Currently: 35°F
It’s 10 a.m. on a Friday in October as I prepare to log on to a Zoom call. This meeting isn’t a typical, run-of-the-mill team check-in with an agenda to follow, tasks to report on and new assignments to dole out; it’s a reunion of a close-knit group of alumnae from the classes of 1972 and 1973 who’ve stayed in touch primarily through letters for many years.
Almost as soon as the call begins, so do the jokes, laughs and talking over each other. There are just as many quick interjections, nicknames and cheerful greetings. Even after nearly 50 years of consistent communication, there is, evidently, a lot to catch up on.
This group of friends call themselves the Millersville Sisters: a name that captures the sororal affection that is so clearly present between them across the miles, time zones and screens.
While not everyone is on the call today, there are 13 Millersville Sisters in total: Marilyn (Deloplaine) Barmore ’73, Rosemarie (Tuscano) Dobbs ’73, Jan (Musselman) Johnson ’73, Susan (Border) Medasia ’73, Joy (Hartman) Wolfe ’73, Marcia (Wenger) Kreider ’73, Gail (Weinman) Harker ’73, Donna (Johnston) Force ’72, Martha (Henry) Wittstruck ’73, Diane (Fargo) Rug ’73, Betty Ann (Gardner) Young ’73, Karen “Peachy” (Souder) Smith ’73 and Vickie (Ober) Risser ’73.
The initial girl group met while living together on the third floor of Gilbert Hall, now known as Lehigh Hall. “It might have been the cookies Marilyn had hidden in her drawer,” says Wittstruck, adding, “And I wanted to escape my dorm room.”
Whatever the case, slowly, friends of friends were brought into the fold. “We all really liked each other,” says Barmore. “We laughed and joked and ended up in each other’s rooms, and Rose would throw my boyfriend’s picture in the wastebasket” – a quick pause for more giggles – “Can you girls put a finger on what it was that brought us together?”
“The mealtimes were something,” interjects Young. “Because you didn’t want to eat by yourself. I know for me, I probably wouldn’t have eaten if I was alone. But having so much company made a difference.”
Proximity and natural chemistry may have brought them together, but it wasn’t the only thing they had in common. These remarkable women went on to find themselves working in education as teachers in elementary education, special education, English as a second language, in libraries, and at preschools and colleges. All the sisters claim at least two decades of service in education.
Another commonality they share is the desire to stay in touch. The frequency of the letters that began in 1986 has changed over the years, but their connection has not. Through their letters, reunions, vacations and, now, a monthly Zoom meeting, they’ve poured their hearts out to each other. “It’s so nice knowing we have the ear of everyone,” shares Kreider. “When you get that letter, you can hear their voices come through. Everyone writes in their own voice. And sometimes it’s easier to pour things out on paper than it is face-to-face. Over the years, several of us have supported spouses dealing with similar health issues, and it helped me to feel like I wasn’t alone. It’s just so comforting.”
Through letters, they’ve shared their burdens and woes and, of course, good news. The arrival of new grandchildren is always an anticipated topic and, as Dobbs cheerfully chimes in, “I was the last of the bunch to get married at the age of 43, so that was a biggie.”
Even during this Zoom call, there’s breaking news. Joy Wolfe joins the call, and the sisters quickly chime in to let her know her microphone is muted and offer instructions on how to turn it on. “You’ll have to come off mute unless you use sign language,” quips Wittstruck. “Well, speaking of sign language, I must leave now because I have to go practice sign language because I’m taking a course on it,” shares Harker. The happy exclamations, laughs and “You’re kidding!” remarks begin anew. “Next time I’m on this Zoom, I’ll sign to you,” she promises as she logs off.
There is warmth between these friends that radiates off the screen, and Kreider says it best: “I don’t feel like we’ve been separated by miles or years. Our friendship brings us together.”
