An age-auguring 60th birthday party was held last October for Ken ALNWICK at the Meredith Vineyard in Countryside VA. Numerous manifestations of nascent Alzheimers were obvious from those written comments sent by various classmates, with estimates of total attendees ranging from 2.3 per household to a mini-googol. "Absent-mindedness is everywhere. This is like a replay of the Roman Blast, with drunkenness rampant. Wild group!" (Background source opting not to be identified.) Mike A. CLARKE stated that "the most poignant thing have heard at Ken's 60th is that it was 42 years ago when Bob BADGER taught Norm HALLER how to fold a toothpaste tube to make sure that he got it all out. Brings a tear to the eye, doesn't it?" From an otherwise stoic Jerry DE LA CRUZ I think I'm having a good time. WHERE AM I? I feel so old! Al JOHNSON's 62!

And, this from an ersatz Balzac---"The sun is just setting over the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As we gray-hairs gather, the years seem to just melt away, and the good times seem as if they were only yesterday." Quote from Mr. ALNWICK (let's just bow our heads as we contemplate the potentially deleterious impact which those sybaritic voluptuaries could have on our 40th reunion). This quarter's What I Am Famous for Award: "In addition to being the world's greatest airlifter, I am best known as the American Sumo Champion. In typically heroic fashion, I defeated a 380-pound Japanese wrestler named Shinko. Heublein sponsored a drink-and-eat-fest at the Officers Club on the Island of Honshu in the Land of the Rising Sun, and my subsequent infamy filtered to AFHQ which brought a veiled threat back, that further showing-of-my-butt (one wears a muashi when sumo wrestling) might be somewhat costly to a full career. My other 'fame-claim' was as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Working Spouses, which brought the wrath of all the four-star wives--sounds like the story of Pierre the Bridge Builder, doesn't it?" (That from Tony BURSHNICK, who was too mod­est to mention that he was also awarded the Henry H. Arnold Sword when we graduated.)

Refreshing to hear from Gary Gunnar GULBRANSEN (Pistol Club 4, 3, 2, 1) of Santa Barbara: "I'm on the slippery slope to age 60 and retirement next year(RC to Goose: don't buy any green bananas, if you get my drift). John Glenn at 76 may be taking a Space Shuttle ride; but, I will never fly as an airline captain again. Ready to retire, and had great fun for 26 years with PanAm. (Motto: We got YOU there, but WE didn't make it!) After running that “PanAm Puppy" into the ground, I luckily made a lateral transfer to Delta in '91 and became a colleague of sage George PUPICH. Just hoping the MD-11 stays in the LAX base until September '98 so I don't have to go back to school again. Having been issued one wife 30 years ago and keeping her, retirement should be comfortable."

CT DOUGLASS III reverted from captain to flight engineer after hitting 60 and moved from Kentucky to Vancouver WA where he commutes to SLC for his Delta 727 flying gigs. It's cheaper in Washington for sales tax, and he's apparently saved enough to build a French-style chateau for lovely wife, Brenda and their six-year ­old son DAX. Brendas a "room mother," son CT's joined the Marine Corps Re­serves, Brian (34) is still single and an a VP of a casualty insurance firm in L.A., while Sandi (32) is an F-16 IP at Luke.

Wayne (nickname: Killer) KENDALL has his medical practice in the Springs and writes that "My business is called Aviation and Preventive Medicine Associates, which provides aeromedical consultations to the pilots of Fed Ex, UPS, Airborne Express, and Southwest Airlines. I help pilots find appropriate medical evaluation after a major medical problem, and then present their case to the FAA for recer­tification. I deal with many USAFA grads, but so far none from our class (they're all reaching the 60-year point and have had to either retire or fly sideways). I am very fortunate to continue my flight surgeon practice in the civilian world--not many physicians do this kind of work. If any classmates want to call, just ask for the Killer." (RC: color me paranoid, but I find it somewhat unsettling to know that my doctor--someone who's taken the Hippocratic oath, and into whose hands I have placed my life--has the nickname Killer.)

