5423 Myrtle Wood
Sarasota, FL 34235-4624
(941) 371-4843
Email: RCtherose@aol.com
WEB COLUMN
"WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME . . .
. . . and they"re always glad you came!" That melodic refrain is from television's "Cheers," Boston's congenial groggery known for cheerful camaraderie and bawdy banter. That sentiment rings true for our 50th--When you walk into our room, everyone already knows your name!
50th REUNION APPAREL ALERT: Ever the Boy Scout, while wanting (only) to "Be Prepared," Bill Zersen asked the following germane question regarding our Class Banquet on Friday night of the Reunion: "Any words of wisdom as to (appropriate) "Dress" for the 50th Banquet?". . . . "At least a tie, Bill," replied our toff depicted in the photo below.
Andi Biancur (no parvenu in these matters) avowed that "I will wear, at least, a sports coat and probably wear a tie. I believe the ladies will be dressed a bit above casual. But, the key is to dress as you see fit."
Before the Reunion starts, consider this event. . . "Eve and I invite our classmates to join us for a Dutch Treat Luncheon "Celebration of Marriage," with recognition for those having their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2010," wrote Frank Mayberry. "Join us at 11:30AM on Wednesday, September 29, 2010---prior to Registration. We'll lunch at Colorado Mountain Brewery, and all classmates and wives are welcome . . .
Then, at the close of the Reunion . . . "Our 50th ends with breakfast on Sunday at Embassy Suites," wrote Jack Brush. "Everyone's invited to Open House at our Mini Estate from 8AM to "Whenever" on Sunday, October 3rd. If you're flying out of COS, you need thirty minutes hotel-to-airport--our house is twenty minutes from the Hotel--hang out at our place! Elaine and I will get a 'headcount' during the reunion. Our address: 2631 Tristins Grove.
"I was General Vogt's aide-de-camp and personal pilot in Vietnam, and Ken Alnwick served with him in NKP (all of us in Vietnam 1972-1973 served under General Vogt)," wrote Bill Goodyear. "The General died recently, and I attended his burial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on 5 August 2010. The presentation from the USSAG/Seventh Air Force Staff to General John W. Vogt, Jr. stated: "A military strategist and tactician, statesman and diplomat"but, above all a dedicated and skilled Air Combat Leader. He took the war to Hanoi, installed hope and courage in our Allies in Southeast Asia, and inspired them to attain a new level of professional competence."
"The general was an ACE in WWII, having shot down eight German aircraft. He was the only officer to have been Commander in Chief of both the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific and the U.S. Air Force in Europe. He was also Director of the Joint Staff and a student of Kissinger's at Harvard."
Dean Vikan lives in Fosston, MN, 50 miles from the North Dakota border. On July 31, 2010, Dean took his usual jogging route, and a cousin, who checks daily on him, did not find Dean at home; aware of his routine, his cousin then went looking for him, eventually finding Dean in a ditch along the road, six hours after being hit by a vehicle. Evacuated to Grand Forks, ND, the diagnosis was a broken leg, broken arm, and undetermined head and internal injuries. Dean has a bad back, the pain had recently been increasing, and he had been taking heavy doses of pain medication which caused drastic weight reduction to 117 pounds. (Phyllis, his wife since 1960, is in a Veteran's Nursing Home near Fosston; Dean's daughter Wende married Gary and Sylvia Sheets" son, Jeffrey, and they live in Franklin, TN). Dean is recovering, and updates are displayed on 'shared Messages" on our Web Site. George Luck performed those tasks required to register Dean for our 50th, and Dean plans to attend.
Don Wolfswinkel wrote: "I'm attaching some photos of Ronnie and me during our visit to Northern France. Neither of us had been to Normandy, so we rented an apartment in Paris to see the sights. The first picture is in the gardens at Chenonceaux. We stayed at Le Clos d'Amboise, a charming hotel in Amboise, along the Loire River, and we had a wonderful British guide for the Normandy tour, who lives in Bayeux. The French were warm and helpful, and we use Rick Steves' books. We had a wonderful B&B at Mont St. Michel (Vent des Greves) with a view of Mt. St. Michel from our bedroom window. Our hotel at Arromanches was on the beach. Probably a place not to be missed is Dinan, which is on the banks of the River Rance (Brittany), and was settled by 9th Century Monks. After seeing the cemetery (photo) at Normandy, and since Ronnie is a Benedictine & Brandy fan, we went to Fecamp, France, and that last photo was taken in the B&B gift shop."
