Sad news first. Gary Francis CREW died July 28th in Denver's Porter Hospital. He had an angioplasty July 8, 1998 followed by two open-heart surgeries, minor stoke, and four operations. Services were held at the USAFA Chapel 8/1/98 with inter­ment at our cemetery.

Ron DEEP (Honor Rep 2,1) writes: "Still teaching probability and statistics, arti­ficial intelligence, and operations research at the University of Dayton's School of Engineering. Carolyn and I went to Europe and were met in Munich by Gary and Susan GULBRANSEN, who drove us down to Garmish. We then took a train to Italy while Gary and Susan returned for the Kentucky Derby. Touring the Roman Coliseum and Forum was fabulous, stirring memories of the (RosAl) toga parties! Carolyn and I'll see you at the 40th reunion."

Goose and Ron dwarfing Ludwig's Castle

Social Swirl. The Twoth Annual Potato Fest (R: as always, I disavow making this up) was held July 2 & 3 in downtown Monument CO. Classmates living in this megalopolis (land's cheap, water's plentiful, food stamps easily obtained) are the KENDALLs, YATESes, GLAZA, WARACKs, and SCHEHRs. Potatoes--check the spell­ing with Danny Quayle--were submitted for prizes in the categories of baked, casseroles, or miscellaneous. (R: locals regard this event as virtually comparable to Madame Curie's invention of the transistor radio). Killer KENDALL had a potato in the back of his bathing suit, PUPICH fed YATES Slivovitz--that's agent Or­ange with an unprocessed effluent spiked with liberal doses of Sarin--and al­ways-clever-column-contributor Barbara KENDALL (nickname: Scoop) provided the benefits of her watchful eye by reporting that "I kept my eyes peeled!" (R: Get it? If not, I'll write a little slower) ...

Next on the whirl of social activity here in the Rockies was the Wine and Cheese Festival in Winter Park August 1st. Ron and Connie YATES and daughter Kristy invited Karen and I to their Iron Horse Lodge condo for curdling some cheese and to drink lotsa wine. (When you're seeking the companionship of a congenial couple to ride several hundred miles over the hills and dales of Mother Nature's more treacherous trails which even Lewis & Clark wouldn't attempt to hurdle, contact the YATESes. They're serious mountain bikers.) Note: If you've got a spe­cial event you'd like to report (Mushroom Day, Flat Earth Society meeting, Pan­cake Dinner of the Mars Society), send details to my Society Editor, Ms. Da Meaner.

WHAT I AM FAMOUS FOR AWARD. "I've been a good rifle shot all my life. Used to hunt deer, and when in my 20's did a bit of mountain climbing and wanted to hunt bighorn sheep. In the '60s, I built a rifle specially designed for sheep hunt­ing. A 1917 Winchester Enfield, I installed a 25-caliber barrel and chambered it for 30-07, meaning that it can zero at 300 yards, shoots two inches high at 150 yards; and, I developed a longing to re-enact a Paleolithic hunting ritual. I'm a fraction American Indian with a grandfather named Eagle, and started dreaming about hunting bands moving from Siberia across Alaska to Colorado en route to Mexico. The mountain sheep in Alaska--Dall sheep--are white all year and hard to hunt but not to see. So, I spent 10 days in 1996 seeking sheep. 100-mile bush plane flight into a remote no-load camp in the Wrangell Mountains and 20 miles on a horse to a base camp. Me, a guide, and wrangler for the eight horses. I'd tuned the rifle and planned taking just one bullet. I'd only take a sure shot. We and three wild horses chased one sheep up and down a few thousand feet of cliffs next to the Carl Glacier for about five days. He saw us and moved away before I could get within 300 yards; finally making a mistake, I got in a quick shot. That sheep fell over 1,000 feet down the mountain. We went back to camp and I took this picture the next morning." (Jack BRUSH)

Jack and Friend

Norman Cope ALEXANDER says he's "still pushing a rope at Parker-Hannifin, ready to retire but short some green. I do carefully invest in my ability to pick six correct numbers each Wednesday and Saturday night, however. My oldest, Suzanne, and her husband are in England with Boeing. She quit several years ago but starts back next month. He's on the Nimrod program, and they find they really like living overseas. Debbie and I spent 10 days over there last fall for a super visit. Our second daughter, Mitzi, and her family live in Aurora, and we visit often since the greatest grandkids in the world are there. Just returned from an Alaskan inner passage cruise followed by a few days with our former pastor and his family in anchorage--Debbie's first cruise, and she's ready for another. John BROWNING and I are happy hiding out here in Weatherford TX; we haven’t yet decided if we'll join you old people any time soon."

