Sunday, December 18, 2011

Our Own Published Novelist: Larry Crane

Just received (and it was issued in June?) the following press release about a novel published by our own Larry Crane. Congrats, Larry --- we're all very proud of you!! Just a thought --- there's still time to run out and purchase several copies for Christmas gifts.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Bridge to TreacheryPRLog (Press Release) - Jun 23, 2011 - Brighton Publishing LLC announced the release of “A Bridge to Treachery,” by author Larry Crane. This suspense-laden gnashing of guns, ammo, terrorism and deceit is now available as an e-book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other leading retailers.
Retired Colonel Lou Christopher is an ex-Army Ranger, contentedly working as a New York investment broker. After being assigned a number of lucrative accounts and becoming accustomed to living the good life, he discovers nothing good comes without a price.
When his former military skills are requested under a threat of losing everything he has, Col. Christopher soon discovers the price may be too high to pay. Handed a group of misfits to assemble into a military strike team, Christopher is coerced into leading the team on a mission of domestic terrorism.
His strike team is discovered; the mission is compromised. A deadly firefight erupts and only Christopher and a beautiful female member of his team survive. Was a terrible mistake made, with Christopher to blame—or was his team the victim of an ultimate act of betrayal?
With his strike force decimated, Christopher and his lone teammate turn from hunted to hunters. As time quickly runs out, they struggle to use their unique set of skills to exact a decisive revenge on those responsible for this treachery. Will New York—will anyone—survive?
“This is modern day John Rambo, with every bit the quality of writing and fantastic characters that David Morrell brought to his classic shining through in Larry Crane’s thriller,” said Kathie McGuire, director of Brighton Publishing LLC. “Larry Crane has created a lasting hero with Lou Christopher, someone that readers will identify with because he is tough, all-American, and ready to defend what he believes in.”

Larry Crane is a West Point graduate who began a seven year Airborne Ranger Infantry career in the mud in Germany, commanded Basic Trainees at Fort Knox, and completed his military service after a tour in Vietnam as an ARVN Ranger battalion advisor. He has written non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines, as well as numerous plays, and short fiction. He is currently at work on a sequel to “A Bridge to Treachery.” Crane has two grown children, and lives on the coast of Maine with his wife."

Sunday, November 27, 2011

News of Mary Reiman Gordon's Passing

I received the following e-mail from Allene Rudolph Rondeau:

"I regret to be the bearer of sad news on Mary Reiman (Compton) Gordon. Mary passed away Saturday November 26th, 2011 around 7pm at her son's Jimmy's house.
She has been one of my best childhood friends, since we attended Lincoln school ... and will be dearly missed.
Allene (Rudolph)Rondeau"

Our deepest sympathy goes out to Mary's family and friends --- and to you, Allene, who is so deeply touched by this loss.

Friday, November 25, 2011

55th Class Reunion in 2012

Just received the following from Norma Deardorff Plummer:

"The DGHS Class of 1957 will be having their 55th class reunion the weekend of August 24th and 25th, 2012. Please put it on your calendar. Love to see you there.

Best wishes,

Norma Deardorff Plummer"


We had a wonderful time at our 8th grade graduation, and we had wonderful attendance at our 50th reunion -- why don't we try to surpass both for the 55th?? Y'all come!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Downers Hits the Big Time

An e-mail from Jim VanSlyke brought more news about the upcoming movie "Downers Grove". Click on the title of this blog post for more information.

Mary Reiman Gordon Needs Our Prayers

I received the following e-mail from Gordon Rondeau:

"Please have Mary Reiman Gordon put in our web class page prays. She needs are prayers badly.
She is in Hospics care. She has been moved from Arizona to her son's Jimmy's house in Elgin. She arrived Sunday. They do not expect her to last even a week.
Can send cards or phone messages through Jimmy ..... (847) 741-4934
13 N. Brindle Elgin, Il Sorry about this part .... did not get zip"

Won't you please remember Mary in your prayers?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Nora O'Byrne King's Life of Service

We knew Nora O'Byrne had moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, shortly after college graduation. And it wasn't long after that she "fell off the face of the earth". Several of us tried and tried to get a response from her, all to no avail. We knew she had married a man named Bill King, so on a trip to Alaska, I found his name in the Fairbanks phone book and tried to reach her at least twice --- there was no answer. Our efforts intensified before the class reunion; and John Spencer finally got a response from Courtney King, Nora's oldest daughter. From her, we learned Nora had passed away the same day I tried to call her. We have since learned Nora had quite a life after leaving Downers, tho we still haven't heard from Courtney with the full details. We did manage, however, to get a copy of her obit which will tell you about some of Nora's accomplishments. She was, indeed, a special woman.