Don added: It was a wonderful trip, and I'm married to a great trip planner! Ronnie still works part time as well. She retired several years ago from Hospital Administration and works for a Medical/Vocational Case Management company three miles from our house. See you at our 50th, Don."
"I got back late Sunday night (25 July 2010) from a week long kayak trip out of Petersburg, AK," wrote Howie Whitfield, of Jamul, CA. "Petersburg is a fishing town of 2,000 people and the tourist cruise boats can't get in, but the Alaska Ferry does. They flew us out to the camp sites in float planes and used a power boat several times. Food was good; we slept in tents, three nights each at two camps. Mosquitoes were not a problem, and the weather was great the first four days, last two it rained hard. Humpback whales were spectacular, and we were out in Frederick Sound in a small power boat and the whales were all around us--blowing, diving, jumping, and, in the distance, snow capped mountains. We also saw a few Orcas. At the second camp we had icebergs in the water from Le Conte Glacier. There were seven of us, four women and three men, plus three guides (in their twenties, two women, one man). We had a deer walk into our first camp and a porcupine in our second. Saw a few black bears on shore from the kayaks, but no encounters with brown bears; there were a lot of moose droppings, but no sightings. The three flights to and from Petersburg, AK, on Alaska Airlines went off without a hitch."(In the three photos, the last one is of the Le Conte Glacier.)
"We just completed our 6,175 mile roundtrip to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Saskatchewan, Canadian Rockies, Calgary Stampede, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole National Parks, Branson, MO; and, now pose the question: "How many have visited the dig-your-own diamond mine at Murfreesboro, AR? Not exactly on the beaten path,"" said Frank Gorham, of Lynn Haven in Florida's Panhandle.
"The timing of our trip was determined by the completion of my annual FAA cardiac tests, the annual Fair and Museum days in my wife Faye's hometown in Saskatchewan (her brother has been mayor for 21 years, her dad donated the land for the museum), and the terminal illness of her older stepbrother in Alberta. He died while we were in Saskatchewan, and we were able to attend the funeral service just north of Calgary.
"The first thing you notice is the lush green almost everywhere--VERY rainy year all over the Midwest. Signs of flooding and washed out roads in some places, including the Trans Canada in Western Saskatchewan. Second is "corn-corn-corn" on almost every field you pass: God bless government subsidies of energy-negative corn-to-ethanol fuel. Next thing you notice is the TARP, or Rebuild America, or whatever Federal (yours and mine) money rebuilding damn near every bridge on every interstate highway. We should all thank Minnesota for their sacrifices in getting the bridge works underway.
"Those sites and attractions we visited: Gateway Arch in St. Louis; Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD; 1880's Old West Town; South Dakota Badlands, Keystone, SD; MT Rushmore; Crazy Horse Mountain; Custer State Park; North on US 85 into North Dakota; Ogema/Saskatchewan; Crossfield/Alberta; Calgary Stampede; Banff/Alberta in the Rockies; Great Falls to Helena, MT; Helena to West Yellowstone via the Gallatin River Valley; Yellowstone National Park; Jackson Hole; lots of prairie and Interstate via Laramie and Lincoln/NE to Branson/MO; challenging drive South thru Ozarks to Murfreesboro/AR's Crater of Diamonds State Park; and, a volcanic vent from a few million years ago (If you"re interested in any of these, I have web sites which give all the details."
Frank added: "You"ll recall my comment about the amazing gear at the Canadian border crossing points; we actually used Whitetail for our first border crossing in the early 70's. This crossing has not yet received the full equipment treatment we noted going North at Regway and South at Sweetgrass. Seems only five cars a day now use Whitetail." (Photos: (1) Frank and Touring Bus; (2) Frank and Gateway Arch in St. Louis; (3) Traffic Jam at Custer State Park, SD; (4) Faye and Frank at historic Ogema RR Station; (5) Frank and Faye in Jackson Hole, WY, arch with elk horns; (6) Frank and Faye on gondola in Banff).
