HERD IN THE HALLS II

December, 2004 – 

Happy holidays to all. It’s been about a year since the last newsletter, so I have a fair amount of news to report, some address changes, more grandchildren and retirements among the classmates, and a list of several folks for whom I no longer have current addresses. So, without further ado….

Some sad news first: We grieve with Dave Lyons and his family over the death in March of wife Joanne. (Joanne Fay, class of ’61.) Joanne fought pancreatic cancer for over three years and died surrounded by friends and family. A phrase from her obituary sums it up: "During her life, her inspiration, guidance, and friendships moved like ripples through the water to her many friends and relatives." RIP.  (You can read more, including text from Joanne's memorial service on the "In the Meantime" page.)

And - here is another obituary just received (via Rosemarie Trotter, Class of 62) on Mr. Joe Visca, our music teacher.  He had quite a resume and I will always remember him for his enthusiasm and friendly manner.

Saturday, January 1st, 2005 - VISCA, JOSEPH LOUIS - VISCA, JOSEPH LOUISJoseph Louis Visca, a resident of The Fountains in Millbrook, NY and formerly of Pleasantville, NY, died at Noble Horizons Nursing Home in Sailsbury, CT on December 30, 2004. Born in White Plains, NY on August 14, 1912, he was the son of Catherine Sinistorie and Benedict Visca. Mr. Visca was a lifelong violinist, singer, conductor, composer, teacher, humanitarian and loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He graduated from St. Cecelia Conservatory in Rome, Italy, The Julliard School of Music and Teachers College, Columbia University. He was a soloist with the famed Men's Glee Club at Radio City Music Hall and was founder and builder of the award-winning music programs in the Chappaqua, NY schools for a quarter of a century. Mr. Visca married Dorothy Long on September 8 1945, at The Little Church Around the Corner in New York City. Mrs. Visca resides at home. Other survivors include three daughters: Valerie Visca Maerker of Pleasantville, NY; Stephanie Visca of Howard Beach, NY and Claudia Visca of Vienna, Austria; a brother Edward Visca of White Plains; a sister Olga Jordan of Elmhurst, IL, two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. The Funeral Service will be held at Beecher Funeral Home, 418 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 12 Noon. Viewing will be prior to the service starting at 10:30 am. Interment will be at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY

NOTES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Mary Louise (Wintersteen) Yates has a new address. She and John have downsized to a condo, which means "no more roof-climbing or grass mowing." You can reach her at 5510 SW 4^th Pl., Cape Coral, FL 33914.

Linda (Thomas) Harrison writes that their third grandchild arrived in May, courtesy of daughter Melanie and her hubby Rich.  As the photo shows, he is a handsome chap.  Linda says the caption should be "Bah! Humbug!"  Linda also reports that her dad died in August at age 91.  The family gathered in Brewster to celebrate his life, toasting him one last time with a lobster dinner.

Here is the latest from Locke Bogart.  

In the year 2004, things went upside-down — as usual. Semi-retirement turned into real work in June when I returned to San Diego as a contractor for both Cubic Corporation and General Atomics. However, I still maintain my home in Florida and simply rented in San Diego. Presently, I’m in Florida for a ten day break, sort of, trying to bring my house back to life after a half-year of vacancy. (By the way, the four hurricanes missed my home, but I sure didn’t miss them!)

I won’t bore you with Cubic, as that was real work (no redeeming professional satisfaction). However General Atomics (for whom I am still working) is another matter as it is fun. Think about making gasoline from atmospheric carbon dioxide, hydrogen from water and nuclear energy. We’ve shown that it works; were trying to show that it makes economic sense for particular applications (read Defense) in the nearer-term and for the commercial market in the longer-term. Yes, it will deal with the global warming problem that is worrisome to some. (An engineer couldn’t ask for a better project!)

So, no retirement for awhile, but that is a good thing. Keeps the mind frisky even though the life is sedentary. Speaking of which, I have to do something about that, as sedentary life tends to be unforgiving with respect to the midsection. Oh well, when real retirement comes, dieting may become necessary, a casualty of much reduced income.

With that, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

Mr. McGuire, one of our 4^th grade teachers stays in regular touch. He is still supervising Fordham student teachers in such locations as Tarrytown, Greenwich and Port Chester. He has supervised over 250 aspiring teachers and continues to love his career.

The response from farthest away definitely came from Carol (Fisher) Post-Pfaelzer who carried her post card to the North Pole!! She and her husband, Arthur, traveled there during the warm season. Only 20 below when they got there. Her children, Catherine and Tim are both doing well, and Carol and Arthur are enjoying their three miniature longhaired dachshunds.

