WECATON NEWS REPORT - 06 JUNE 2006:

Here we go again! I'm going to try and do the WC reports approximately the first week of each month, I think. That seems to work out best for me, as I have a number of other writing and journalism commitments which fill the other weeks of the month. So we'll see if that plan works. Before I began this bulletin, I sat here thinking about how long I've been doing this terribly- accidental bulletin. I keep a daily journal and have done so, for many years. So I checked back to see if I might have made a note of it. Surely enough, I did. It seems it began in November of 2000, right after my return from my 40th class reunion and the annual WC gathering. My charter members were ALL 1961-ers. They were cousin JUDITH L. SAMUELS, NANCY J. ERTEL, and EDNA L. GRAY. Within the first one or two messages, P. LYNNETTE GARRETT was added, then another, and another, and another. As the adage goes, "The rest is history."

So I've been at this for about 5 1/2 years now, still just love doing it, and now have about 400 alumni on my bulletin list (perhaps more). My greatest reward has been that of getting acquainted with so many of you I "missed" in school. I know I've written that previously, but it bears repeating. You have all enriched my life, in one way or another, and I don't want you to think I take any of you for granted. You are all an integral part of the fabric of this quilt which has been named as the WeCaTon News Report (and that name came to us through the, "Yankee ingenuity" of 1959's GARY E. BARNES. Thanks, Gary, it's a great name!) So let's get going with our latest report and I'm going to once again see if I can type myself into oblivion. (It's sure a good thing that I became proficient at typing, isn't it? Ha!)

Yes, we had the normal forwarded materials and as is my usual practice, I'm going to list those people first. They include 1954's WILLIAM L. MCNABB, FREDA P. FLETCHER,1955's NORMAN E. JACKSON; 1957 's DARELL L. TOBIAS; 1958's RONALD D. "TOM" FEE, BRUCE E. CHENOWETH, WM. R. HOWARD, ROBERT W. "SMITTY"SMITH; 1959's JAMES L. LINDSEY, GARY E. BARNES; 1960's MICHAEL S. WEST, LINDA LEE SHANK, IDA JANE TREON, DELORES K. "DEDE" FAHRNEY, JUDITH ANN SLIFE, STEVEN M. KOKOT, RICHARD S. HOLT, MONTY ESTEP, PHILIP H. WOLFORD; 1961's BARBARA J. TURNINGTON, CAROLE J. LEWIS, SANDRA S HOLLINGSWORTH, SHARON K. WEN-DELKEN, SALLY L. GILLETTE; 1962's RICHARD C. CALL, BARBARA T. O'NEAL; 1971's PAMELA K. SHIPLEY.

Our alumnus, SONYA SUE BANKS, is "lost" on the cyberspace highway. All her e-mail is returned, each time I send it. Does anyone have an update? We're still also missing 1960's MILTON R. WOLFE and WILLIAM E. HECKER. I'm getting a full mailbox flag from you, Lola Jean Call, spouse of 1962's RICHARD C. CALL. Are you on vacation? Apparently, 1959's KEITH E. ANDERSON is on vacation. I got a reply in which that was indicated, at least. So tell us all about your recent vacation, Keith! We haven't heard from you. What about you, 1962's JOHN W. OBERLIES, JR.? It's been a while since I heard a word from you and I'm getting auto-replies from your office. Please bring me up to date! Quite often, I get returned mail for 1956's RONALD L. "PETE" BECKETT and his classmate spouse, CAROL A. PFISTER. However, I ALWAYS impose upon Pete's sister, 1958's LINDA LEE BECKETT, to be sure she does any necessary forwarding. Also being returned was the mail for my 1960 cohort, JOANN K. STEMLEY. Just in the nick of time, Jo wrote me an e-mail yesterday, within a few minutes of the time I was preparing to dispatch the U.S. Coast Guard (or whoever), in order to track her down. We're going to have a further update on Jo, a bit later in the bulletin. Your timing is impeccable, by the way, JoAnn! Many thanks to 1960's STEVEN M. KOKOT and 1962's BARBARA T. O'NEAL, for taking the time to update me on their new e-mail address. It is much appreciated. I had also been having some problems sending to 1958's JAMES E. KECKLER, but that seems to have resolved now, and all is well.

Since the last bulletin was written, we've had some sad news, that's for sure. The daughter of 1971's DANIEL E. PENDLEY (younger sibling of 1960's LARRY M. PENDLEY), who was but 28, was tragically killed in a vehicular accident. Danielle Nicole Pendley lived in Eaton, Ohio, at the time of her passing. You have all already read this, I know, but I always like to double-check to make sure everyone is aware. This news came to me, through my classmate PHILIP H. WOLFORD, whose sister, JOY WOLFORD, told him about it. (By the way, Joy has been married for about 27 years to JOHN KEMP, younger brother of CURTIS A. KEMP.) Thanks, Phil. This tragedy brought forth touching expressions of sympathy from Dan's 1971 classmate, PAMELA K. SHIPLEY. I received a nice thank-you from Nicole's uncle, LARRY M. PENDLEY, for the card I sent. He told me that Nicole left a spouse and a 9-year-old daughter. How sad!

