Clem DOUGLASS did stop overnight in Kansas City again since the last issue of Checkpoints, and, voila, we now have a guest columnist.

First of all, congratulations from the class to Earl VAN INWEGEN! He was promoted to brigadier general in February and serves as the depu­ty chief of staff, intelligence, for Space Command and NORAD in Col­orado Springs.

Another of our general officer classmates, Richard HEAD, transferred from the Pentagon to Italy as the USAF general at 5th ATAF, NATO's southern group, if I am correct. If not, someone please correct us for the next issue.

Last August, while traveling on a TWA trip, I left the plane at St. Louis to change flights and walked into Dave SWEIGART outside the jetway. He had just made a statement to his wife, Camille, that with all our classmates working with the airlines, he had never seen any of them at air­ports. Then I walked out of the jetway and surprised him! He thought that we never worked. Dave has been transferred from Scott to Kirtland AFB where he will be the base commander, if I remember correctly. Dave also invited me out to Scott AFB for an association dinner preparing for a new AOG Chapter at Scott. Tony BURSHNICK was the guest speaker for this organizational dinner, and we were the only '60 grads in atten­dance. It was a very enjoyable and informational evening as Tony spoke of the many changes in the Cadet Wing over the years. After the dinner, Dave and Camille extended their hospitality by giving me a comfortable place to spend the night, and after a pleasant breakfast at the Scott Of­ficer's Club with Dave and some of the brass at Scott to see Tony off, I also had to leave for St. Louis and Chicago.

Speaking of bumping into classmates in airports, I had just transferred to New York in late 1980 or early 1981 and was walking through the gate area at LaGuardia when I literally walked into Jerry FARQUHAR, Delta captain extraordinaire ... [He] currently lives in Lighthouse Point, FL, where he has charter sailboats to rent in his spare time. Maybe we should all descend on him at one time and see what kind of sailor he is.

During early January this year, I attended the "Dynamics of Interna­tional Terrorism" course at the Special Operations School, Hurlburt. I talked with Aaron THRUSH in Fort Walton Beach, where he is a stock broker/investment counselor at A. G. Edwards. He offered to give a tip on the stock market if you would call him personally. No guarantees, of course. Aaron mentioned that Billy DELONY was currently in the Orlando area working for a think (!) tank organization with the initials BMD, but I don't know what that is. Aaron also said that John KUENZEL is in the Dallas area working as a program development manager for Vought Corporation.

Derry ADAMSON and his beautiful wife, Faith, are still living in Destin, FL, where his lovely family is all busy in college and school ac­tivities. After homesteading between Hulburt and Eglin for the last seven years, they have become accustomed to a home atmosphere without periodic moves. That is the way to handle military PCS moves, isn't it?--just transfer from Hurlburt to Eglin, and the biggest part of the move is filling your briefcase to change desks. (It seems like just a couple of years have passed since I was in their wedding at Eau Claire, WI. Their children can't possibly be of college age already, can they? Or yours and mine?)

On my airline travels I periodically catch Ed HAERTER passing through St. Louis (everyone goes through St. Louis at least once on a domestic sequence anymore). Ed is a squadron commander in the Illinois ANG KC-135 unit at O'Hare in Chicago and is also currently flying F/O on the 727 out of Chicago. Ed's son, Chris, is the first of the second generation from our class to graduate from USAFA. Chris finished last year and is now in pilot training at Columbus AFB and evidently showing Ed how it was supposed to be done. Ed says that his son is really enjoying flying T-38s and is first in his class at present. You must ask Ed sometime about his son, Chris, as a firstie, taking care of Mac MACFARLANE's son as a doolie.

Also with TWA, Bert CROFT has checked out as F/O on the Boeing 767 and is commuting from Kansas City to his St. Louis base. Bob ODENWELLER is flying as F/O on the Boeing 727 out of JFK, NY; he is also becoming famous as an internationally-known philatelic judge. Bob has published some works on the stamps of New Zealand for which he was elected to the Royal Philatelic Society, London. The last time that I saw Bob, he was studying Japanese on a break in Chicago; his plans were to attend exhibitions in Buenos Aires and Bangkok or Tokyo, all during a ten-day spread!

