The *WeCaTon* - West Carrollton (Ohio) H.S. Alumni News (unofficial)
Monday, December 29, 2014
---Yes, I'm beginning this one on November 1. It's the day after I sent
the
last one, although I see (for whatever reason), my server didn't get
a
couple of alpha groups sent until the wee hours of this a.m. But
neither
here nor there, as long as it was sent. I arose this morning to the sight
of
a light dusting of snow, and it's still falling, and melting as quickly
as
it does. It's in the low 40s, so I don't see how snow can even form in
the
atmosphere. Does it come from a higher-up level, then dissipate as it
falls
or what? In any case, everyone is amazed by such an early snowfall. I
can't
recall a single year, in all the time I have been here, when we've had
snow
on Halloween! Those were the exact sentiments of 1954's FREDA P.
FLETCHER,
who told me how cold it was going to be, even in Florida, as well as
cousin
JUDITH L. SAMUELS, who call this morning from Florida, saying,
"Brrrrrr!"
for her opening greeting. Let's start this one with the usual, and
that's
our forwarders: We have 1954's FREDA P. FLETCHER; 1957's ERCELL P.
PHILLIPS,
SHIRLEY A. HILE;1958's BILL R. HOWARD, VINCENT A. BRODBECK, LORNA E.
LOP
EZ, RONALD D. "TOM" FEE, LANDO F. STEELE; 1959's GARY E. BARNES; 1960's
WM.
E. "BUDD
Y" STOVER, CHARLES V. CARTER, DAVID A. BLAIR, DOLORES K. " DEDE"
FAHRNEY,
STEVEN M. KOKOT, WALLACE W. ROBBINS, SHIRLEY A. MILLER, RICHARD S. HOLT,
WM.
O. WALKER, T. BARRY RUSSELLO; 1961's SALLY L. GILLETTE, GARY R. FRANK;
P.
LYNNETTE GARRETT; 1962's BARBARA T. O'NEAL, RICHARD C. CALL; 1970's
VICKIE
JO GILBERT, THOS. A. DORSEY, INDY JO GRISSOM.
As for the e-mail-lost list, we still have 1954's PATRICE G. GAUGH,
1953's
ELMER D. MARRIOTT, his 1955 spouse, BARBARA A. THOMAS. We've also got
a
reject on 1960's BEVERLY J. HAAS, again, as well as 1945's DONALD R.
THROCKMORTON. His daughter, 1969;s KAREN L. THROCKMORTO
N, can doubtless solve this one for us, though. Please help me resolve
these
if any of you is able to do so. I'm very close to deleting them all,
but
would prefer not to do so.
On the plus side, we've regained 1954's VICTOR C. NOEL, and I came to
discover we never lost him, in the first place. Vic was kind enough to
send
me an e-mail, in which he informed me he'd not only gotten the bulletin,
but
also confirming his e-mail as being (obviously) precisely what is shown
on
my contact list! Yet, I got a reject on him. How can that be? But it was.
I
think we'll need a much more expert opinion than mine, on how that can
occur
I'm thinking maybe 1958 techno-genius, NICHOLAS P. WOLARY, will
Be able to explain that. Anyway, I'm just glad to know we still have Vic
on
the list. He wrote and told me his incoming e-mail is set for sort of
limitation, so maybe that's it. I wasn't aware any of the e-mail
services
ever did that, now. Freda was assisting me with trying to contact Vic
and
Pat. Like me, she got Vic, but no luck yet with Pat. Thanks, Freda.
Let me get a couple of corrections and additions on here, too, before
I
forget them. First of all, our live singing group at the 2014
dinner/dance
were the Stingrays, not the Dell Sonics, as I reported. But the part
about
them being great was, indeed, correct. About three people there told me
the
other name, so I thought it was correct. Thanks to 1970's THOS. A.
DORSEY,
we now have it right.
