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The *WeCaTon* - West Carrollton (Ohio) H.S. Alumni News (unofficial)
Thursday, July 07, 2011
 
WECATON NEWS REPORT - 07 JULY 2011:
--Aaaaahhhh, here we go again! So much is happening and I've got to stay on top of this, and try to do, as I go. Of course, I never quite manage to accomplish that, but I try. The date is June 1, as I begin this next installment, so we'll see how I do with it. My hopeful date of distribution for this one will be no later than July 12.
Here's our forwarders list: 1954's FREDA P. FLETCHER; 1957's DARELL L. TOBIAS, BETTY LEE CARROLL, RALPH H. WARN
ER; 1958's WM. R. HOWARD, RONALD D. "TOM" FEE, BRUCE E. CHENOWETH; 1960's STEVEN M. KOKOT, DAVID G. OTT, LARRY M. PENDLEY, C, SUE MCCLOUD, RICHARD S. HOLT, DANIEL R. NEYMAN, LINDA LEE SHANK,THOS. L. WOLF, JR.
JUDITH A. SLIFE, WM. O. WALKER; 1961's JANET L. WALTER
S, SALLY L. GILLETTE, SHARON K. WENDELKEN, CONNIE K. STREETE, GARY R. FRANK, NANCY A. HALL, P. LYNNETTE GARRETT, PAUL R. BEARDSLEY, SANDRA E. BROCK, CAR
OL J. MUMMA; 1962's BARBARA T. O'NEAL, SHIRLEY A. SEX
TON; 1963's SANDRA K. MINIX, LEE JEAN JORDAN, SHIRLEY A. RANKIN; 1965's STEVEN F. SHADE; 1969's JOHN Q. KEMP
, CAROLYN JEAN COOK; 1970's THOS. A. DORSEY, DEBRE C. SPENCER; 1971's PAMELA K. SHIPLEY, JOY I. WOLFORD; 1988's JAS. A. MCGUIRE.
E-mail rejects are still arriving and, as much as I simply hate to do this, I'm going to have to remove the following names from our list of readers, if I can't get current e-mail addresses. It's become very time-consuming for me to go through and do all the deletions and keep track of them. Also, I'm writing for publications and for the newspaper, and the newspaper assignment is going to double at some point in the not-too-far-distant future, as I've been advised I'll be doing a second weekly column, very soon. So please, if you all can get me a current e-mail on these folks, do so. They are as follows: 1954's GAYLE C. MOSES, JO ANNE WHITEAKER; 195
8's KEITH E. ANDERSION; 1960's RICHARD "DICKIE" PHILLIP
S, WM. E. HECKER; 1961's MARVIN A. COLLINS; 1983's RICH
ARD D. WELLS. You all know, full well, I'd rather take a severe beating, than lose one of us from the readers list, and I do
Insist on at least 5 times of returned transmissions, before I'll ever remove them. So please see what we can all do to save these alumni to our readers list. On the plus side, good for you, 1959's ROBT. H. FULLER, who is in the process of changing his e-mail address and did, indeed, take the time to notify me. I appreciate it, Bob! Also receiving a huge pat on the back and a thank-you for notifying me are 1981's D. BRIAN BRODBECK and his 1985 spouse, AMY LYNN HAWKINS. Their address also serves as my pipeline to 1958's VINCENT A BRODBECK, Brian's dad. We also extend thanks to 1961's GERALDINA SELLARS for sending us the update on her e-mail, too, well as 1954's MARILYN CULTER. That's very appreciated.
There's a few people to whom I believe I'm going to send the story of Miami Shores memories, expertly composed by 1954's FRED
A P. FLETCHER. You'll all recall my mention of that piece, in the last WNR. Freda has written and given me permission to share it with anyone who wishes to read it. She's already sent it to 1955's CATHERINE ELAINE BARKER, about whom we will have more to read, later in the text.
Freda had other news, also. Her granddaughter is in Japan on a work assignment as a teacher. She flew home after the tragedy, stayed but a short while and returned. That's real dedication (and quite a spirit of adventure which isn't at all surprising, due to her being the grandchild of Freda.) Her father, 1973's Dr. MARK T. SCHROEPPEL, Ph. D., also works overseas and is also quite the adventurer. His daughter is Aimee Schroeppel. Freda is still in a battle royal with the Department of Defense, and I must tell you, I feel sorry for the DOD!! Freda would be a formidable foe.