I received a very nice letter in February from Jerry De LA CRUZ, who tells me that he retired from the AF last Dec. 1st. He is working for a company called Analytic Services, or ANSER, in the D.C./Virginia area, and still lives in Arlington. Jerry said that after three tours of Joint Staff work in the Pentagon, he had to retire just to work for the AF again! His company is a not-for-profit organization that serves the AF primarily. Betty and Jerry are doing very well and have their children off to college; I believe that both of them are in college now. Again, it seems like just a couple of years have passed since Betty and Jerry came from Zaragoza to Soesterberg to be stationed with us in the Netherlands for our last two years in Europe.

Jerry has also filled me in on current happenings in the D. C. area. He reports that Ken ALNWICK is working in a research position at the Na­tional War College. Tom BURKE has retired from the AF and is working for Decision Science Affiliations in D.C., and he is also active in the D.C. Chapter of the AOG. Mike A. CLARKE has the aircraft procurement division in the Pentagon.--Since we old pilots couldn't fly new airplanes before we left, and the AF is currently manning old aircraft with pilots younger than their craft, is there any logic in manning these new aircraft with old pilots, Mike?

Jerry also reports that Ron YATES looks like the typical teenage general; he moved right from the Steve Canyon image to young general without even looking back! Russ CURREY is also retired and very happy with Pratt & Whitney in Florida. George ELSEA has a Command & Control Division in Hq. USAF and is responsible for both strategic and tactical C3 after a recent reorganization. B/G Leon GOODSON has taken over AF Studies & Analysis and is doing very well. Norm HALLER is now working with the DOE after a long stint with DOD PA&E. Joe HIGGINS has moved from a Hq USAF job to the OSD and is working on the hardcore personnel problems and benefits issues; call Joe only if you have a solution, he doesn't need any more problems for quite a while!

Ralph LALIME works on Strategic Defense issues in the JCS. Russ MACDONALD was last observed working in the JCS J-5 Directorate. Ted STUMM is with the Air Staff and has a division in Manpower. George LUCK is also on the Joint Staff. With this number of our class still active in the Pentagon, we should be able to get excellent guidance on our next visit to the puzzle palace.

Doug REKENTHALER is vice president of BDM Corp. of McLean, Va. (I wonder if Billy DELONY's think tank group--BDM--is any part of this; maybe we got the initials mixed up?) And finally, Jerry's report mentioned that Bill TAYLOR was still in Hawaii as chief of Checkmate Division, PACAF Air Combat Operations Staff.

I recently talked with one of our long lost classmates, Charlie FOLKART! He has moved from Virginia Beach, VA, to Duxbury, MA. Charlie and his wife, Joyce, are both ordained ministers and pastors of a small church in the Boston area. Charlie had completed an MBA at Har­vard during a furlough from TWA, and both he and Joyce continue to teach at the collegiate level. Charlie retired from TWA (we have the possibility of early retirement at age 45), to devote full time to his ministry and teaching. So Charlie can now be moved from the lost to the found column!

And I spoke with my roomie of Firstie days, Ed LEONARD, just yesterday. Ed has been retired and completed law school at the U. of Texas and is now a practicing attorney (keep practicing, Ed; someday these lawyers will get it right and quit practicing to do the real thing) in Austin. He is starting his real estate empire with a strip shopping center and some duplexes in Austin. He reports that Austin may be the next growth center of Texas, expecting to double in the next 20 years or so. Somebody is always inflating one Texan or another! Ed's current favorite quote is "Have you hugged your lawyer today?" I preferred his bumper sticker that said "Lawyers do it in their briefs." (He didn't think I would write that.)