Also, I want to add our sixth class member for 1960, who did put in
an
appearance, and that was none other than MILTON R. WOLFE. He slipped in
the
door after the dinner and spent most of the night in conversation with
his
lifelong pal, CHAS. V. CARTER. But no surprise there. For 1959, I see
I
failed to list COE S. WOLFE and L. BERNARD ROSE, who also joined the
1959/1960 table. So it was just great to see all of them again.
There's another thing, too, and this is relevant to the wonderful food
they
served. Remember how we always sort of got, "the bum's rush," following
the
meal when we were at the hotel, all those years? If you went back out to
get
something, it was already gone, tables down, everything put away, and as
the
night wore on, it became more and more difficult to get anything like
coffee
or tea, or even to find any wait staff to make the request, remember?
Well,
at Mandalay, they did not remove the food at all, even though everyone
had
gone through the line. There was even an announcement made,
encouraging
all attendees to go back for seconds, if they wanted, as there was
still
food to be enjoyed, and they left it there for the entire evening,
warming.
The wait staff served beverages, brought ice and/or water, right up to
the
moment people began to leave. It really was such a refreshing change.
DAVID A. BLAIR responded to my text about 1961's MARILYN J. WINKLER,
thinking she's deceased but I know better, as I spoke with her, myself.
Then
he said he thought it may have been her husband, which is correct, I'm
sure,
as I think she's a widow. RICHARD L. DOLL, 1961, did try to call her,
but
got no answer. He'll keep trying, he wrote.He also expressed great
sadness
about our loss of HORACE J. CARROLL, JR., 1959, saying he'd always liked
him
and so enjoyed his company. Yes, we all did feel that way, Rich, and
his
death was a blow for all of WC.
The news was also not good for our 1960 classmate, RONALD G. PINYON.
Doing
some research, was another classmate, 1960's RICHARD S. HOLT, who did
confirm Ron died, way back on March 20, 2008, in Santa Rosa County,
Florida,
which is the county of the city of Milton. So I did have the location
correct. Thanks, Rich. This would probably also indicate Nina Mae Pinyon
is
his widow and not his ex-wife. It sounds as though she probably moved
nearer
to their sons, following Ron's death, given the timeline.
From a very proud, first-time great-grandfather. 1969's ROGER D. LUCAS,
came
the report of the birth of his first, a girl, Eve Neff, back April
Fool's
Day, 2014. What a cool birthday to have, Roger, and I'll bet you're having
a
circus with her, by now! Enjoy every minute, as they seem to reach
adult
hood with light
-ning speed. I've got 5 grandchildren, only one girl, no greats yet.
But
even the very youngest of them will be a staggering 14 years old, on
January
8. I can still scarcely believe that!
Where, oh where, are you, 1958's LANDO F. STEELE? Long time, no hear, but
I
know you're one of those roadrunners, so I'll bet you're luxuriating in
the
sun, down in Florida, or maybe some other exotic destination. Give us
a
report and let us know what you're doing these days. (Footnote: Lando and
I
have been in touch, now. He's doing okay, following his daily gym
regimen,
planning his next trip, and faring well.)
How very gracious and kind of you, 1961's SANDRA S. HOLLINGSWORTH, to
send
such nice cards and notes to JUDITH L. SAMUELS. She was simply thrilled
by
that gesture and wanted to make sure I let you know that. She wants you
to
visit her in Florida and has a spare room awaiting you. It's the very
same
one I use, when I'm there. Judy also told me she wants to take a
cross-country trip, sometime this year when she's feeling up to par
again,
so she can visit P. LYNNETTE GARRETT, at her western home in
Henderson,
Nevada. If she drives, she wants to find a great deal on a rental car
and
has asked me
if I know any travel agents who might be able to make that happen. So
how
about it, gang? Are there any connections out there? If we've got a
travel
agent in our readers list, I honestly don't know who it is. Do you? Let
me
know.
From 1970's INDY JO GRISSOM came regrets for missing our weekend, as well
as
her usual thanks, filled with graciousness, and also her monthly
newsletter.