We had yet another tragedy in WC families when we learned of the accidental drowning of the 5-year-old granddaughter of 1961's WILLIAM A. COLEMAN. Her name was Kristin Elaynne Hall and she resided in Miamisburg. It is always so tough losing a child, but I can't even imagine losing a grandchild, either. Those sentiments were well-expressed by 1967's MARIAN K. HUSSEY (wife of 1960's PHILLIP D. HOWARD) and by 1960's JUDITH ANN SLIFE. I know all of our hearts go out to both Bill and Dan. My thanks goes to 1961's CAROL A. MUMMA for letting me know about Bill's granddaughter.

We did have two passings of WC alumnus, also, and one was BARBARA JEAN MILTON, Class of 1959. I couldn't place her immediately, but when I opened the 1959 Piratan, I vividly remembered her. She was very pretty and popular in school (as were all the MILTON girls, it seems.) She died on May 26, apparently of cancer. This information came to me, through her classmate, GARY E. BARNES.

There was also the tragic death of 1992's 31-year-old JENNIFER BEALS HUMMEL. I'm not really clear on the cause, but have the impression it was likely to be a catastrophic illness. A query came from 1970's VICKIE JO GILBERT, about Jennifer's death. I do hope you were able to get your question answered, Vickie. Let me know if there's anything further.

From 1958's BRUCE K. COPSEY came an e-mail, notifying us of a May 13 Memorial Service for the late JAMES H. SMITH, who had died early in the year. I guess it was one of those delayed memorials, as he had lived in Florida when he died. Thanks, Bruce.

On a cheerier note, I got a little piece of writing from none other than 1955's NORMAN E. JACKSON. It was entitled, "Dirt Roads." It was truly so great, I just had to send it along. Of course, it was very greatly appreciated and elicited some wonderful responses from several of us. Not the least of these was 1961's SHARON KAYE WENDELKEN, who also sent along some wonderful photos, including one of her very own dirt road, which leads to her current South Carolina home. Those photos have been forwarded to our computer guru, MICHAEL S. WEST, for posting on the blogspot. So take a look! "Dirt Roads" was authored by Paul Harvey, but Norm, you sure do have a knack for sending the good ones.

Exchanges continue between me and 1954's WM. L. MCNABB, regarding the history of our Piratan. I'm absolutely positive of our being named Pirates in the year, 1926. But neither Bill nor I have been able to locate a Piratan dated for the years of 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, or 1932. We are also unable to find anyone who can resolutely confirm or deny if they were printed during those years. So if anyone out there can help us, we'd like to hear any or all available information. We're thinking our best bets for this info could come from 1933's A. EMERSON FAHRNEY or maybe from 1935's PAULINE E. GRESSBACH, and even though it was a bit before his time, perhaps 1940's HOWARD L. MCELWEE might recall some-thing. Also, anyone out there who has a box of old high school stuff from a parent who attended WC---well, open it up and take a look for us, please! I'd pay a king's ransom for any of those years and I'll bet Bill would, too. To this day, I'd still give anything for one, original 1941 Piratan! So keep this in mind, all of you.

From 1961's SANDRA S. HOLLINGSOWRTH came an apologetic note about missing our visit while she was here in Florida. But it was exactly what I had expected and what I have experienced, myself, on so many trips. She just simply ran out of time. We'll get it together next time, Sande! Hopefully, I will be seeing you in October, right? By the way, Sande also loved Norm's submission of, "Dirt Roads." Then again, who didn't?

Well, I was in for a blast from the past when, out of the blue, I got both an e-mail and a phone call from none other than MARVIN A. COLLINS. I know a lot of us remember Marvin. He had brothers named CECIL, MONROE, and CHARLIE. I believe they are all now deceased, is that right, Marvin? Anyway, Marvin used to date cousin JUDITH L. SAMUELS and he called her, too. He found her on the internet in the WC log.

Marvin now lives in Tarpon Springs, Florida, is retired from GM, was married twice (22 years and 11 years) and is now happily divorced. I told Marvin about all of our WC functions and he wrote that he may join us in October. Well, that won't do, Marv. You have to BE there, hear? So we'll first look for you at the Moraine City Frisch's on the evening of October 6. Don't let us down! Judy and I later discussed how amazing it was to hear from Marvin after all these years. It was she who told me he had found her on the internet.