Kirby Oak continues with his part-time legal work and traveling a great deal. His parents passed away this year, and he and his brother, Odin, were in Chappaqua for a while selling the family house and otherwise settling their parents’ affairs.

And, here is an input from Lynn (Dennison) Fitzhugh.  News: Son Ben got tenure at U. Washington this year,
and he and wife Laada had a 2nd daughter, Larissa. No grandkids from son Josh and his wife Naina yet, but
they did buy a house in Arlington, VA, across the river. My parents and half-sister Joan have all passed
away. Bill's mom Florrie is hanging in, still whippyand charming, but Wyvill is in the alzheimer's unit at
Kendall in Hanover NH. My sister Kris now has 2 grandkids plus those of her second husband. She keeps
trying to retire but ultimately can't stand it and retreats back to her job at Varien after a few weeks.
I, however, love retirement! I'm writing and have lots of projects on the go. Bill is still chairman of
Anthro Dept. at Smithsonian, doing field work in Mongolia and Quebec. His siblings are all well. We all
get together in Vermont since most of his family lives within 45 minutes of us.

Mary Ellen (Necarsulmer) Walsh sent a very nice note. She and Larry are still working and traveling as much a great deal. They try to see their four grandchildren as often as possible. She and Carol Post managed to spend some time together in October.

Speaking of grandchildren, Swede Murphy and wife Jayne celebrated the arrival of their 5^th in April.He says life is good in Maryland, and in New Hampshire, where they spend a good deal of their summer. Swede has finally surrendered to email, and you can find his e-ddress on the class web pages.

Here's all the news from Lydia (Lockridge) Morrongiello, including some great news about her husband, Charlie, who has been suffering from cancer.

I'm now more busy than ever since I retired from teaching 1/1/98.  I'm
working in real estate with the Sotheby's affiliate on the North Shore
of Long Island, also known as "The Gold Coast".  We market very high end
luxury real estate including many historically significant estates.  And
I also have my real estate license with the Sotheby's affiliate in
Aspen, Colorado.  My association with the Aspen Music Festival continues
during the summer months.  This past year, I also took on the position
as organist at a huge Catholic church in Freeport, Long Island.  The
church has a new 3-manual organ.  Acoustically the church boasts a 4
second delay!!  The music program is quite outstanding in this church
and is by far the most rewarding church position that I have ever held. 
My husband, Charlie, was able to return full-time to his interior design
work this year after the long recovery from Pancreatic cancer surgery
(Whipple procedure) in March 2002.  He continues to struggle with the
digestive problems but is generally in good spirits.

When are we all getting together again?  It's about time, don't you think?

All the best to everyone for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2005!!

(Ed note:  That's a good question about a possible reunion.  Any ideas from anyone?
No, that's not the organ from Lydia's church - just a pic I liked.)

Fran (Orsenigo) Dowling reports that both of her daughters married within the last two years, and her son is busy with his career in financial planning. Fran and hubby Jim spend most of their time working in not-for-profit organizations. Fran’s folks, who were our class parents for a couple of years send their best wishes to all.

Fred Chambers writes....After forty years of teaching, I am retiring this June (2005).  Right now, I’m thinking of pursuing grant writing, but I’m not sure if I want to be that tied down.  I might do some substituting, but am a little apprehensive in that I’ve never taught in that capacity.  My brother Bill (Greeley ’63) and his wife have moved from Rockland County where they lived for 35 years to the outskirts of Hershey, PA (Palmyra).

Penny (Clark) Nichols and her husband Bruce moved a whole 4 miles! Their new address is 1970 Valley View, Northfield, IL 60093. Penny says that Bruce retired from Citibank in April. Their son, Clark, married in November.

You can visit Nick Bowen via Internet by checking into his new "blog" at http://4everfree.blogspot.com/ . It’s a nice spot where Nick shares about his family and life and especially his Christian faith. You can leave comments, too. Nice job, Nick!  Here's some other things Nick has to tell us. 

Doug Gibson has a new mailing address. PO Box 1072, Quechee, VT 05059.

We also have a new address for Debbie (Moslander) Baxter. 4963 Bacopa Ln. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33715-2644.  Debbie and Liz (Lewis) Usborne and Libby Hoeft all met up at their  class reunion (40th) at Denison last May. 

I was in Florida last August as my sister and I were helping my mom through some health problems. She’s 90 now, but doing pretty well. While there I spent a very enjoyable evening at dinner with Doug Weiss, Peg (Dickenson) Ellis, and Carole (Odiorne) Munro and, as you can see, their charming spouses. It was a nice time of fellowship together.

