Please welcome Tim Wechsler as a co-administrator of the website, effective today, Feb. 5, 2020.

Welcome Rosemary '58 Classmates

This web site is for all who attended Chevy Chase Elementary School at any time with the class that would graduate in June of 1958. The website was started in January of 2015 and has already helped to organize  several reunions and produce a yearbook. 

If you were with our class at Rosemary during one or more of these years, this web site is for you: 

Kindergarten 1951-52,  First grade 1952-53,  Second grade 1953-54, Third grade 1954-55, Fourth grade 1955-56, Fifth grade 1956-57 or Sixth grade 1957-58.

HOW MANY WERE IN OUR CLASS? See About the Class

RECENT POSTS

Another Successful Boomer Zoomer!

This one without any prerequisites. You need not have read a book -- any book. It's just to chat and get caught up.  

TUESDAY, March 19, 2024 at 4 p.m. EDT

Attendees: Rich, Tim W., George, Roz (from Madrid), John C., Edie (from Edinburgh), Jim, and Diane (our host)

Please welcome Ann McWilliams, our 93rd classmate to join the website.  Go to her page to leave comments for her. Welcome, Ann!  1/18/2024

1/15/2024  This Boomer Zoomer Book discussion was fantastic.  Our class is so rich with experience and knowledge.  The participants were:  Diane (who moderated), Rebecca, Roz, Bonnie, Bobby, Rich, Tim W., Kenny, and Jim McC...y. The event was organized by Diane, Tim, Rich and Jim.  If you have an idea for a book to be discussed, or a different idea for a zoom, please put your suggestions on the Forum page and/or contact  DIANE

Another Boomer Zoomer is in the works.

Based on the book

The Covenant of Water

by Abraham Verghese 

and a general discussion of

Life in India by classmates who have lived or visited there

 Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 4 p.m. EST

Contact DIANE  if you want to be invited.

We have more than just the home page!

Do you have any news, comments, photos you'd like to share?  This isn't FaceBook but if you want to make use of the "FORUM" (Share your stories, photos, ideas and comments with classmates),  literally less than 10,000 classmates will see it. And that's the honest truth.   Be the first to post something in 2023 before this opportunity passes! And read old news from as far back as 2015. 

OLDER POSTS

Here's Rebecca being interviewed by Poet laureate Robert Pinsky at her book launch at the Porter Square Bookstore in Cambridge, Mass. on February 8, 2023. She read several passages from her book to a spellbound crowd of fans and friends. 

Rebecca's debut novel has some points of reference we will all be familiar with. See the Show and Tell page for a message to us about the book and for details about where she will be for book signings and promotions.  To register for the zoom launch Feb. 9, Thursday  7PM EST sign up here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/515186856757

2022 MIDTERM ELECTION CONTEST

GET YOUR PREDICTIONS IN BY 8 P.M. EST TUESDAY

11/9/2022: The polls have closed for this contest but the real votes are still being counted. This might take a long time, including the possibility of a December runoff election in Georgia, but we will try to keep thing updated.

2022 Midterm Elections Questions and Answers

last updated December 19, 2022

When the result has been determined the correct answer will be in bold. Red for Republican, Blue for Democrat, otherwise Purple.

Whether classmates voted according to their fears, their hopes, or their crystal balls, here are their answers (given in percent of those who participated) to the contest's questions:

1) Overall, in the House of Representatives, the Democrats will

Gain seats and keep the majority 0.0%

Keep the majority with with no change in their numbers   0.0%

Lose seats but keep the majority 66.7%

Lose seats and lose the majority  0.0%

Get clobbered 33.3%

2) Overall, in the U.S. Senate the Republicans will

Note: to be determined after the GA runoff in December

Gain seats and get the majority 33.3%

Remain at 50 seats (No change) 33.3%

Loose seats 33.3%

Get clobbered 0.0%

3) U.S. Senate race, Arizona. Who will win? 

Blake Edwards (R) 0.0% 

Sen. Mark Kelley (D) 100 %

4) U.S. Senate race, Georgia. Who will win?* 

Herschel Walker (R) 33.3%

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) 66.7% 

Note:won the runoff election on December 6 

5) U.S. Senate race, Nevada. Who will win? 

Adam Laxalt (R) 33.3%

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) 66.7%

6) U.S. Senate race, Pennsylvania. Who will win? 

John Fetterman (D) 100% 

Mehmet Oz (R) 0.0%

7) U.S. Senate race, Wisconsin. Who will win? 

Mandela Barnes (D) 33.3%

Sen. Ron Johnson (R)   66.7%

8) U.S. Senate race, New Hampshire. Who will win? 

