The *WeCaTon* - West Carrollton (Ohio) H.S. Alumni News (unofficial)
Friday, July 03, 2015
Bonnie's Latest - Friday, July 3, 2015
It is Saturday, April 25.
The skies are foreboding on my little
mountain,
High winds, hail, and heavy rain is forthcoming, they tell us. Just my
kind
of weather, and I always seem to be inspired to write, when it's like
this.
Who knows why? In any case, off we go with our list of forwarders. They
are
1949's ROBT. E. HOFFMAN; 1954's FREDA P. FLETCHER, MARILYN CULTER; 1956's
R.
GWINN LACY, REBACC
A J. POLING; 1957's ERCELL P. PHILLIPS; 1958's BILL R. HOWARD, RONALD
D.
TOM" FEE, LAN
DO F. STEELE; 1959's GARY E. BARNES; 1960's EULA FAYE BAILEY, DOLORES
K.
DEDE" FAH
RNEY, WM. E. BUDDY" STOVER, WM. O. WALKER, RICHARD S. HOLT, DAVID A.
BLAIR,
C. SUE MCCLOUD; 1961's FRANCES E. DAYSPRING, PAUL R. BEARDSLEY, NANCY
J.
ERTEL, SALLY L. GILLETTE; 1964's W. THOS. GODBY; 1969's MICHAEL J.
LOTSPAIH,
1970's INDY JO GRISSOM; 1988's JAS. A. MCGUIRE.
Then there are all you gracious readers, such as 1961's JACK L. GODBY,
who
wrote to give me far too much credit, saying I'm the reason so many
WC
Alumni are in contact. While it would be lovely to be able to claim
that
much credit, and I truly appreciate the compliment, I feel pretty sure
there
are an awful -ly lot of you who have chosen to maintain contact, long before I
ever accidentally began writing these bulletins for any willing reader. But
wow!
I'm thrilled you wrote that, Jack, and thank you.
Then came yet another of the best ones I've ever received, from 1963's
NORMA
ELYN SPEELMAN, who was writing in response to my former remarks about
1958's
LANDO F. STEELE, the ultimate in late-1950s super-hunks and football
heroes.
Elyn wrote. "Lando Steele was a friend of my brother, Sam. There were 5
of
us girls. Every time Lando came to the house, we were all starry-eyed."
Yep,
I'm sure, Elyn, it was you and most every female student in the school!
I
remain an ardent fan, to this day. I hear from him just about every month,
a
line or two, here and there. So I know he's all right and doing well.
More words of condolence arrived for the late MARY ANN DUNCAN, 1962.
One
message came from 1961's P. LYNNETTE GARRETT, asking I convey her regrets
to
Mary Ann's widower and classmate, RUSSELL L. "RUSTY" ELLIOTT. Having
just
recently returned from her home in Henderson, Nevada, Lynn was also
unaware
of the deaths of 1956's ANITA RAE MASON and 1961's JUDITH L. SAMUELS.
She also commented on the mention of New Port Richey, Florida, writing
she'd
lived that for about nine months, at one time, and loved the fresh
seafood.
BRENDA C. ROSS, 1962, also sent condolences about Mary Ann. There are
always
all you lovely folks who send me nice words of encouragement and
appreciation for each and every single one of these things and they
include
1954's FREDA P. FLETCHER, JANCIE K. WIREMAN, MARILYN CULTER; 1958's LANDO
F.
STEELE; 1960's RONNIE R. WHEELER, EULA FAYE BAILEY; 1961's FRANCES D.
DAYSPRING, NANCY J. ERTEL, JACK L. GODBY; 1962's BRENDA C. ROSS;
1963's
NORMA ELYN SPEELMAN; 1964's RICKEY A. BUSCH; 1969's MICHAEL J.
LOTSPAIH;
1970's INDY JO GRISSOM.
From 1956's R. GWINN LACY and 1959's GARY E. BARNES came news of the
death
Of 1970's ROY KENNETH HAMMONDS. No cause of death was mentioned, but he
had
To be only 62-63, very young, which makes it doubly sad. Condolences go
to
his family and friends. Thanks, Gwinn and Gary.
We got notice of a couple of 1961 birthdays in April. The 28th was DOROTHY
M
COMBS and the 30th was RICHARD E. KNEER. I think they both turned 72, and
of
course, we hope it was a great day for each of them.
We had several responses to all my queries for 1963's FRANCES L.
PEFFLY.