In June, I was one of the voting delegates at the State GOP convention in Dallas. What an exciting time for me and the 12,000 who attended the largest convention in the country," wrote Camille Sweigart, of Meadowlakes, TX. "There were 4000 voting delegates and the rest just came for the convention. So many 20- and 30-year olds were there that it was wonderful. I am still President of the county Republican Women, and was to serve this one year because of the confusion surrounding the elections. Now, they are pressuring me for just "one more year." We"ll see. I go out of office in December and would start another year in January. It has been fun, as I am able to work closely with the Republicans and the Tea Party. We have a huge Tea Party element here and they are super."
Later, Camille added: "I must say that we are working hard for our Country. I attended a GET OUT THE VOTE seminar on August 14th. There were 100 people trying to learn how to get out the vote."
For those wondering about our Gulf Beaches here in Florida, Ken Alnwick said that "I just spent a rewarding but hectic week with my Gang of 12 at SeaSpray condos. The weather and beaches were absolutely terrific, and water quality was the best in years. Hurlburt golf course is in great shape with flawless greens. Also took in Sandestin's 'Le Grande Cirque'--a knock off of the Cirque du Soleil--good for youngsters. In Destin, FL, tourism took a hit from people scared by "bad beach press," although I was pleasantly surprised to see good crowds at Harbor Walk on weekends. Looks like we dodged a bullet regarding long term environmental damage--although some of the cancellations may never come back--I think the recovery will not be as bad as losses we suffered from Hurricane Opal.".
"Our son Mont Gillis filmed and narrated a video clip"Red Neck Regatta"while TJ (our youngest grandchild) was navigating the pontoon boat, which has Bill Gillis, our daughter Cecelia, our first son Thor and his girls, Appollonia and Athena, shown leaving Redfish Point on St. Andrews Bay near Panama City, FL, on 8 August 2010 in their boat," wrote Kath Gillis.
The Gillis family sent a video showing the beautiful waters in the Panhandle, with no signs of oil spillage from BP's oil-well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico (which Ken Alnwick was referencing). The photo below is Bill and Kath Gillis" son, Eagle Scout Sebastian, on the cover of Boys Life Magazine for July 2010; Sebastian recently went to Washington, DC, then Fort Hill for five days at the International Boy Scout Jamboree, followed by Whitewater Rafting in Tennessee; his final Eagle Scout Board was mid-August.
Gary Gunnar (Goose) Gulbransen: F-100 pilot, Captain for PanAm and Delta for 33 years, and, now--"French Canal Boat Driver." (Q: Was this just one more notch in Goose" Bucket List?) "Rosie, if it flies, floats or ****s, rent it, don't buy it. So, Susan and I with two non-Zoomie friends took our 4th drive-it-yourself canal boat trip in southern France--three bedrooms with heads and showers, quite comfortable for four. I thought this might be our last trip, but came away planning the next. Why? Our first trip, the locks were manual. Put two crew members ashore and they cranked the valves and opened the lock gates (I of course had to remain on the boat). She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed sort of said "Never again", but now the locks are automated, push a button and they do their thing. And the toilets are electric, no more gazing into the bowl, flipping a lever and hand-pumping to flush. The basic electric power is 12 volts when underway, but now there are shore hookups available along the canals with 240V, so the ladies can run their hair blow dryers. That is a step out of the dark ages of coiffure. And"Ta-dah: For the first time-- ICE, and the fridge was able to keep us supplied. I'm attaching some photos."
Erstwhile Sailing-Swabbie-Ensign Gulbransen subsequently added: "Attached map of route which was from Valence-sur-Baise, down the Baise River to join the lateral canal of the Garonne River to Agen, where we turned in the boat. History has it that "The Frogs" were looking for a way to go from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic without being under the gun of the Brits at Gibraltar. There are canals all over France and Europe. For instance, it is possible to go from the Mediterranean to Paris to the Atlantic. Ask me how to build a clock!".