Judy and I have been lately solving more of the world's problems. We just don't understand why it never has yet hit the national news at 6:30. But we intend to keep on trying. So far, we've discussed (over and over) all the fun of having retired husbands at home for whom we cook every day (and pick up clothes and do the bathroom after many messy showers, pick up the socks, t-shirts, etc., etc., etc. Ah, the joy!)

Judy and Bill are very active in the Eagles, still travel in their RV, are currently in the process of securing passports, so I presume they are preparing to do some travels which are outside the U.S. Judy's son recently visited from Wisconsin. It had been a while, since he was here.

It would seem that congratulations are in order for two of our alumni. I'm fairly certain this is NOT just an idle rumor. On good authority, I understand that 1960's CHARLES A. "BUD" LOWMAN III and 1961's SALLY A. GILLETTE will be getting hitched on August 26. I
was at first given to understand that this was some sort of big secret. But as with all things WC, people began telling me about it, from all directions. At that point, I realized it was pretty much well-known.

As most of us are aware, Bud and Sally have been an item for several years. Besides, Bud had already told me (last October) that he intended to propose to Sally, so it was no surprise to me. I'm sure we all wish them well. Congratulations to you two, and I do wish I could be there for this auspicious occasion. Several notes came in about this, one from MONTY ESTEP, who had seen Bud while playing golf, and he said that Bud told him they'd be marrying at the same place where we held our 25th reunion. By the way, just for the record, I did get a confirming e-mail on this, from the bride, Sally. She indicated that they are very happy.

A long and nostalgic note came in from our blogspot moderator, MICHAEL S. WEST, in which he bemoan -ed the loss of the small-town flavor of our old WC. It was something with which I could easily identify. I feel that way, each and every time I go there. But on a brighter note, Mike did comment about a big visual improvement on the appearance of Miami Shores, my beloved childhood home. Yes, I've noticed that, too. I know there aren't any mansions there, but I'm not all hyped up about that, anyway. I will always think of it as my home. Mike recently exchanged messages with our mutual classmate, BEVERLY JOAN HAAS, who lives in Alpine, California, and is apparently doing ok.

My recent exchanges with 1958's RONALD D. "TOM" FEE and WILLIAM R. HOWARD, proved to be very interesting. All three of us do process service (that means serving subpoenas and summonses) for various agencies (mostly attorneys, I'm sure) and Bill is in Ohio, of course, while I'm on Florida's east coast and Tom is on Florida's west coast. I had expected quite a difference between the two states, but was quite surprised with the big differences which exist between Florida's two coasts. It's almost as if it's two different states. Making the comparisons was very enlightening, though.

Also, I had a number of exchanges with DONNA J. SIMPSON, Class of 1961. We always seem to have heavily philosophical exchanges, so if any of you feel the need to seek counseling on any of the weighty matters of life, feel free to call on either of us. Ha! She is also busily toiling away on some efforts for her 45th class reunion, which is obviously this year. I had a hit from Donna's classmate, JAMES E. CURTIS, which I promptly sent right along to her. We hope you will be at alumni weekend this year, Jim!

From 1959's GARY E. BARNES came an e-mail in which he expressed thanks for the bulletins (not at all necessary, but very much appreciated, Gary) and he also confirmed that there will, indeed, be a WC golf outing on alumni weekend this year. So stay tuned out there, all you golfers! Gary does a great job with this, I am told. As he advises me, I will advise you.

Hey, I finally got a response from 1958's RICHARD L. JOHNSON. I know many of you remember him. It seems he had some sort of e-mail mix-up, right at the time we were putting together all the last-minute info and things got sort of lost in the shuffle. Richard says he expects to be with us at Spring Fest for sure, come next year.

A similar e-mail arrived from 1958's ROBERT W. "SMITTY" SMITH. I guess I must have misinterpreted something he wrote or asked, for I thought sure he'd written that he would be at Spring Fest. But he said he hadn't meant to imply any solid commitment, so it was my fault. I guess we all just wanted you to be here, Smitty! You were always one of the popular members of that class, you know, not to mention you were also a "jock" on the football field. But we hope you'll be with us in October.

Let's all do our best to assist 1964's DESDA E. DOERSAM with the location of her classmates. You all got her list, just a few days ago. For reasons of which I'm unaware, we got instant success on the location of ROBERT BARNARD. But I haven't yet heard of anyone else. So please keep that in mind. Desda, if I can help you in any other way, do let me know, please. Thanks to 1958's WM. R. HOWARD for delivering the goods on Bob. Tom Fee was also interested in reaching Bob, so I also sent him Bob's numbers. Help was also forthcoming from 1960's RICHARD S. HOLT, who was successful in locating last known addresses on two of Desda's people. But let's keep our eyes and ears open for all clues!