She and spouse, Larry L. Green, are currently summering at their place in Pineola. N.C., and a visit is anticipated from one of her many cousins, this time, 1955's JESS E. HOHNHORST. I know you'll all have a wonderful time,. Freda!
We received an inquiry from 1960's DAVID A. BLAIR, re the state of the situation with the son of 1960's DENNIS A. ROSE, whom all of us will recall as losing everything they owned in the gargantuan tornado which hit Alabama. I was glad to get that, and I hope if you haven't yet made a contribution, but wish to do so, you will. I got a similar request from 1960's PHILLIP D. HOWARD and his 1967 spouse, MARIAN KAY HUSSEY.
Also, I got a wonderfully-gracious thank-you note from Dennis and Sandi, in which they wrote the response was overwhelming with help for their son and his family, from all us ol' Pirates. I'm so, so proud of all of us, but not at all surprised. Please keep us posted, Dennis and Sandi, and let us know how Chad and his family are doing. As I'm constantly writing, "We're all in this together." I love the way we all rally to one another's needs, when anything arises.
From 1959's JAS. L. LINDSEY came a blip about a long-ago, MS kid named Donnie Schoft. I don't even know if he went to WC or, if he did, what class year he would've been. But I would assume he did and Jim says he operated his own auto repair shop in the Burg for years. He doesn't know if it's still open. Do any of you re-
member a class year for him? I don't.
Graciousness abounds in my return e-mails, after I've written one of the bulletins. I so enjoy each and every single one and so very much appreciate each and every kind word. You're all so very kind to send these e-mails, and I truly appreciate all of you, too! I got the usual, wonderful e-mails from JACK L. GODBY, PHILLIP D. HOWARD, MARIAN K. HUSSEY, JUDITH L. SLIFE, FREDA P. FLETCHER, RONALD D. "TOM" FEE, ROBT. H. FULLER, and INDY JO. SUMNER.
We welcome aboard 1980's BRIAN A. GILBERT. I'm always very excited to get some of the younger class alumni---at least, they're younger, compared to me! So I do hope you'll enjoy the bulletins, Brian, and do send us your own news, too, please. We thank his sister, 1970's VICKIE JO GILBERT for this one. Vickie is married
to 1963's J. THEODORE "TED" EUBANK, so this is really quite the WC family.
Apparently, 1955's CARL R. MAYS is out gallivanting around the country again, with wife Marilyn. On the last transmission, I got an auto-response, and that's what that usually means, judging from past experience. So if you're reading this one, Carl, let me know if you missed the last one and I'll resend it. If that's not the case, then do give us a travel report, will you? What about you, 1963's LEE JEAN JORDAN? Once again, I got one of those auto-replies and I wonder if you have exciting vacation news to report, too. Ditto for 1988's JAS. A. MCGUIRE.
Expressing concern for my welfare during all those storms across the country, during April and May, was 1961's NANCY A. HALL. I see you also wanted to make sure my Harley-Davidson and my little Lutheran church (1792!) are also faring well. Never fear! My bike, church, and being are all well, Nancy. I appreciate it.
We have good news from the world of 1961's JACK L. GODBY, as he confirmed he's expecting to see us all, come October. It is, of course, Jack's 50th class anniversary, so I'd assumed he might be there this year. Still, it's nice to get confirmation of it. Now, if we could just coax NANCY J. ERTEL out of Kansas!! You can do it, Nancy. C'mon, how about a little touch of, "Toto, I don't believe we're in Kansas anymore!" Trust me, you'll be back before you know it, I promise!
Currently, I'm missing the company of my good friend, FRANCES L. PEFFLY, 1963. Fran and I just talked (it's now June 4) and she has assured me we'll get together soon. But she's got her hands quite full right now, with business pursuits and family issues, so it may be longer than we'd both like, I'm afraid. You know, Fran, I'm thinking of you and wishing you well. Fran also recently sustained the loss of one of her nephews. We all send condolences to you, Fran, for the loss of your family member. A recent message from Fran indicates she's continuing work and attending to varying family concerns. I can't wait for us to get back to our regular visits, Fran. Let me know, the moment you return to Tennessee.