Heard from Gerry GAMMILL, now in Abilene TX since retirement from the USAF in 1986: "I became VP for a company operating commercial and retail unat­tended gasoline stations in Texas, Arizona, Hawaii. I'm now starting my own company to provide fuel-and-environmental-management services to corpora­tions which have their own fleets and fuel tanks--and, just maybe get involved in building/managing unattended stations for supermarkets and wholesale clubs. We've got three children. Greg, wife Terry, and three talented grandkids live in Tampa FL where Greg's in construction. Sharon lives near Dallas and is an auditor with Farm Credit Administration and her husband is VP with Associates Finan­cial. Daughter Jill and her husband live in Plano TX, where he's a GM for Sam's Wholesale Club and Jill is fulltime as a mother."

Class President-for-life Andi BIANCUR graced us with a photo of his Mooney 20F, which although IFR-equipped he goes to great lengths to avoid flying in weather. Karen was talking with him at dinner following the Army-AFA game last November: Q: "Did you fly in the Springs on your Mooney?" A: "No ... I came commercial and leave tomorrow on Delta!" (Aren't we all glad he's not our airline pilot?). Details on his aircraft: 2,950 hours on the engine, he's added a three-bladed prop, it goes 150 mph and burns 8 gph, seats four with an available cabin load of 1,200 pounds. (Andi and others have been promoting a Class Commemorative Project, all ultimately tied in to our cheery deaths. My tag-on proposal, if you're not already afflicted with "donor-fatigue": howsa-bout a TONTINE--don't try to say that on an empty stomach--in which the last living member of our class would receive all the monies contributed?)

Walter Leonidas FUTCH writes from Lompoc CA, where he's been a true man of leisure since February 1996: "I came out here in 1981 to help Martin-Marietta launch the shuttle from the West Coast. After the Challenger accident, I took a job with ITT Federal Services Corp helping manage the AF missile launches. In 1995 the Air Force decided to make the MIS function which I was in charge of a small business set-aside, so I said ENOUGH! So far the stock market has been good to me. I am enjoying life to its fullest and planning a third career. Taking courses in growing grapes and making/cooking with wine, which are booming businesses here in Santa Barbara County. Given my enjoyment of the grape, it seems a perfect match, although the thought of work of any kind does not excite me. In addition to the courses, I have been actively involved in establishing a nonprofit foundation to expand our district libraries. We received our first grant and just started a fund drive." Walt and Marti plan a trip to England and Scotland this year, primarily to visit Marti's "Campbell roots" in Scotland, visit local art museums and wineries. They recently visited Mike and Ruby MCCALL up in Vacaville. Daughter Elizabeth (29) lives in Santa Cruz, William (30) lives in D.C. See you-all at the 40th reunion!.

Russ MACDONALD (winner of the highly-coveted Amelia Earhart Award) writes that he and Barbara have three married daughters, eight grand children, and that "being a property manager in the college town of Blacksburg VA is like being a base commander without a staff-recruiter, civil engineer, comptroller, and most importantly, provost marshal!" Russ ran the Quantico Marine Corps Marathon in 3:49 (is that in days, or weeks, Russ?) and his serious hobby is a 1957 Thunderbird which he both drives and shows, having won some regional and national awards plus numerous trophies at local car shows.

Potpourri. Always alert column-reader George FRIES recently ran a 5K in 33 minutes with his 14-year-old daughter in a PTA fundraiser, which will give you some notion as to the level of excitement in George's life ... MINISKI VII included the semi-desultory Al JOHNSON Ski School and took place 2-9 March, reaching a "critical mass" by skiing Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Deer Valley, Park City, and Wolf Mountain ... Dean BRISTOW recently finished a FOD (Foreign Ob­ject Damage, don't even ask) walk at Pope AFB as part of an open house ... Cres SHIELDS and wife, Mary, sold their real estate business in the Springs, and are now living in the Carmel Valley on the lovely Monterey Peninsula. He's coaching at the local golf school, both still sell real estate, and Mary's getting her doctorate in mythology ... Karen and I visited Boston over Christmas ... Derry and Faith ADAMSON are still in Marietta GA, although Derry's started a new job with Lockheed-Martin working on the C-27 (twin-engine C-130) ... Sid and Marvann NEWCOMB just moved from Elgin, TX to La Porte, TX--where Sid's gone into the food business, "producing 500+ breakfast tacos and burritos each weekday, and distributing them to 30+ convenience stores in the Galveston area" ... by the time you read this, I'll be in Tucson, AZ at the Colorado Rockies Spring Training Camp (watching, not playing.) Bye ...