WOW, Classmates!
Here we are in the fullness of summer and the Grapevine is bursting with classmate news. This is the most visual issue I have ever published. You might want to fix a cold drink and pull up a footstool. And many thanks to Shirley Dorsey Ward for the cartoon Wow man.
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I talked to Libby Stull. She is retired from the world of marine biology and she still loves to fish. Three years ago she moved into her new place which is located on the water in Illinois and she recently had a new dock installed. Libby travels to Canada every summer and she is looking forward to coming to Ohio for the big 50th class reunion.
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I also caught up with Kay Blackledge Bowes in Wilmington, Delaware, and learned we have something in common. We both graduated from Otterbein College. Kay majored in English and Speech and later in life she served as a reference librarian in a public library. Kay is still working but plans to retire in 2011.
Presently I am serving on two national committees. One is a selection committee for YALSA (Services to Young Adults) called the Popular Paperback for Young Adults. That commitment ends at the end of January, 2011. I am also an ALA (American Library Association) Councilor-At-Large. I have two more years on Council. I plan to provide some story times at local libraries, be a ReadAloud Delaware volunteer (read to children one-on-one), and hopefully travel some when I retire.
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Gene Gray sent a short note.
I retired last October and I am transitioning into retirement doing some consulting and project work to ease into the new pace.
My money says he will master the learning curve.
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Also, Lynn Sheets is newly retired and loving it.
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Rumor has it that Jim Kucera retired in June but that hasn't been verified. Maybe he will join our distribution list now that he has idle time.
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As managing editor of The Sunbury News, Gary Henery is starting his 43rd year in newspaper publishing. He still loves the work so there is no retirement in his foreseeable future.
The John Gaskell family gathered for a double celebration.
My granddaughter graduated from high school this past weekend and they had a party for her on Saturday. My niece Linda from Powell (standing behind Mom and the graduate) brought Mom up for this party and we also celebrated her 99th birthday then. The whole family was there and it was really great. She is a remarkable woman.
Picture: Sister Lois on right; wife Kyle in front of Lois (with the beer); brother Bill directly behind Mom; granddaughter Ronnie (the graduate with the crown) next to Mom; my son Todd on the left; my sister's daughter Mandy holding baby Olivia behind me; grandson Todd Jr. standing behind me; plus other nieces and great-nieces, etc.
I had the pleasure of meeting John's mother after the 45th reunion in 2006. She is indeed a remarkable woman and no one would ever guess her age. Congratulations to all.
In the annual Gazette poll, Robinson's Flower Shop was once again voted the Readers' Choice Awards Best Flower Shop for 2010. It sounds like Don and Shirley Piper Robinson haven't yet taken that retirement step. It would be hard to walk away from kudos like that.
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We have a hummingbird update from Dennis Jackson.
A follow-up on Heather's hummingbirds. They are doing well, and should be leaving the nest soon. Heather said the stronger one now stands on the rim of the nest flapping its wings just as fast as it can until it gets tired and has to sit down. They have enjoyed their guests.
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In May, Betty and Larry Barrett took a cruise up the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon.
We arrived in Portland on May 12 and spent a few days seeing the sights around Portland, then boarded our ship on the 15th. The Astoria Column has a spiral stairway to the top, 164 steps. Very easy to go up. The cruise lasted 8 days, and of course the food was great and all the people on board were fun to meet. The ship had only 53 passengers plus crew. The best thing, NO TV, but our cell phones did work. If anyone would like to inquire about the cruise contact mary@usarivercruises.com. You will get $100 off the price if you mention my name to Mary and go on the same cruise we did. She will be able to help you.
I also want to add that a distant, distant, distant cousin of mine, Peter Weiser, was with the Lewis and Clark expedition, Corps of Discovery. When we arrived at Fort Clatsop there was a group of school children with name tags of the members of the Expedition and one of the girls wore a tag with the name of Peter Weiser. He fought in the War of 1812 and then all record of him vanished. They think he was killed by Indians in 1825. All Weiser descendents are from Conrad Weiser of Burks County, PA.
Click here to see Larry's travel photos.
Mother Nature sent a rare visitor to Larry's garden. Betty was quick with the camera and caught this little fellow under the bird feeder. I have never seen an albino squirrel before.
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Dallas Evans' daughter Kelly has a new addition to the family--a baby alpaca, and she is a beauty. See her photo album here.
Kelly is looking for a name for the new arrival. Any suggestions? I have offered "Pearl" because the color is right and she certainly is a jewel. 
LATE BREAKING NEWS!! This just in. Dallas emailed that Kelly has named her baby Firefly's Pearle. I am so excited! I feel like I have a new fuzzy godchild. Wait! Does that make me a furry godmother?