Well, I've been musing over the notion of who's going to replace me, writing these bulletins, when I go blind, can no longer type, or kick the bucket (which I hope won't be for quite a spell, by the way)
and I've come up with 1954's FREDA P. FLETCHER. Yes, I know she's a tad older than me, but Freda is immortal, you see. She's also a very capable writer, and tells a great story. So that's why I chose her. Of course, we need an accomplished, back-up writer from the 1980s (or 1990s) classes, to assume this task. So let's spread the word, shall we? I won't be here forever. (Footnote: No, I'm not ill nor expecting to die soon, I promise, but we just never know.)
EDNA L.GRAY, 1961, wrote to tell us our latest newlyweds, Cyril R. Acheson and his bride, 1960's FLOSSIE J. GRAY, are terribly happy and enjoying their home together. Edna says Flossie is a great cook and she will be re-doing a few things in their house, in order to accommodate her needs. She says Cy complains about nothing. How wonderful to be able to report such a great story. I know we all wish only the best which life has to offer, for Flossie and Cy.
From my 1960 classmate and fellow Miami Shores Kid, PHILLIP D. HOWARD, came an absolutely wonderful message, in which he thanked me for reconnecting him with so many of his friends in high school and he expressed how greatly those contacts have improved his quality of life. Those sentiments were also reflected by his wife, 1967's MARIAN KAY HUSSEY. Let me assure you all, when I get an e-mail such as that, it's enough inspiration to get me going for another whole year. What fun! It's nothing short of delightful to feel I might have been instrumental in improving the quality of anyone's life, and when it's people with whom I shared a neighborhood and a school---well, what can I say?
Similar sentiments were expressed by 1960's DENNIS A. ROSE, when we talked on June 3, and he told me he and Sandi's son, Chad and family, were putting the pieces of their lives together, following the gigantic tornado in Alabama. We all wish them well, Dennis and Sandi, and I'm thrilled some of us were able to send checks to help them do just that. I hate to be repetitive, but let's not forget what I write all the time; i.e., "We're all in this together." Also, lest we should forget, yes, we are, "our brother's keeper." So I'll stash away my pulpit for today!
On a note which is not so upbeat, I received a lengthy e-mail from 1963's PAMELA J. NELSON. Pam is the spouse of 1961's JAS. E. CURTIS, as most of us know. They're related to the well-known Tobias family. On May 26, 1955's PATRICIA A. TOBIAS was in
Miami Valley Hospital's ICU, following triple bypass surgery. Pam wrote Pat will have a long road to recovery, of course, and she'd also had 6 small strokes, pneumonia, and a weakness on her left side. Of course, I'd sent a special bulletin about Pat, as most of you remember.
Naturally, we all wish a speedy and full recovery for Pat. She is the elder sibling of 1957's DARELL L. TOBIAS, and she'd been long wed to the late RICHARD D. GIBBONS, 1955, with whom she had 3 daughters. I was enlightened about a bit of the history of that class by none other than CATHERINE ELAINE BARKER, who had gone with Dick throughout high school. Both wed others and moved on, though. When you have an update, Pam, please do let us know how Pat is doing and do convey the very best to her from all her fellow Pirates. (Footnote: Sadly, there will be no recovery for Pat, as I'm sure we're all by now well aware. She died on June 15, I believe. Naturally, we extend sympathy to her family and to her brother, 1957's DARELL L. TOBIAS. Pat's death was reported to me by 1960's DELORES K. "DEDE" FAHRNEY, 196
3's PAMELA J. NELSON, 1958's BRUCE K. COPSEY, and 195
9's GARY E. BARNES. Thanks to all.)
