Walter Johnson High School Class of 1966

Classmates

The most important part of this effort is to reconnect with friends in the great class of 1966. As Baby Boomers, think about what we’ve experienced, from learning cursive with cartridge pens to posting Instagram images with our smart phones; from learning about JFK’s assassination during the school day to watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11; and for many of us, going from worrying about prom dates to welcoming grandchildren into our lives. It’s an amazing time to be living! Let’s celebrate and share.

Please complete your profile here.

Your contact information will be hidden, and secure. This website is maintained by our committee, not an outside commercial outfit. It will only be used with your permission for the 50th Reunion Book we will put together for attendees of the 50th Reunion.Those who are unable to attend the Reunion in the spring of 2016 will be able to order the Reunion Book.

Please post your bio and comments. Confirm your name, add your memories, observations, and reflections. Upload a recent picture. With your permission, these will be included in the 50th reunion memory book. THINK BACK and share your thoughts about last 50 years: high school, friends, the '60s, family, growing up in Bethesda. Have fun with this! Also, take a look at the “High School Life” section. We’d love to use those in our class book as well. It’s easy to upload and caption them.

Use the "send a message" feature to contact friends, and your email will appear for them to respond. HAVE FUN RECONNECTING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!

Please note: the reunion committee reserves the option to edit or revise entries for spelling, grammar, and length.

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Virginia Cothran (Wolfe)

Then

Now

Marital status:	Married
Children:	3
Occupation:	Retired MA Psychologist Emeritus, Clinical Supervisor
Comment: After graduation from college ( Duke University) and marriage, my husband , Tom ( from Charleston, SC), and I lived for a year and a half in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He worked at an English language newspaper, The Buenos Aires Herald, and I taught English at Berlitz. We visited Antarctica while in Buenos Aires. It was quite an adventure! Then we moved to Atlanta where my husband joined the Associated Press. Our first daughter was born there. Following that, we moved to Columbia, SC where our two other daughters were born. Then my husband was transferred to Minneapolis, MN where we continue to live. After several years, he left the AP and we moved to Topsham, England for a year. We returned to Minneapolis. My husband worked in public relations, and I became a Masters level psychologist now psychologist emeritus. I worked for twenty years with folks having serious and persistent mental illness. Now we are both retired and spending some of the year at a beach outside of Charleston, SC, and some of the year in MN. Two daughters live in MN. Our other daughter lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband and two children. Our eldest daughter makes greeting cards, our middle daughter is a marketing Vice President for Olson, and our youngest daughter is a cardiac care nurse. They and the grandchildren have brought us much happiness. The first and only WJ reunion I attended was the 40th which I enjoyed. I have spent many years away from MD. I enjoyed my years at WJ especially my friends and work on the yearbook, Service Corps, and other clubs. It took me a while to realize that those of us from Kensington Junior High were in the minority! I do remember that we were all in a track system. It was both amusing and disturbing to find I was in an "over achievers" class in senior English. I kept wondering just how we did that and what exactly it meant! I am looking forward to the reunion and seeing classmates from years ago.

Katherine Coughenour (Nelson)

Then

Occupation:	Quaker Chemical Corp
Comment: From the 40th reunion: Went to Penn, graduated with a BA in Chemistry (College for Women did NOT give a BS; my, how times have changed). Married right after college to Glenn, a Chem E. major at Penn. Married now 36 years. Went to U of Delaware for a Masters in Chemistry. After initially dabbling in two areas using analytical chemistry (Art Conservation - Winterthur Museum, analyzing Paul Revere Tankards - and Pharmaceuticals, in the Smith Kline and French Days), I ended up in industrial chemistry where I have been ever since. I am now a Product Manager at Quaker Chemical- a manufacturer of lubricants mainly for the Metalworking and Steel Industries. Lots of travel to scenic Detroit to see the Big Three automakers. I am in the typical crunch of middle management - downsizing occurs often and there is more work with fewer resources. I enjoy it, but I also put in a lot of extra time. Husband had a long career at ARCO Chemical, taking an early retirement when the company was acquired. He now consults for the chemical industry as well as being active in Habitat for Humanity and our Church. We have lived in the Philadelphia area (mainly Bryn Mawr) almost the entire time except for a short 5 year stint with ARCO in Houston. We have two wonderful children, through which we live somewhat vicariously. Both graduated from Yale. Daughter Corinne (28) went to GW Law and is an attorney in Washington DC at a midsized firm (McKenna, Long and Aldridge) doing corporate litigation. She is married to her love, Mike, also from Yale, who worked on Capitol Hill for several years before recently becoming part of the lobbying world. No grandchildren yet. Son Evan (24) had an especially wonderful college career in part because he was a member of the a cappella community, first with the Baker's Dozen and then with the Yale Whiffenpoofs, the senior a cappella men's group. A school year of numerous performances all over the country (from the Today show to the White House) culminated in a 90 day World Tour over the summer in 2005, where he visited 27 cities and gave over 60 concerts. He graduated with a double major in psychology and music; played on the Lacrosse team for two years before making the hard choice to concentrate on the musical end of things. With two nearly consecutive undergrads in New Haven, we went up I-95 to Connecticut more times than I can count during the last 10 years. Evan is now working in the two-year program at Teach for America, teaching 6th grade in an Anacostia (SE Washington DC) charter school. So far, it is quite a challenge but hopefully will be very rewarding. So both kids are now in Washington area. Other than work and daily family activities, which in truth have occupied most of my adult life, I enjoy cooking, the arts (theater, dance and art), walking and travel. We have taken many a family vacation to National Parks and have done enough international travel to whet our appetite for travel during retirement.