Last year I received my orders as a mobilization augmentee in the USAFR, where I am assigned as an air operations officer in the J-3 at US Southern Command Hq in Panama. I spent five weeks there during the year in both active and inactive duty status. I am currently working with Bob ESTUS, '66, who is the chief of the J-3 Exercise Division and in the Current Operations Division. This is my first experience with the Joint Staff work after almost 22 years of flying fighters on active duty and in the ANG. It is extremely interesting in an area of constant tensions, and I have enjoyed the duty very much. I just returned in February from my an­nual tour of two weeks active duty. While on a brief stop in Atlanta, I at­tempted to call Jon MCCLURE at his home, but he was out on a trip with Eastern. Jon is also an attorney in Atlanta; maybe the next time through there, he will be home to give us a further update.

During June 1981, I had the pleasure of attending the First Summer Alumni College with my family and 33 other graduates of various classes, and their families. The experience was outstanding, but evidently interest has waned since the cadet quarters are no longer available for this pur­pose. I heartily recommend that any of you who are able, attempt to at­tend one of these functions if they can generate the interest to start again. It was highly beneficial to return in that status after a period of 21 years and see firsthand the changes that occurred over the length of a career. Anyway, my purpose in mentioning this program is that we had hoped to begin some sort of endowment that would enable the Academy to bring in high caliber speakers for programs that might develop into another Academy Assembly or Military History Symposium, primarily sponsored by the graduates. Alumni College attendees envisioned some type of pro­gram sponsored by graduates and enabling graduate participation. Since the Alumni College program seems to be on hold at the present time, we have a small fund being held by the AOG. Any ideas from the class would be welcome for defining a program of this type; in the meantime, it has been suggested that the funds go to the AOG fund drive to be used for the purposes mentioned in the AFA Fund. At this time, I would have to lend my support to this idea, but also propose that we consider the ideas for the near future of beginning some kind of graduate endowment.

Jim GLAZA's wife, Linda, is working for the AOG and has some in­formation to begin planning for our 25th reunion next summer (1985). Linda also reports that Fred PORTER's daughter, Pam, will be getting married in the Cadet Chapel this May. Also, Dick SCHEHR is now work­ing for GE in Colorado Springs and is building a new home in Monu­ment. Clem DOUGLASS has mentioned the plan of a mini-reunion with '59, '61 and ATOs from the Lowry brownshoe days; be aware of these functions, and please try to make an appearance, if at all possible. Also, Clem says that cards, letters, visits and calls (collect?) are appreciated for the class news. Clem's address is 1846 Baywood Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84117. Phone (801) 277-1239. Take it away Linda!

Can you believe that 24 years ago the class was preparing to receive class rings, become "firsties", and receive an abundant $36 a month? Now is the time to start thinking about returning to the "Ranch" to celebrate our survival and, of course, our 25th Reunion.

Your classmates in Denver and Colorado Springs have had a few meetings to get things started. The date has been set for 3-6 October 1985, the weekend of the USAFA/Notre Dame football game. A few of the ac­tivities that have been mentioned are an informal get-together Thursday night to chat and get reacquainted; a sit-down dinner/dance on Friday; get-togethers before and after the game; chapel services and brunch on Sunday. The emphasis is on maximum "quality" time together. We need your views, ideas, etc. on these suggestions or others that may be brewing in your heads. Write or call now. Contacts are Jim Glaza, 1-800-525-2223; Al Johnson, AUTOVON 926-3102; Gordy Savage, (303) 771-9280 (home) or (303) 793-5068 (work); Dick Schehr, (303) 596-2414; Fred Porter, (303) 599-5548; or Linda Glaza, AUTOVON 259-4513 or 2067. It only happens once, so get in touch with one of us now before it slips your mind.

Our class fund is in dire serious trouble at this time--there's a grand total of $35 in the fund. We'll need seed money for mailings, various events, and souvenirs for the reunion. Any ideas on how we can increase the fund? An "assessment" from each class member (tax deductible)? A pre-registration amount?

We also need inputs from all of you as to special guests to be invited; projects to be considered, such as a gift to the Academy from the class; and anything else any of you would like to see considered. Call or write today!

See you, if not before, in October 85.