Walt FUTCH and wife, Marti, told me about their recent enjoyable time in En­gland. A week in London, Stratford-on-Avon to see Twelfth Night, York and the English Motorway to Edinburgh for three days and Inverness, then across to the Isle of Skye and Inverary, finally to Glasgow four days and back to London. Walt's working on a fund-raising drive for their local Lompoc CA library and went in mid-July to Sacramento for a reunion of his last USAF flying squadron with Ken and Carol BIEHLE.

Ken and Carol, Marti and Walt

Seems that England's the current destination of choice. Frank (Water polo Club 2,1) and Eve MAYBERRY spent the summer with Eve's brother in West Sussex, Isle of Wight (not Wong), Exeter to research Frank's ancestors, North Devon in an on­site van at Ilfracombe, East Anglia, Cambridge's colleges, Yorkshire, returning to Colorado in late October.

Contest. A lot of our classmates--and here I'm not at liberty to say exactly how many, although their numbers are rapidly approaching single-digit proportions--have asked: When are you (Rosie) going to have a contest? One in which we can win valuable prizes? The answer is: NOW! So, who can recall those classmates with nicknames conforming to sobriquets connoting the abilities to run, crawl, swim or ignite upon impact? Who was the Gnome? Roach? Rat? Whale? Dolphin? Duck? Hawk? Bear? Pig? Seal? Gnat? Wedge? Mole? Panda? Snake? Germ? Flea? Fish? Goose? Shep? Chik? (Was there also a manatee, cormorant, or gnu? Naaahhh--those were some bottom feeders from '59). 1st Prize: You'll be flown back to picturesque Ponca City, OK on "Wing and a Prayer Airways" (motto: "Our Pilots are Really Young, but our Planes are a lot older"), provided semi-modern lodging at the Just Dropped Inn for two nights, and receive discount breakfast coupons at Betty's Bar-B-Q and Grits Palace ("Mandarin/Peruvian/African/Basque/Russian/ Soul Food is Our Specialty"). 2nd Prize: A full month, two meals a day and a very brief ride in any T-3A of INFINITE duration. Submit your entry today and we'll include a chit for appetizers at Sam-n-Ella's Pork chop Pit (to more rapidly facili­tate the processing of your contest form, include a large bottle of Stolichnaya vodka).

"Wife Millie and I (writes Kirk CANTERBURY) came to Charlotte, NC 28 years ago, bought one of the houses that Jim THOMASSON was building at that time, and have been here ever since. I've been involved in every kind of sales imagin­able and currently run a startup company selling auxiliary equipment to the in­jection molding industry. Millie and I have two boys--one a physical fitness con­sultant in Williamsburg VA, the other a facilities director at an athletic club. Jim THOMASSON is flying for a NASCAR race team and having the time of his life. Make it known that any classmate traveling 1-77 or 1-85 will be welcome."

Potpourri: Don ALMANZAR's postcard let us know that "I don't do much (work, that is). Enjoyed our 25th, so put me down as a (probable) for the 40th" ... Mary WADDLE's brother John Adams is a golfer on the PGA tour ... Bill and Kath GILLIS and grandkids Cecelia and Sebastian were in Denver for a family wedding in July, we had dinner with them.. Jack and Jeanne BRUSH recently visited Belize ... The JOLLYs go on a Mexican Riviera cruise February 7-14th, 1999. Roy and Barb moved to Mesquite, NV last year. In July '98, that casino-village held a "Running of the Bulls" (a la Pamplona) with 600 runners risking severe gorement(?), according to the Mesquite Desert News. Coincidence? Was Roy responsible? ... Dave REED had angioplasty last December; he's moved to 921 Roxwood Lane, Boulder CO 80303, (303) 494-3154 and plans to get married soon ... Tony BILELLO had open heart surgery in Cleveland last year ... Lost Classmates: BAKER, CURRIER, GIRARD, HINES, LEWIS? They're whereabouts?

This poetic reminder from a "Friend of this Column:"

Our 40th reunion will occur in Y2K,
May be Winter, could be in May.
Plan to be there for all the events,
100% is expected of you `60-gents.
NULLI SECUNDUS.

Bye from the Rose. Have a Cool Yule and a Frantic First.