Don Bolduc (R) 33.3%

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) 66.7%

9) Governor of Arizona. Who will win?

Katie Hobbs (D) 66.7% 

Kari Lake (R) 33.3%

10) Governor of Pennsylvania. Who will win?

Doug Mastriano (R) 0.0 %

Josh Shapiro (D) 100%

11) U.S. Senate race, North Carolina. Who will win? 

Cheri Beasley (D) 100% 

Rep. Ted Budd (R) 0.0 %

12) U.S. Senate race, Ohio. Who will win? 

Rep. Tim Ryan (D) 100% 

J.D. Vance (R)  0.0%

Rebecca Kaiser Gibson's book tour, to promote her new book of poetry, Girl as Birch, is posted on our "Show and Tell" page.  The tour begins on April 6 and runs until September 10 and includes in-person and Zoom readings in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and D.C. Check it out. 

An article written by our own Jim Glassman was referenced in a recent email making the rounds in India. Sadly, the threat this article uncovered seems as pervasive today as when it was written 25 years ago.  Read Glassman's Washington Post article from 1997:

DiHydrogen Monoxide: Unrecognized Killer

The chemical is so caustic that it "accelerates the corrosion and rusting of many metals, . . . is a major component of acid rain, {and} . . . has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients." Symptoms of ingestion include "excessive sweating and urination," and "for those who have developed a dependency on DHMO, complete withdrawal means certain death."

If you like, post a comment for Jim G. on the Forum page

BOOMER ZOOMERS

From time to time we hold zoom events on various topics (see below). If you'd like to suggest a topic, please contact Diane McC. P. or Jim McC. Date of the next Zoom: TBA

Zoom #6 Thursday, September 29 4 p.m. Twelve classmates participated: Diane, Tim W., George, Ken, Roz, Bonnie, John C., Bob F., Edie, Ellen, Lisel, Jim.  Diane hosted

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Zoom #5 (Discussion of Carl Bensterin's new book, Chasing History, in which he recalls his early days in the newspaper business (Washington Evening Star) and his life growing up in D.C. and Silver Spring (Montgomery Blair H.S.), roughly covering the period from 1960-1965)  was held on Tuesday 4/26/2022 at 2 p.m.  The 11 participants were: Rich, Tim W., Carden, Edie, Bonnie, David F., Jim H., Jim McC., John C., George and Diane, who led the discussion. 

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Zoom #4 (Poetry with Rebecca) was 2/15/2022. 13 classmates participated. Diane hosted. Rebecca read from her upcoming publication, Girl as Birch, and led the discussion. 

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Zoom #3 was 9/26/2021 Six classmates participated

Diane hosted

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Zoom #2 was 10/24/2020 Nine classmates participated

Tim hosted

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Zoom #1 Last Hurrah 4.1 was 9/19/2020

Tim hosted

Look at our cherry blossoms now!

Photos by Diane McC. P.  April, 2021

9/2/2020  Our trees, growing very well, ready to bloom in 2021 (according to Kris O. R.). Photo courtesy of Kathy McH.. R., who undertook this photography assignment.  Thank you, Kathy.  At the dedication of the planting of these trees (see LH #1 and photo gallery), the arborist told the kids,who had come out to witness and participate in the ceremony, when they looked at the trees in the near future and saw very little growth, to remember that during this period, just like in their own development, they were growing internally and out of sight, putting down strong roots for nourishment, a foundation upon which visible growth would show later.  Let us learn from our trees and be patient for visible change to come after the roots have been established. May the roots of our lives continue to produce glorious blossoms for all to enjoy. 

9/2/2020 Note: 30 classmates have visited the website in the last week.  There are some days when no one is on.  There are others when 15 or 20 are on.  You can make this a more active website by posting something somewhere.   

8/30/20: Please send Tim or Jim some news to post on the Refrigerator Door.  What kind of news, you say?  Check it out to see what other people have sent us. What, we can't post stuff there ourselves? Well, not right there, but on your own profile page or if you like on the Forum Page so more people can see it (like Edie's and Suzy's recent entries), or probably several other places that don't immediately come to mind.  No, this isn't a very sophisticated website, but you knew that all along. Stay connected!

Three Changes to the Class List (May 18, 2020)

Thanks to the sleuthing of Tim Wechsler, and the foresight of his parents to save everything related to Rosemary knowing that one day it might be of use to someone, we finally have the list of students for Mrs. Phillips' Class (grade 4, 1955-1956). With this list we were able to add two new names to our ranks:  Bertie Hla and Alan Lord.  We also have changed the spelling of Ann Seki's name, which had been spelled "Anne Saki." Due to several spelling mistakes on the new list, we can only hope that the latest version of Ann's name is correct.