Does anyone know of a WC grad (or former attendee) named Artie Allen or Arthur Allen? He's in about the late-70s group, I think, but am unsure. My info on this is very sketchy and I'm still working on it. I had the help of 1986's KEITH A. SIMS, who checked the 1978 book for me, but no luck. I'll let you all know, if I should get more solid info.

Let me tell you all about the most amusing e-mail I received this bulletin period. It came from 1958's JUDITH MARIE SMITH, whose last name is Robbins now. Judy expressed the thought that perhaps none of us even remembered her! I was amazed by that. She was a gorgeous girl, very intelligent, a good student, and even a homecoming attendant. Who on earth would forget YOU, Judy? A number of you have, in fact, asked questions about Judy, over the years. It seems that Judy now lives in Lake Havasu City, Az. She was once married to 1956's EARL MURPHY, so she wrote. Earl lives in California and he and Judy are still cordial. We all would love to see you both, Judy! So you get on over to Ohio, come this October, hear? By the way, folks, Judy wants to know about LARRY & PAT HOWARD. Do any of you Howards on my list know who they are? I'm afraid I don't. So let's try to help Judy with her request. Judy, I'm still waiting on Earl's e-mail address, by the way. Judy says Earl wants to be on the bulletin list.

Of course, you've all read the latest travel report of 1960's GERALD A. FULLER, and wife, Becky (who is slowly emerging as WC's official photographer) and their travels across North America. They do a great job of keeping in touch and of keeping us all well informed and they also visit everyone, everywhere they go. But they did forget to include their phone number in that traveling e-mail and they want all the WC people to have it, so it's 859 548-3718. Do make a note of it.

My little note, in which I begged for news, proved to be quite effective. I want to thank all of you who sent me a response. It was just great! One of the first ones I received, was from 1955's FREDA P. FLETCHER, and I hope all of you went to the blogspot to look at the photo of her, as she celebrated her 70th birthday with family and friends. Freda, you look great!

We have lots of us who are out there on the road in RVs, seeing the country. It's not only the Fullers. I've just received word from 1960's JUDITH A. STALDER that she and spouse, Jerry DeAngulo, will be gone for the entire summer.

From 1973's JEAN ANN MILLER has come a recent report on retired WC Jr. High teacher and librarian, Donna Deitrich, who is now spending her summers in Arizona, near her son's home.

We also have that world traveler from my own Class of 1960, ROBERTA A. RICE, who has just returned from a trip to Jordan. Wasn't that a great travel report? I could literally see you, Roberta, doing every single one of those things, too!

As promised, I told you that there would me more on 1960's JOANN K. STEMLEY. She's on the road, too! She and spouse, Ronald R. Hall, have decided to do the travel thing for a couple of years. She says they both love Orlando, so are going to keep the condo, after all. They will use their Dayton home as base. I expect to see them during the summer.

Naturally, those WALKER people are still out on the road, doing hurricane work, no doubt. That would be Karen and 1960 spouse, WILLIAM O. We all did get to see them at Spring Fest, but I didn't get to visit for nearly long enough, so I'm hoping to get to see them again, perhaps this summer.

Also continuing to travel between their vast estates are 1961's P. LYNNETTE GARRETT and her very charming spouse, Frank L. Hawvermale. (Yes, I still have a crush on Lynn's husband, for any of you who may be wondering.) Anyway, the Hawvermales have just recently returned from their home in Henderson, Nevada, and their next trip is likely to be to Florida, so I'm hoping to see them.

Amidst all this traveling, though, one thing remains as steadfast as the sun arising each morning, and that would be the resistance of 1961's NANCY J. ERTEL, to ever leave her Kansas home. So don't ever expect
to hear the words, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," coming from Nancy. I'm firmly convinced she's always going to be there. However, she does continue to assist me in those technological pinches and to keep me posted on the happenings in her life, such as her nearly-17-year-old grandson helping her and her husband with the website during the summer. By the way, he's quite a handsome lad! She sent a photo. I'll see if I can get Mike to post it on his blogspot and identify it for us. By the way, Nancy does some racy stuff, folks! She recently informed me that she's a fan of the HBO series, "Deadwood." No wonder she doesn't want to leave Kansas!

Here's a message for you, 1958's LEONARD F. KUHN! Nancy wants to know about your sisters, Judy and Joyce, and about your brother, Bill. She says she e-mailed you twice, but you didn't answer. Pat, you might be able to answer this, eh? C'mon, Lennie! Send Nancy the info she wants, okay? She says you were all neighbors for years!

Also making it into my folder in time for this bulletin, was an e-mail from our spectacular host/hostess for Spring Fest 2006, J. DAVID MAYS and his gracious and gorgeous wife, Ann. (Of course, the actual e-mail came from Ann.) She writes that she and Dave are so pleased about their Florida move to The Villages, and that they continue to meet new and interesting people on an almost-daily basis. They are very active and they continue to get lots of company from the old stomping grounds. They were just getting ready to leave on a week-long trip to Cincinnati. So how did that go? You're probably back by now. Very nice report, Ann, and thank you for taking the time to keep us all updated.

