Class News -- January 2026

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Roberta Aber’s first class president’s letter is on its way via email to classmates (with email), and to those (without email) via snail mail.  See below.

A short 3-minute survey asks input from all '65ers regarding desired class activities going forward. Click the green link to respond. Submitted surveys go directly to classmate and board member, Monnie Bell, and are tabulated automatically. 

Results will be reported here on our website. Thanks for participating! 

January 15, 2026

Hello Classmate,

Your MHC65 Class Officers have been meeting since we started our term in July. Among other things, we are considering ways to communicate with you and when. To help us with this, we are asking you to share your thoughts by taking a Survey here. We ask that you send your response by January 31.

Dianne Middleton Lee, Martha Dolkart Bernstein, Noelle Granger Parsons and Di Howland McIntyre composed the survey, and Margaret “Monnie” Bell formatted it into Google Forms. Your responses will return to Monnie. Thanks 

At a recent class officer meeting Jackie Berkowitz, our co-head class agent, shared a fund raising update. Our goal for FY 2026 is $250,000. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, 38 donors have given or pledged $97,668. This is twice as much as the same period a year before, and from fewer donors. I extend our thanks to these generous donors. And if you have not yet given, I hope you will join them before the end of June 2026. 

Bev Braman Harrison, our treasurer, reported that after our 60th reunion in May the Class of 1965 could be designated a Loyalty Class. As such, the Alum Association would take on the financial operations of our class. She recommends we not make that change at this time because it would also shut down our web site and birthday project. Bev will still collect membership dues of $25, and you can send checks to her. Or you can go to the class website (mhc65.com) to pay by credit card.

Di Howland McIntyre handles our class website content. She reported on recent additions including the 60th Reunion Book and invites classmates who took reunion photos to post them. She has also posted this “Presidents Letter.” As a Loyalty Class, we are entitled to use the Alum Association Gates website as our platform, but users have to register and be accepted. We decided to maintain our current website for now.

We have three class scribe positions. One is vacant. Thankfully, Jo Griffith Domingue and Kathy Swan will continue their great work as class scribes. Let me know if you are willing to volunteer to fill the one vacancy. 

We also have two vacancies on the Nominating Committee. The elected members are Betsy Fish Guardinier, Mary Bremer Kelley and Debbie Klein Walker. The vacancies are to be filled by the Class President. So, if you are willing to serve or suggest someone to serve on the Nominating Committee, please let me know.

Best wishes for 2026,

Roberta E. Aber, Class President

Our new Board held their first meeting by zoom September 30, 2025. To see who has been elected to serve, click on "Class Officers" on the top bar of your screen. Scroll to the right to see photos and scroll down to see who holds which position. 

Meanwhile, turn to pages 62-63 of the Fall 2025 Mount Holyoke College Alum Magazine to read the class notes prepared by our scribes, Jo Griffith Domingue and Katharine Swan, and outgoing class scribes, Margaret Conkey and Nancy Boggie Kuehler. Thanks to All!

Then, in the 2026 February-March timeframe, start checking here to learn what's being planned (www.MHC65.com; no password required). 

My best,

Roberta 

President, MHC Class of 1965

Jamie Baxter, Jackie Berkowitz, Mary Davis, Dotsy Derick and Kristin Stueber were on campus for the President Kennan Memorial and Volunteer weekend October 17 to 19, 2025. Jamie, who served as Chair of the Board of Trustees during President Kennan’s service,  gave a lovely remembrance and tribute.

After learning that there would be a major “No King’s Rally” at the South Hadley village center on Saturday the 18th, Jamie and Jackie joined the very enthusiastic large crowd and found each other!

PHOTO:   Jackie and Jamie, South Hadley Village Center “No Kings” demonstration, 10/18/2025.

We began working on our 60th in 2020. Because our 55th was a Zoom-union, we were determined that this one would be live, in person, on campus. We coordinated on recruiting classmates to serve on various committees; Sallie focused on the Class Read, Costumes and Parades, while Sunny concentrated on Hospitality and our “60th Reunion Booklet.” It goes without saying that we would not have had such a successful event without considerable help from everyone on the Reunion Board and the Alum Association.