Happy Holidays from Your Class of '57 "Quadruplets"

Better late than never, as the old saying goes, so, from the four of us (Judy, John, Norma, and Wayne), I want to wish you a very happy, healthy 2008; and, belatedly but nonetheless sincere, I hope your Christmas was full of love and joy.

I received cards, notes, letters, pictures, and even a calendar from you this Christmas, and I thank each and every one of you for remembering me. Each piece of correspondence was yet another trip down memory lane for me, something that was bittersweet this year, as I lost my brother, Dave, to pancreatic cancer December 8. But since he was always one to enjoy the holidays to their fullest, I took my cue from him and celebrated a wonderful Christmas with Don and my 2 stepkids.

Among the letters I received was one from Jim and Joanna Myhre (missed you at the reunion!). In it, Joanna said Jim was enjoying a new and unexpected adventure by playing Santa Claus. Seems he let his beard grow during a CA trip; from that time on, everyone urged him to become St. Nick; and so he did. Joanna said that as of the date she was writing the Christmas letter, Jim still had 21 appearances scheduled before Christmas. While it's too late this year, keep Jim in mind for your holiday events in 2008. Remember --- Santa's sleigh goes around the world in 24 hours, so a trip to wherever you need him to play Santa should be nothing for Jim to pull off.

Yet Another "John" Report

It's been almost a month since I told you of John Spencer's upcoming back surgery, and I can finally report the happy outcome to you. The surgery was successful (the surgeon had to remove more bone spurs), and John is no longer suffering sciatic nerve problems. But now that those problems are gone, John is dismayed to learn all his original, long-term aches and pains are still with him. Seems like the extreme pains he was having masked all the other "old" ones. I told him he'd have to get used to being "normal", since what he described are "aging" pains shared by many of us 57ers.

Granddaughter 0f Betty Staub Lass Makes Generous Donation

Received the following e-mail from Betty Staub Lass. I don't know about you, but I agree that Betty's granddaughter is one very special, not to mention cute, young lady.

"Hi classmates,
My granddaughter, Dani Karas, has been growing her hair for 4 years. She's 9 years old. She got her hair cut this past week and donated the hair to Locks of Love.
They make wigs for Chemo patients. I think she's pretty special.
Betty (Staub) Lass"

The picture on the left is "Before" her haircut, the one on the right is "After".

More Surgery for John

At first it seemed all John Spencer's back problems had been solved by the surgery he had in September. Then suddenly, his back was worse than it had ever been. After some consultations with his surgeon and some more MRIs, John has learned that one of the repairs his MD made wasn't successful. So now it's more surgery for John on Monday, November 26 (out-patient, this time). Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers; and let's all hope his doc finally gets it right this time.

"Hello" From and an Alpaca For Lynne Rutherford Ramsey

Lynne Rutherford Ramsey contacted us with the following:

"Rutherford Hill Farm in the Western North Carolina foothills announces the arrival of Kiko, a male, purebred Huacaya alpaca (shown here with Lynne and his mom). He arrived in the pasture at noon on November 5 weighing 14 lbs. 12 oz. and 22” high at the shoulders. Within 1 hour he was nursing and experimenting with four very long and uncooperative legs.

It was a long wait for Kiko, gestation is supposed to be 11 months but he waited a full 12 months from breeding to landing - the vet attributes the delay to the extreme stress of the freakish summer heat wave and severe drought. During the drought I spent endless time and energy dragging hundreds of feet of hoses around the farm keeping selected areas alive, priorities were pasturage and the vegetable garden...the flowers outside the back porch were an emotional priority. Drought is depressing! My well is tapped into an underground river so I am not apt to run out of water, but getting it to the right places is difficult.
I had fully insulated the barn and with the addition of an air conditioner, we survived the 46-day heat crisis (alpacas are cold weather/mountain animals). November is now beautifully cold/normal and we are experiencing the peak of Autumn color on the mountainsides.
Other than this (hopefully) unusual summer, I love farm life: fresh eggs, abundant herb garden, fresh veggies, lots of animals, and a senior center nearby in my township where I learn the history and lore of the area from people whose ancestors actually fought in the Civil War (for the South, of course) My great grandfather was an ambulance driver for the Union Army but they all generously welcome me, seniors are like that, have you noticed?
Hi to everyone in Class of ‘57. Emails welcome and visitors welcome."

Jane Haid Srail and Norma Deardorff Plummer Reunite

The following e-mail was received from Norma Deardorff Plummer:

"During the middle of October, Jane Haid Srail traveled from her home in Statesville, NC to visit Norma Deardorff Plummer in Downers Grove in order to pursue their common interest in genealogy. They spent two days in Bureau County, IL (about 80 miles from DG) researching relatives who lived there during the 1800's and another day making use of the research facilities at Chicago's Newberry Library. They further indulged their nostalgia trip with one evening seeing a movie at the Tivoli and another at the Downers Grove Museum participating in a program presented by three local merchants about historical downtown Downers business district. They also attended a new exhibit at the museum on the history of all the DG schools."

Shortly after receiving this communique from Norma, these "before and after" pics were received. Taken almost 50 years apart, these pictures show 2 women who have been the closest of friends virtually their entire lives. The older of the pictures was taken on Easter, 1946. While the most recent was to have been taken during Jane's 2007 visit, it's actually a picture taken 2 years ago; none were taken this trip due to "memory problems" (interpret that any way you wish).

William Kubes Passes Away

I received the following e-mail from Norma Deardorff Plummer:


"I hate being the purveyor of more bad news, but we've lost another one of our classmates. The following obituary appeared in the 10/25/07 issue of the Downers Grove Sun Newspaper:

Willard D. Kubes

Willard D. Kubes, 68, of Downers Grove died Friday, Oct. 19, 2007, in Downers Grove. He was born Feb. 3, 1939, in Oak Park.

He was an Illinois Farmers Insurance Agent for 45 years and a member of the Lisle Lions Club, treasurer and committee member for Lisle's Eyes to the Skies event and a police and fire commissioner for Lisle.

Survivors include two daughters, Lori Budmir and Debra (husband Jeff) Oster; a son, Tech Sgt. Matthew (wife Rebecca) Kubes; eight grandchildren; two brothers, Kenneth and Raymond; a sister, Barbara Rogers; and his father, Willard Kubes Sr.

Visitation and services took place Monday, Oct. 22, at Hallowell and James Funeral Home in Downers Grove. Interment was private.

Memorials may be directed to First United Methodist Church, 1032 Maple Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515; or Gift of Hope Donor Network, 660 N. Industrial Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126.

---

On a personal note, a friend of mine is friends with Bill's brother Ken. He was able to tell me that Bill's wife passed away a couple of years ago and believed that Bill died of cancer. He was able to give me Ken's address & phone in the event anyone wishes more information: 10 Liberty Lane Ct., Bolingbrook, IL 60439 (phone: 1/630-739-7332).

The information in our reunion directory was Bill's work address."


Our sympathy goes out to his family and friends; we share their loss.