughters and their families, who traveled from Shanghai and New Hampshire. The Houstons later enjoyed their annual gath- ering with Mike and Lou Pfaelzer ’62 in New England, having spent a week in late 2016 with them riding their bikes for a week along the Great Allegheny Pass from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md. Photo above: Jourdan and Lou traveling with their group along the Great Allegheny Pass. Bebe Ferrell McClain writes, “Last year Bill and I celebrated our 50th anniver- sary. We have three children and four grandchildren and split our time between Asheville and Hilton Head, N.C.. We had great visit from Jourdan Moore Houston ’62 and husband Fraise last summer.” Photo (L-R): Emerson and Matilee Howard, Fraser Houston, Jourdan Moore Houston. Linda Morris McKillop’s husband, Roy, passed away last year in their new home town of Greenville, S.C., where they had moved to be close to one of their sons. Roy won many admirers among early-1960s Everglades alums gather- ing at their 2010 reunion at the home of Lou Blair Pfaelzer ’62 in Stowe, Vt., after he successfully took on a demurring rental car agent — one who was giving Susie Russell ’61 less than satisfying assistance after a deer collided with her vehicle. Linda is busy finishing a children’s book, attending a writers’ group, and creating sophisticated doll clothes for her granddaughters.