WELCOME
Here I sit with piles of snow all around. It is the aftermath of more than two days of snowing here in the DC area. We got about 15 inches, but my son Scot in WV had over 40. That should test the straw bale house he and his wife built.
Meanwhile it is time to get some of the Class news out, now that the 65th Reunion is in the history books. Here are a few items that you may have missed.
65TH REUNION
Roy Lounsbury, one of the key members of the Reunion team, remembered to bring his 60th Reunion hat as we requested. He is all smiles.
While we were at West Point, Dick Newton held a small memorial service for his late wife Ruth. Got a nice picture of Dick with his son Dick III, daughter-in-law Jody and some other character who sneaked in.
We had a great dinner dance with Dick Newton acting as MC and supplying all the old tunes for our pleasure. Here are a few of the table groupings.
Here is Wendy Phillips with Marilyn Moll and Nicole Maxwell.
And then there is the group picture of most of those handsome men. A few got left out for one reason or another. Get out your magnifying class.
65TH ANNIVERSARY
Emmett & Rowland Lee have been celebrating anniversaries with the Newtons for some fifteen years. The two couples were married one day apart 25/26 June 1950, just as the Korean War started. In 2015 Dick joined the Lees at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Tampa, FL.
John & Ann Wickham sent these pictures taken at their 65th. The uniformed officer in the picture is their granddaughter Jessica Horner.
SOME M-1 NOTES
Clyde & Mary Spence along with his two daughters enjoyed all the activities of the Reunion, culminating in a visit to the cemetery and to the quarters the Spences lived in ’60-’63. Clyde did a fine job of searching out and getting M-1 files together.
In addition to those at the Reunion he passed along some other information:
Audrey Bonanno raved about Ray’s time on the faculty at USAFA, his eight years on the faculty at USC, and his devotion to the Catholic Church, where he was a deacon.
Ginny Douglass is fine and living with her daughter Susie.
Marie Hamel talked of Jack’s love of art. He designed a 140 foot frieze for a museum in San Remo, CA.
JAKE JACOBSON
Here is a picture of Jake Jacobson and his daughter Gretchen with Barbara & Hunter Passmore enjoying the chance to get together at the reunion.
Jake has sold his lovely old 18th century home and has moved into a new place on the property with Gretchen and her husband in Leesburg, VA. He is now in a ROMEO group: Retired Old Men Eating Out.
BILL & SUE POGUE
The two of them managed to change address without moving. They have lived in Birmingham, AL for many years. They now live in Mountain Brook, AL, a new name for the old town.
WAGNER AND RAMOS
Eddie Ramos in his many travels got this picture of him with Jack Wagner’s grandson Lt. James Billings USN, who is on an Olmstead Fellowship at Fuden University in Shanghai, China.
SUPE IN KOREA
LTG Caslen very nicely had this picture of his party taken at our ’50 Memorial which we dedicated in Korea during our mini reunion there. On it are listed the 41 Classmates who died in the Korean War.
EIKO FISHBEIN
Eiko, who still has family in Japan, has made a number of trips there over the years. This is a short report on part of her latest one:
Had a busy summer. Sakhalin Island we visited was so desolate and sad. People are still struggling with so little they have and have dealt the abandonment by Japan. I observed some Korean descends who were left behind by Japanese; understand 15% of population in Sakhalin is Koreans today. I do feel terribly sad.
PHIL BARDOS’ STATS
Phil, in his book Cold War Warriors, compiled a set of what the class has done both in and out of the military:
You may recall in my book I had these class stats:
-- one Rhodes scholar
-- nineteen PhD`s
-- 453 masters degrees
-- four led higher ed institutions
-- 37 were professors in universities
-- 144 were chief executives of major corporations
-- 19 ordained chaplains
-- one U.S. congressman
-- several executives or associate directors of federal agencies
-- 3 mayors of cities
-- 3 judges
-- 1 president of the Los Angeles school board
All in all a pretty impressive set of accomplishments to add to those we showed at the Reunion.