Well, we're sorry you weren't there, too, Indy. (Yes, I typed her name
twice
for as you all know, I'm mad about that name. In fact, if I were
decades
younger, I'd probably plunge right in and have another one and name
the
child, either gender, that exact name. Let's face it, it would be okay for
a
boy, too, right?) Thanks Indy (and yes, I know that's the third
time!)
From 1964's LINDA S. MAYO came a great report on her class' 50th
gathering,
which was held in the last part of September. I wrote about this in the
last
bulletin, too. But I'm writing some more on it, as Linda sent a very
good
report. First of all, she told me an impressive 150 people were there,
which
I find astounding. That has to be some sort of record. Bully for you
Class
of 1964! She also named several teachers who attended, including WC
icon,
MURL E. HUFFMAN, W. DEAN POND, and 1957 class alumnus SHIRLEY A. HILE,
all
accompanied by spouses.
Speaking of civics icon, MEH, I got a call from him on Nov. 21. Here's
how
it went. He told me he was in the parking lot a shopping mall, awaiting
the
completion of wife Marge's shopping. He said he felt it was a good time
to
call a few friends. He informed me he's going to be recognized in the
sports
hall of fame for WC, in honor of his decades of golf coaching. No
surprise
there.. He then ran down quite a laundry list of all the WC events
he's
attended in the past year and ended by telling me he'd just gone to the
Ohio
drivers license bureau the previous week and they renewed his license
for
another 4 years. "Now, I'm good until my 99th birthday," he said,
with
obvious glee. He will turn 95, by the way, on this Dec. 19.
The master of ceremonies for the 1964 class' evening gala was a
talented
class member, TERRY LEE WILSON, who came all the way from California. I
was
glad to hear about that, as Terry had a relatively-recent battle with
thyroid cancer. I'd have loved to have seen him, myself. Terry has
spent
most of his life in some form of the entertainment industry and also
wrote
an amusing book a couple years ago, which I read from cover to cover.
Linda
indicated Terry is in the midst of yet another book. We all wish you
the
very best of luck, Terry.
Finally, Linda offered gracious thanks for the bulletins for which I
thank
you in return, Linda, and she gave us a timeline on the death of her
classmate, FRANCES COLLINS, whose death I mentioned in the last
bulletin.
Linda reported Frances died on the very day of their 50-year gathering
and
she was a victim to stage 4 lung cancer. Very sad, she wasn't yet even 70,
I
m sure. Thanks, Linda, for the great report.
Okay, gang, let's get these two people connected, shall we? It seems
1961's
NANCY J. ERTELL, is trying to contact classmate, JUDY K. CROY. She's had
no
luck with the Facebook thing and I don't have Judy on my readers list. I
do
however, have her brother, 1954's JOHN E. CROY. Maybe a few of you are
in
contact with her, too. Whatever the source, let's get some contact info
to
Nancy, so the two of them can get together. I'd think this one will be
a
piece of cake. Are you there, John? If so, do contact your sister and
tell
her to contact Nancy, will you? Nancy's e-mail is ( sftrail@aol.com ) I took
down my 1964 book and viewed Judy's photo. What a beautiful girl it
showed!
Then came another e-mail from Nancy, in which she indicated the
e-mail
address for John, which I wrote, is incorrect. Tsk, tsk, Nancy! By now,
you
know the new one, complete with correction, was written in the WNR which
was
sent on Halloween. But just to recap, it's ( deaconcroy@gmail.com ) Also, I
offer an apology to John for misidentifying his class year in the
last
bulletin. I know full well he's 1954, not 1955, so that was a typo, my
fault
Sorry, John, and thank you for your gracious compliments.
What a laugh I got from your e-mail, 1961's JACK L. GODBY! Thanks for
my
grin of the day. Let me share with all of you that Jack also agreed with
me
about the horrible food, historically served at our alumni dinner at
that
hotel. He, too, thought it was hog swill, although he didn't use such
a
brash term. If food quality has anything to do with a hotel staying
in
business, then I know why that isn't, anymore. Yep, it was horrrible,
Jack.