Missy Blair Wyss and Liz Amick Murtfeldt made a quick overnight trip to Ohio. They spent some time with Susie Donovan Mooney and Karen Oller George in Columbus, and the following day they stopped for lunch in Delaware with Sandy Patrick Woods, Shirley Brimhall Welsh and me before heading back to Michigan. To say "a good time was had by all" doesn't begin to cover it. Missy entertained us with stories of the Prairie Home Companion Caribbean cruise that she and Hal took with Garrison Keillor and company. That sounds like a good time! No doubt it was sponsored by Powdermilk Biscuits.
Shirley, Missy, Sandy, Liz, Judy
It was so very good to share lunch with you all in Delaware last Friday. Missy and I had an uneventful drive back, talking all the way! So very nice to see you all - thanks again, Judy, for making it possible for all of us to keep in touch. It really is a blessing. Now get busy planning that next reunion (just kidding)! Sorry we don't live close enough to help. You Delawareans do bear the brunt of all that party planning. But let us know when you have a date and I will block off that time on our calendar! Tell everyone else hello from us. Hugs, Liz
Norman (Ron) McDonald asked if I knew how many classmates had Facebook pages. Not being one, I had to enlist a super sleuth, Sondra Parks Davis. She reports that there are 32, and possibly 34. I really am going to have to sign up...
Betty Swam Evans
Karen Oller George
Linda Brackney Spradlin
Linda Lawson Miller
Marsha Marshall Elliott
Mary Carson Cross
Nancy Hough Bendle
Nancy Pool Hartley
Roger Gledhill
Sandy Patrick Woods
Sue Donovan Mooney
Terri Norris Bischoff
Vicki Brown Osborn
Lynn Sheets
Brent Wilson
Karen Murfield Faircloth
Tom Campbell
Mary Beall
Reda Hackel Garlikov
Sharon Kiernan Maggard
Sondra Flowers Hopper
Bob Strimer
Tom Ackley
Missy Blair Wyss
Kay Blackledge Bowes
Karen Lee Hock Barrett
Robert Lorish
Hope McLain Lynch
Robert Morrison
Stephen O'Keefe
Nancy Wells Davis
Sondra Parks Davis
Mary Ann Wareham Knabe - possibly
Alice Moore Batchelder - possibly
On a topical note, we have all heard about the Arizona wildfires. Both Larry Barrett and Dennis Jackson sent news. Dennis had this to report.
Yesterday (6/24) it was 113 degrees with 2 percent relative humidity...the lowest ever recorded here. The humidifier in my bedroom is running non-stop to keep the guitars from drying out and cracking (got some new ones). In a related story, a guy and his children are on the Beeline Hwy halfway between Fountain Hills and Payson when he notices smoke coming from the top of the car. Stopping, he finds the luggage on the roof rack has spontaneously combusted. Trying to put the flames out, he knocks some of the burning material to the ground where is catches the brush on fire. Wisely he got to a safe area and called 911. Two hundred acres burned. Much, much worse is the Schultz fire at Flagstaff which has burned 15,000 acres of the most beautiful forest in the state. Campers left a fire burning. Most of our forests now have no-burn restrictions in place. Hallelujah!
See some spectacular and sad photos at this blog.
Larry sent this photo taken by Michelle Wolfrom of Findlay, Ohio.
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While building up to the 2009 Willis All-Class Meet & Greet, Ron Gabriel ('54) wrote a series of musings, little vignettes of a young fellow growing up in small-town Delaware. Recently he wrote about his wanderings in the present-day downtown Delaware. Sondra Parks Davis has posted the story to the Willis Alumni Registry site.
BIRTHDAY BASH
It was a birthday weekend for Sally Jo Scott !
What a wonderful two days Scottie and I had over my birthday. Thursday we checked into a downtown hotel, went out to eat and ended the day with a swim and a soak in the hot tub. Friday we had room service breakfast, walked to the waterfront for a boat tour of Elliott Bay and then back to the hotel for another dip in the pool. That evening we invited our girls to dine with us at The Crab Pot and as you can see by the pictures, the food was dumped in the middle of the table and we all dug in. We ended the night with a concert at Seattle Center and I just might have another birthday next month because I could get used to the pampering and all the FOOD. We had a great time and the weather even cooperated with warmish temperatures and no rain. Scottie and I plus eleven more family members will be in Ohio in August - hope to see some of you.
The photos look like everyone had a great time. Happy birthday!!
As an aside, I am happy to report that all legacy issues of our class newsletter have been posted on the website. My, how it has changed from the March 2008 debut issue.
MUSIC AND FUN
Tulsa's Church On The Move opened their Mother's Day service with this delightful cover of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Their performance is called Mommy Rhapsody. Check it out.
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JULY BIRTHDAYS
Robert Morrison
Roger Gledhill
Becky Ross Donovan
Larry Barrett
These birthdays were listed in the class directory. If I have overlooked anyone, please let me know.
Have a safe and happy 4th of July.
I don't want to brag or make anybody jealous or anything, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school...