Besides the obvious, what do Dick Meyer, Bill Ouellette, Ralph Lalime, Bob Badger, Jerry de la Cruz, and R.G. Head all have in common? Ans: They all flew at one time or the other in the 1940 vintage de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth jointly owned by George Elsea and Mike Love who (along with two other pilots) purchased it in 1963 while they were stationed at Lakenheath, UK. The full story of Mike's and George's adventures with it is on our web site. The airplane is now based in Texas where George enjoys flying with friends or kids in the EAA Young Eagle program.

Prior to George Luck's final flight, he was exploring the feasibility of casting a plaque for the SEA Pavilion honoring those USAFA grads who flew the B-26 (and its variants) in SEA. Including George, 13 USAFA grads flew as either Pilot or Navigator from 1963 to 1969, when the aircraft was taken out of service. Class of '60 crewmembers were: Ken Alnwick, Andi Biancur, Bob Davis (KIA), George Luck, and PJ Smith. Andi and Ken were the first to arrive at Bien Hoa in 1963 in a detachment of the 1st ACW and George and PJ were the last to fly the bird in combat (over Laos) in 1969 with the 609th Spec Ops Sq. Work continues on achieving George Luck's dream.

PJ Smith now resides in Pahrump, NV. Following his retirement he became deeply involved in humanitarian services, working in executive positions for charities such as the CFC and Catholic Charities and at the individual level, where he continues to serve the needy. His most memorable experience at the Academy was at our Ring Dance where he was smitten by the beauty of his date, Sandra, who was destined to become his wife.

Bob Heiges, "Gramps" to his fellow Harley riders in the Combat Vets and Kentucky Patriot Guard motorcycle associations, divides his leisure time between riding and taking RV trips. In addition to providing Patriot Guard escorts and participating in other ceremonial functions, he also serves as a web designer for various national and local groups. The Patriot Guard also sends off deploying local military units and welcomes them home as well as "honor flights" (groups of WWII vets visiting Washington). First responders (police and fire) killed in the line of duty are also honored.

Bill Kornitzer and his wife, Linda, are enjoying life and their blended family from their current roost in Kansas City. They are not quite in Norm Haller's class, but they do have 10 grandchildren and another on the way. Like many of us, after retirement Bill spent some time servicing the military-industrial complex, but perhaps his most atypical occupation was that of a tree farmer in Wisconsin. Imagine spending one's days sitting on the front porch watching trees grow. That didn't last long. Some of Bill's fondest Academy memories were of Joe Yeager, who pulled him aside on his way to one of Mrs. Mac's tea dances and admonished him with "If the Air Force wanted you to have a wife they would have issued you one."

Roy Jolly came up on line recently. He is living in the town of Saint George, UT on the Arizona border in the mesa country. Roy said that he moved there to escape the snow. He got his wish. Average annual snowfall in St George is 1.4 in. Of course there is a downside; the average daily high temperature in July is 101.4 degrees! Roy has been in and out of hospitals for several years now, but he still retains his keen sense of humor. A call to Roy would make his day--and yours too.

Clem Douglass visited the NW crew for a short time the end of September, sightseeing and looking for an island to buy, having lunch with the usual suspects, and then going back to Minnesota--sans island.

Deke Johnson has been doing a fair amount of traveling this year from his base in Meridian, Idaho. He was at the reunion in COS and then joined our contingent in Hawaii for the AF-Hawaii game. Following that, he journeyed to Europe for a Rhine river cruise, courtesy of his son, Derry, who accompanied him. More recently, he traveled to the left coast to visit his daughter in Seattle, conduct some VFW business, and break bread with Greg Boyington and the rest of the NW contingent.

Following his five-year AF commitment as a WB-50 AC, Ben Furuta built a rewarding career as an education professional in the California Public School System, both as a teacher and an administrator. Toward the end of his career, he also conducted accreditations for schools in CONUS and overseas. Ben's most enduring memory of the Academy was his total acceptance into our class (and the Academy proper) after coming from an environment where he had been relatively cloistered in Colorado's close-knit Japanese-American community. This acceptance was especially poignant to him, since he and his family had been "evacuated" to an internment camp near Parker, Arizona in 1942.

Rosie Cler and his wife, Karen, are doing well and taking full advantage of the many cultural amenities that Sarasota, Florida has to offer. Rosie was duly impressed and honored to receive his USAFA Class of '60 Remembrances Book--Rosie Cler. For those who were unable to attend the 55th reunion, this was a book containing brief comments and quips from each of our classmates for Rosie. A similar book was created and delivered to Col "Bent Wing Ben" Cassidy in Hawaii. Rosie is in very good company.

Don Stevens writes, "The trip to Colorado with sons Mark and Sean for the dedication of the Southeast Asia Plaza of Heroes on the Heritage Trail at Doolittle Hall was truly extraordinary, filled with emotional and nostalgic experiences from start to finish. The Plaza is dedicated to Lance Sijan, the only USAFA graduate to receive the Medal of Honor, and to the 16 Air Force Cross recipients as well as all graduates who have received Silver Stars or Distinguished Flying Crosses. [ See Don's full story at our website.]

Dave Reed, our only triple threat (doctor, lawyer, Zoomie), has relocated from New Zealand to Colorado. At a recent COS gathering, he presented a comprehensive briefing on reducing costs for prescription medicines. That briefing has morphed into a comprehensive guide that can be found in the Shared Messages section of our website.

Dodo Flashbacks: 4 Sept 1959: Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, "We consider it important in the opening years of the Academy to stress quality rather than quantity." 10 May 1958: "Footballer George Pupich was given the second annual Athlete of the Year Award by the Jedinstvo Athletic Club of Southern California [a still-active Serb charity]. He was flown to Los Angeles on April 26, 1958 for the presentation."

We almost made it through this reporting period, but we have just been informed that John Gutzweiler took his final flight on January 20, 2016. The Class of '60 Roll Call is now 227 graduated, 68 deceased, 159 still hanging tough.