Occupation:

Quaker Chemical Corp

Comment: From the 40th reunion:

Went to Penn, graduated with a BA in Chemistry (College for Women did NOT give a BS; my, how times have changed).

Married right after college to Glenn, a Chem E. major at Penn. Married now 36 years.

Went to U of Delaware for a Masters in Chemistry. After initially dabbling in two areas using analytical chemistry (Art Conservation - Winterthur Museum, analyzing Paul Revere Tankards - and Pharmaceuticals, in the Smith Kline and French Days), I ended up in industrial chemistry where I have been ever since. I am now a Product Manager at Quaker Chemical- a manufacturer of lubricants mainly for the Metalworking and Steel Industries. Lots of travel to scenic Detroit to see the Big Three automakers. I am in the typical crunch of middle management - downsizing occurs often and there is more work with fewer resources. I enjoy it, but I also put in a lot of extra time.

Husband had a long career at ARCO Chemical, taking an early retirement when the company was acquired. He now consults for the chemical industry as well as being active in Habitat for Humanity and our Church. We have lived in the Philadelphia area (mainly Bryn Mawr) almost the entire time except for a short 5 year stint with ARCO in Houston.

We have two wonderful children, through which we live somewhat vicariously. Both graduated from Yale.

Daughter Corinne (28) went to GW Law and is an attorney in Washington DC at a midsized firm (McKenna, Long and Aldridge) doing corporate litigation. She is married to her love, Mike, also from Yale, who worked on Capitol Hill for several years before recently becoming part of the lobbying world. No grandchildren yet.

Son Evan (24) had an especially wonderful college career in part because he was a member of the a cappella community, first with the Baker's Dozen and then with the Yale Whiffenpoofs, the senior a cappella men's group. A school year of numerous performances all over the country (from the Today show to the White House) culminated in a 90 day World Tour over the summer in 2005, where he visited 27 cities and gave over 60 concerts. He graduated with a double major in psychology and music; played on the Lacrosse team for two years before making the hard choice to concentrate on the musical end of things. With two nearly consecutive undergrads in New Haven, we went up I-95 to Connecticut more times than I can count during the last 10 years.

Evan is now working in the two-year program at Teach for America, teaching 6th grade in an Anacostia (SE Washington DC) charter school. So far, it is quite a challenge but hopefully will be very rewarding.

So both kids are now in Washington area.

Other than work and daily family activities, which in truth have occupied most of my adult life, I enjoy cooking, the arts (theater, dance and art), walking and travel. We have taken many a family vacation to National Parks and have done enough international travel to whet our appetite for travel during retirement.

Marilyn Couture (Taylor)

Then

Comment: From the 40th reunion:

After graduating from WJ, went to the U of MD, unfortunately didn't study much but learned how to play pinochle.....unfortunately didn't graduate either! Went to work, married at the young age of 20 (one month shy of my 21^st birthday) and had my first child, Patrick, at the ripe old age of 23. Was a stay at home Mom until he was 4 then went back to work full time.

Divorced first husband after 7 years of marriage, then remarried at age 30 to a wild guy named Roger and we've been together since. Worked some more then had 2 more children, Linda and Michael. Stayed at home with them as much as possible, but did some part time work so I could be with adults and not sing songs from Sesame Street all the time! Went back to full time work in '95 and except for a 6 month hiatus, have been working full time since. My work history has been mainly in the administrative field. Currently I'm a Sr. Administrative Assistant for one of the VP's at Lockheed Martin Corp HQ in Bethesda, just a stone's throw away from WJ.

Patrick (last name Blackwood from 1st marriage) is now 35, married and has a son, my grandson, Ryan age 6, and is a financial manager for a Jeep dealership in Frederick , MD. Linda is 23 and is completing her last 2 years of college at Salisbury University majoring in exercise science. She graduated from Montgomery College and worked full time prior to starting at Salisbury this fall. Michael is 20 and currently attending Montgomery College and working part-time with his Dad at Columbia Country Club. After MC he plans to attend the University of Baltimore to complete his studies in computing and web design.

Not as interesting as some of the other bios but have had a great time along the way and have been very blessed! Oh, I forgot to mention, we also have an 11 year old mixed lab named Buster who has brought a lot of joy into our lives!

Marilyn

Sharon Covington (Nickel)

Then

Now

Occupation:	self-employed and Director, Psychological Support Services at Shady Grove Fertility
Comment: I met and married Barry Covington (Whitman '66) upon graduating from UofMD in 1970. I received my Master's in Social Work degree from UofMD in 1973 and have been practicing as a clinical social worker every since. I have a specialty in reproductive health counseling and have edited and written several textbooks on the subject. We have 3 grown children, all went to Boston College and who happily have remained in the area closeby. Two are married and we have 4 (and one more on the way) grandkids which makes our life very happy and full. My youngest daughter has joined me in my clinical practice, which is wonderful to share with her. All in all, life is good!

Occupation:

self-employed and Director, Psychological Support Services at Shady Grove Fertility

Comment: I met and married Barry Covington (Whitman '66) upon graduating from UofMD in 1970. I received my Master's in Social Work degree from UofMD in 1973 and have been practicing as a clinical social worker every since. I have a specialty in reproductive health counseling and have edited and written several textbooks on the subject. We have 3 grown children, all went to Boston College and who happily have remained in the area closeby. Two are married and we have 4 (and one more on the way) grandkids which makes our life very happy and full. My youngest daughter has joined me in my clinical practice, which is wonderful to share with her. All in all, life is good!