Still Crook Hall cronies

Every couple of years, the girls from the third floor of Crook Hall who met in September 1971 get together and reminisce about Ohio University and the fun times they had together as 17- and 18-year-olds.

This past year was particularly memorable since the girls turned 50. In July 2003, they met on the coast of North Carolina at Indian Beach and once again renewed their friendships.

The "Crook Hall Cronies" of the 1970s are, left to right, Virginia Vaughn Popovich, Barb Sheriff Kostohyz, Mary Sweeney Battung, Lari Meltzer Briglia, Cindi Wokety Krebs, Jane Beatty, Julie Cole, Andi Parobek Korinchak and, leaning over, Jamie Cure. Not pictured: Mary Lynn Comte Hope and Christine Ianni-Maistros.

The 11 girls met their freshman year in Crook Hall on West Green. It was a chaotic time at OU, shortly after the Kent State incident. Ohio U had been named by Playboy Magazine as one of the best party schools in the country, and enrollment was at an all-time high. Crammed as many as three to four to a dorm room, the girls came from different parts of the country with different backgrounds. During that first year, they bonded through triumphs and tragedies.

Julie Cole received one of the first athletic scholarships awarded to women, and, as a freshman, was playing on the women's varsity basketball team. That fall, Barb Sheriff Kostohyz got word that her older brother, Ray, a pilot with the U.S. Navy, had died on a training mission. Through these times, they lifted each other up and are still doing so today.

Now, more than 30 years later, the women are all strong and successful. Here is an update on where they are now.

Jane Beatty, BSED '75, lives in Cleveland and works for "The Fitness Experience" selling specialty fitness equipment. She enjoys music and playing golf.

Julie Cole, BSED '75, is the director of instruction at the Dana Rader Golf School in Charlotte, N.C. Before making teaching golf her career, Cole played professionally on the European, Asian and LPGA tours. She has been named one of the top 50 teachers by Golf for Women magazineand one of the top 475 teachers by Golf Magazine.

Mary Lynn Comte Hope, BSED '75, is an academic tutor for sixth- through eighth-graders at Kenston Middle School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Married to Bob Hope, BBA '76, with three children, she loves to read and travel.

Jamie Cure, BSED '75, has been teaching English for 28 years at Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Ohio. She coaches tennis and travels extensively.

Christine Ianni-Maistros, BSED '75, teaches elementary health and physical education in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in the Kenston school district. She is married to Larry and has two stepchildren. She received her master's degree from John Carroll University in 1981.

Lori Meltzer Briglia left Ohio University after two years and completed her studies at the Empire State College of the State University of New York. She is a lab technologist at SUNY Stony Brook's University Medical Center. She is married to Ed and has two teenage children, two adult stepchildren and three grandchildren.

Andi Parobek Korinchak, BSED '75, is in her 29th year of teaching in Cleveland City Schools. She was among classroom teachers who piloted the European learning and listening language program Tomatis in this country. She is married to Steve and has two children, two married stepdaughters and a grandson. She received her master's degree from Cleveland State in 1981.

Barb Sheriff Kostohyz, BSED '74, MED '78, taught at Belpre City Schools for three years, owned and operated a nursery school for 12 years and is now a full-time portrait artist. She has biked for the 5 Points of Life Ride (an awareness ride highlighting five ways you can save a life) and across the United States and Africa. She is married to Tom, BS '72, BSED '74, MS '77, and the couple has three children, the youngest of which is in college.

Mary Sweeney Battung, BSED '75, has been teaching in the Painesville Township, Ohio, school system for 28 years and is a kindergarten teacher at Leroy Elementary. She is married to Jay, and they have two children. She received her master's degree from the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnatiin 1989.

Virginia Vaughn Popovich, BSRS '80, left Ohio University during her junior year and returned in the 1978 to complete her degree. She is a realtor with Cottingham-Chalk & Associates in Charlotte, N.C., and is a member of the board of directors for the Ohio University Alumni Association's Charlotte Chapter. She is married to Peter, MSA '89, and has one teenage daughter. She received her master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1989.

Cindi Wokety Krebs, AB '75, lives in Charlotte, N.C., and is an information systems project manager for Transamerica Reinsurance Co. She did her first sprint triathlon in 2003 at the age of 50. Cindi is married to Bob and loves to travel and play tennis.

What's next for this spirited group of women? It's hard to say, but they surely will continue to be active, progressive and committed to making many more memories with their Crook Hall friends from 1971.

Virginia Popovich, BSRS '80

Charlotte, N.C.