An update came from 1960's DANNY L. WALTERS, too. It seems that he and wife, Phyllis, were recently at The Villages. Dan reported that they liked it so much, they've rented a place there next year for the months of February and March. Wonderful! We'll get to have you for Spring Fest, won't we?

On yet another update and travel note, it seems that 1960's JUDITH ANN SLIFE will soon be departing for Egypt. Wow! Now, that's a trip, isn't it? Judy's going in September, so let's all hope she returns in time for alumni weekend and will be there to tell us all about it. Judy says she'll be visiting the Pyramids, naturally, and she was also impressed with Roberta's Jordan trip. On a separate note, Judy wrote that she recently toured the old Kiser High School (from which she came to us at WC) and had quite a wave of nostalgia about it. You see, it's being demolished and they had an open house before doing it. Judy keeps company with a former Kiser classmate. They toured it together and shared quite a few memories. I know we all can
vividly remember Kiser High School, so there goes another childhood landmark! Thanks for a good and newsy update, Judy!

While we're on the subject of Judy, it came to my attention recently, that Judy and 1960's IDA JANE TREON were honored recently by the Dayton Blood Bank for donating over 15 units of plasma each. Ida wrote that it is used for treating cancer patients. How admirable an effort! Congratulations to both of you. Ida is embarking on a 15-state vacation with husband John. Be sure to give us a report when you return, Ida!

Luck was with me again when another wonderful travel report was forthcoming from EDNA L. GRAY of the 1961 class. Now, as all of you may recall, Edna is one of our most prolific travelogue writers. For about 2-3 years, Edna sent great reports about their travels. She slacked off a bit, over the past 6 months, but I'm in hopes that she's back on track now.

Anyway, Edna and husband, Richard M. Ryan, have just completed quite a tour. First, they went to a Navy retirement ceremony for Dick's son, Terry Ryan (26 years) in the city of Meridian, Mississippi. Edna writes they were royally treated. She's not really big on that state, but said they loved the wonderful foods, such as the fried green tomatoes and gumbo. Then they went to Louisiana to see the effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and Edna wrote that it was just simply overwhelming and that we could never believe it, if we didn't see it. She said the destruction was beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

From there, they swung through Alabama, taking in the sights at the Battle of Chicamaugua, and then did one more stop in Tennessee, to visit old friends. From there, it was home for the spring planting and yard clean-up. What a great trip, Edna. Thanks for the report.

More traveling is taking place with 1960's CHARLES A. HIGH, JR. Charlie was just recently cruising about the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains, with his wife, his daughter, and the two grandchildren. Charlie says he and Carol decided to see a little of the U.S. before they were unable to travel any longer. Good for you, Charlie! We all want to see you this year for sure, hear?

On the morning of June 5, AARON COUCH departed his Miamisburg home, headed for Idaho. He will visit with older brother, DONNIE, who's a teacher in Boise. He will also surprise the dickens out of his old buddy, 1960's EDGAR L. "EDDIE" KELLY, when he goes up to his door in Nampa, Idaho. Aaron says he can't wait to surprise him. Aaron and I were on a conference call for an hour and 40 minutes, the night before he left on his trip, bridged in with CURTIS A. KEMP. Curt, Eddie, and Aaron were all big buddies in school, along with 1960's WILLIAM M. ROHLER and 1962's RICHARD C. CALL and a few others. Aaron asked me for a number to reach 1960's DOUGLAS A. RENAS, and I was only too happy to provide it. Doug recently returned to the Dayton area, after many years spent in Arizona. He lives on Huffman Avenue. I hope to get him to come to Frisch's, at the very least. Listening to the reminiscences of Aaron and Curt was enough to bring back many a fond memory.

Few people, it would seem, run into more WC folks than does 1959's GARY E. BARNES (with Bruce as the possible exception, of course). Gary reports that he recently saw 1960's FRED LEE DOOLEY and that Fred wants to be on the bulletin list. Great, Fred! We will be happy to accommodate you. Gary also recently saw his 1959 classmate, ROGER D. WRAY, and he saw Lennie, too, who told him what fun they had down here in Florida, at Spring Fest. Thanks, Gary, and we all look forward to seeing you soon!

Another 1959-er checked in, JAMES L. LINDSEY, to tell us the awful news that his daughter just broke her arm. I'm SO sorry to hear that, Jim, as I know we all are. How's she doing? Jim and his wife have been doing a lot of work on their house, he writes, and he also just started a new job. Lots of us seniors seem to be doing that, these days. Is it any wonder, with what everything costs? Jim hopes to make it up to Ohio again, this year, but says he's reluctant to make any promises because something has prevented his trip for the past two years. Let's hope things will work out well for you this year, Jim.

