WE*CA*TON NEWS REPORT
On 25 March 2012, Bonnie Wrote:

--Hey, are you ready for me again? Well, here I come, ready or not. It'sFebruary 25, the day after I sent the last one. I will take the liberty ofdedicating this edition to my late sister, 1956's JUDY ANN RISNER. Tomorrow,February 26, will be the 5th anniversary of her passing. She would've turned 69 that year on March 3, had she lived. She was a dedicated Pirate, who worked hard, helping

orchestrate WC events, as many of you recall. She was my only sibling, as you'reall also well aware. Okay, let's get going with our forwarders, who are 1949's ROBT. E. HOFFMAN; 1954s FREDA P. FLETCHER; 1955's C. ELAINE BARKER; 1956's CAROL ANN HOHNHORST; 1957's DARELL L. TOBIAS, BETTY LEE CARROLL, RALPH H. WARNER, ERCELL P. PHILLIPS, JO CAROLYN BROWN ; 1958's W. BAILEY HAWKINS, BILL R.HOWARD, LORNA DOONE TROUTMAN, RONALD D. "TOM" FEE; 1960's C. SUE MCCLOUD, RICHARD S. HOLT, DELORES K. "DEDE" FAHRNEY, WM. O. WALKER, CHAS. V. CARTER, EDGAR L. "EDDIE" KELLY, WM. E. "BUDDY" STOVER; 1961's GARY R. FRANK, SHARON K. WENDELKEN, SALLY L. GILLETTE, PAUL R. BEARDSLEY, SANDRA E. BROCK; 1962's JACKQUELYN S. HAINES; 1969's JOHN Q. KEMP; 1970's DEBRE C. "DEBBY" SPENCER; 1971's JOY I. WOLFORD, PATTY JO WHEELBARGER; 1981's BRIAN D. BRODBECK; 1985's AMY LYNN HAWKINS;

As regards our e-mail lost list, it is with great regret I must inform all of you, I've now deleted each of the names which were in the last bulletin, except the few I was able to confirm. I hated doing it, but I usually takethem off after only 3 rejects. This time, I let it go clear to 6. So if you've got any of their current e-mails, please let me know. In the meantime, I await the reject list on this bulletin. I anticipate it will be far fewer, with the deletions. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Darling INDY JO GRISSOM, 1970, was right on top of it, as always, with wordsof praise and thanks, as is also 1961's JACK L. GODBY, who's always a dear,too. A quick response came from 1958's DONALD I. MCCOY and BILL R. HOWARDwith the exchanges on their upcoming 55th anniversary year for the 1958class. This particular class has suffered heavy losses over the past couple of years, so if you're a class member, please make a special effort to be there in October and also let Bill know your contact info ( WHoward333@aol.com ) Don't forget! Bill already contacted me to get correct info for NICHOLAS P. WOLARY.

That gallivanting JOHN W. OBERLIES, JR., 1961 class president, was out and about, once again. I got another auto reply and am wondering what wondrous port of call he may be visiting, this time. Do give us a report, John! Speaking of ports of call, 1961's NANCY A. HALL says spouse Larry is doing

well with his recovery, but sadly, recently lost an uncle in California. However, they will be taking their spring cruise, as reported in the last bulletin.

A thousand apologies to my classmate, THOS. L. WOLF, JR. For some reason, I wrote Wolfe, not Wolf. I'm a name buff and very picky about making sure they are precisely correct. Our class has Tom, yes, and we also have MILTON R. WOLFE, who does have an e at the end. Perhaps my brain has finally turned to mush. I know better, of course. Tom continues to work on amassing all the missing

Piratans and I did manage to mail him a 1941 for his efforts. I hope it will serve the purpose for him. (Footnote: All right for you, Tom! You moved and didn't notify me of your new address. "Shame-y, shame-y on you!" No more of that stuff. That evens the score for my goof on your name, so we've wiped the slate clean. Ha!)