"Deb and I will be attending the reunion," said my first roommate Mike McCall. "I checked the roster today and saw there were a few classmates I haven't seen in 49-50 years. Last time I saw Art Lewis, he was best man at my wedding. Deb and I are still traveling together, and we had a nice cruise from Sydney to Auckland this March (photo), and a trip to Ashland, OR to see a few Shakespearean plays in May. We'll be going back to Ashland in August to see the plays we missed the first time around, as we've been going on a regular basis for five or six years. I've been spending a lot of time on my bicycle trying to get in shape for the Seattle to Portland ride--this will be my fourth time doing it, since I rode in 1999, 2000 and 2004. My Seattle son has been talking about a three generational ride in 2011, so I'm seeing if I will be able to survive another one." Later, Mike gave me an update on the Seattle-Portland ride: "I wouldn't talk about winning, it's not a race but a ride, and, for me, a real test of survival. At my age race is a four letter word. Started at UW at 0500 and finished at 2215 in Portland (I wasn't the last one in; there were others on the course until after midnight.) Another thing off my bucket list." .
The Class of 1960's Northwest Contingent held their annual summer outing at Chuck and Edie Diver's on Thursday, 12 August 2010. Chuck and Edie's home overlooks the Skagit River Valley some ten miles east of Mount Vernon, WA, and faces the North Cascades mountain range, with Mount Baker in the distance. It was a perfectly clear and warm day which started with hors d'oeuvres, and many "war stories." The 12 in attendance were Jim and Beverly O'Rourke, George and Carol Luck, Dennis O'Keefe and Linda Jameson, Vic Yoakum, Roger Lent, Nels Delisanti, Bill Zersen and Chuck and Edie Diver.
For dinner Edie and Chuck served filet mignon, fresh salmon and salads, and homemade Key Lime Pie and a rich Brownie Cake. As if on cue (unbeknownst to Chuck), a biplane buzzed them before dinner, and Chuck ran to get his flag to signal the pilot and everyone raced to get their cameras. In the photo, that's a Stearman, flown by Chuck's friend Verne Reynolds, who was born in 1923 and is a sprightly 87!
"Rosie: I thought to drop a line about a recent driving trip I took across the US. I first stopped in Stillwater, MN for a short visit with CT and Brenda Douglass. He seems to be on the crossroad map, as last year we visited them at the same time as the AF/Minnesota football game, with Glazas, Mosiers and Biancurs," wrote Jim O"Rourke. "I learned that the Glazas would be there this year one week after I left, as they were touring through the Central Plains area (what you Easterners might call the Mid-west, even if it is only 1,000 miles from the Atlantic coast and 2300 miles from the Pacific. In truth, Colorado is probably closer to being "mid-west" than Chicago or Minneapolis.)
"I picked up Bev in Milwaukee, where she had been visiting her mother and we went for a short visit to DC. We had lunch with one of my roomies, Jerry de la Cruz, he's a docent for the Smithsonian Museum of Fine Art, and we attended the tour he was giving on French artists and the development of their various painting styles. It clarified quite well that I don't know much about art. The main purpose of the trip was next, where we drove to Charlotte, NC and attended Jim and Carolyn Thomasson's 50th wedding anniversary party. Several of us who stood up for his wedding in 1960 were in attendance with their wives; Dale and Idee Mayo, Kirk and Millie Canterbury, Russ and Glenda Currey, following which Jim and Carolyn and Bev and I spent a nice two days together. Tony Jones had intended to come, but health problems interfered.
"I completed the trip with a visit to my eldest brother's house in Roxbury, CT, prior to driving back home. A mere 7,300 miles across this beautiful country of ours, very much worth the time it took to go through the great plains, Black Hills, northern Rockies, Yellowstone country and the Snake and Columbia River areas. I'm looking forward very much to our reunion."
In the above wedding photos, the first has Jim and Carolyn in their car"..second, left to right: Carolyn's father"Roy Whitley, Carolyn's brother"Roy Whitley, Jr., Russ Currey, Jim O"Rourke, Jim's father"John Thomasson (Best Man), Jim; Buck Congdon, Kirk Canterbury, Tony Jones, and in the front are Jim's two brothers"Mike on the left and Sid on the right"..third photo is Jim and Carolyn".. all of the photos were taken at Plaza Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC on 19 June 1960.
