60th Reunion Celebrant Coming Home

It’s been six decades since Betty Hofmann O’Connor, Class of 1959, has been back to Hamden Hall. But she’s making the trip from her home in New Orleans to attend her 60^th class reunion luncheon on Oct. 11.

Betty is a “Lifer”—having attended Hamden Hall from Kindergarten to Grade 12. She shares that distinction with her sister, the late Susan Hofmann Beasley, Class of 1962.

Betty recalls that her father, a principal in the Hofmann Furniture in Haven, would drop the girls off on his way to work. “We lived on Ridge Road and in those days, we were back in the Flintstones era—anywhere convenient on my dad’s way to work was good enough for us—and Hamden Hall was the closet school.”

Lucky for Betty—as she recalls years of nurturing and lifelong learning at Hamden Hall under the caring eyes of E. Stanley Taylor and his wife, teachers Marjorie Stewart, Ernie Russ, and Bea Westerfield.

“They gave us a good academic background but also taught us life skills. Good manner are appreciated later in life,” Betty said.

For Betty, her path from Hamden Hall eventually led to a degree in physical therapy from UConn and a long career in the field. Her late husband, Paul Gregory, who died in 2012, also shared in her career path. The couple moved to “The Big Easy” in 1965.

Betty looks forward to being back on the Hamden Hall campus, where she notes that her father, after selling the furniture business, taught for a few years before heading to Yale University to join the physics faculty.

Betty is excited to return to campus and see how things have changed. She also hopes that former friends and classmates will join her for lunch on Friday, Oct. 11, in the Swain Library. Happy 60^th, Betty! We’re looking forward to your homecoming!