What a fun exchange with 1956's ROSETTA PRUETT! She lives in Mesa, Arizona, and is giving big consideration to a return to WC, she wrote me. She also read the part about the Piratans and asked I send her a 1956, saying her kids just about destroyed hers, leafing through it. So we got that done, and it's on the way. However, I now have but one, extra 1956. So if you happento be in the market, let me know quickly. (Footnote: A very gracious note arrived today, Feb. 27, along with Rosetta's check for the yearbook. You are too kind, Rosetta, and thank you for your lovely note of thanks. Again, I have the thrill of bringing joy to another person, simply by dropping a book into the mail. What a privilege! Do enjoy.) (Footnote: On the morning of March 6, I received an e-mail from Rosetta. She'd gotten her Piratan yesterday and let me know. She wrote she's really enjoying leafing through it.)

There's been a good deal of action this period with 1956 class members, actually. I'm also still doing exchanges with MARGIE L. HENDRICKS. Margie is overjoyed to have her 1956 Piratan again and I also sent her the mystical, "red book." She's having a ball with both of them and I'm so thrilled for her
and I feel so wonderful about having had those books to send her. Come see everyone in October, Margie. You'll be so glad you did.

Next came an e-mail from the beautiful REBECCA J. POLING, also 1956, thanking me for the lovely compliments about the Poling girls. Well, Becci, that was a recap of the popular contention from the boys at ol' WC, I assure you. Becci and I have had a great time, exchanging messages and catching up on all the news. Okay, you guys! Becci is in California and her other 4,lovely sisters are in Florida. However, I think they're all married. But I'm betting they're all still good-looking!

Anyway, as a result of that exchange, we now welcome aboard another orgeous Poling girl, and it's 1958's BETSY J. POLING. We're thrilled you are now with us, Betsy, and why don't you and Becci round up the other 3 Poling girls, so we can have all of you? Are you coming to see us in October? Wesure hope so!

Lovely LORNA DOONE TROUTMAN is maintaining good contact, too, and I think we'll be seeing her for sure, come October. I sure hope so. We've been having a circus with the e-mail. She sent me a photo wherein she's, "pedaling herselfall over town"---and please note the spelling on the first word, as I didn't write peddling---astride her new cruiser bike. That's really one, snazzy set of wheels, Lorna, so keep up the good work. There are a lot of WC people out there, you know. Do you ever see any of them? Lorna is in Phoenix.

In recent conversation with her classmate, NICHOLAS P. WOLARY, who helped me through yet one more techno-challenging crisis, I told Nick how highly Lorna spoke of him to me. Of course, I gave him your e-mail address, Lorna, and I'll bet you've by now heard from him. Isn't it fun to reconnect with our old school friends?

From 1958's RONALD D. "TOM" FEE came news of the Veteran folks contacting him, in order to secure a photo of THOMAS EUGENE "Tommy" COMBS, for thedisplay they call, "The Wall." They got Tom's name, due to his involvement in getting the memorial sign for the Miami Shores street where Tommy lived. He made the connection for them to Tommy's sister, 1961's DOROTHY M. COMBS,
who I believe is the only surviving member of the Combs children. So Tommy is now remembered with the honor he deserves. Great news, Tom, and thanks.

On this day, I got a call from my brother-in-law, Ralph J. Osterman. He's the widower of my sister, 1956's JUDY ANN RISNER. He's in Florida with his second wife, 1956's ANITA RAE MASON, who was my sister's lifelong best friend. They'll be down there about another month. While there they will
visit both my daughters, as well as cousin JUDITH L. SAMUELS and her husbandm I'm hoping they'll be swinging through northeast Tennessee, on the return trip to Dayton.

There was a call on my answer machine on Feb. 28 (that's today, by the way, and I'm typing again) from 1960's GERALD A. FULLER, reminding me of the fact THOS. EUGENE COMBS had served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Actually, I wasn't aware of that. I think I always thought it was the Army. But I feel sure the military has all records for his inclusion on the famous wall of names. Thank heaven they aren't depending on me, for I'd have gotten it wrong. Thanks, Jerry, and I'm sorry I missed your call.

Last evening, I received a lengthy e-mail from 1964's TERRY L. WILSON. I hadn't heard from Terry in quite a spell but his e-mail wasn't rejecting, so that was a good thing. Terry remains in California, where he's been for years. He's made his mark in the TV, film, and radio business, I believe. He has also written a book, entitled, "Life Is Too Short and So Am I." Let me try to get this right (the website)

( http:www.amazon.com/Lifes-Too-Short-So/ebook/dp/B008242G26/ref=sr_1_2?s+books&ie=utf8&
qid=1348003602sr=1-2&keywords=life+too=short+and+so+am+I ) So there it is. That's a PDF download, he said. (Footnote: I completed Terry's book, March 4. It was entertaining and raised many questions about the students at WC, who were referenced, and what their names might have been. Good luck with your book, Terry.)