After some initial research I am quite sure I have found Alan, along with an address and phone number. His dad was assistant rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Bethesda, I believe, among several other churches before and after Rosemary. Playing on a hunch, I think I might have found Bertie on FB.  Bertie's father was a diplomat from Burma. Ann has been a more difficult challenge, but it seems that she might have had a relative (Kunaiki Seki, two years behind us) on the gymnastics team at BCC. Following a different lead, Ann might have settled in Brazil, where according to my best reading of Portuguese, her 95 year old mother passed away recently.  If you remember Alan, Bertie, or anything about the Sekis and would to help with contacting them, please be in touch with Jim.

To see the names of the 19 boys and 14 girls in Mrs. Phillips' class according to the list sent out to parents), please scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the link.

Rosemary West Coast

Mini Reunion Marathon

Last Hurrah3.1, Last Hurrah3.2

Portland/Sacramento/Oakland

Friday, September 27 -

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Oregon. Jim flew to Seattle from Boston. Then took a train 175 miles down from Seattle. Wesley drove up 280 miles from Ashland. Kathleen walked a mile or two from home or maybe took an took an Uber. We all met for breakfast at the historic Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland. 

Jim, Kathleen and Wesley in Portland

Jim M., Shirley and Jim H. in Sacramento

California. The two Jims and Andrea drove 90 miles from Oakland to have lunch with Shirley at her home in Sacramento.  Photo by Andy. Not pictured: Simon the dog. Later that day we met Lisa and guest member David (BCC64) for dinner at a waterfront restaurant in Oakland.

Click here to see more reunion photos

Another Mini-Reunion (Last Hurrah2)

Friday, May 3, 2019

For those who could make it, we had a wonderful two-hour gathering for lunch on Friday, May 3 at LaFerme Restaurant, 7101 Brookville Road, Chevy Chase, at 1:00 p.m.  Click on Photo Gallery to see who was there.

Our Class Brick now adorns the Rosemary terrace.
Thanks to all who contributed!

If you happen to be near the school, why not drop by and see if you can find our brick?  And while you're there, check out the cherry blossom trees we planted in September.  The arborist said it might take a year for the blossoms to appear and the two trees bloom at different times of the year.  If you happen to notice any blossoms yet please take a photo for the website. - March 10, 2019

Read Kris's writeup of the September 2018 Last Hurrah Reunion

60th Anniversary

Last Hurrah1: September 21 and 22, 2018

l-r: The director of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Kathy McH. R., Bonnie M. K., Tim W., Diane McC. P., Jim H., Francie V. K. (kneeling), Rich M., Jim McC., Kris O. R., arborist from Cherry Blossom Festival, John S., another represenative of the Cherry Blossom Festival, Mary Ellen P. Absent from photo: Allie P. C.

Class Dedicates Two Cherry Blossom Trees at outdoor all-school assembly.

Rosemary students admire the plaque that explains our gift of two cherry blossom trees to the school. l-r: Hank P., Rich M., Bonnie M. K., Diane McC. P., Tim W. and Kristen O. R. All five hundred students joined us for the dedication of the trees, which are located between the main entrance and Rosemary circle.  

For more photos of the reunion click on Photo Gallery.

Read about the celebration of the the school's 100th anniversary.

Latest numbers regarding our class (8/27/2018):

200 (approximately) students were ever in our class, for at least for one grade, K-6.

• 180 of those 200 have been identified by name, sometimes by just a first name. We estimate that there are about 20 more classmates whose names we have not yet conjured up.  Some of the unidentified faces appear in the kindergarten and first grade photos in the yearbook and at the bottom of the page. Perhaps some of these faces belong to classmates who have already been identified. We don't know. Maybe you can help.
  • 29 of those 180 are known to be or presumed to be deceased
• 151 are presumed to be living
  • 90 (60% of the known living classmates) are members of the website. In all, 92 have joined but 2 have since passed away.
  • 61 have yet to join. Of these
    • 31 classmates we have some information for, but
    • 30 classmates we have no information for whatsoever.
  • To see who those 61 are, please go to "More info on missing classmates"

ALL THE YEARBOOK PHOTOS IN ONE FILE

NEW 9/19/2016: Search for classmates in the yearbook. We have put the yearbook photos on the website as one PDF, which you can search just like any other PDF file.  This is on a page restricted to classmates only. See the new link at the left, just below "photo gallery" and look through all of the photos with identifications as they were as of publication time, September 2, 2015.  If you can make any corrections or additions, please find the class photo at the bottom of this home page to make your edits.  Guesses are welcome! If we get enough participation in this effort, we will update the yearbook photos with all the corrections.

