What a Birthday Gift!!!

You have to feel really loved and special and almost happy to hit the magic age of 70 if your birthday is announced as follows:



I don't know about the rest of you, but my 70th didn't even come close to this ............

Many thanks to Carol Mackenzie Weber for the following:


THE CLASS REUNION


> Every five years, as summertime nears,
> An announcement arrives in the mail,
> A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;
> Make plans to attend without fail.

> I'll never forget the first time we met;
> We tried so hard to impress.
> We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
> And wore our most elegant dress.

> It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
> It was held at a fancy hotel
> We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
> And everyone thought it was swell.

> The men all conversed about who had been first
> To achieve great fortune and fame.
> Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
> And how beautiful their children became.

> The homecoming prom queen, who once had been lean,
> Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
> The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
> And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

> No one had heard about the class nerd
> Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;
> Or poor little Jane, who's always been plain;
> She married a shipping tycoon.

> The boy we'd decreed 'most apt to succeed'
> Was serving ten years in the pen,
> While the one voted 'least' now was a priest;
> Just shows you can be wrong now and then.

> They awarded a prize to one of the guys
> Who seemed to have aged the least..
> Another was given to the grad who had driven
> The farthest to attend the feast.
>

> They took a class picture, a curious mixture
> Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
> Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
> You never saw so many thighs.

> At our next get-together, no one cared whether
> They impressed their classmates or not.
> The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
> By this time we'd all gone to pot.

> It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
> We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.
> Then most of us lay around in the shade,
> In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

> By the fiftieth year, it was abundantly clear,
> We were definitely over the hill.
> Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,
> And be home in time for their pill.

> And now I can't wait; they've set the date;Our sixtieth is coming,
> I'm told.
> It should be a ball, they've rented a hall
> At the Shady Rest Home for the old.

> Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;
> My pacemaker's been turned up on high.
> My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
> And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

> I'm feeling quite hearty, and I'm ready to party
> I'm gonna dance 'til dawn's early light.
> It'll be lots of fun; But I just hope that there's one
> Other person who can make it that night

Jim Sommer Passes Away

Thanks to the efforts of Norma Deardorff Plummer and John Spencer, we've learned of the passing of Jim Sommer, another of our classmates. Jim passed on October 28th in Darien, IL. It goes without saying our deepest sympathy goes out to Jim's family and friends. Losing a classmate is getting more difficult with each loss. We seem to have lost so many since the reunion, and each loss carries with it special memories of the fallen classmate. May each of them rest in peace.

Save the Poles

A recent e-mail from Judy Dian Larsen has introduced us to the website of her son, Eric, who is on a 365-day adventure to reach the South Pole, the North Pole, and the summit of Mt. Everest (that's at the top of my Bucket List). Eric is currently in Antarctica, making his way to the pole. You'll be linked to Eric's web page thru the title of this blog entry; in the website, you can keep abreast of his travels and adventures. Judy also advised Eric has a fan club on Facebook, and MSNBC.com has occasional updates on his progress. What an extraordinary life to lead --- you must be very proud (and worried to death).

Lass Grandsons Soar Like Eagles

I received the following from Betty Staub Lass:

"My twin grandsons age 16 received their Eagle scout ranking in an Eagle scout ceremony on October 24. The master of ceremony was their older brother, who
received his Eagle scout badge last year. It takes a lot of work and many years to achieve the highest ranking in scouting. I'm very proud of their accomplishment."



Our congratulations go out to these fine boys, too. This is indeed a great accomplishment!

Brand Bobosky is Mr. Century Walk

As many of you West Suburbanites might know, Brand Bobosky (he'll always be Wimpy to me) is almost solely responsible for the Century Walk project in Naperville. He introduced and promoted this project, "the creation of public art throughout Naperville's greater downtown, permanently portraying Naperville's significant 20th century people, places, and events," and is currently serving as President of the Century Walk Corporation. As you also might know, he and his wife, Mary Ann, have been significant forces in Naperville throughout their married life. They have contributed greatly to Naperville in many ways and have certainly fulfilled their desire to "give back". We salute them!!

In about a month, a larger-than-life sculpted likeness of Dick Tracy will join the already placed 34 pieces of art in the Century Walk. Dick Locher, who succeeded Chester Gould in drawing the comic strip, has been a Naperville resident for almost 1/2 century. Lochner was responsible for creating the 11-inch model from which came the 9-foot tall bronze. A picture will be forthcoming as soon as the sculpture is placed and dedicated.