"Nora O. King

Nora O'Byrne King, 63, died at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Sunday morning, Aug. 25, 2002. Her two daughters and husband were with her.

As a recent graduate of the University of Illinois, Nora came to Fairbanks in 1960 to teach in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. She married William J. King in 1961, bore two daughters in 1962 and 1965, and retired from teaching in 1982.

Nora then attended the University of Colorado School of Law, graduating in 1985. She was admitted to the Alaska Bar in 1985 and, at the time of her death, was an assistant attorney general for the state of Alaska, working in the area of child protection.

Nora was a creative person who saw the world as an imperfect place and tried to fix what was within her power to do so. Her teaching career was dedicated to trying to jump-start young minds and lengthen the reach of the disadvantaged. Her work with the state was largely devoted to the protection of the young from what people do to them these days. She loved large dirty dogs, art, fall in Fairbanks, and had a lot of time for people who did their jobs well.

She is survived by her daughters Gillian King and Courtney King; her husband William King; brother Elton "Curly" O'Byrne of Jacksonville, N.C.; sister Allyn O'Byrne of St. Louis; and brother and sister-in-law Terrence and Lilly O'Byrne of Sunnyvale, Calif.

Her parents Calvin and Audrey O'Byrne of Downer's Grove, Ill., preceded her in death.

At her request, there will be no services. Any donations should be saved for a rainy day."

Ray's Bucket List is Shrinking

Ray Vybiral seems quite intent on crossing entries off his bucket list. The latest: attend a Richard Petty Driving School. Ray, accompanied by his wife of 25 years (congrats!!), Marilyn, and his daughter, Shelley, accomplished his dream on 9/23/11,
by driving 8 laps around a 1.5 mile track and averaging a speed of 138.8 MPH.

Shelley Rode as a passenger in a car driven by a Richard Petty driver and reached a speed of 165 MPH --- her reaction? WOW!
As proof of his accomplishment, Ray was given a certificate of completion signed by the head instructor and Richard Petty, himself. Well done, Ray!

So what's next on your bucket list?

Downers Grove Links

Several websites contain up-to-date info about what's going on in Downers. Thought the following might be of interest to you:

http://downersgrove.patch.com
www.downers.us
www.mysuburbanlife.com

I'm sure there are more; if you're aware of any, please send the web addresses, so we can update this post. Thank You!

Frank Fusco's Son a True Razorback


Evan Fusco Learned to Appreciate the 'Wider World' at the University of Arkansas ....

While many children dream of becoming astronauts and president of the United States, Evan Fusco knew from age 10 that he wanted to practice medicine and become a doctor. Now, working as an emergency room physician at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, MO, Fusco, who is a life member of the Arkansas Alumni Association, reflects on his time at the University of Arkansas and appreciates the experiences and people who helped guide him at the beginning of his medical journey.

When it came time to graduate from Mountain Home High School, he knew many friends who were planning to attend the University of Arkansas. While college can be costly, Fusco knew he could receive in-state tuition if he, too, attended school in Fayetteville.

Enrolling in August 1985, he enjoyed the big college campus and the variety of options that were made available to students. Knowing that the university had a reputation for great academics, he enrolled in the honors program and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in natural sciences, saying, “I wanted to have a broad science background.”

While studying wasn’t always his favorite aspect of college, he did enjoy his classes and was provided the opportunity to conduct hands-on lab research within the honors program. “I met some really interesting faculty members through the program,” he remembered. One staff member who left an impression on Fusco was former university president, Ray Thornton. “He participated in some of my honors classes, had an open office and I grew to respect him in his role,” he said.

In the four years he spent on campus, he not only learned what was important inside the classroom, but outside the classroom as well. A member of Phi Kappa Tau, Alpha Chi Sigma and a resident assistant his freshman year on the chemical engineering floor of his residence hall, Fusco became exposed to a diverse group of people. Growing up, his exposure to diverse groups of people was almost non-existent; however, once he arrived at the university, all of that changed.

“The University of Arkansas allowed me to appreciate the wider world,” he said. Being a student on campus allowed him to gain exposure to various groups of diverse people, saying, “It really stirred an interest in me and I matured because of that exposure.”