They came from 1949's ROBT. E. HOFFMAN; 1956's RALPH D. WILSON, and
1963's
GAYLE E. LESHER. However, no one's heard a peep, so I don't know what
to
tell all of you. To my knowledge, her cooking website is still up and
running, and shows an address in Lady Lake, Florida. But that's in a
shopping center and is not a home. So anybody's guess is as good as
mine.
However, her old friend, 1963's SHIRLEY A, RANKIN and I had lots of
fond
memories to share about Fran, and we all hope she's doing well. I
feel
certain she will contact somebody, sooner or later. She lost son Jonny
at
the end of last year, as we all know, and that takes some time from which
to
recover, if ever. I know we all wish her well.
Ralph also advised us his classmate, DELORES JEAN BOND, is very ill
with
stomach cancer. I know we're all pulling for her and will keep her in
our
good thoughts and prayers. Thanks, Ralph. We've lost far too many of us,
far
too quickly, so let's all stay in good touch. That's sure one more
good
reason to do it.
Okay, we're way, way behind! Okay, I take that back. I'M way, way behind.
It
s now June 13 and the last 2-3 months have been a nightmare of trips,
a
torrent of houseguests, and the death of 3 different people to whom I
was
close. So I've had quite a time, but will not try to get back on
track.
Thanks for your patient and abiding nature.
There was a lengthy exchange between myself and 1954's homecoming
queen,
JANICE L. WIREMAN, about the child who served as her flower girl,
Yvonne
Green, on homecoming night and subsequently burned to death in a fire.
By
the way, Janice, 1970's INDY JO GRISSOM enquired about her and thinks
she's
the same one about whom she was told, later in life. From her description,
I
think it was.Her e-mail is ( hsumner291@aol.com ), and I think you
should
contact her. Janice wrote she'd try to join us during alumni weekend. I
sure
hope so!
Okay, so here I am again and it's now June 21, as I await the arrival of
my
118th set of visitors, since in Tennessee. Yes, I know, I'm getting
further
and further behind with this bulletin and as I grow older, I'm not
getting
any speedier, Imagine that! We've just had another one of those
roaring,
mountain storms which I love, spattered with thunder and lightning and
high
winds. Now, before this slips my mind, I want to make sure and tell all
of
you. In the past week, I've spoken with several alumni. As I sat here
the
other day, I got a call from 1960's WM. M. ROHLER, who regaled me with
the
wonderful news he's pretty sure he's going to be joining us this year,
in
October, for the first time, ever. Bill retired on May 20. He lives
in
Bombay Beach, California, on the shores of the Saltan Sea (sp.?) and says
he
ll be driving his car cross -country. It will be wonderful to see
him.
As we talked, we spoke of one of our most colorful and well-liked
classmates
who was a great pal of mine, as well as extremely close to Bill, none
other
than EDGAR L. "The Fonz" KELLY, who lives in Nampa, Idaho. So when we
finished talking, I called Eddie, and we had a lengthy chat. He's having
a
big problem with his eyesight, but getting various procedures which he
hopes
will resolve that. He said one eye has been done and he will be doing
the
other. He's also got back problems and says they cause him some
discomfort.
He's thinking of coming back this year, too, since Bill will probably
be
there.
It wasn't long until I talked with my dear friend, 1958's BRUCE E.
CHENOWETH
and he's taking his longtime SO, 1971's PATTY JO WHEELBARGER on more
hiking
trips to the Appalachian Trail. He'll be close to my house, so we'll
likely
have a lunch or two, as he'll be in Damascus, Virginia. There was also
a
call from my birthday twin, DEVONA S. TAYLOR, who confirmed she'll be
there,
too, this year. The next day, I spoke with 1958's official football jock
and
yet-to-be-equaled, ladies' "swoon hunk," LANDO F. STEELE. He is doing
well,
staying active, regularly rides his bicycle with a group, and says
he's
feeling great. Well, that's good, Lando, because there are still a bunch
of
WC females who'd probably still love to feel you. Ha! Stay healthy, and
we
all hope to see you soon.
It was sure a welcome e-mail I got during the week of June 14, from
1958's
BILL R. HOWARD. As we're all aware, Bill has some very challenging
health
issues and we're all pulling hard for him. In any case, he is doing a bit
of
sleuthing for me, something at which he's very proficient, and it seems
he's
working on a couple things for others among us, too. So thanks, Bill,
and
please stay as well and strong as you can. We're all keeping you in our
good
thoughts and prayers, that's for sure.