Lillian Cinkus Passes Away

Carl Cinkus lost his mom, Lillian, on September 12 at the age of 99. How wonderful to have been able to share so many years with her. Our condolences to Carl and his family --- it's always tough losing a parent.

Nan is a Great Grandma

While I'm sure there are others in the class, the first Great Grandma I've heard about is Nan Vancil Biddle. Pictured above is Nan's pride and joy, 8-month old Brody William Daniel, and he's being taught the love of fishing by his Grandpa Greg Daniel, Nan's son-in-law. He and Nan's daughter Beth and family spent a month in the Keys, where Brody showed them how to hook the big one. His dad is Nan's grandson, Bret, a student at FSU along with his wife.

We've Lost Jack Loehman

Carole Johnson Lehmann notified us of the passing of Jack Loehman this week. Jack and Phyllis Hagedorn were high school sweethearts and were married some 50 years. The father of 3 and the grandfather of 3, Jack owned and operated Elmhurst Auto Parts for 45 years.
Our deepest sympathy goes to Phyllis and their family; please know all your classmates share your loss.

Welcome to Scott Butler

Browsing around classmates.com, I discovered an uploaded picture of Scott Butler. Since he didn't make it to the reunion, I thought you all might want to get reacquainted with him. So, with no further introduction, I'm happy to present Scott Butler:


CORRECTION: It's been brought to my attention that Scott was, indeed, at the 50th reunion. I guess my advancing years are catching up with me: either I didn't see him or I forgot. Either way, it's my bad; sorry, Scott. But here's your picture anyhow.

Frank Becomes a Blogger

Frank Fusco announced today his entry into the wonderful world of blogging. A staunch conservative, Frank's blog will be, at the very least, an expression of his political views of this world today. Check him out; and since comments are permitted, be sure to let him know you visited his sight, and if you're so inclined, let him know how you feel about his opinions --- having read your e-mails, I know many of you are in complete accord with him on many, if not most, issues. The title of this post will link you to Frank's blog (www.rifleman1776.blogspot.com).

Maylo's Not At Home This Summer

A recent communication to us from Maylo Beil Hranac let us share vicariously in her travel adventures this summer. Maylo wrote: "We returned June 18th from a five week vacation. We sailed from New York city and eventually got to Copenhagen. We enjoyed many ports and spent an additional three days in Copenhagen and then three more in Manchester, UK. My husband has some serious health issues, but we were able to rent a mobility scooter - and he has a portable oxygen concentrator. Ten years ago this type of trip would not have been possible for people with physical/health limitations.

Now that we are back home we are busy arranging a visit to Fort Collins, CO. We have two great-grandchildren now, and one is joining his parents (he's just six months old) and flying in from Japan in July. The other great-grandchild lives in Denver. My husband had three children when we were married -so I acquired an instant family."



The above picture was taken in maybe 1953 or 1954 at a Job's Daughters function (several of the '57 girls were members). Can you find Maylo in this picture? Who else can you identify?

We Lost Wayne

Some 6 months after being diagnosed with small cell cancer of the lung, Wayne Malon lost his very determined and courageous battle with this evil disease. According to his wife, Pat, he passed away very peacefully in his sleep the evening of June 15.

Wayne worked harder than most everyone else in making the 50th reunion the success that it was, and he did it mostly behind the scenes. He helped locate numerous classmates; he served as liaison with our webmasters and contributed, in one way or another, most everything that's on the class web page; he helped identify the class members in the 8th grade photo, in the 50th reunion pics, in the individual grade school pictures, and in the various other pictures on the website and in this blog; he put most of these photos in proper format for posting; he scanned and prepped the issues of High Life and other documents for the web page ---- he did so much, and wanted no recognition for any of it.
Our condolences to his wife, Pat, his 2 daughters and their families and his numerous friends. Suffice it to say, he will be missed.

A Smile and a Wave Can Make a Big Impression

When we first moved to a rural Missouri Ozark community almost 35 years ago, we were amazed when we saw occupants of passing cars smiling and waving at us --- didn't matter that we didn't know the people; their friendly greeting made us smile, too, and soon we were waving right back at them. This wonderful tradition continues today, even tho we're no longer so very rural.

Thanks to a May 13, 2009, article by Catherine Leyden in the Downers Grove Reporter/Progress (sent to us by Norma Deardorff Plummer), we learned that one of our own classmates, Maureen McCollum Brdlik, started this same practice in Downers in 1993, when she first became a crossing guard at Oakwood and Prairie Avenues, near the Pierce Downer school. With time on her hands, she started smiling and waving at passing cars, and soon the drivers returned her friendly greeting. And now, after so many years, Maureen estimates about 80%-90% of drivers wave back at her. What a wonderful tradition to start --- just hope everyone pays it forward, and that it continues for many years to come.