Since graduating in 1989, Fusco went on to attend medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock; enlisted and obtained the rank of major in the U.S. Army National Guard where he gained “hands-on medical experience” in the nine years he was in the service; graduated from his residency in emergency medicine at Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans; and has gone to work in various hospitals throughout the world as an emergency medicine physician.

Since 2000, Fusco has maintained a residence in Nixa, MO, and works at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Springfield. Between August 2010 and February 2011, he and his family traveled to New Zealand and Australia, where he worked as an emergency medicine consultant. Spending time in Alaska, New Zealand and Australia, Fusco has learned to appreciate a country’s culture and its people. On a trip to Spain with his wife, Tamara, he was amazed at the idea of a siesta, saying how unique it was that business owners take a few hours out of the afternoon, each day, to step away from the routine of work and make time for themselves.

Through all of his travels, whether they are for business or leisure, Fusco has always found a way to bring the university with him by calling the Hogs. “I’ve called the Hogs all over the world,” he said. He has made his pride known vocally in Munich, Sydney, Turkey, Hong Kong, Florence and South America, even calling the Hogs in front of the famous “Il Porcellino” statue in some cities.

Twenty-two years since graduating from the university, Fusco continues to show his support through his membership with the Arkansas Alumni Association. “I will be a graduate of the University of Arkansas all of my life. By being a member, I want to remain involved and connected. It’s the responsible thing to do,” he said. Although his career makes for difficult hours at times, he hopes to become more involved with the Springfield Alumni Chapter by attending watch parties and volunteering for events that would allow for his wife and children to get involved.

“As a graduate, you want to see things continue to grow and advance. You want to have opportunities that let people contribute…If you feel that personal connection, give back and stay connected to your university.”

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Larry Christy has Passed Away

John Spencer received this e-mail from Dan Moravec, and he, in turn, forwarded it on to me. While we thank Dan for the info, it's getting harder and harder to reprint these notices about our classmates. Our deepest sympathy, of course, goes out to Larry's family and his friends.

"Hey John,
Can you pass this message on to who ever writes the obits for the class of 57.
Larry Christy passed away Oct. 29,2011 from liver cancer. He battled it for about 5 months. He had a wife Annette, and he had 3 children,Mark,Jeffery and Kelly.
He lived in Easley SC. for 28 years about 10 miles from Pat and I.He was 72 years old.

Thanks John,

Dan Moravec
116 Hampton Rd. Liberty,SC.
email sandnguy@aol.com

We had a lot of great times together and I'll really miss him,We seen each other almost everyday."

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

We've Lost Connie Seda Conklin

I just received the following e-mail from Bill Conklin -- what a sad notification.

"Hi Judy - Just wanted to let you know that Connie passed away on 9/1/11 after a long illness. She had cancer and emphysema, and finally suffered a stroke that proved to be fatal.

Services were private.

Bill Conklin"

The following picture was submitted by Lynne Rutherford Ramsey as a blog tribute to Connie.


I'm sure Bill would like to hear from anyone who wishes to send condolences to Connie's family. If you need his address, just holler.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hurricane Irene a Problem for Jim and Gwyne VanSlyke

I received the following e-mail from Jim VanSlyke this evening:

"After 4 days in our cabin up in the Piedmont, we received a call that power had been restored after being out just 48 hours. That is much quicker than usual. Usually, it takes 7-10 days. I think power was restored so quickly because our neighborhood was one big safety hazard. Cars couldn't get out and walking was dangerous. Anyway, we packed up, left the cabin and drove home last night. The house seems fine while the yard is a bit of a disaster. Because power was out 48 hours, Gwyne will be spending the day cleaning out fridge and freezer while I "play" in the yard. It will be interesting to see what the tidal surge left in the yard. All in all, not so bad. Take care."

I should mention Jim and Gwyne live in Virginia Beach and were in Dallas visiting their daughter when the earthquake hit the east coast; they arrived back home just in time to welcome Irene.

Any of the rest of you 57ers have any storm reports you'd like to share with the rest of us?

Saturday, July 2, 2011

We Shall Have Weather, Whether ot Not

As I sit in my air-conditioned house with outside temps once again approaching 100' with humidity to match, I feel the need to comment on the weather we've all experienced so far this year. Since last fall, we've experienced one of the hardest winters we've had in many years. Good grief --- it's July 4th week-end, and folks are still skiing at Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra on the remaining snow from the hundreds of inches that fell. Ray Vybiral and Jeanne Edwards sent me pics of their late winter Wisconsin snows --- in May! And just this week, Jeanne sent pics and a newspaper article about the tornados in her "neighborhood". The rivers in the upper midwest are flooding due to the late season snow-melt in Montana and Wyoming --- and Canada. The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers have already caused unimaginable flood damage --- and the Missouri is now on its way to the Mississippi with even more flood waters.

