Class Notes
15
1930s
1940s
Reunion Reminder:
Class of 1937 -- 60th Reunion
October 24-26, 1997
Reunion Reminder:
Class of 1942 -- 55th Reunion
Class of 1947 -- 50th Reunion
October 24-26, 1997
Magdalen Therese Peplin, OP ‘38 gave a
harmonica concert at the Lenawee County
Fair last August. Since then she has performed at a variety of churches and other
locations in the Adrian area.
Mary Alice Francis McCarthy, who attended Siena for one year in 1941, is living
in Elk Rapids.
Virginia Rose Johnston ‘39 is living in
Boca Raton, Fla.
Maris Stella Beaufait, OP ‘45 was one of
several recipients of the Spirit of Detroit
Awards for her volunteer tutoring at the
Dominican Literacy Center.
Nadine Foley, OP ‘45 has an article, “The
Ambiguity of Religious Life: Does It
Evolve?” published in the January-February
1997 issue of Review for Religious.
Lois Spear, OP ‘46 had two articles published recently, one in Sisters Today titled
“Life After Retirement” and another in the
National Catholic Reporter titled “Marian
Apparitions Meet Ancient Need.”
Julie Sullivan, OP ‘47 has been appointed
HIV/AIDS Ministry Coordinator for the
Diocese of Orlando, Fla.
Ann Tompert ‘38
Children’s Book Writer Receives Outstanding Alumni Award
“Once upon a time...” With those
words, appropriately, Sister Helen
Duggan ’41 began her introduction of
Ann Tompert ’38, whose accomplishments as the successful author of almost
40 children’s books earned her Siena
Heights’ 1996-97 Outstanding Alumni
Award.
“Once upon a time, when Siena
Heights was still known as St. Joseph
College,” Sister Helen said, there were
two groups of women studying in the
classrooms of Sacred Heart Hall: One
group, which included the young Anna
Mae Bakeman, wore blue uniforms
and lived in the residence hall or commuted from nearby. The other
group, of which Sister Helen was a part, were postulants (candidates for the Adrian Dominican Congregation). “The two groups
were classmates but did not ordinarily mingle,” Sister Helen said.
“However, as fellow classmates, we knew one another’s names.”
Fifty-plus years later, Anna Mae Bakeman Tompert and Sister Helen
rediscovered each other,
found they share the same
birthday, and developed the
lively friendship (shown
left) that was impossible in
their college days.
Hence, the Alumni Award
Recognition program held
at Siena Heights March
20 was the occasion of a
friendly reunion as well as a celebration of
Ann’s outstanding professional accomplishments.
The Outstanding Alumni Award citation,
presented at a mid-day luncheon, recognizes Ann’s “outstanding achievements as
an educator, an author of fine books for
children, and a literary explorer of diverse
cultures.” Comparing her to the characters
in her stories, the citation describes Ann as
“an original thinker and creative problem
solver whose life has been shaped by faith,
determination and an endless fascination
with the world around her. She exemplifies
the values and spirit of Siena Heights College and is a worthy role model for today’s Siena students.”
During her day-long visit to the campus, Ann met with a children’s
literature class (shown above), discussed writing and publishing as a
featured “English Forum” speaker, and signed books.
Ann taught English for 20 years before deciding, at age 40, to pursue
her dream of being a writer. It was three years before she sold her first
story to the children’s magazine, Jack and Jill. “Getting my work published has never been easy,” she told aspiring writers at Siena Heights;
nonetheless, the list of her published children’s books grows longer
each year.
Her three most recent titles are A Carol for Christmas (1995), The
Jade Horse, the Cricket and the Peach Stone (1996) and How Rabbit Lost His Tail (1997). A child’s biography of St. Patrick is in the
publication pipeline, and Ann is at work on a manuscript introducing
children to Joan of Arc.
Ann lives in Port Huron with her husband, Robert.