Early in the month, I had contact with 1960's CHAS. V. CARTER, informing
me
I'd gotten the age wrong for his wife, Pamela, when I sent her birthday
card
I corrected that, immediately, of course. I hate having those things
wrong.
I also received a thank-you e-mail from 1958's beautiful LORNA D.
TROUTMAN,
for the anniversary card I sent to her and spouse, Roger M. "Chico"
Lopez
III, an utterly charming gentleman if there ever was one, who has
gorgeous
hair! We all hope it was a good one, Lorna and Chico.Of course, 1960's
EULA
FAYE BAILEY and I maintain our usual banter, too, and she's all right
and
very involved with her family/
Okay, that catches all the current buzz and we're now going to back up a
bit
and catch all the stuff which is backed up in my e-mail file for the
past
couple months. We back up to April with a message from 1961's NANCY A.
HALL.
Nancy and I have identical religious backgrounds and share the
distinction
with many other WC alumni of having attended throughout childhood, the
old
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, which long sat at the southwest corner
of
northbound old Route 25 and Stroop Rd. Actually, the parsonage of the
stern
and formidable Pastor Chas. L. Mullen still sets right there, to the
south
of the station which now occupies the corner. Nancy's late husband was
also
a Lutheran pastor, but Pastor Larry W. Matthews smiled a lot and had
a
booming laugh, unlike Pastor Mullen. Nancy was asked to complete his term
on
the council and she's doing so. You'll do a great job of it, Nancy.
Expressing great regrets for our nearly-back-to-back loss of 1956's ANITA
R.
MASON, 1961's JUDITH L. SAMUELS, and 1962's MARY ANN DUNCAN was 1961's
P.
LYNNETTE GARRETT, who had just recently returned from her home in
Henderson,
Nevada. Lynn was well-acquainted with all three and did not know, until
she
returned. She's currently in Germantown and I believe plans to return
to
Nevada, prior to winter. I think this may be in an earlier paragraph,
but
just in case I missed it, it bears repeating.
Okay, readers, let's put out heads together and see if we can come up
with
some answers for 1961's FRANCES E. DAYSPRING. She wants to know the
whereabouts of the following alumni: VIRGINIA HAYMAKER, JUDY ENGLER,
JOICE
GATES (yes, she spelsl it with an I), MARGIE BUTTS, and finally,
PATRICIA
HARTZELL. Any takers? I can tell you this much, Fran. Joice Gates lives
in
Kentucky and very nearly always attends the October function with her
husband. They're both such delightful people, humorous, and great
company.
Fran wrote she still maintains contact with JUDY FLEMING and also
with
HARRIET CRUMLEY. So let's see if we can find any of these ladies for
Fran.
From 1954's FREDA P. FLETCHER came the sad news of the death of dentist,
Jim
Dillard, who was the spouse of 1955's C. ELAINE BARKER. She said he died
on
April 17. Thanks, Freda, and all our condolences go out to Elaine. By
the
way, Freda and her husband, Larry L. Green, just celebrated their 5th
anniversary, I believe. Is that right, Freda? Not only that, Freda also
just
celebrated her milestone 80th birthday. Good going, Freda, and may you
have
many more birthdays, as well as anniversaries.
My classmate, RONNIE R. WHEELER, and I had an exchange about how many
people
we've lost from our 1960 class. I leafed through my yearbook, studying
faces
and digging into my memory. As nearly as I could determine, I think I
was
able to confirm the loss of 38 of us (from a class of 147) and I think
there
were about 7-8 more I felt might also be gone, but not 100% sure. I
always
hate that part.
NANCY J. ERTEL, 1961, sent comment about my story on the actor, Martin
Sheen
whose best buddy was a guy named Johnny O'Hara. Sheen attended
Chaminade
High School and Johnny, Patterson Co- op. Johnny had a huge crush on V.
JEAN
WARD, who was with us through grade 10, and an extremely close friend
of
mine. But everyone had a crush on Jean, so he had to get in line. So
there
we were, hob-nobbing with Martin Sheen, as teenagers. The last time
we
talked, Jean and I were laughing about that, and she told me she
doesn't
discuss it any longer because no one believes her. Well, have them call
me,
Jean, and I'll back up every word! I remember it well.
Bless your little hearts for thinking of me, all you folks who keep
trying
to get me on the social websites, but I just don't go there. This time,
it
included Patricia S. (nee Peffly) Barnes, spouse of 1959's GARY E.