SPEAKING OF RECORDS
I talked with Barney Quinn recently. He and Joan still live in South Salt Lake, UT. He tells me that they now have 62 grandchildren and 40 great grandchildren.
CHRISTMAS CARD SEASON
We are lucky to have received many cards with a lot of news. Let’s start with these some good picture cards.
This is one from Chuck & Diane Friedlander at their home in San Diego, CA.
From Spring, TX came this photo of Mike & Barbara Dowe together with their daughter Alexa, son-in-law Barry, and grandchildren Nathan and Jade. The horse’s name is Paint.
Mike, by the way, is still working full time. He is the Chief Scientist of Raytheon Ktech with lots of travel to Washington, DC and San Diego.
Gwyn Groseclose has become a Bronze Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League with more than 500 Master Points. She also has won 50 World Year Points. As you can see by the picture, she has quite a gang, including 5 great grandchildren.
Here is a photo of Paul & Betsy Ache that came on their card.
AND SOME PHILOSOPHY
This came from Tom & Bonnie Sharp. I thought it had some thoughtful points.
AND NEWS FROM CARDS
We got a pile of newsy cards from many classmates and widows. I have chosen to pass along a few of special interest.
Bill & Marilyn Gearan have finally given up the snowy climate of MA and moved to slower, but sunnier, life in FL.
Joe Griffin hitched a ride to the Reunion with one son Joe and enjoyed staying with his other son Todd at West Point, where Todd has worked as a civilian for over thirty years.
Carm & Barbara Milia are still in Troy, MI; but I am jealous of my old handball partner, who still plays racquetball, tennis, and golf, while Barb cruises the malls.
Jim & Karin Thompson have finally left the wide open country of ID for a downsized life in Medford, OR: no gardening and not much cooking.
Tom & Jinny Loper took a First Class flight to NY to see their grandson Tommy III graduate from West Point in the Corps of Engineers.
Al & Bettie Crawford celebrated Halloween by attending the wedding of their granddaughter Emily to Adam Ting at a Christmas tree farm in Cashiers, NC.
BE THOU AT PEACE
We have too many losses not listed in past notes.
Ed Fox died 19 Nov 2014. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, who lives in Athens, GA.
Al Paulger died 16 Jan 2015 and his wife Bobbie died just a month later on 16 Feb.
Phil Donahue died 23 Jan 2015.
Patti Joy died 8 March 2015. Her husband Duncan lives in Fort Belvoir, VA.
Valerie McCutchen, Bob’s widow, died 15 May 2015.
Jack Murphy, our First Captain and Class President, died 25 May 2015.
Dick Rein died 27 May 2015. His widow Treva lives in Annandale, VA.
Bob Whiting died 14 June 2015.
Kelly Veley died 17 June 2015. His widow Betty Jane died on 8 Oct.
Dave Mernan died 28 Jun 2015. His widow Linda lives in Williamsville, NY.
Joy Viskochil, Ralph’s widow, died 24 Jul 2015.
Mary Bolduc, Blackie’s wife, died 24 Aug 2015. Blackie lives in San Antonio, TX.
Walt Price died 11 Sept 2015. His widow Jane lives in Stillwater, OK.
Lee Werner, Bob’s widow, died 16 Sept 2015.
Ed Stefanik died 24 Sept 2015. His widow Irene lives in Agawam, MA.
Louise Wagner, Jack’s wife, died 26 Sept 2015. Jack lives in Arlington, VA.
John Begley died 23 Nov 2015.
Will Hill Tankersley died 28 Nov 2015.
Leroy Henderson died 16 Dec 2015. His widow Nancy lives in Harvard, MA.
Lucille Lockwood, Kilbert’s wife, died 26 Dec 2015. Kilbert lives in Ashville, NC.
George “Hale” Hubbard died 20 Jan 2016. His widow Jo Ann lives in Augusta, GA.
Our sympathies go out to all the families.
Now on to a new year. Please send me news of your doings. I need that if I am to make the Notes interesting.
Here’s to a crazy 2016.