Since we've already mentioned Elaine, we'll go ahead and bring all of you up to date on her life, too. Elaine and her dentist spouse still reside in Florida, Hillsborough County, with their flock of pets and outdoor animals. They travel and enjoy their retirement. She sent me a long and nostalgic e-mail about high school and her WC fond memories. Since then, Elaine and I have literally told each other what amounts to nearly our life stories. We've decided we have much in common, and we want to meet. As it happens, she's coming to North Carolina, just 60 miles away from me. It also just so happens, Freda is already camped there. So the 3 of us are planning a meeting on July 29. I can hardly wait. Thanks, Elaine, and do continue to enjoy each and every day.
Okay, it's now July 5, and by the way, it just happens to be the birthday of my high school friend, ALICE K. PARKS, whom I'm sure many of you remember. I'm thinking Alice was in the 1961 class. Anyway, if you get wind of this, Alice, I sure hope you had a good one. Your cousin, 1959's SHIRLEY R. PARKS and I, have been exchanging a few messages. She and spouse, 1957's NEIL H. SIZER, will soon be departing for Dale Hollow, Tennessee, she wrote me, on July 16. That's in Pickett County. I'm trying to coax them over to my house for a visit.
Speaking of visits, 1960's EULA FAYE BAILEY and I spent a 4th of July lunch together. She was on a very tight schedule and had come through town to visit with a handful of her many cousins in the area, and to visit her favorite aunt, who's lived right here since 1951. I got to meet her, too. Eula Faye and I spent a quality 2-3 hours together and I brought her to my house, too. A long list of WC folks have been to my house, that's for sure. We had a really good time and a nice visit.
We have to back up a bit for this one, but it bears mentioning, just the same. On May 26, I received an e-mail from 1960 classmate, THOS. L. WOLF, JR., who's on the school board. He'd attended a grad ceremony on that very night. (By the way, Tom, ours was on May 30, 1960, and there were 147 of us.) Here are some names which jumped out at Tom, on the list of new graduates: TYLER ARMSTRONG, whose father was BILL ARMSTRONG (1959); EMMA HANEY, whose father is DARYL HANEY and mother is
also WC (no name given), TAYLOR SCHWEIKART whose father, is, "Peaches," (?) and I don't know who that is, and then he said the big one was KAILYNN WARLAUMONT, whose father is C. BRIAN WARLAUMONT, and Brian's parents are 1960's GARY. L. WARLAUMONT and 1961's SALLY L. GILLETTE. I think the
WC dynasty on Sally's side goes back considerably further than that, too. She wrote me, saying she thinks it's as many as 5 or 6 generations. Thanks, Tom.
Overwhelming sadness consumed us all, I think, when we heard of the untimely death of 1961's JAS. E. CURTIS on June 5. I know I was absolutely shocked. His widow is 1963's PAMELA J. NELSON, and she wrote to let me know, on that very day. I got back a slug of shocked e-mails from 1961's CHRIS L. CLEARY, SALLY L. GILLETTE, NANCY J. ERTEL; 1963's SHIRLEY A. RANKIN, LESLIE JANE SMITH; and I'm sure there were many others who directly contacted Pam.
Since we're on the very depressing and sad topic of those who have passed away, we may as well address it for this edition, so we can move along to more pleasant topics. You all know how very much I hate doing this part of the bulletins, but the fact is, we all want to know. So here goes. From 1965's STEVEN F. SHADE came the most recent list of the ones of whom he's aware and I'll give you names, dates of death, and class years, as listed:
1935's WARREN SNYDER, 02 June 2011
1959's ELIZABETH THOMPSON 23 May 2011
1962's MICHAEL ADKINS 17 May 2011
1974's THERESA ULRICH 29 May 2011
1982's ROBERT COX 04 May 2011
1992's JEREMY JORDAN 03 May 2011
Teacher DONNA DIETRICH 08 May 2001
Thanks for the update, Steve, and may I just say, "What's with the month of May for WC people?" How very odd!
My 1960 class lost another member, INA LEE GREENE, about June 12, I believe. This was reported to me by only 1961's PAUL R. BEARDSLEY, who apparently also attended her viewing. Many of us will recall Ina Lee working at the Moraine City Frisch's for an amazing 40 years. I always saw her, each time I went there.
