"Duck, Duck, Goose?" or "Goose, Goose, Duck?" at Roosevelt Wilson Park.

We’ve always heard June is the month for brides. Nothing to report today about weddings, but we do have news of brides who have stayed with their hubbies for decades.  Best wishes to Dot and Sam Hay who celebrated 60 years of marriage this week as well as Judy and Merle Schuh who have been hitched for 40.

Around Davidson also welcomes a new baby in the Thwaites’ household,  a note about Kira Brice’s new teaching position, and an admonishment to “watch your step.”

CRADLE ROLL – Georgie Thwaites

Big sister Libby Thwaites is delighted to have a new baby sister, Georgie.

Welcome to the world Georgiana Porter Thwaites.  Baby “Georgie” arrived on June 15 at CMC Charlotte to the delight of her parents, Maggie and Jan Thwaites of McConnell.  She weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20.5 inches long.  Big sister, Libby, who is two years old, finds it very exciting to have a new sister, and equally exciting to have grandparents in town to pamper her a bit while helping with the new arrival.

Georgie’s maternal grandparents are Young and Beverly Paik of Cincinnati.  Her paternal grandparents are Peter and Jenny Thwaites and Liza Lyndel of the United Kingdom.  Nana Paik has been in town to help since the birth and Granny Liza will arrive later this month from England and plans to stay a month.  Congratulations to all the family.

60 WONDERFUL YEARS FOR THE HAYS

Could be that diamonds really are forever, as Dot and Sam Hay celebrate their Diamond Anniversary.

Quite an accomplishment for Sam and Dot Hay, who celebrated sixty years of marriage this past Monday, June 22.  They were married on that date in 1949 in the Knowles Memorial Chapel on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.  Raised in Hickory,  Sam graduated from Davidson College (Class of ’44) and started medical school at UNC-Chapel Hill where he met Dot, a Florida gal, on a blind date.  Finishing medical school at Harvard (at that time only two years of med school was available at UNC-CH), Sam married Dot and they began their life together in Virginia where Sam, Jr. and Dorothy were born.

Sam’s fellowship in cardiology at the University of Virginia was interrupted by two years on naval duty in Portsmouth, Va., where he served as an internal medicine doctor.  Following his time in Virginia, Sam joined a medical practice in Toccoa, Ga., continuing as an internal medicine physician.  There he and Dot welcomed two more children:  Fred and Dick.  When the children were older, Dot taught high school Algebra II and trigonometry in the Stevens County schools around Toccoa.

Wanting their move to a retirement center to be “their gift to their children,” the Hays signed up for The Pines when it opened and made the move to Davidson in 2002.  Their youngest, Dick Hay and his wife, Pam, live almost within shouting distance of their apartment.  Their other children are in Cyprus (Sam, Jr.), Lexington, Ky. (Dorothy), and Boone (Fred). (Sam proudly noted that Fred has recently been named the Ann Belk Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies at ASU.)  They also have six grandchildren.

Pam and Dick Hay entertained a small group of family and friends at their Davidson home last Saturday to celebrate the long and happy marriage of his parents.  Dick smiled when he commented that he reminded his dad that the 60th is a diamond anniversary and he had only another 48 hours to find the appropriate gift for Dot, which actually appeared as a paper fold-out diamond on the welcoming poster Sarah Hay created for her grandparents!

What are Sam and Dot Hay doing in their retirement?  At present Dot’s vision is limited but she still enjoys walking, visiting and listening to books on tape. Sam likes to read, hike, bird watch and volunteers regularly at Ada Jenkins free medical clinic.  How glad we are to have the Hays at The Pines and we applaud their noteworthy 60 years of marriage.

AN ANNIVERSARY AND RETIREMENT FOR SCHUHS

Judy and Merle Schuh.

Quite a month for Judy and Merle Schuh of Grey Road.  They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 1 and a few days later, Judy joined Merle in retirement.  Starting with anniversary news, they were married June 1, 1969, in Rapid River, Mich., in the same church where Judy’s parents and grandparents also said their vows.  To celebrate their four decades together, the Schuhs are planning a trip along Alaska’s Inland Passage later this summer.

Shifting to retirement news, Judy has “hung it up” after 33 years teaching in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.  The Schuhs moved to Davidson early in 1975 when Merle took a teaching position in the chemistry department at Davidson College.  Judy soon found employment teaching junior high school English and history at the Street Academy.  (This alternative school for students with discipline or academic difficulties was housed at Ada Jenkins in the late 1970s.)

After three years with the Street Academy, she moved to Smith Junior High on Tyvola Road where she taught French and English for the next 10 years before taking a year’s leave.  During that year she worked as the receptionist during The Pines’ first year of operation.  When a teaching position opened closer to Davidson, Judy returned to the French and drama classrooms for five years at Ranson Junior High, followed by two years at Davidson IB Middle, teaching French and German.  In 1994 she made her final move to North Mecklenburg High School where she taught all levels of high school French until her retirement this month.  Au revoir, Judy.  We know you will be missed!

Merle retired from Davidson College last year and now Judy joins him in a life of leisure – almost.  Judy plans to first clean their house from top to bottom and then think about volunteer possibilities. Merle still make frequent trips to the chemistry lab and during the winter can often be found on the ski slopes out West.  We wish them both the best as they celebrate an anniversary and well deserved retirements.

THIS ‘N THAT

Kira Brice will Teach at Wingate

Congratulations to Kira Brice, daughter of Leamon and Renee Brice, who will begin teaching at Wingate University Pharmacy School in July.  Kira finished Pharmacy School at UNC Chapel Hill two years ago.  She then did a residency at the Durham VA Hospital and also the New Hanover Hospital in Wilmington. In addition to teaching at Wingate, she will proctor students from the school at the Crown Point Family Physicians Clinic in Matthews.  Busy young lady.  Best to you on your new career.

Honk! Honk!

Keeping cool and keeping in line with Mom and Dad

We have known about “gaggles of geese” from childhood when we first heard the story, “Make Way for Ducklings,” by Robert McCloskey.  How about the gaggle currently residing at Roosevelt Wilson Park along Griffith Street?  How cute the ducklings were when first hatched.  We applaud the patience of drivers who stopped to let family groups amble across the asphalt.  Now however there seems to be an endless supply of growing and grown geese and also an endless supply of goose poop.  What next?  Relocation of the aunts and uncles?  Lots of fun to watch but beware where you place your feet!

Send us your news

Have news for Brenda? Write to her at hbarger@bellsouth.net.