Sue (Rynd) Billings sent a long, newsy letter, catching us up on the last 40+ years. She and Earl have been married for over 40 years and have three beautiful daughters and three equally lovely grandchildren. Sue recently retired from teaching. She taught 1^st grade for 27 years. Earl teaches high school technology. They like to do a lot of traveling, and Sue also gets to take care of granddaughter Megan 2 or 3 days a week. Sue was certainly a dedicated student – her daughters were all born during college, and she managed to deliver each of them during spring break and never missed a day of class! That’s some pretty good planning.

Gay Mayer checked in with the following tidbits:  

lots of pending news - expect a new granddaughter in Denver in early January - after I hope to complete a half marathon in Phoenix. Then in March our son and his wife expect their first - a boy and they live in Phoenix so we will be shuttling between the two. Had a wonderful week walking along the Cornish coast in England in late October - sadly we missed the triumph of the Red Sox and were amazed at how little coverage there was in the English papers or on their television. Its interesting to be grandparents!

Have a Happy New Year!

Peter Corbino and wife, Connie, have three sons, all with very different interests. Peter says one boy is studying Political Science at Gettysburg, one is on his way to Emerson College to study musical theatre, and one is on his was to Oregon to live in a Buddhist Monastery. Peter enjoys his career providing insurance to non-profit groups and Connie is a teacher’s aide.

This arrived via email from old friend Carlos Ballantyne.  I'll insert it exactly as received and leave it to you to interpret.  

I moved to Carson City,NV w/my new honey I met on Match.com stopped
drinking 31 years ago predicting an apocolypse for the US Feb 05
leaving forThailand for New Years on my cell phone more later

(ed. note:  Hmm... December 29th must be a good day for quitting things.  I quit smoking 36 years ago today.)

Lynn Norton sent a really nice email outlining her various activities.  It was too good to edit down, so here it is in its entirety. 

Another wonderful year full of travel. Got home from my trip to Italy in time for Christmas last year. Venice was wonderful but the highlight for me was the Amalfi Coast. The trip along the coastline is for many a "white knuckle" adventure. I, on the other hand, was one of those who liked looking at the window, as we drove along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Lots of history and beautiful art throughout-especially in Florence.

Next was a short trip to Newport Beach, CA where I did a timeshare exchange. Very relaxing, oceans better here. Wealth everywhere but in my wallet. To get there, I drove from Lincoln City to Newport Beach along Highway 101 and where possible Highway 1. It was incredible. I allowed for 5 days, but easily could have spent many more. Short hikes in the Redwood Forrest, artsy beach towns. Big Sur-all worth much more time than I had allowed. Another trip I will need to make.

This fall I went to Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam. The company I traveled with (Overseas Adventure Travel) does an excellent job exposing you to the native cultures. In each country we had a native guide who really presented the country’s culture and customs well. Cambodia was at first an "eye opener" for me. Lots of 3^rd world stuff-thatched huts with no running water, electricity, etc. Angkor Wat with all the temple ruins was interesting except it was too hot and humid to enjoy thoroughly. Then it was off to Thailand starting with the hustle and bustle of Bangkok-lots of temples, Buddhas and traffic. I enjoyed Northern Thailand more—beautiful scenery, visits to hill tribes, the River Kwai and more temples and Buddhas. I enjoyed learning more about Buddhism and think it is a wonderful way to approach life but no temples here in Lincoln City. The last part of the trip was in North Viet Nam. I had very little expectations of it and probable enjoyed it the most. Hanoi is full of motorbikes, bikes, rickshaws, and some cars. No traffic signals and lessons are needed on how to cross the streets safely (go slowly and drivers will go around you). Ha Long Bay is a beautiful spot and I even had a short dip in the North China Sea. People in all 3 countries were friendly and eager to share about their country and customs. Even though we saw so many that here would be pitied for living in poverty, it was obvious that they worked very hard, had a much "simpler" life and smiled a lot more than we see over here. Makes you appreciate what we have and yet wonder if there aren’t significant disadvantages to what we consider "good living".

After returning from my Asia trip, I spent Thanksgiving with my 2 sisters. I flew to Wilmington, NC to meet Judy and then we drove up to Fairfax, VA to spend time with Jane. I had not seen them for 3 years and both had been dealing with cancer problems-both doing well now. Then arrived home to the news that my brother has prostate cancer. Makes you really realize that we need to take every opportunity to nourish family and friendship relationships. That will be my New Year’s Resolution every year.

Another sign of the aging process: I decided to heed financial advisors who re commend taking early Social Security. While it is sometime painful to admit I am receiving SS, it also provides an easy way for me to limit my work availability at the Inn at Spanish Head. I reached my maximum dollar amount in mid October so have not worked since then.