(This photo was taken by John Cox, staff photographer for the Downers Grove Reporter/Progress; I hope there's no legal problem with reproducing it in this blog!).

As you can see, Maureen is a classmate to be envied -- she looks almost exactly the same as she did so many years ago when we strolled the halls of the high school. And there's little doubt her smiles and waves have made DG a friendlier and happier place to live. Good for you, Maureen. And, by the way, hope you can make it to the next reunion; we missed you at the big 50th!

Update on Wayne

John and I each received the following e-mail from Pat Malon, Wayne's wife:

"Hi All,
I want to thank all of you for your continuing support, prayers and thoughts for Wayne and I. As we travel down our path it is a lot easier with the help of family and friends.
I have set up a website to post information on Wayne's progress with his cancer. I will keep this updated and current. To visit the website: click on this-link-to-Wayne , and you'll find him on the Caring Bridge website. You will see his story plus journal entries I have posted. If you wish you may check the box in the journal section to "receive email notification of updates". By checking that box you will receive an email letting you know that I have put new information onto the website.
Again many thanks for all of the love and support we have received.

Pat Malon"


This is a wonderful website. Another friend used it when her husband was ill with esophageal cancer. Go out there and give it a look --- and leave a message of encouragement for Wayne, Pat, and their family. Support from friends really helps at a time like this.

Wayne Needs Your Prayers

Over the many months since the reunion, we've gradually lost touch with our hard-working partner, Wayne Malon. Many of our e-mails went unanswered, tho in one response, Wayne said he was very busy doing many volunteering jobs. Still it was strange not hearing from him on a regular basis --- before the reunion, the "e-mail" lines were almost always tied up with messages to/from Wayne, Norma, John, and/or me ---- and the phone lines came in a pretty close second. It was as tho we were quadruplets, always in touch about this or that. And that's why Wayne's disappearing act was hard to accept. We tried numerous e-mails; we tried phone calls. Even Christmas cards were of no avail. John and I were both sure something was amiss, but how to find out what.........
Finally, this morning, John called me with news that about broke my heart: in one more phone call to Wayne, John got the Malon answering machine. He started to leave a message when Pat, Wayne's wife picked up the phone. As the conversation went on, John learned Wayne had been diagnosed with small cell cancer of the lung in December. This is a fast and aggressive form of cancer, according to Pat --- and the location of Wayne's cancer has affected his esophagus so much that it is nearly impossible for him to speak. She gave John permission to pass on this info to all of you; she also said Wayne would enjoy receiving cards, notes, e-mails, etc. If you'd like his address or e-mail address, just contact John, Norma, or me. And most of all, if it's your thing, please remember Wayne and his family in your thoughts and prayers; I'm sure they can use all the support they can get.

You're Invited!! To a New Play....

John recently received an invite to a newly written, and about to be performed for the first time, play. The date is March 15 at the Boothbay Opera House in or near Cape Newagen, Maine, the home of the author (and our celebrated classmate) Larry Crane. If you're in the area around 7:30PM that evening, get a ticket and enjoy a wonderful evening, thanks to Larry.



"ESOPS and Tender Offers ..... a silly romp set in the mythical offices of Metro Bank and Trust, situated in a converted warehouse with an ice rink on the top floor. Beauregard Prescott is convinced that the first visit by the boss to his department in twenty years is to present him with a "fine brass plaque" for meritorious service. Millicent Fathelbob, his loyal secretary, is certain that it more likely spells disaster for him and for everyone else.
Come with your imagination in high gear, as this is a live script in hand reading - an evening of laughs and big comic sound effects that suggest a shabby office with industrial grade elevators, lots of doors , and a big dark vault.

The Boothbay Opera House

Saturday, March 15

7:30 PM

Box Office 633-5159

Cast: Ron Bouffard, Nancy Durgin, Amy Roche, Peter Panagore, Rick Prose, Carrie Langlois, Bill Michaud, Michael Feldmann .

Playwright: Larry Crane"

Classmates' Mothers Pass Away

It's a terrible way to start the posts for the new year, but we've learned of the passing of 2 of our classmates' mothers. Darryl Jelinek lost his mom in December, 2008, shortly before Christmas. And Richard Pigman's mom passed away in January of 2009, shortly after the arrival of the new year. Belated tho they may be, our deepest sympathies go out to both of our friends. Losing a parent is a terrible loss!