But in other news, Terry is going to need all our support, good thoughts, and prayers. You see, he had recently learned he's in stage 3 thyroid cancer. He's so far undergone two of the necessary surgeries

and assures me he's going to be fighting the good fight. He said he has to rid himself of what he calls, "this unwanted intrusion in my life." Please be sure you do that, Terry. We're all pulling hard for you. If any of you wish to contact Terry, e-mail address ( tleewilson@gmail.com ). I do not have a postal mailing address, landline, nor cell phone. But I'll bet he'd love to hear from any or all his old Pirate pals. Thanks for writing, Terry, and for sharing this life crisis with us. We wish you all the best and we know you're going to get through this. Please keep us informed of your status. We all also wish you great success with your book,which showed terrific comments from those who have read it.

From 1956's MARGIE L. HENDRICKS came a lovely note of thanks, postally mailed, by the way, in which she graciously thanked me for her 1956 Piratan, as well as the elusive (apparently) "red book," and she's enjoyed them so much. She even enclosed a $5 for postage on the second one, which was totally unnecessary. I'm trying to encourage Margie to head to Ohio in October for her class' 57th gathering. Her classmate, RALPH D. WILSON, always makes great effort each year to encourage as many attendees as he can.

My efforts also continue to encourage 1961's RICHARD L. DOLL to attend the October functions. He had had some sort of knee surgery last year, so couldn't make it. The year previous, was his mother's memorial service, but he was present for his 50th. So we're all hoping to see you this time, Rich!

Once again, 1958's FLOYD R. "BUBBLES" WILLIAMS, JR., makes his way into our consciousness. I feel he really is a 1950s football icon to most of us and I got another e-mail from 1960's MICHAEL S. WEST (who maintains our WC blog, by the way) wherein he recalled his football memories by writing, "I, too, marveled at his football feats." Well, we all did, Mike, that's for sure. He had to be the closest thing we had in the 1950s to a local sports celebrity. I seldom talk with anyone from that era who doesn't remember a spectacular football play, executed by him.

In my mind, I've always associated his football plays with several other of our accomplished players, who include 1956's JOHN F. "JACK" FREIER (who died in August, 2012, or maybe 2011), 1958's RICHARD A. FAHRNEY, ROBT. W. "SMITTY" SMITH, and 1960's GERALD A. FULLER. Floyd does not use, "Bubbles," anymore, although he's so famous among us, with that nickname. By including it, I meant him no disrespect, I simply wanted to be sure we all knew to whom I was referring. He now goes strictly by Floyd.

In those days, few of us knew his real name. In fact, in the 1950s, we had many, single-nicknames in our ranks and everyone knew who they were, but only by that nickname. Students of the day, during that period, would've surely been Floyd at the top of the heap with, "Bubbles." But we also had many other single-namers. For instance, in my own 1960 class. there was, "Cookie" (NANCY E. BOWIE), "Boots" (IDA JANE TREON), "Buddy" (WM. E. STOVER), "DeDe" (DELORES K. FAHRNEY), and we all instantly knew to whom we were referring. So, Floyd, if you're reading this, please don't take offense. You'll always be a WC football legend and we all wish you well.

Okay, readers, it's now March 13, and I've got just 3 days to go until I turn 71. I won't complain, though, as the alternative is---well, we all know what the alternative is, to growing older, now don't we? I and my birthday twin, 1960's DEVONA SUE TAYLOR, have completed our annual birthday chat, as we've done for years and years. Dee is doing well and we hope to have a visit, sometime this year. Also recently, I spoke with SHIRLEY J. TUDOR and JO ANN K. STEMLEY. At this writing, Jo Ann remains in Florida, but says she'll return home sometime during April. Shirley is fine, but regrets not getting to go to Florida for the winter, this year. She looks forward to next year, though.