No wonder so many people dined elsewhere, then came by to attend only
the
dance! So many of you have quietly told me you agreed with me, and that
was
even before there had been a change. Well, no more of that, thank
heaven.
Following the unseasonable, early-winter blast, which occurred nearly in
the
middle of Autumn, actually on Halloween weekend, I had an exchange with
1954
s FREDA P. FLETCHER, and she still lives in Florida and was
complaining
about the cold. By the time we're all reading this installment, I guess
we
will know for sure.
Congratulations are in order for 1961's JUDY M. FRANTZ, who sent me
an
e-mail to the effect she'll be retiring on December 31, 2014. Judy and
I
hope to be able to find some way for her to continue to receive the
bulletins, following retirement, as she'd always gotten them at her
office.
It's been probably about 5 years since I've been doing the postal
mailings.
The printed bulletins average about 10 to 12 pages each. What with
print
cartridges costing around $60 per set, print paper costs, then factoring
in
the postal costs, it became a huge expense. So I had to stop it. But we
do
have several readers who don't have a PC, but who are receiving the
bulletins through their children or a next-door neighbor or a best
friend.
We hope to work out a plan like that for Judy.
From 1958's RONALD D. "TOM" FEE came an update, saying he and Sandi
are
having a few aches and pains, commensurate with age, but how many of us
from
that decade and back, are NOT having such problems? Not many, I'd venture
to
guess. However, I'm just happy to be here, able to navigate, still see,
and
keep typing! I suppose we can count our blessings. Also, thanks for the
kind
words of praise, Tom.
We also got e-mail from, "The Wild, Wild West," with a recent report
from
1958's beautiful lady, Miss LORNA D. TROUTMAN. She, her husband, and
her
sister, 1962's THERESA M. TROUTMAN, came to the east, way back in May,
when
they visited me, but weren't able to make the October outing. But she
had
wonderful words of praise for her classmates, BILL R. HOWARD, BRUCE
E.
CHENOWETH, W. BAILEY HAWKINS and 1962 wife, JAKCQUELYN S. HAINES, and
especially her strumming-and-singing classmate, DONALD I. MCCOY and
wife,
Frances B. I'm confident they all equally value your friendship, too,
Lorna.
Her charming and talented spouse, Roger M. "Chico" Lopez III, recently
made
a decision to cut his long, silken pony tail, which he'd worn for years.
I
can't imagine how he must look without it, though.
Sadly, on the morning of Nov. 13, I received a call from 1970's THOS.
A.
DORSEY, during which he advised me of the death (either that day or
the
previous day) of 1948's JACQUELINE L. "JACKIE" KRITZER, who was the widow
of
1949's HARRY E. "WILKIE" WILSON, and also a past officer in the
alumni
association. I think she was a contributor to some of the WC history
projects, also. Harry, as I recall was the elder brother of 1956's RALPH
D.
WILSON. I think most of us remember Jackie, as he always attended the
alumni
functions throughout the time her health permitted. We all offer our
sincere
condolences to Jackie's family and close friends. Thanks, Tommy.
On Nov. 11, I received a call from 1960's CHAS. A. HIGH, JR. I must
say,
Charlie is remarkable in his determination to continue caring for his
wife,
Carol, who's wheelchair-bound from repeated strokes and has also lost
some
of her eyesight. But Charlie has now had about 22 heart procedures,
himself,
and doesn't get around well at all. Again, he told me he will keep Carol
at
home as long as he's able to breathe. He turned 74 this past June. I know
we
all wish him well. (Footnote: Charlie called me again, just on December
12.
He's in perilous health and says he's in pain a lot, but still insists
o
trying to care for his wife, as long as he can. I don't know how he does
it
)
Recently, I saw my now-sister-in-law, 1956's ANITA R. MASON and my
brother-in-law, who's the widow-er of my late sister, also 1956, JUDY
ANN
RISNER, Ralph J. Osterman. He and Anita have now been married over 5
years.
