Let me title this story, "Dale's Photo Runs the Gauntlet."

Last June when I was TDY to the Pentagon, Dale and Sherry THOMPSON kindly invited me to dinner at their home. Ron and Connie YATES were also present, and I had everyone pose so I could photograph the occasion for the Class News. That's when I discovered I had left my camera back in the BOQ at Bolling: Dale saved the day. He later got his film developed and forwarded the negative to me in Colorado; but, alas, it arrived one day too late for the summer issue. Undeterred, I saved the picture and in­cluded it with my column for the Fall Issue (which went to press in October). But fate struck again! The printer needs prints, not negatives, and his printing facility was temporarily down. Foiled again! For this issue I started early and sent the negative over to the AOG office for printing some six weeks in advance. Thus the photo you see below of Sherry, Dale, Connie and Ron.

Anyway, late news from Dale is the THOMPSONS and YATES went to the Navy game in Baltimore together last fall and had a great time, except for the final two minutes. Also, Sherry is overjoyed to report that she gave up her job as 1977 came to an end.

Dale said he had just seen DK JOHNSON, who was TDY to The Building. DK is the Weapons and Tactics Officer for the 366th TFW (F-111s) at Mt. Home. He and Sally have a condominium at Sun Valley and are skiing as often as they can, which must be a welcome change of pace from the Air Staff and Washington DC. That is where DK earned the Meritorious Service Medal being awarded below by Colonel Pickitt, 366th TFW Commander.

DK had also TDY'd to Langley where he ran into Leon GOODSON, who is Special Assistant to General Dixon, the TAC Commander.

Another recent recipient o the MSM was Pete KING. Pete is now at Eglin, but he earned his MSM while serving as chief test pilot at the Contract Maintenance Center at Getafe, Spain, near Madrid. Tough duty! And now Florida!

I was talking to Jack BRUSH the other day about avia­tion gates, and it occurred to me that some of you out there may not know that the possibility exists for getting back-credited with gate time for flying done while assigned to the Academy staff prior to 1976. It's complicated and re­quires a request for a change of military records. Get in touch with DPMA (Atvn 259-2247) at USAFA for more information (or consult Jack, he's the expert). Jack also reports that his wife, Jeanne, has given up nursing, gotten an MBA from CU and opened up her own business: a school that gives refresher training seminars for nurses employed in this area of Colorado. Jack hopes she'll support him in his retirement.

Believe it or not, Howie BRONSON's little brother just waked into my office! He is a Doolie and Plans to Major in International Relations. He says Howie has finished the NATO War College in Rome and is now assigned to SHAPE Headquarters in Mons, Belgium.

Change-of-Address Card Quickies: Buck CONGDON has moved from Omaha to Virginia, where he is a new guy at the Pentagon. Tony LONG is living in Torrance, Cali­fornia and is assigned to SAMSO. Al JOHNSON is finally getting settled in his new house on the water in Alexandria. Dick HEAD is enjoying his one-year tour as a Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City and expects to be pushing papers on the Air Staff (XOC) next year.

Charlie WATERMAN has PCS'd from Altus AFB, Okla­homa to Travis AFB where he is flying the C-5. Joe HIG­GINS is at Williams AFB. Sid NEWCOMB has just PCS'd from the MAAG in Chile to Holloman AFB where he will be Chief of the Aeronautical Test Division (AFSC). Jerry MASON is Ops Officer of the 8th MAS (C-141) at Mc­Chord AFB. He reports the living in Washington State is great and that Jack HARDISON is in the same squadron, while Nels DELISANTI is commander of the 62nd OMS at McChord.

Ralph LALIME wrote a guest column in the last issue about the gang at Air War College traveling by camper to Atlanta for the Georgia Tech game. Here is the photo­graphic evidence: L to R, Al BACHE, Don and Joannie STEVENS, Gary SHEETS, Ralph, Marilyn HOBGOOD, George and Evelyn ELSEA, Mike LOH, Jerry and Betty DE LA CRUZ, and Les HOBGOOD.

I called Les this morning and learned that AWC is treating everyone well and most are through with their big paper and in the final stage of negotiating their PCS orders with MPC. (Les offered to write a guest column on that subject for the summer issue.) He also said that Hardy LEBEL, who missed the Atlanta trip, is recovering well from his 1976 auto-accident injuries and has just about gotten rid Of his limp. Joan and the kids are living in Ft. Walton Beach, and Hardy commutes down there in his own light plane, which he keeps parked on the Maxwell ramp about 50 yards from his BOQ room.

It looks like I will be leaving the Academy temporarily to spend next year as a visiting professor at the National War College at Ft, McNair, Since it will he a round-trip PCS, Anne and Phen will stay here but will be visiting me in Washington. My move may be the appropriate occasion to pass on the baton to someone else as Class News Secretary. Anyone out there itching to be a gossip columnist?