Our Yearbook cover by Carden Holland. The framed original was presented to the school at our 2015 reunion.

2015 REUNION

Read the Story in Washington Post about our reunion. See all the reunion photos in "Photo Gallery"

2018 GOALS:

1. Find everyone who was ever in our class and encourage them to join the website. 100 classmates by June, 2018.
2. Find out who has passed on and post memorial information about them.
3. Identify by name every face in all our photos.
4. Get Mrs. Phillips' class photo -- the one photo we still don't have.
5. Have a social event in the DC area each year.
6. Keep this website growing and active through September of 2018, after which we will have to renew the license with classcreator. If we want to keep it free of advertisements, it will be expensive. Otherwise, the charge is nominal.

Progress as of October 4, 2018

1. We have contact information for more than 100 classmates. Of the 93 that have joined the website, three have since passed away. The 100 members goal was not reached by June of 2018  but it still remains a goal.  We have not welcomed a new classmate for about a year. 
2. To date we have confirmed the passings of 29 classmates. See "In Memory." Please write a comment if you are moved to do so.
3. We have made a single PDF of all the yearbook class photos, with the identifications at the time of publication. This file will allow you to search for any classmate and blow up the photos to a larger size to make identification easier.  Corrections and additions can be entered by clicking on the appropriate class toward the bottom of the home page. 
4. Still no progress in getting Mrs. Phillips' class photo. Go to Mrs. Phillips' photo page below to see who we think was in her class. Someone out there has this photo! Now we're beginning to think that for some reason, this photo was not distributed to students and it wasn't retaken.
5. We had a reunion attended by 27 classmates and 14 spouses in September of 2015. There was a mini-reunion on Feb 24 and 25, 2017 attended by 12 classmates and 5 spouses. We had a micro-reunion on April 10, 2016.  Many people continue to have small get togethers as a result of being reunited through the website and reunions. Classmates have found other connections through this website, such as learning that they have mutual friends or interests. We had a 60th anniversary reunion in September of 2018. For all the details see the special page devoted to it.
6. The website will continue but starting in the second week of October, 2018, we will go back to having advertisements because we do not have the money to pay for the ad-free option.   

ALL THE LINKS TO THE YEARBOOK PHOTOS ARE ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. Please find yourself in the photos and help us to make corrections and new identifications.

• You can post and read comments on the In Memory page?
• You can post general comments on the Forum page?
• We are still identifying classmates in the class photos and then posting corrections and additions to what was published in the yearbook? See the bottom of this page and the Revisions, Additions to Yearbook page.
• You can send a message to any member on the website? "Send a private message to ___" It is not as quick as email but the message will be waiting for them in their message center.
• There is useful information on the First Time Visitors page?

WE ARE STILL MAKING IDENTIFICATIONS IN THE PHOTOS.

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AND HELP IF YOU CAN.

Faculty  (c.1957) -- probably does not include all of our teachers and probably includes teachers we didn't have, but this is all we have at present.

Kindergarten 1951-52:

• Miss Armstrong, Morning
• Miss Armstrong, Afternoon
• Mrs. Lesch, Morning
• Mrs. Lesch, Afternoon

First Grade 1952-53:

• Mrs. Marshall
• Mrs. Moeller
• Mrs. Neilson (Miss Lang)
• Mrs. Rohland

Second Grade 1953-54:

• Mrs. Fox
• Mrs. Guy
• Miss Kenney
• Mrs. Moeller

Third Grade 1954-55:

• Mrs. Bright
• Mrs. Fox
• Mrs. Heavener
• Mrs. Zearfoss
• Tonette Band
  • Tonettes left side
  • Tonettes right side

Fourth Grade 1955-56:

• Mrs. Clendenin
• Miss Kellar
• Mrs. Phillips ------ Updated May 20, 2020 but still in need of photo
• Miss Shane

Fifth Grade 1956-57:

• Mrs. Campbell
• Mrs. Guernsey
• Mrs. Irvine
• Mrs. Newman

Sixth Grade 1957-58:

• Mrs. Gehman
• Mrs. Gray
• Miss Kellar
• Mrs. Workman
• Cafeteria Patrol
• Safety Patrol

PDF Downloads:

• Chevy Chase Walking Tour
• Architectural Tour Town of Chevy Chase
• Map of the DC Metro

Links: