News from AEHS Alumni

We are trying to find Lyndall Dickinson of the Class of 1969. Here's why:

Pat Berbakos '69 recently received the following via the AEHS administration from Amber Hoffman, who is a former tax lawyer who was traveling in Vietnam. Amber wrote the following: "I am currently traveling in the center part of Vietnam, in Quang Tri Province. While working with an organization called the Mine Advisory Group, I met a local Vietnamese de-miner, Mr. Tra. Prior to working for the Mine Advisory Group, he collected scrap metal in the province, which was one of the most heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, due to its location near the former DMZ. Years ago, Mr. Tra found a class ring while collecting scrap metal. The ring is from Einstein High School, Class of 1969. It was manufactured by Herff Jones, and contained the engraved initials "LMD". I was able to find your yearbook from the class of 1969 online but could not find a male student with those initials. Mr. Tra is interested in finding the person whose ring this is, or their family. Would you be able to help me in anyway? Could there be a student with the initials LMD that was not listed in the yearbook? Do you have a list of veterans from your school?

            Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am currently writing an article for my blog, With Husband in Tow, about the ring, and would love to get more of a lead." [Editor's note: the blog website is HERE.]  

            After investigation, Pat has ascertained that the ring very likely belonged to Lyndall M. Dickinson, who was a member of the Class of 1969. Is anyone in touch with Lyndall? Does anybody know where Lyndall is or how she can be contacted? If you have this information, please e-mail Pat HERE. Let's help Lyndall get her class ring back!!

Ann Lane Hedlund '70 shares the following press release from the Arizona State Museum concerning textiles of the American Southwest. Ann recently retired as curator of the Museum and professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona.

"TUCSON, AZ (July 8, 2013)-Like never before, two brand new, searchable, and illustrated databases aim to share the artistry and study of southwestern textiles with the world.

The databases, plus extensive background information and helpful guides, are available on the Arizona State Museum website.

            Available at the click of a mouse are baseline data and images essential for understanding the evolution of three cultural textile traditions in the American Southwest-Navajo, Pueblo, and Spanish-American. Focusing on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the information spans three major periods from the time of Spanish governance to 1821, the Mexican era until 1846, and the American and early reservation period since then.

            These groundbreaking resources represent the culmination of decades of research by two world-renowned textile authorities: the late Dr. Joe Ben Wheat of the University of Colorado at Boulder and Dr. Ann Lane Hedlund, who recently retired as curator at Arizona State Museum and professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona.

            Of this capstone project, Hedlund said, "These tools can be used by anyone to create absolutely new knowledge about the Southwest's Native American and European-influenced textile traditions. Most importantly, as an anthropologist who studies both living and long past artists, I want artists of all stripes to have access to this wondrous visual and technical compilation."

            Other audiences that she lists include every museum curator with SW textiles in their collections; scholars interested in SW history and material culture; handweavers and artists seeking the roots of SW weaving; collectors and others who appreciate worldwide crafts, folk art, and art of all time. "And certainly students of all ages-I hope students will enjoy exploring the information and will get it to tell us things that we've never known before."

            Though other online databases of museum collections exist, and there are certainly in-depth databases of ceramics and other media, there is nothing quite like these two new textile resources in terms of their detail and query-based interactivity. "It's also a first to have such stellar visual, technical, and historical selections from so many museum collections gathered in one place for comparisons," said Hedlund. "I know of nothing that allows visitors as much access and ability to query the data as this incredible store of information does. We included nearly every SW textile in our collection, some 600 examples, and just over 1300 specimens studied by Wheat in 50 other public collections."

            One of the first two recipients of a PhD in anthropology at the University of Arizona, Wheat is the author of Blanket Weaving in the Southwest, posthumously published in 2003. Hedlund's books include Reflections of the Weaver's World, Navajo Weaving in the Late 20th Century, Navajo Weavings from the Andy Williams Collection, and Gloria F. Ross & Modern Tapestry. Hedlund continues to serve as the managing editor of the Joe Ben Wheat SW Textile Database."

The Class of 1970 held its annual birthday party in Germantown in July. Here are all the class members who attended. Great-looking group!!
 

Seated, left to right: Kathy Richardson Robinson, Harry Zarin, Karen Kline Parker, Patti Hanna Palmer, Vicki Diven Deacon, Janice Beach Cooney, Bert Katz, Pam Hudson, Susan Grodsky.

Second row, left to right: Eileen Quinn Bottamiller, Gwen Theodore Wilhelm, Jann Needles, Patti Birch Lewis, Elaine Coury Campion, Archie Wertz, Patty Gallagher Foster, Emily Robins Frank (pink jacket).

Standing in back, left to right: George Kurtz, Tom Purdue, Jim Guidara, Stede Granger (light blue shirt), Jeannette O'Bannon Feldner, Patti Rego Belisle, Mitch Silberg, Bev Wright, Frank McGrath (red and navy striped shirt), Sharon Cohany (turquoise blouse), Fred Shelley (behind Sharon, red shirt), Cynthia Myers, Nancy Day Sakaduski, Don Stanley, Bill Bates (olive green shirt), Ron Perrell, Bill Bromley (white shirt).

Above the crowd, left to right: Donna Lambert, Carol DeHaven, Michele McMichael Gordon.

            All pictured are members of the Class of 1970. Happy birthday to this great class, and here's to many, many more!!

We regret to announce the passing of Chuck Scholtz and on behalf of the AEHS community extend our condolences to his family and friends.

Charles E. "Chuck" Scholtz (Class of 1973)

            Charles E. "Chuck" Scholtz died on July 18, 2013. He was 58. Chuck graduated from the University of Maryland in 1978 and spent his career with the U.S. Department of State before retiring in 2006. He was a resident of Berlin, Maryland.

            Chuck is survived by his wife Terri Andreano Scholtz, his special son Frankie Mustafa, his sister Pam Pfeilmeier and her husband Frank, his mother-in-law Christina Andreano, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Tony and Stephanie Andreano, and many other relatives and friends.