I still volunteer every other week at the Newport Aquarium and plan on being a Hospice volunteer next year-after I take the course next fall. Beach walks are still a highlight of my life and I never tire of the changing ocean and surf.

Doug Weiss sends the following: "Marianne and I vacationed for a week cruising the Galapagos on the Celebrity Xpedition.  What a wonderful place for those who love animals. Where else can you swim a foot from a penguin, play with sea lions, stand less than a foot from a bird sitting on their eggs, stand between a mother sea lion and her hours old baby and so much more.  Just incredible...and yes, I now have a tee shirt that says "I love boobies".  No comment.

Doug sent a link to lots of great pictures from his trip.  Here's one --

You can access the rest here: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=uhyxg2v.2440tqyj&x=0&y=bqnlqh

And here is a breaking story, from Izzy Miraco:  Dave - Just got the newsletter - thanks. Interesting to read about Lynn Norton's trip with OAT - I just got back from Thailand on a trip with the same outfit, and, yes, they do a great job. Normally, I travel on my own (no tours), but I heard good reports and decided to try them.  Could not have seen, learned, experienced, etc., on my own, all they provided.  Good decision, and great trip. I talked with Kirby before going, and he had a trip planned to Bangkok right before mine - too bad we couldn't get together for a bit - would have been interesting to hear his take on Thailand, after he spent so many years there. 
Spoke with Reid Reynolds recently. Last Feb., I skiied in Colorado with a group from Seattle, and stayed longer and got to ski with Reid and his friend, Donna, for a few days.  Great time! For old folks, we really tore up the mountain at Vail on the day they had the best conditions of the entire season - lots of fresh, deep powder.
Still working part time. Don't know if I'll ever be able to retire with the economic situation worsening (for those who do not have lots of $). Finally spending some time at art classes (44 years late) and thoroughly enjoying it.
Hopefully, we'll get some snow and I can get into the mountains for some skiing. Did some beautiful day hikes this past season, but not as much as I would have liked. . . I am happiest in the mountains and on the rivers.
Thought of you this Sept. - went to the Puyallup Fair for the very first time - after living here for 34 years.  Can you believe it?

(Ed. note -- The Puyallup Fair, in my town, is the 5th largest fair in the country, and kind of a tradition here in western Washington.)

Here is an update from Peter Davidson

And... here are three more recent inputs.

Steve Walsh and wife Susan (Bode - Class of '61) check in from their home in Amelia Island..

Our new email here at Amelia Island is: gunnerspc@comcast.net. We moved here full time last March, and save for some peripheral inconveniences caused by the hurricanes we have loved every minute of it.  The place is beautiful and the people warm and friendly so you cannot ask for more. My tennis is quite good for a senior citizen and as a fairly new golfer I am learning the word patience. We expect Peter and Natalie Kilburn here for the Super Bowl, which is down the road in Jacksonville in less than a month.  Our grown boys live in Boston and Los Angeles, so after a lifetime as a New Yorker we have no connections to the Big Apple. 

And this, from Peter Kennedy, as reported by the Mrs., the former Karen Fellows, Class of '63 -

BTW - both Judi and Peter/Karen are now on the email list, and I have updated the email page.  You can check it out with the link at the top of the page.

Last, but by no means least, Eddie Reardon continues to regale me with any number of notes and newspaper clippings. As you can see from the picture he sent, Eddie is still into music and the "50s look." Eddie recently retired from his job in security at the Northern Westchester Hospital. He tells me he has been looking forward to retirement for some time and is happy now to have time to pursue his other interests. He recently sent a clipping from the NY Times obituary section listing the death of a Sylvia Kurzon, October 8^th, 2004. Our former teacher? Impossible to tell, but certainly likely.

I guess I should send out newsletters more often, since several copies of the last one came back to me as the addresses were no longer current. Here’s the list of those for whom I no longer have current addresses. If you can help out, I’d love to hear from you. Keith Brown, Sue (Augat) D’Augusta, Gail Roosa, Bill Holmes, Carol Chafin, Carl Hall (PE teacher), Woody Kelly, Jack Cobbs, and Bill Fisher.

No, don’t worry – I’m not going to air any views. I just found it interesting that this year the election seemed to bring out more feeling than usual among classmates. Several folks included comment in their notes to me. For what it’s worth, among those who chose to express their views, opinion seems to be pretty evenly divided. I guess we are a diverse group.

And finally -- if you ever wonder how I spend my days -- click here.

Just in case you are worried about those of us who live in Washington, and the rainy, gloomy winters we have to endure, here's a pic from Feb. 20th, 2005, not too far from my house.

As always, we hope to hear from you! My address remains:

 Dave Williams 

14801 110^th Ave E.

Puyallup, WA 98374

Flicker16@msn.com, 253-841-7095