Send Holiday Greetings to Aces Who Need Good Cheer!

Kay Ellen Consolver, 2024, on a Class of 1960 Zoom

Remember when we were kids and went to visit “shut-ins”? These were people who lived alone and could not get out and about due to health or mobility issues. Especially during holidays, my family took cookies, magazines, and puzzles to do with invalids and lonely people in our neighborhood and our church.  In this 2024 holiday season, we have classmates who would enjoy hearing from us. If you know of 1960 Aces in need of cheering up, please send information to Marilyn (mbellert@niu.edu) or Diane (ddzinn@aol.com). We will post their photos and stories here.

Add your good wishes in the Comment section at the end of this story or send to Marilyn and Diane for posting. Good wishes might include a “feel better!” note but also cartoons, memes, holiday jokes, memories of happy times, or your plans for Christmas and New Year’s.

This week, send greetings via our website to Kay Ellen Consolver. Kay Ellen’s latest news —

Glenna Stearman Park – I called Kay Ellen this afternoon to see how her trip to Hong Kong went and discovered that she is in the hospital in Connecticut after falling on the NY subway steps and breaking her right front pelvic bone.  The hip did not break, and they let the pelvic bone heal on its own.  She is in the hospital on pain drugs.  She thinks they will let her out tomorrow because she just needs to be in bed.  Physical therapists will visit to help her sit up and walk.  Both are very painful at the moment.  Kay Ellen has full time help coming.

I told her I would let friends know and she was happy to know that people would get in touch.   It was about this time of year that John, her husband for 30 years, died.  He was in total care, but she stayed with him and helped take care of him.  This is a blue moment for her and it would be helpful for us to visit with her and wish her blessings and a happy new year.

Kay Ellen is active with an international club of women business leaders.  She was invited into the organization when she was in leadership role with her job in Exxon/Mobil’s legal work in London.   After John died, she reactivated her membership in this group and went to their Hong Kong meeting in the past few weeks.  In New York after her return from Hong Kong, she attended a play about Artemisia Gentilleschi, the famous woman artist of the Italian Renaissance in the 17th century.

Gene Carter sent this note to Kay Ellen –

Hey, Kay Ellen, I was always grateful that you never noted that like Ginger doing backwards everything Fred Astaire did dancing, you never added that I was no Fred Astaire at senior prom.

I recall hanging out often with you, John, and Rita during years he worked in London, and I visited with Rita for her work. You knew the world after 120 whatever countries working for Mobil as lawyer/treasurer. You always gave us great theater leads, too, Then you got us free director’s tickets for Tina Turner, even if you didn’t deliver her after the lights dimmed, sitting beside us as you said might happen. We recalled she said she had no need to see the movie having lived the awful life with Ike, and your wryly observing we should hope our spouses didn’t feel the same…5’4″ and those legs.

I wasn’t Fred Astaire, but by golly I didn’t fall the same weekend you did when we unknowingly were both in NYC. I did five miles on foot in the evening, mostly alone running around without my cane…but I avoided most all steps. We were like the two guys running from the bear: I don’t have to walk well, just better than you did….
And I guarantee I didn’t wasn’t wearing even low heels.

Remember those alcoholic lunches we used to have? I found a photo!

Rita and I liked seeing you this last summer as you were moving into your new Litchfield digs.  That will still be there when you get home.

Gene