Our in-house, published author, 1961's CAROL ANN MUMMA (current name Guy) has written to say that she and her co-author (Linda Zimmer) will be doing a book signing on July 4th for their newest mystery. It's entitled, "Vengeance Can Wait." Nice going, Carol! We need to see you in October!

MONTY ESTEP had nothing but nice things to say about his two 1960 classmates, SHIRLEY J, TUDOR and DELORES K. "DEDE" FAHRNEY, both of whom he recently saw. Apparently, he had nice visits with them and said they both looked great. Indeed, they both do, Monty, and by the way, so do you!

An interesting and amusing report arrived from 1955 classmate, CAROLE JUNE TEWELL (who graduated as Burton, since she was then married) who wrote of her lifelong passion for entering sweepstakes and told of many things she has won in her life, as a result.Over the years, she's won such things as Meijer's gift cards, a trip to Disney World, a Daytona 500 trip for two, and a week's free car rental, among many other things. Carole, it seems has passed the torch, so to speak, to her daughter, who recently won herself a brand-new refrigerator! Interestingly, Carole says that some of these items were won in a McDonald's Happy Meal contest and another from a Hershey's candy wrapper. I love it, Carole! Keep up the good work! Carole also bought herself a brand-new Toyota this year, she says, and she drives past WCHS constantly, always thinking of the wonderful times we all had, then. Nice report, Carole, and many thanks.

From 1958's BRUCE E. CHENOWETH came two or three e-mails, about his excitement regarding a big, impending dinner engagement he was going to host on June 2. There will be much more about that, as we move along, though. Bruce and I continue to talk and e-mail on a regular basis. Bruce reported that long- time companion, 1971's PATTY J. WHEELBARGER, is still busily immersed in trying to plan a shindig for her class's 35th. How's that going, Patty? He also reported that he's recently seen 1959's SANDRA RAE KINNEY (widow of 1958's DAVID L. MICHAEL) and he's also seen 1958's MARGIE L. MILTON. He also intends to try contacting 1960's, finally-found NINA F. KNISLEY, to see how she's doing, these days. So Bruce continues to be busy with his WC social life, as well as his business interests. He'll be contacting 1960's SHARON LYNN BORGER, too, he says. But I've got my own report on Sharon, and we'll get to that later, too.

From those, "old newlyweds," 1960's DAVID G. OTT and 1963's SANDRA A MINIX came a couple of nice news tidbits, too. Dave confirmed that they will see us all in the fall, so can this mean ANYthing but that they intend to be at the alumni gig? Of course not! The Otts will be fresh from an August cruise, intended to celebrate their 25th anniversary, even thought they'll have been married 43 years. Dave writes that it's a sort of "make-up" cruise for one that he promised so many years ago. Great! You two have a wonderful time and heartiest congratulations on number 43! I also appreciate the kinds words of praise.

Another county was heard from (both literally and figur -atively) with 1964's KARL R. BURRUS, who was just filled with great news. Karl reported that he and his family (including a 15-month-old grandson, whose name is Jackson Todd Burrus) recently enjoyed a little vacation in St. George Island, Florida. By the way, Karl, that's one of Florida's best-kept secrets. How did you find out about it? Anyway, he reported that his little grandson just loved the beach. Wife Linda, along with son Jason and his wife, Jodi, also went on the trip. But here's a REALLY big one for you! It seems that little Jackson's mother is currently pregnant with TRIPLETS!!! Wow, Karl! You and your wife must be thrilled to pieces, aren't you? Be SURE to keep us all posted on THIS development (pun intended), okay? The Burrus clan did deepsea fishing and enjoyed a bit of golf at St. James Bay. Karl also wrote that his wife took home no less than sixty pounds of shells and that she will create some lamps with them. It must so nice to be artistically inclined! That was a wonderful report, Karl. Thanks so much for taking the time to write. We all hope to see you in the fall in Ohio.

We also got a long overdue update from 1958 class member, RONALD D. "TOM" FEE. As many of you will recall, Tom had a March 21 surgery. He says he is recovering nicely. On May 8, he and Sandy had a 38th wedding anniversary celebration. Congratula- tions to you both on such an auspicious occasion. A granddaughter of the Fees has recently picked up her Master's Degree, and one of the grandsons is head-ed for Cancun, Mexico. Now, that sounds like one, busy household! We're all glad to hear that you're coming along well with your recovery, Tom, and many thanks for the report. Yes, that's exactly what I wanted.

From 1956's JULIA DEANNA CHRISTIE came the question of why Woody's is setting empty. Well, it so happens that Woody voluntarily closed down the store about May 1 of 2000 or 2001, as I recall, Deanna. He is now 93 years old and remarried, as you may recall, to WC 1955 homecoming queen, JACKIE DUNCAN.

This calendar year is very significant for Deanna, by the way. Not only is it the 50th anniversary of her graduating class, but also it will be the 50th wedding anniversary for her and her husband, come the month of December. Many congratulations, Deanna! She has also written of being terribly excited about alumni weekend and is hoping to see many familiar faces of old high school friends. Deanna mentioned that she has recently gotten to speak with a number of her old high school friends, and also credits my sister, 1956's JUDY ANN RISNER, for her efforts in that. Deanna is devoted to her husband, their 5 children, 13 grand children, and 3 great-grandchildren. That's quite a track record, Deanna. We all look forward to seeing you, come October, and thanks so much for a terrific report!

As I'm sure everyone is by now aware, I set great store by the reports which come to me from my 1960 classmate (and now-treasured friend) THOMAS L. WOLF, JR. Tom and his wife, Susan, are simply a delight and I always know I'm going to have a good time when I'm in their company. But Tom is also a very accurate and reliable source of info on all the WC happenings, since he's a retired administrator and he still sits on the school board. So I was especially appreciative when Tom sent in one of his reports in time for this bulletin.

In it, Tom alludes to the Education Recognition Assoc. of WC, which has been a tradition since 1963. This WC association has recently distributed about 750 tokens of recognition to students in the high school and the junior high, writes Tom, and it has also been instrumental in the awarding of 36, $1,000-dollar scholarships. He also reports that alumni officer, 1948's JACQUELYN A. CRITZER presented two $1,000 scholarships from the Alumni Association. Let's all try to remember to throw in an extra $10 or $20 or more, when we make our reservations for our crown jewel event, the Alumni Dinner/Dance, each year. It goes for such a worthy cause!

Tom also reported that the tradition of holding senior Baccalaureate Services, has fallen by the wayside for about 10 years. That was once so standard, as Tom was quick to observe. But with today's unexplainable (to me) "standards," (yes, that's tongue-in-cheek), the tradition had fallen by the wayside, it seems. The old tradition was rescued by none other than a current school guidance counselor, 1963's THOMAS H. KOKENGE, who resurrected it. Tom says it was held this year, optionally of course, at the Guiler Auditorium with about 60 of the 260 students attending. The name of the auditorium is derived, of course, from a man who is/was a WC institution and that would the the late DICKINSON T. GUILER. So thank you again, Tom, for a wonderful and informative report.

Now that I've covered all of my incoming e-mail, you'd think you'd get a break, right? Not a chance! You see, I still must report on all my personal contacts with our alumni. Yes, I know this bulletin is getting longer and longer. I'd like to apologize for that, but I just can't. It means that more and more of you are participating and sending news and blips and snippets. Isn't that, after all, just exactly what we want? But of course! So as long as my typing skills don't collapse, (God bless you, Mrs. Spangenberg!) we'll just keep on truckin'!

You all already know that I've spoken with AARON COUCH, CURTIS KEMP, and CHARLIE HIGH. Do I have others? You bet! Recently, I spoke with 1961's DONNA J. RICHARDS. She's busily at work on trying to put something together for her class's 45th, which is this year, obviously. So if you're interested in seeing all your old 1961 buddies, be sure to contact Donna!

Following my chat with Donna, I picked up the 1961 edition of the Piratan and leafed through it. As I did so, I turned to the page which has a striking photo of 1961's homecoming queen, CHRIS L. CLEARY. As everyone from that era is aware, Chris was one of the most popular and beautiful girls in her class. Well, as I stared at that photo, I was struck by how much she still looks just LIKE that photo! I've seen her recently and she was definitely one of the alumnus you would know, immediately. She has changed, hardly at all! How did you do that, Chris? I believe Chris still teaches at WC. As everyone knows, Chris has long been wed to former WC teacher, DAVID E COLLINS. Viewing that Piratan was a fun trip down memory lane.

As I do with great regularity, I've also spoken with 1961's P. LYNNETTE GARRETT. We've continued our drive to solve all the world's problems. I'm not sure we'll ever stop doing that, but I'm also not sure anyone will ever listen to us. Ha! I hope to see Lynn and her husband this summer, when they come to Lynn's parents' home. If not, I shall most assuredly
see them in October!

Classmate EULA FAYE BAILEY and I continue to have regular contact. For a while, Eula Faye was ill, but is doing much better now. She's currently enjoying a brief hiatus from the work-a-day world and spending more time with her children and grandchildren, who live nearby to her Overland Park, Kansas, home. We will all be seeing her in October!