The weather extremes have been mind-boggling:
Missouri has been hit with a record number of big tornados, hitting this state from west (Joplin) to east (St Louis) with destruction in many cities and towns in between. This picture of what was Joplin was submitted by Margi Bassnett Burtin, who passed thru Joplin on her way to Texas. Here in the SW corner of the Show-Me state, we've escaped the really severe weather, but we did have 27 inches of rain in less than a month, which brought Table Rock Lake to new flood levels twice in that month, and, as a result, caused severe flood damage in the entire White River basin. 3 years ago, we were told the lake experienced "the 100-year flood" --- well, guess what? This year, we had 2 more 100-year floods, both of which surpassed that of 3 years ago; and now it's a heat wave and drought.
Texas is experiencing a devastating drought thruout the state as are other areas of the south; fires in New Mexico and Arizona are destroying hundreds of thousands of acres and thousands of homes and businesses. The severe storms in the Chicago area this past week are, once again, unheard of, yet happening. The extreme heat in much of the country is causing power outages and threatening the lives of the elderly and poor, many of whom have no a/c or even fans.

I could probably go on and on, but I need to get off my soapbox. I can't imagine anyone saying, after all these terrible weather phenomena, that climate change doesn't exist.

Downers Hit by Tornado

In all my years, I don't think I can ever remember DG being hit by a tornado. I remember my mom and dad speaking of a twister going right up Main Street when they were very young, but never in my lifetime have I ever heard of this ---- until now. I received the following from Norma Deardorff Plummer on June 28:

"To you former Downers Grove residents out there -- I don't know if you are aware that a tornado went through Downers Grove last Tuesday night. We didn't have any problems on our property but there were trees down all over town. DG South HS took a big hit. John and I weren't even aware there was a big storm coming until my daughter Beth called from Oak Park as their tornado sirens had gone off. Ours never did because the tornado hadn't been recognized. Downers and Mt. Prospect were the hardest hit. Check out information on line if you're interested in further details. The town will be weeks removing all the downed trees. No human casualties have been reported."

Norma followed up with another e-mail:

"Further to my earlier email, this website gives you some interesting information. We don't live in the path (being a north sider) but still, a little too close for comfort and two of our neighbors lost big trees. One fell on the power lines but, for some reason the lines didn't come down and we were only without electricity for a few seconds. Others on the south side (including classmate Alanna Aselin Lauchle) were without power for almost two days. Thankfully the temperature has remained in the 70s."

If you're interested in visiting the website Norma mentioned above, which shows the path of this EF-1 twister, click on the title of this post.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Who is Matthew Goodwin?

If you ask John Spencer this question, no doubt he'll break into a huge smile and tell you the heart-warming story of how Matthew got back his vision. As many of you already know, John (and his wife, Anne, too) is an active participant in numerous charitable organizations, not the least of which is the Lions Club of Basalt Colorado. Matthew was a local boy who worked at Snowmass Village as a cook in a pizza place. His vision started deteriorating around the age of 14, and after a few misdiagnoses, doctors told him he had Keratoconus, a condition requiring corneal transplants within a decade or total blindness would result; this was in 1997.

Following the MDs' suggestions, the family opted to wait as long as possible until the surgery had advanced, offering the greatest chances of success. Skip ahead until October, 2008, and enter the Basalt Lions Club. One of the members spoke of Matthew's problems, vision and others: no insurance, uninsurable, no available government assistance, and no funds to pay for surgeries in the neighborhood of $15,000 per eye. The local Lions Club, whose main focus is eyesight, jumped at the chance to help --- enter John Spencer. John, a past district governor and a Lion for more than 35 years, had also spent 13 years as a trustee of the Rocky Mtn Lions Eye Institute, so he knew immediately what to do and who to contact. The eye bank provided donor tissue for free; matched the funds raised by the Basalt Lions; and helped John locate a surgeon willing to perform the transplant.

On July 21, 2009, less than 8 months later, Matthew received his first corneal transplant, with no problems and amazing success. His second transplant was done November 9 ---- he now has 20/20 vision in both eyes.

