Dean Bristow remains comfortably ensconced in his one-room apartment at the Payson, UT Veterans Affairs (VA) facility with members of his family nearby. Dean’s favorite pastime is his ongoing effort to reach out from Payson to connect with numerous classmates across this country. Another VA resident is Bill Gillis, who resides in the Clifford Sims VA facility in Panama City, Florida. Bill is less mobile than Dean, but still enjoys visits from Kath, his family and friends and his occasional outings to his waterfront home.

Our West Coast contingent is planning a Class of ’60 mini reunion on 14-16 September 2022 in Santa Barbara, California. Bill Zersen and Gary Gulbransen are honchoing the affair. The event will kick off on the evening of the 14th with cocktails and war stories at the Roost of the Goose. The gathering will have breakfast and dinner together on the 15th and then end the affair with a farewell breakfast the following morning.

In early March, Wayne Kendall skillfully orchestrated another of his Colorado classmate get-togethers at the Academy’s Falcon Club. Dick Sexton was the designated speaker, and his topic was the merger of Falcon Foundation and the Association of Graduates. The major take-away was that the merger was essentially complete with both components working well together. In the follow-on discussion, half of the time was spent discussing and assessing the conflict in the Ukraine, and the other half was spent sharing various member health adventures. Ron Yates won this segment hands-down as he described the after-effects of having been flattened by a snowboarder while skiing at Steamboat Springs.

Connie and Ron at Play

Nominated into the Academy from Tinker AFB, Gordy Flygare is the proud son of an Air Force officer who was stationed there. Through multiple military and civilian jobs and missions, including work as a pioneer in the Air Force’s introduction into the digital age, Gordy has been at the cutting edge of USAF science and technology, in the lab and in the cockpit. This included flying nightly AWACS oversight missions over Saudi Arabia during the Iran/Iraq war. Over time, through good planning and good fortune, Gordy has managed to successfully build a thriving aviation and engineering career ... never far from the Tinker AFB flagpole

Although he is no longer in leadership rolls, Kerry Miller is still an active participant in his Hyndman, PA service organizations, such as the American Legion, VFW and Lion’s Club. His newest hobby is building mega Lego kits. These kits, some made in the Ukraine, have over a thousand parts and can cost several hundred dollars. Kerry likes them because they require little or no tools and don’t make much mess during construction.

Also stepping back a bit are Charlie Hart and his wife Linda. Until recently, they have been managing properties in Arizona and Ohio, but soon they plan to simplify their lives and let others worry about managing the land. Charlie’s Ohio farmland, which has been in the family since 1798, will soon be placed in the hands of his son. The original property was acquired as a reward for the service of his forebearers in the Revolutionary War and has been expanded and tended by family members ever since. Travel plans are still in the offing, with Alaska high on their list.

Charlie Liggett and his wife Kathy live in a gated community in La Quinta California, but they are not exactly homebound. Their travel logs list 114 countries and territories. Together, they have taken five world cruises, each spanning four or five months, all with the Silversea Cruise Line. Although their last trip was cut short because of Covid 19, they did manage to make it to Antarctica where they used Zodiacs to get close to the penguin rookeries. While enduring the Covid 19 restrictions, Charlie kept his brain engaged by writing poetry (60 short poems) and a few short stories.

The LIggetts in Antarctica

After staying close to home during the long COVID lockdown, Leon Goodson and Maryn were finally able to obtain their vaccination shots. They immediately hit the road to visit relatives that they had not seen for a long time. Their first stop was in Nashville to visit their granddaughter and great-granddaughter. It was then on to Austin, TX to see Maryn's sister. This was followed by trips to other family members in McAlester, OK, Fayetteville, AK, and Chattanooga, TN before heading home to Bethesda, MD. The Goodsons are certified road warriors, having completed this fantastic road trip in just ten days.

Bill Hockenberry tries to get to his favorite pistol range at least once a week. Bill resumed active pistol shooting five years ago, following a 50-year hiatus harking back his time as an Army expert marksman. He attended several classes at the Sig Sauer Academy in New Hampshire and then joined a local range that provides 15, 25, and 50-meter shooting distances against paper, steel and moving targets. Bill began with the old standby from our cadet days, a .45 caliber, 1911 style, semi-automatic and then began using the newer 9 mm and .40 caliber semiautomatics as well as .357/.38 caliber revolvers. Bill has encouraged other classmates and veterans in the area to join him and explains his activity as one he thoroughly enjoys, can still physically perform, and which involves friendly competition across generations. Bill calls it a blast (pun intended).