Although I tried, I was unsuccessful in reaching lifelong friend, SHIRLEY J. TUDOR. But Shirley stays very busy and is very active with golfing. I'll keep trying, though, and sooner or later, I'll reach her and we'll get current on everything. But I'm sure wondering about her 1955 sister, DONNA G. TUDOR. I used to hear from you every week, Donna! Where ARE you?

Recently, I've had some wonderful exchanges with my 1960 classmate, SHARON LYNN BORGER. I think I told all of you of Sharon's sending a donation to the WC postal fund, as I call it. I mail all of these bulletins to a number of WC people who don't have PCs. As word of that spread, alumni started sending money to me, although I've never asked anyone for a dime, and never would. So when donations arrive, I put them in my big, brown WC envelope and use them for costs relative to postage, paper, print cartridges, whatever. When Sharon sent her donation, she also wrote me a terrific letter (handwritten, no less) and sent some nostalgic, childhood photos, which I loved! In her letter, she also indicated that she badly wanted both a 1953 and a 1948 Piratan. Well, don't you know, I had both of the ones she wanted!! I was so happy to send them to her and she was thrilled with them.

Also, I wrote back (but used a word processor, I have to confess) in response to her letter and we both had memories to share, as Sharon and I also went clear through school together. For those of you who may not recall this, Sharon came up to Frisch's last year and we were all thrilled to see her, finally! She looks wonderful and is still that gorgeous girl we all knew in high school. She's also still just as charming and just as gracious. So we look forward to seeing you once again, this October, Sharon, and thanks for the great memories!

On the evening of Friday, June 2, the "WC social soiree" of the whole season was put together by none other than 1958's BRUCE E. CHENOWETH. He and companion, 1971's PATTY J. WHEELBARGER, went out to dinner with 1960's CHARLES V. CARTER and wife Pam, GARY L WARLAUMONT and wife Jill, and that chic and stylish pair, 1959's BETSY R. MURPHY and her 1960 spouse, T. BARRY RUSSELLO. They all converged on the Chop House and a good time was had by all! How I wish I'd been there!

But I did a technologically-challenging feat of derring-do on my cell phone (for me) when I somehow mirac- ulously managed to bridge in myself and Eula Faye to Bruce's cell phone and we got to speak to every one of them, while they were all there. Bruce had spear- headed the entire effort, along with Patty, and they both told us, they had all laughed so much, they barely got through dinner. I can believe that!

Next, we spoke to Pam and Charles. As you all know, I'm a lifelong extended member of Charles' family and if you've ever been around them, you know that the two of them together are as entertaining and witty as a sitcom! Eula Faye professes to also be an ardent fan of the Carters and their brand of humor, as am I.

The phone passed to Gary and I'm proud to say I did not once get in any "digs" about his golfing passion. I always have fun with Gary, teasing him about the big crush I had on him when I was 14. That reminds me, LARRY M. PENDLEY, Gary somehow got the idea that you and I had some sort of "thing" in school. I'm sure that emanates from the junior play, when we were cast as husband and wife. My recollection is that it was you and JOANN K. STEMLEY who had a "thing" when we were all in school, right?

Wife Jill continues to recover from the March 16 golf club injury, about which you all read. She's doing well, though, and says it will be a few more months before everything is as back to normal as it will ever get. I'm of the opinion that Gary should buy her another big diamond, don't you think? Ha!

Next, I spoke to the wonderful, charming Russellos, both of whom I absolutely adore!! Not only do they both get better-looking with every passing year, but they both become more huggable," with each year, also. I love you, Barry and Betsy! I cannot wait to see you again, come October. Betsy told me they had all laughed so much, they were crying. I can believe that!
What a great gathering! "Bruce, ya' dun good!"

If you're among those who only reads this report and doesn't participate, please be assured that I do so appreciate the fact that you actually want to read what I write. That's just awesome and I'm deeply and truly flattered. But hey, jump on, "The Bulletin Bandwagon" and send in a report. Believe it or not, everyone wants to know what YOU are doing!

So guess what? "That's all, folks!" as Bugs Bunny would say. I'm SO thrilled with all the input you all sent to me. I'm hoping it has made this the very best bulletin of them all. It is a joy to be in contact with each of you. Whatever you do, mark those calendars for the weekend of October 6, 7, and 8. Don't let anything take you away from us, hear? Get online and down- load your reservation form and get it promptly sent in to K. JUNE CRUTCHFIELD, who works SO hard to put on this event! She's in the phone book, along with her classmate spouse, JAMES E. RICHARDSON. I'll be driving 950 miles to come to this event, so I don't want to get there and find people absent who live nearby, okay? I just may pay you an unwanted visit, if you do that. With that, I shall leave you all with my usual wish for glowing health, great happiness, peace -ful serenity, spiritual harmony, and boundless prosperity. Ciao!

---And there you have it! More at 11--- B


- posted by Mikey @ 10:23 PM