BARNES,
1961's JACQUELINE N. LESHER, and 1964's W. THOS. GODBY. I was overwhelmed
by
the whole concept, but for me, I think under-whelmed might be the
more
appropriate term. So I confess I jumped ship on all that.
It had been so long since I'd heard anything from one of my most admired
WC
alumni, 1961's DONNA J. RICHARDS, I finally wrote to her pal, SALLY
L.
GILLETTE, to see if she's okay. Sally told me Donna has been very busy
and
to try e-mailing her again. So I did and I got back a great report
from
Donna. It seems she, like most from our era, is feeling a few more of
the
aches and pains of aging, but trooper whom she is, this woman took on
the
challenge of restoring a 115-year-old farmhouse, which sets right on
the
line between Centerville and Waynesville and she's putting all her
considerable talents into that project. I know it's going to be great,
if
she does it. I love the idea she saved that old farmhouse, too.
On April 27, I received an e-mail from 1970's INDY JO GRISSOM, in which
she
wrote that someone named RANDY FISCHER had passed away about 3 weeks
prior.
I don't know him at all, nor a class year. She also wrote he was the
younger
brother of GLEN FISCHER. Indy, are they WC? I'm assuming so. Have you
any
further info? Cause of death? Where he lived?
RALPH D. WILSON, 1956, wrote to say he and high school classmate and old
pal
JAS. L. FORSYTH are planning to get together and rehash all the good
times.
Now, this was a few weeks back, so tell us, Ralph, has that happened
yet,
or is it still in the offing. Whatever the case, we know you'll both have
a
really great time.
A wonderful report arrived from 1961's EDNA L. GRAY. She and her
spouse,
Richard M. Ryan, are in the habit of taking drives for the purpose of
visiting all of Ohio's covered bridges. I think that's so great and
it's
something I'd sure enjoy, myself. You'd better be glad I'm not there,
Edna,
else I'd be bumming rides with you, so I could go, too. April was a
busy
month for the Ryan's. Not only was it Dick's birthday, but also their
anniversary. We hope both events were fun, Edna and Dick.
There's a 6th annual golf classic which will be occurring on July 17 and
it
s for WC Football Alumni Club. I normally get these notices from 1988's
JAS.
A. MCGUIRE or 1987's JEFFREY T. GILES, and I see we also have another
famous
WC name on the list now, which is that of 1985's TIMOTHY N. SIZER. As
all
we WC old-timers are well aware, this alumnus is the son of 1957's NEIL
H.
SIZER, who also played football, and his cheerleader/homecoming queen
spouse
SHIRLEY R. PARKS. So we're sure glad to have you here, Tim.
Springboro's
Heatherwoode Golf Club will be hosting this year's WCFAC event and it
will
be warm, I'll bet, so be prepared. It will be an involved event, as I
see
there will also be a dinner in the early evening and awards, too. If
you'd
like further details, I'm sure Jim will be thrilled to see you get them
and
his e-mail is ( wcfac@yahoo.com
) Thanks, Jim.
Many of us recall teacher WILLARD H. FRUSH. He's around 86 now, I
believe.
In any case, we've gotten confirmation of the death of his wife of 66
years,
SELMA H. FRUSH, who passed away on June 1. Her obit says she was 85.
This
notice came to us from 1956's R. GWINN LACY and from 1969's MICHAEL
J.
LOTSPAIH. Thanks, Gwinn and Mike. Also, from Gwinn came a query as to
whether or not I might be related to the late Imogene Risner. There's
little
doubt but what I am, Gwinn, I just don't know the exact branch to trace,
in
the gigantic Risner family tree. Thanks.
From 1959's GARY E. BARNES came news of the June 3 death of JEFFREY
WAYNE
NEELEY, who was probably 1981 class, but possibly 1982. I don't know
for
sure. I leave these things in the hands of the experts (1965's STEVEN
F.
SHADE) to determine. In any event, this young man left us much too
soon,
only 51. We offer condolences to his family and friends. Thanks,
Gary.
From 1961's PAUL R. BEARDSLEY came a request for contact information on
1956
s JOYCE ANNE GEARY. We were able to instantly fulfill his request. It
seems
she was a neighbor and visitor when he was very young. So did you reach
her,
Paul? Joyce had been friends with Paul's later brother, Jerry, he
wrote.
From 1916's NANCY J. ERTEL came a reminder of this being the year for
the
75th Sturgis Rally & Races, an event I attended for 20 consecutive
years,
when I lived in Florida. Yes, I know, Nancy, and what great memories I
have
of that event. It will be an absolute madhouse. I attended the 45th,
50th,
55th, and 60th. Great times!