Anita has suffered the effects of several strokes and seizures and
her
general ability for recall and cognizant conversation are somewhat
challenged, as a result. She does not drive anymore, so Ralph takes
her
wherever she needs to go. As many will recall, Anita is the elder sister
of
1957's SARAH M. "JACKIE" MASON. As children, my sister and I lived
(literally) right across the cow pasture from Jackie and Anita, when
they
occupied what was then the iconic, Elter farmhouse in Miami Shores and
we
were in the very last house on Miami Shores Drive. The four of us
were
practically insep-arable for the entire time they lived there. That was
also
the very last time I got to be the youngest one in the crowd. Ha!
Currently,
Anita continues to cope with her health challenges and my brother-in-law
is
the ultimate caregiver, so I know she's in good hands, as regards her
care.
It is now December 14, and I'm wondering where went all the weeks. Yes,
I
ve got to get going on this one, and get it distributed. It's only 10
more
days, and then it's Christmas, so this will be it for this year. I did
hear
recently from 1960's EULA FAYE BAILEY and, like most of us, she's
also
coping with health issues, but says she' coming along well.
MICHAEL S. WEST, 1960, continues to do his globe-trotting with wife,
Sally.
Intermittently, I receive their postcards from various points around the
U.S
, mostly, but now and then, an island destination will pop up in the
mail.
Keep traveling, you two! There was also a thank-you from classmate JUDITH
A
SLIFE, for her birthday greeting. I received a similar e-mail for dear
JACK
L. GODBY, 1961, for a card for his Nov. 7 birthday. Similar sentiments
came
from 1958's LANDO F. STEELE for his Nov. 30 birthday card.
GARY E. BARNES, 1959, sent notice of the death of 96-year-old ALICE
P.
SIMPSON and I was unable to determine a maiden name, based on the obit
info.
But in view of the fact seniors were only about 16, back then, I'm
assuming
she was in the mid-1930s. So I did my due diligence, researching my
ancient
yearbooks and found an astonishingly-similar, far younger face on a
senior
picture in the 1937 Piratan, which named Alice P. Gray. I'm fairly sure
it
was her. Thanks, Gary. Gary also told me he has an old yearbook and, as
I
told him, I accept any and all WC yearbooks, in any condition, and for
any
year.
Nice Thanksgiving greetings arrived, especially for me, from both
1961's
NANCY J. ERTEL and from 1960's T. BARRY RUSSELLO. Thank you both so
very
much. NORMAN E. SANFORD, 1959, wrote of how much he'd enjoyed the
alumni
gathering and hopes to attend again. We all hope so, too, Norm!
From 1956's SUSAN M. MASON came a very moving tribute to the late NORMA
JEAN
BROWN, who recently passed away. She was the spouse of DONALD R.
THROCKMORTON, and their daughter is KAREN L. THROCKMORTON. It seems
Jean
was Susan's music teacher at the Proctor School of Music, in Dayton.
She
described Jean as patient and caring and dedicated. She also said Jean
lives
on in her (Susan's) keyboard. What a nice tribute, Susan, and thank you
for
sending that.
Unbelievably, this covers all e-mails I've received, up to this point.
Of
course, Christmas is right on top of us and I really wanted to get this
one
distributed before that time. I thank each and every one of you for
your
interest and your dedication in continuing to read these. Come October,
it
will mark 15 years since I began writing them, and I can scarcely believe
it
Every time I receive another new reader, it still gives me a thrill.
I
wish each of you a safe and blessed Christmas and a wonderful new
calendar
year 2015. I'll hope to send another edition by about late January to
early
February. In the meantime, I leave each of you with my usual wish for
glowing health, personal safety, great happiness, peaceful serenity,
spiritual harmony, and boundless prosperity. Ciao!
