Remember Then? It was July 9, 1956 BB. (Before Beatles)--that was 50 years ago, our first day at Lowry II.

DC-60 commemorated that "Hard Day's Night" with lunch and some indi­vidual recollections of our first day. The night before, Bob Odenweller vividly recalls meeting Kim Novak at the Brown Palace Hotel--she agreed to a date, but it had to be on July 9th, the day we reported to Lowry! Mmmm. Tony Burshnick remembered Lt. Doss Smith making him drop his suitcase, and it took three tries before he figured out what D-R-O-P meant; Elsea and Querry also remembered the suitcase-dropping routine. Lt. Smith also made Tony put his Airman’s cap in his pocket and turn the military buckle out. Al Johnson was standing next to Lt. Hecker, thinking he was another cadet. Al had previ­ous military training, so he whispered to Hecker: "Do what I do, and you'll be OK." (Al really enjoyed the rest of the day.) Ken Alnwick was asked the name of his roommate, and couldn't remember; so, at the evening formation he had to get in front of the flight to meet his roommate, Gary Crew. We were told to bring black shoes for the swearing-in ceremony. GJC Fries did, but they had tassels on them--some ATO quickly ripped them off. Ralph Lalime recalled that while in the processing line, Neal Reavely was told to go to the second floor of the barracks. He took off and climbed the fire escape. The ATOs were so surprised they let him go in the fire escape door!

The Colorado Group gathered at Champs Restaurant on Friday, July 7th. Wayne Kendall recalls that he was never sworn-in. Wayne passed out in the barber chair and spent the rest of the day in the dispensary.

Ah, that yesteryear--50 years ago. We were still using Brylcream or Butch Wax; these days it's more likely to be Lipitor and Saw Palmetto. That first day was mostly a blur, but those 1,421 days thereafter proceeded at the speed of the slowest-moving glacier.

"In June, the Northern Shenandoah Chapter of the AFA presented Norm Haller an award as outstanding member," writes Bob Badger. "Norm and I live near Front Royal, VA where Randolph-Macon Academy is located and Norm teaches. R-MA has an AFJROTC program, and this year's graduating class has two cadets appointed to USAFA’s Class of 2010. R-MA maybe turned into a USAFA Prep School."

When the Marines sought 'A Few Good Men," they had Howard McLean Whiffield in mind. Howie, soft-spoken, tough-minded and battle-hardened Vietnam Marine pilot, has been Executive Director of the Naval Helicopter Association since 2004 and told me "This year's NHA Symposium was 24-27 April at the Hyatt in Jacksonville, FL with 600+ attendees, keynote address by ADM John Nathman and banquet address by ADM William Fallon. Symposium issues included missions that Navy helicopters are flying in Iraq, the rotary wing squadrons' expansion in the Navy and protection of carriers from submarines and surface threats." Howie was in charge.

Bill Goodyear and Denis Walsh flew in DL’s home-built RV6A to a SAC Re­union in Tucson May 26-27, which included tours of Davis-Monthan's "Boneyard," Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center and Pima Air and Space Museum (for pictures, key class website's "Shared Messages"); they flew Denver-Tucson with a stop at ABQ's Double Eagle Airport for fuel and a New Mexican lunch on Karen and me.

Marlon Brando's The Wild One(s) had nothing on J.T. Smith and friend Fred Barney, who roared through I-40 going west on their Suzuki VStrom motorcycles in June, and Karen and I lunched with them in ABQ's Old Town. JT was on his way to observe a friend's motorcycle-skills course at Willow Springs Raceway near Edwards AFB, then SLC for the motorcycle races at Miller Motor Sports Park, back to southern California for his 50th high-school reunion, then Clarksville, TN via fellow cyclist Gordy Flygare's home in Norman, OK. Total "wind-in-your-face" miles for JT's roundtrip from Clarksville, TN were 7,700.

In June we met Gordon and Ann Flygare at Santa Fe's La Fonda while Gordy was visiting his sister Helen who lives in SF (Helen used to date Dave Burns during our cadet years). I introduced Gordy to $500 New Mexican hats, which he bought for his role as Docent at OKC's National Cowboy and Western Heri­tage Museum; Sept 22-24, Gordy came back on his BMW-R1150RT cycle to rub shoulder-patches with other old guys in the Sandia Classic Vintage Motorcycle Races while staying with us. And the Sweigarts of Marble Falls, TX visited ABQ in September (R: Busy little cockpit here at I-40/I-25)!

"Now worked at Rapistan 42 years, and still enjoy going to the office--sur­vived another RIF, so I'll work 'til I'm 71. Just back from two weeks in Florida," says Gary Van Singel of Grand Rapids, MI. "Marilyn has survived well the pain in her hands and feet (Marilyn's tumor in 1964 destroyed her pituitary gland), she especially enjoys our grandchildren, and I'm riding my Goldwing motor­cycle to work again."

"Horned Lizard Conservation Society held their first-ever Austin Artfest," writes Jean Waldbridge, Jim Clark's wife. "Jim entered his Horned Frog foot­stool, and we met more people who raise funds for the preservation of a dying breed of lizard, the horned toad. Jim took first!"

Jim Thomasson: “Still in the cockpit as Director of Operations/Pilot of an FAR 135 company called Charter Flight, Inc. in Charlotte, NC flying Citations along the east coast. It's not a B747, but I still get a thrill being in the cockpit." (R: I quickly dispatched our copy boy for a "stop-the-press-moment" when Jim later sent the following: "Had treadmill today and flunked it. Experienced discomfort in my chest, and grounded myself--doc placed a stent in my left coronary artery--had 99% blockage; lucky I didn't have a heart attack!")

Friendly Fire: Mr. Answer Guy asked: "Who is our only classmate to fly com­plete Vietnam tours in the F-100, F-4, and F-105?" Answer: Jim Anderson ... Charlie Liggett has the itinerary of our bivouac outside Lowry in 1956--see it on the class website ... Frank Mayberry provides one reason for not flying Space-A: While parked at Travis AFB traveling to Aussie-Land, a bullet hit Frank's car (try billing the US of A or USAA for that item) ... Ted Stumm, over Spring Break from Chair[ing the] Political Science Department at U -North Florida visited Les Hobgood in San Antonio and Willie Nelson in Luckenbach, TX ... Recommended Reading: The View From the Center of the Universe by Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams ... Jim Glaza flew to Kodiak Island the last week of July as guest of John McCullough (TGWFP-"The Great White Fisher Person") at John's fishing lodge up where the Grizzlies roam ... The Graduate Leadership Conference was held at USAFA July 23-25; Class of '60 was represented by Yates, Dale Thompson, Van Inwegen, Biancur, Lalime, Hobgood, Walsh, Seebode and Luck.

Surf's up! Mini-Reunion around the AFA-Navy game October 7th is GO! Fun starts 6 October, so email 2biancurs@adelphia.net for reservations.

Final Roll Call. Jerry Lee Mason died July 14, 2006 from ALS. Services were held at Moles Funeral Home in Bellingham, WA; attending were Bill Zersen, Jim O'Rourke, Dennis O'Keefe, Vic Yoakum, Nels Delisanti, and Chuck Diver.