It's an amazing and heart-warming story. Be sure to tell John how proud you are of his work with the Lions, especially on Matthew's behalf.

More Sadness to Report

We learned of the passing of Bob Langford on December 9, 2010, in Cape Coral Florida; we haven't been able to learn any other details.

Then on February 27, 2011, we received the following e-mail from Anke Wamser's brother:
"Dear Classmates of Anke,
It is with deep sorrow that I am advising you of the death of my sister, Anke Maren Thea (Wamser) Jachmann. Anke passed away on February 16, 2011 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She suffered a massive heart attack on February 14, 2011 from which she never regained consciousness.
Heinz Wamser
630-427-0672"

The full obituary follows (thanks to the effort of Garland Edgell):
"Anke Maren Thea Wamser Jachmann, 71, of Idaho Falls, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011, at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
Anke was born June 11, 1939, in Schleswig, Germany, to Willi Wamser and Karla Ottzen Wamser. She graduated from high school in Chicago.
She married Bruno Heinz Jachmann on Dec. 30, 1970, in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. As a military family, they made their homes in Columbus, Ga.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Bblingen, Germany; Hampton, Va.; and finally in Idaho Falls. They were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Larisa.
She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as a Primary teacher, several times as a Relief Society teacher and volunteered in the Family History Center.
Anke enjoyed sewing, crafts and decorating her home.
Survivors include her husband, Bruno H. Jachmann of Idaho Falls; daughter, Larisa A. (Troy Swiger) Jachmann-Swiger of Hampton, Va.; mother, Karla Wamser of Hampton, Va.; and brother, Heinz (Jeanne) Wamser of Woodridge, Ill.
She was preceded in death by her father and a brother, Hans Arno Wamser.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 21, at the Idaho Falls LDS Ammon 27th Ward at 7118 Ledgerock Drive, with Bishop Jacob Dustin officiating. The family will visit with friends from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. prior to services at the church. Burial will be in Ammon Cemetery under the direction of Wood Funeral Home, 963 S. Ammon Road.
Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.woodfuneralhome.com."

Our sincere sympathy goes out to the families of our classmates, Bob and Anke; it seems life is getting shorter and a little sadder the older we get.

Bucket Lists are Spreading

We're starting to hear more and more from classmates about creating bucket lists of things they wish to do while they are still able. First, there was a trip to Alaska for Ray Vybiral and his wife Marilyn with Gordon and Allene Rudolph Rondeau, a bucket list entry for both couples. There's an earlier blog post describing their adventures in our 49th state.

Next we heard from Dave Spero who told of his adventures sky-diving for the first time. He sent us pictures, so be sure to see the earlier blog post of this amazing feat.

Our most recent bucket list adventure comes from what appears to be our most serious bucket-lister: Ray Vybiral. He sent us the following e-mail:
"Well, I am signed up for the Richard Petty Driving Experience in September.
Marilyn and I went to Alaska last year and that was a real Bucket list item.
I hope to get up on water skis this summer, probably has been close to 10 years since I last skied.
I think eveyone should have a Bucket List of the things they want to do in their lifetime.
Ray"

And to prove he's really going to do this:

"RAYMOND VYBIRAL
B030450879
Thank you for joining Richard Petty Driving Experience! This letter confirms your reservation for the following date and time:

EXPERIENCE: ROOKIE EXPERIENCE
DATE & TIME: SEPTEMBER 23, 2011 @ 12:00PM
LOCATION: CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY"

We look forward to pics from this amazing adventure, Ray. And if any of the rest of you out there are merrily crossing off bucket list entries, let us know the details; we're sure your classmembers are as interested as we are.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

At Long Last, I Return

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since I've added to this blog. But that's what happens when a computer decides it doesn't want to be upgraded. First, it just wouldn't operate; then when it began running, it also started crashing at the drop of a hat; finally, it not only crashed, it began presenting me with what became known as "the blue screen of death", a bright blue screen with warnings of imminent damage to the computer. At long last, thru the efforts of my husband, Don, and a local computer guru, affectionately known as Les Nessman (with apologies to Les and WKRP in Cincinnati), my computer is upgraded and is operating just as it should be. And with that, the class blog will continue.

First things first, however: I hope y'all had a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving, the merriest of Christmases, a loving Valentine's Day, and a very happy new year that brings health, good luck, and much happiness to all of us. Lastly, let's all hope that winter is about over. And now, on with the blog.......