My lovely friend, 1958's BILL R. HOWARD, found 1990 and 1991 Piratans on eBay. Bless you, Bill! He bought them for me and shipped them down here. I didn't have either one of those. I do use them quite a bit, as I write the bulletins, making sure I'm getting names correct, refreshing my memory as to about whom I'm writing, seeing who were the cheerleaders, homecoming queens, football captains, etc. Those things are a treasure trove of historical documentation.

From 1961's SALLY L. GILLETTE came news of the illness of a coach named LONNIE J. NORRIS, who currently resides in Arcanum, Ohio, at 16 Park Drive. He has been diagnosed with liver cancer and Sally says she understands he's in hospice care. I didn't recognize the name at all, but Sally then told me he coached football for her son, 1979's D. MARK WARLAUMONT. This was during Mark's high school years there, of course. Anyway, if any WC folks would like to send cards to him, we now have the address. Thanks, Sally. (Footnote: Sadly, Sally wrote again to report Mr. Norris passed away. I was also advised of this by 1960's THOS. L. WOLF, JR., and by 1988's JAS. A MCGUIRE.)

Tom also reported the passing of JEANNINE SHORT, who was a longtime teacher at C.F. Holliday Elementary. Thanks to Sally, Tom, and Jim. Of course, our condolences go the families and friends of Mr. Norris and Mrs. Short.)

By the way, Sally's, "Big Seven-Oh," is tomorrow, March 14. Since mine is the 16th, we rarely miss remembering each others' birthdays. We talked recently, too, and wound up solving lots of the world's problems and just getting current on life. Thanks to JANET L. WALTERS for supplying me with Sally's numbers, which I'd temporarily misplaced. I wish both Sally and me (and Dee) a terrific birthday.

With this edition, we welcome aboard 1954's HERBERT E. BEACHLER. This readers comes to us through the efforts of his classmate, FREDA P. FLETCHER. It seems Freda is trying to play the matchmaker, telling me Herb thinks I'm good-looking. Yeah, right, Freda! I'm swamped everywhere I go, with offers and male attention. Nearly everyone out there is overwhelmed with interest in a 71-year -old female who still rides Harley-Davidsons. Well, I wrote Herb, to get his approval to add him to the readers list. He's so nutty about me, he hasn't yet replied. Ha! However, my enthusiasm for adding another alumnus is still high. So welcome aboard, Herb, even if you and I never get married!

So it's now March 25, just one month after I began this one. The cursed birthday (71st) has passed for one more year, and mercy me, a million thanks to so many of you who remembered it. There are far too many to list, but I can tell you I got 33 postally-mailed cards, 11 e-mailed cards, 6 birthday phone calls, and 9 cell phone text messages. "Lord willin' and the creek don't rise," as the saying goes, I'll be 72 next March 16 and I give all of you permission to overlook my birthday, entirely. But thank you so very much.