From the FAHRNEY clan came news of another running of episode of,
"House
Hunters," on HGTV, in which the buyers were Melissa and Lance Fahrney.
He's
the son of class president, football hero, and all -around WC athlete
and
still-active sports enthusiast, RICHARD A. FAHRNEY (Janet L.). Lance's
aunt
DOLORES K. "DEDE" FAHRNEY, 1960 (and no slouch, herself, when it comes
to
sports) to tell us the episode was going to be aired. However, there was
a
glitch, and it wasn't---they wrote. But hey, all you Fahrney people,
that
episode actually did run again, here in Tennessee, just so you know. It
wasn
t on the date you had said, but it was aired here, so you weren't all
wrong.
Thanks for the notice, anyway.
From 1961's BARBARA J. TURNINGTON came a request for the update on my
efforts to dump cable. I am still in the process, Barbara, and it's going
to
take about another month. You see, I have a monstrous house which has
6
bedrooms and also has 16 TV sets connected to cable, 8 of which are
flat
screens and 8 of which are the older style (still great pictures,
very
functional). Anyway, I'm getting ROKU sticks for every single one ($50
a
pop) and I've already got my two, techno-advanced antennas, which will be
at
each end of my house (65' wide), and I'm on a mountainside where I
have
about 4 acres of ground, about half of which is naturally wooded. So some
of
my 100-plus trees could possibly create an issue. We'll see. I'm also
buying
all flat screens, two at a time.
My techno guy was just beginning my conversion when his right-hand man
broke
his ankle. The guy is still hobbling somewhat and since it will be
necessary
to scale walls in this 3-story house, in order to get the antennas
connected
I've got to wait for him to heal. But yes, I'm still determined to
dump
cable and my goal is now by the end of July. You see, in early May,
Comcast
bought Time-Warner for a whopping $55 Billion. That means cable rates
are
now going to go sky-high, and guess what, they already ARE! It will
be
every company, even including mine, which is Charter. So in answer to
your
question, yes, I plan to move ahead with this, full speed. I'll keep
you
posted. It's going to cost about $2500, total. But I won't have a
$145.85
bill each month, so I'll quickly recover that.
Where are you, 1958's DONALD I. MCCOY? I'm trying hard to get back to
you,
regarding homeowners insurance. I've sent you several e-mails without
response, which is very, "un-Don-like." So I hope you're okay and
faring
well.
A nice thank-you e-mail arrived from 1960's T. BARRY RUSSELLO for the
card
commemorating the anniversary of him and spouse, 1959's BETSY R. MURPHY.
You
re so welcome, Barry, and we all hope you and Betsy had a wonderful
and
special day.
We've got another new reader, folks. It's 1967's HAROLD E. CODY of
Fairfax,
Virginia. He came to us, courtesy of his cousin, 1964's RICKEY A.
BUSCH.
Thanks, Rick, and welcome aboard, Harold. I hope you'll enjoy the
bulletins.
Wow! Come October, I've been doing these things for 15 years and I'm
still
getting new readers. I can scarcely believe it. It's all been so fun.
Rick also wrote of the illness of classmate MARY MARGARET OLINGER
(Meyers)
who's in the care of Heartland in Miamisburg. She is bedridden, but
otherwise
alert and aware. She wouldn't mind hearing from a few WC folks and her
cell
phone number is 937 475-2942. So if you've got a minute, give her a
buzz,
will you?
Currently, I'm considering the possibility of becoming a magistrate for
the
Sullivan County Courts. It's a newly-created post and I possess all
the
qualifications, already. I love re-inventing myself, from time to
time.
During my 29 years with Ma Bell, I did extensive writing for various
publications, ran a used vehicle lot (cars, trucks, Harley-Davidson) for
17
years, did 29 years of community service, owned a night club and got
a
mixology degree, published a book and had a private letter-writing
business.
So I just may proceed with this. I'll keep you all posted. I like keeping
my
brain running.
Okay, it's been 67 days since my last report. I'm sorry about that. You
know
I'm going to write I'll try to do better next time. Who knows if I will
or
won't make it? In any case, I extend thanks to each of you for your
continued interest in, and faithful readership of, the bulletins. They're
a
labor of love and much fun. I leave each of you with my usual with
for
glowing health, personal safety, great happiness, spiritual harmony,
peaceful serenity, and boundless prosperity. Ciao!
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