Sadly, we must also report the death of 1961's JOHN FREDERIC RANDALL on June 4. I read his obit and a story of his life in the paper called the Sonoma News. Judging from the text, Fred lived in the state of California. His was a life marked with successes, music, and lots of travel. I know he will be missed. His death was reported to me by classmates DALLAS K. MATHIS, RICHARD L. DOLL, and NANCY J. ERTEL.
We also extend sympathy to 1958's C. JUNE CRUTCHFIELD, as I understand from her classmate, WM. R. HOWARD, June's mom passed away last month. Our condolences are extended for your loss, June. June's husband is 1958's JAS. E. RICHARDSON.
Celebrating a wedding anniversary recently are 1959's BETSY R. MURPHY and1960's T. BARRY RUSSELLO. I'm thinking it was the 47th, is that right, Betsy and Barry? Anyway, you know we all wish you both the best and we also wish you many more. On June 12, Barry and Betsy attended a concert of the Lettermen and the Beach Boys, along with 1960's GERALD A FULLER and wife, Rebecca A., and LARRY M. PENDLEY and wife, Judith A. I'll bet you all had a ball, didn't you?
From BRUCE E. CHENOWETH, 1958, came an e-mail in which he wrote he may be heading back down to Tennessee, toward the end of July. I hope so. Eula Faye told me she and Bruce spent some time together, while she was recently in Ohio. Lest I should forget, by the way, she was there to bring her mother, Georgia Howard Bailey, to Tennessee, where she remarried at the age of 88, in Cleveland, where Eula Faye's sister lives. How great!
Speaking of weddings for older folks, as we all now know, WC's own, "teacher emeritus," MURL E. HUFFMAN will be marrying his longtime companion, MARJORIE BOGAN, who's the widow of teacher DONALD C. BOGAN. They will marry on July 17 at the Memorial United Methodist Church in WC. All are invited and the actual service will progress at 11:30 a.m., although he's asked for everyone to be there for the regular service at 10:30. He also has requested absolutely no gifts. He's 91 and Marge is 88. They've known each other since 1946! This announcement brought in lots of comments.
From 1961's SALLY L. GILLETTE came a, "That's wonderful news," and of course, it is. From 1960's LOIS ANN LITTURELL came a comment she was glad to get a special bulletin from me which was good news for a change. How right you are, Ann! On a humorous note, 1958's WM. R. HOWARD asks, "Is it a shotgun wedding?" which brought a couple guffaws from Mr. Huffman. I heard from 1960's KEITH H. CLENDENON, who wanted to know if Marge is, indeed, Mr. Bogan's widow. I wrote back to confirm.
NANCY J. ERTEL, 1961, is happy for the engaged couple, too, as is 1955's C. ELAINE BARKER, JESS E. HOHNHORST, 1960
's JUDITH A. SLIFE, MICHAEL S. WEST, RICHARD S. HOLT (who spied the pair at Cracker Barrel),1957's NEIL H. SIZER, 1959 spouse, SHIRLEY R. PARKS, 1956's RALPH D. WILSON, and I know this includes all of us, even those who didn't send a separate message.
Judy Slife even wants to get together a whole group for a wedding party and invited me to spend the weekend at her house and get together with IDA JANE TREON, LINDA L. SHANK, JOY A. TREON, and who knows who else? That was a very tempting offer, too! As luck would have it, though, on this very day (it's now July 6), I've been notified by my local paper I'll be doing yet a second weekly column. I've decided to accept as writing is a joy for me, and hey, the money is good, too. I never have to set foot outside my door for this job, so it's ideal for me. So my travel is going to be at a minimum, until I see how much of my time will be used in doing two weekly columns, rather than one. I'm sure not going to quit my alumni bulletins, either, so I'll be quite busy.
While I'm writing, I'm going to address this issue. It's bugged me for years. It was about 7-8 years ago, I believe, when I first got the forwarded e-mail which read, "Cell Phone Numbers To Go Public
," and then it would go on to give a date and then a number we all should call so the people at the other end would be able to, "save us all, " from this invasion of privacy. Over the years, I continued to get this same e-mail, time and again. As a Bell Telephone retiree of 29 years, and also having worked several years in the cellular industry, I immediately recognized this as the scam it is. Sadly, though, most people didn't. They kept it going and it's now been distributed around the globe and it continues to circulate. It came to me, only in the past month, for about the millionth time. I will explain to all of you what this really is, in the hope I'll never again receive it from any of you, and also in the hope you'll let your non-WC friends know what this is.