Now, let's get to a rather important topic---Piratans!! In the past month or so, I've gotten requests, all of a sudden, for quite a few of them. There has been 1956's ROSETTA PRUETT and MARGIE L. HENDRICKS and another whose name doesn't come to mind at the moment. (Please write and tell me, if it's you.) Just 3 nights ago, I got a call from JAMES SMITH of the 1954 class. No, he didn't go all the way through, as was so common in those days. The book he wanted was a 1952. I did have it, as was his good fortune, and it went out in today's post. (Never mind, I remember the other name. It was 1960's THOS. L. WOLF, JR., who needed a 1941 for the historical society.)
On the incoming, I received a 1990 and a 1991, compliments of 1958's BILL R. HOWARD, and did I already mention that? Maybe so. With days between writings, I probably repeat things from time to time. But here's my big point. I collected these Piratans from every source I could find, for about 5-6 years, as most of you know. Some came from across the country (Washington, California, and even Colorado), some came from the WC library, and some were given to me (but very few of those). My policy is never to sell to anyone who never attended WC, sell for exactly what I paid, and ship the book at media mail rate (which is usually $3.68).
With this rash of requests, it occurs to me I need to let all of you know what is now available. My supply is now limited and most of the remaining extra books are the ones in the higher price range, which is about $42-$48. Also, I do not ship any of which I have just a single copy, obviously. So now, I will list all my extra copies. This is going to be first-come, first-serve, so if you find one on the list, which you want, you need to write me immediately. I'll then research what I paid for that one and it will be sent to you. It's getting nearly impossible to get anything in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The 1970s are now often a squeaker, too. Forget anything pre-1940s, in my experience. So here goes: 1 of 1916, 1 of 1917, 1 of 1925, 1 of 1941 (and the 1941 is merely a printed reproduction, not an original), 1 of 1942, 2 0f 1946, 1 of 1947, 2 of 1950, 2 of 1953, 1 of 1954, 1 of 1955, 1 of 1956, 1 of 1957, 1 of 1958, 1 of 1959, 1 of 1960, 1 of 1961, 1 of 1963, 1 of 1964, 1 of 1970, 1 of 1976, and 1 of 1985. That's it, and this isn't nearly as many as I once had, believe me.
Yes, I'm still in pursuit of them, all years, but they don't seem to turn up as much anymore. I'd kill for an original 1965, but can't find one anywhere., and the same goes for a 1967. If I got those two, I'd have every single one from 1930s through 1960s. I also need a few to complete the 1980s and Bill gave me a good start on the 1990s. I have no 2000s, at all. Now, if any of you want any of these, let me know instantly. I don't believe they're going to last long. There are but 24 books, total, and they all fall into the higher range, nearer to $50 than to $40, as I recall. Yes, I have more, but they're my single copies and I will not sell them. I hope, though, I can restore a few good memories for some of you. If any of you have extras, please let me know. I will beg, borrow, steal, or buy. I'm not proud. I make sure they go to appreciative homes, and in my will, my children are instructed to give my collection to the WC Library. So they will always remain within our boundaries.

Tom also requested the e-mail for our classmate, DELORES K. "DEDE" FAHRNEY, who may have access to some wonderful WC history, since her father is 1933's A. EMERSON FAHRNEY, who is still alive, by the way, and I believe he's about 96, now. Isn't that wonderful? Tom, I hope you had luck with DeDe.
RALPH D. WILSON sent e-mail to advise of locating MARGIE L. HENDRICKS, both 1956. He also sent her bio, which she wrote at his request, and he wanted classmates to print it and add it to the now-famous, "red book," which was composed and edited by my late sister, JUDY ANN RISNER, and my now-sister-in-law, ANITA RAE MASON. I'm going to check with Anita and see if she has anymore of those, as it seems many 1956 people didn't get one or couldn't find one, or whatever, for their 50th. If I can get any of them from Anita, I'll likely send them on to you, Ralph, as you'd be a good contact for people in that class. I'll see what I can do. I sent my one and only copy to Margie, and was so happy to do so.
From 1958's BILL R. HOWARD came notice of a March 18 meeting of his class for their 55th, which
upcoming this October. It seems they've chosen the Deer Run Lodge in Miamisburg, 6 p.m., Oct. 11 as the gathering place for their 55th. Bill continually writes he's not the chairperson, but hey, if not for him, these things would never have occurred. Delegate, Bill delegate!! Yes, you're the chairperson. He's in a better mood these days, as he told me he now has a direct connection to, "the chicken 'n' dumplin's lady," as he addresses CHERYL R. COLLINSWORTH, 1970. Good for you, Bill. I always knew you'd make the big-time.

A note of thanks came to me from 1960's GARY L. WARLAUMONT for the card I sent for his and Jill's 19th wedding anniversary, which falls on St. Valentine's Day. I believe they were out of town on that day or more likely, down at the gambling boat!
Cousin JUDITH L. SAMUELS has launched a business called Van Cleef Liquidators. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but I think they buy all unsold inventory for certain businesses and then move it on to the consumer. If you'd like to have look at it, go to ( http://vancleefliquidators.com/ ) We hope they have much success.
Unbelievably, I've now written every e-mail I've received from all of you. It's been only a month since I sent the last bulletin, so I'm thinking it's too soon to send another. Then again, I'm thinking, "Why wait for more text, when this one's already so long?" Also, it contains the entire list of my extra books and some of you will want to have that, I know. So we're going to end this one, and yes, I'm way ahead of my normal schedule. So this means you all have to extend me extra patience when I'm running behind schedule, right? I leave you all with my usual wish for glowing health, personal safety, great happiness,

peaceful serenity, spiritual harmony, and boundless prosperity. Ciao!




- posted by Mikey @ 4:33 PM