"The NW "60-Group received a sailing lesson from Nels Delisanti on Thursday, 15 July. George and Carolyn Luck, Vic Yoakum and Bill Zersen (with grandsons Ben and John) met at Nels" sailing vessel about 10 A.M.," wrote Bill Zersen. "After sailing for three hours (everyone took turns at the helm), we put in at Johnny's Dock in Tacoma for lunch; after lunch, we continued sailing and got back to Nel's about 6 PM. Nels was great in giving all of us, especially the two boys, some very good sailing lessons." Nels later added this about his boat: "she's 34'5" . . . a Hunter 34 . . . vintage circa 1985 . . . manufactured in Florida . . . boat christened Lagniappe."
Later, Nels added a subsequent seafaring cruise the last week of August, 2010: "Here are pictures of the intrepid sailors," wrote Nels Delisanti. (These photos show Andi Biancur and Vic Yoakum at the helm of Nels' sailing vessel, Lagniappe).
George Pupich reported that "My son Alex returned from his fourth turn in the Middle East (California ANG--C-130 driver) the middle of May. He got married at the USAFA Chapel on July 31st! In spite of all the hormones, the wedding went off just fine. Alex and his wife Jill are still on the Island of Crete, and I have no idea what date they will return. When photos become available, I"ll send them," promised George . . . . John Giffen's brother, Robert Bruce Giffen, is a 1965 AFA graduate who retired as a Brigadier General in 1995, and currently President/Owner of PBGE, Inc. in Colorado Springs where he lives with wife, Patricia. (Note: John's brother is attending his 45th reunion the weekend of our 50th) . . . .CT Douglass on his autistic son (7/26/2010): "Dax got his driver's license and is driving our family car around alone at least twice a day, preparing to drive, alone, the 32 miles one way through St. Paul and Minneapolis to Crystal, where his Charter School is located, to attend his last year in high school. You can't BELIEVE how intensely proud we are of him, and at how good a driver he is. He had his first real date (with another ASD Lionsgate Academy student), driving to pick her up. . . . . Jim and Mary Waddle: "We went to Phoenix in July for the Gideons International Convention followed by a niece's wedding in Paris, TX on July 30." . . . . "Rosie, in your CheckPoints column of September 2010, you listed "USMCR" after my name. That should be USMC (Ret). Semper Fi, Howie Whitfield" . . . . Charlie Hart had appointments to all three service academies: Annapolis, West Point and the AF Academy, and chose AFA to "more certainly get jet fighters." . . . . From Jerry Stack: "Just a note to thank you for helping Hildburg and I entertain Andi and Carole Biancur in Park City, UT, back in August" (R: All I know about their get-together is it involved "Jerry's spaghetti, Andi's wine!") . . . . "Yesterday (Sept. 09, 2010) we were blessed with a new Grandson--Luhi Allen Gillis, son of Glen and Thao Gillis of Glendale, AZ," wrote Grandmother Kath Gillis.
Don Almanzar resides at 20250 Emelita Street, #B, Perris, CA 92570, telephone (951) 956-0030; and, he wrote on 5 September: "I graciously accept aging, and look forward to two more milestones--the 50th Reunion, and my 76th birthday on January 17, 2012. I was run over by a truck earlier in the year. That is another tale in itself, which I"ll save for a bigger crowd and much larger drink. Please send me info on the reunion, since I have no idea when and where."
Charlie Folkart lives in Ecuador, and was recently involved in an automobile accident: "We went before the judge, if you could call it that, yesterday (9/11/2010), and were astounded at what passed for a legal proceeding. We didn't get to say a word, and are scheduled to return next month. We will know later today if they will let us out of the country for the USAFA reunion and to visit my wife Sharon's kids." Two days later: 'sorry, but the judge won't let me out of the country. Give my best to everyone."
Ta-Da! Return with me now to those halcyon days of yesteryear's Academe--50th Reunion starts Wednesday, September 29, 2010--we've used our allotment at Embassy Suites, so reserve a room in the Hampton at (719) 593-9700. Each of you is sui Generis; so, it's not too late to sign up, and you should call Andi Biancur at (719) 488-4317 for assistance with registration . . . . To give you some idea of our Madding Crowd, 119 graduate classmates plus other alumni, wives and family members, are joining us. That's 66% of 180 living graduate classmates! Drum roll, please. See 'ya there, friends.