That number you're supposed to call to, "protect yourself," is in reality a clearninghouse for telemarketers. They sell all the phone numbers they get,to the many people who call us in the middle of supper, trying to hawk their wares. Their sales lists are growing shorter and shorter, due to the fact many people are totally doing away with landlines, which are published in central directories, in favor of cell phones only, which are published nowhere, nor will they ever be, at least not in the foreseeable future. That would be a violation of the contracts we all signed, in which we are assured no one gets our cell phone number, unless we provide it to them. Do you have any idea how costly it would be to renegotiate each contract and get the approval of every subscriber to have their cell phone number published? That will never happen! But people are buying into this, left and right, and calling every day in large numbers. Don't be one of them! N ever send that forwarded e-mail to anyone again. This is how the telemarketers are building their ever-shrinking call list. They crafted this e-mail notice! The telemarketers are having a field day with this, cellphone-numbers-going-public thing, and their list of prospects grow by thousands, probably every day. Don't bother calling the number to ask if that's what it really is. It will be vehemently denied. So that's the real story. I hope never to see that subject line in my inbox again, at least not from any of the WC people, and please spread the word. When landlines do disappear, the telemarketers will be well-supplied with cell phone numbers, due to the response to this e-mail which has circulated for years.
Okay, back to our news! Did I tell you all I had a visit from my old pal, CHAS. A. HIGH, JR., and wife Carolyn A. High, along with their granddaughter, Taylor, on June 5? I came home from church about 12:15 and they were all seated on my front porch, to my utter delight. We spent a wonderful 3-4 hours visiting, getting caught up on each others' lives, and viewing the great scenery, but they were unable to spend the night. They headed back home in the late afternoon. Charlie has had numerous health woes, as has Carol, but they were able to make their trip, and they were happy to do so. Carol has a lot of family in LaFollette and they come to decorate graves each year. I was thrilled Charlie visited me, that's for sure.
From 1987's JEFFREY T. GILES and 1988's JAS. A. MCGUIRE, came news about the WCHS Football Alumni Assoc. Their 2nd Annual Golf Classic will be held on Friday, July 15, at Pipestone Golf Club. To register for this event, please access the following:
( www.pipestonegolf.com ) Failing that, you may call Jeff at 937
477-4609. At this year's event, the 1953 team will be honored. If you are a coach, player, or cheerleader from that era, they want you to be there, and they issue a special invitation to you. By the way, MURL E. HUFFMAN, they've issued an extra-special invite for you to be there. I've forewarned them, it's the weekend of your upcoming nuptials and your calendar may be full, but if you can make it, they'd be thrilled beyond words!
Yesterday afternoon, I sat on my newly-renovated, highrise deck, enjoying the mountain view and the fresh breeze. As I did so I had thoughts of lifelong friend, 1960's SHIRLEY J. TUDOR and my pal of 1961, P. LYNNETTE GARRETT. I dialed both their numbers, but didn't get Shirley, so I left a message. I got Lynn on her cell phone, but she was in the doctor's office and I learned her home phone number has changed. However, the stars haven't crossed right, just yet, for me to call either of them again. I do still talk fairly regularly to 1960's THOS. D. YOUNG, and wife, Sandi, with whom I'm especially close. They're doing well. Sandi still works 3 days a week, and Tom is playing---what else?---golf, every chance he gets.
That's it, gang! We've done it again. My goal was to get this to all of you, no later than July 12. I'm 6 days ahead of schedule. But do remember, I'm a newspaper reporter and journalist, something I've done all my life, even while working at Bell, and so I'm used to my self-imposed press deadlines and it always works in my favor---or is it in your favor? Ha! Again, I thank each and every one of you for your faithful readership. For a dedicated writer, like myself
, there is no greater accolade. I leave each of you with my usual wish for glowing health, great happiness, personal safety, spiritual harmony, peaceful serenity, and boundless prosperity. Ciao!
---And there you have it! More at 11!---
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