The Tesoretto Times
May 2001
Dear Alumni and friends,
It’s been a busy
year for our alumni, so much so that I had to threaten to write my life story
if someone didn’t send me information for the newsletter. Well, I guess no one wanted to hear about me
because I now don’t know if I can get everything in this edition. But just to bring you up to date on my life
during the last year, I added Hong Kong, Reno, NV, and Hawaii to my travel
roster; became president of National Association of Women in Construction
(local chapter for Palm Beach County); had absolutely NOTHING to do with the
hanging chads last year; and gained another five pounds (this middle age is a
killer).
Butch Ray has
done a great webpage for the Class of ’61…check out information later in
newsletter. Sue Harris Wright has sent
in one of the old recipes from PWOC cookbook from 1960. Mark Michanowicz received a call from Sandy
Szabo (related to the other 3 Szabo sisters) and she is now in Shape, Belgium
running the Youth Center there. Mark
promised more on this later.
Harry Heflin and
his wife Connie recently spent 5 days in Sequoia, then in June they plan a
two-week trip to Texas; in August they will be in Alaska for two weeks. Hopefully, they can make the reunion in
October in West Palm Beach, FL. (Harry
reminds you to check out his LAHS site at
http:/members.aol.com/harryhef/data.html which he hopes to update soon).
Donna (Rosholt)
and Ralph Hostetter became grandparents for the 6th & 7th
times this year. Donna says all of the
grandchildren, except one, live “with” them on their acreage. Ralph retired December 31, 2000 after almost
35 years with GSA (civil service). Both Donna and Ralph are enjoying their
“new” business in financial services.
Donna has been writing poetry (we’ll
have to convince her to send us a few poems to publish) and will soon start
writing her story on how her crushed foot was healed in 1994. They have made plans already to attend the
reunion here in Palm Beach County (the hanging chad county) in
October. We’re looking forward to
seeing them again.
We’ll hear about
several mini-reunions in this edition, courtesy of Butch Ray.
Your editor
wishes to express appreciation for all the articles and information which was
sent for the newsletter. If you have
any articles or stories to share with everyone, please send them to the address
below or email them to me at: karelvan@gateway.net.
Ciao for now, Your
editor, Karel Ray Van Gelder
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Leaning Less
April 6, 2001
ROME
(Reuters) - After 11 years of work to haul it closer to the vertical, the
Leaning Tower of Pisa will reopen to visitors in November, Italy's Public Works
Minister Nerio Nesi said Friday. The 12th-century
tower, one of Italy's most famous images, was closed in 1990 because it was
deemed to be leaning too far for tourists to climb safely.
Michele Jamiolkowski, head of the team
straightening the tower -- but not by too much -- said the lean had been
reduced by 39.6 centimeters (15.59 inches) so far and the eight-story edifice
should be nudged back another four millimeters (0.1575 inch) over the next few
days.
``Eleven years of work are not that much
when you consider it took 200 to build the monument in the first place,'' Nesi
said. The lean team pulled the tower
back using huge lead counterweights and said the work should keep the building,
which stands apart from the main body of Pisa's cathedral, safe for the next
300 years.
Tower of Pisa's
Suspenders Removed
April
16, 2001
PISA,
Italy (AP) - Workers began removing two sets of steel suspenders attached to
the Leaning Tower of Pisa on Tuesday, in one of the final phases of a bold plan
to partially straighten the famously tilted monument.
The 340-foot-long cables had been
secured to the tower in 1998 as a precaution in case it needed to be yanked
back up while the soil under its foundation was being excavated. Anchored to
giant winches dug into the ground about 100 yards from the tower, the
suspenders haven't been needed.
Removal of the suspenders will be
completed in time for an inauguration ceremony of the newly straightened tower
scheduled for June 16, said Paolo Heiniger, who oversees the project. The tower
started leaning when the soil beneath it started shifting shortly after work to
construct it began in 1173.
(Contributed by Harry Heflin)
PAT
SPENCER, Class of ’61
I was really
thankful to find the LAHS web site last year and so many of my old buds. In fact
the discovery has brought a mini reunion for Madelyn Terrell Horner, Elda
Herring Von Eckles and me his month at Elda's home in Silver Springs, MD. We
hope to also see Rebecca Winston Perrine and Letitia Wells Haworth since they
live in the same area as Elda. We were 1961 grade of LAHS. And, later this month, I get to see Elda
again in Alabama. She and her husband will be in Alabama to participate in a
dog show and I am driving over from my place in Mississippi to visit more with
Elda. This will be a great month.
Contributed by Pat Spencer
(Pat sent this to the editor last May but space in
the August 2000 newsletter was limited. It was good to hear from Pat for the
first time last year.)
RECIPE
CORNER
Here’s another recipe from Sue Harris Wright. This recipe came from the PWOC Cookbook of
1960.
CHICKEN IN SOUR CREAM
2 Large onions, cut coarsely
6 Chicken breasts,
remove bones & cut in small pieces
3 Small cans of
mushroom pieces
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Sauté all of the
above in butter about 15 minutes
Add 1 package
frozen carrots and peas & ½ pint of sour cream.
Serve hot with
rice or noodles.
Ana
Turpin
Steve is the Director of Security &
Emergency Services at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, in Fort Worth, Texas
with management responsibilities overseeing operations at three major
manufacturing sites in Marietta, Georgia, Palmdale, California and Fort Worth,
Texas. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the
design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced
military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military
services of the United States and allied Countries throughout the world.
Products include the F-16, F-22, C-130, C-5, F-117, U-2, X-33 and Joint Strike
Fighter, among other renowned aircraft.
Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 1985,
Steve served as a Counterintelligence Special Agent for U.S. Army
Intelligence. After a short tour at
Fort Stewart, Georgia, Steve was stationed in Italy from January 1982 to
January 1985 as a Special Agent and Special Agent in charge at the Livorno
Resident Office, Livorno, Italy. In
these positions, Steve principally served as a liaison with Italian
Intelligence and Counter-terrorism Officials.
Steve supported investigative efforts in the highly publicized
kidnapping case of U. S. Army General Dozier.
He was actively involved in a number of cases involving the Red
Brigades, the Italian terrorism group active during the early 1980s. He led a joint investigative effort
culminating in the raid of a Red Brigade safe house in Tirrenia thwarting a
planned attempt by the Tuscan Column of the Red Brigades to launch hand-held
missiles into an U.S. munitions facility.
He was also involved in investigative activity which led to the
shoot-out and death of Umberto Cattabiani, the leader of the Red Brigade’s
Tuscan Column.
Steve is a 1980 graduate of Armstrong
State College with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice and an A.S. degree in
Criminal Justice with concentration in law enforcement. Steve was on scholarship and a member of
the Armstrong State College baseball team from 1976 to 1980.
Steve and his wife, Chris, have a
8-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.
Steve is member of several industrial security professional associations
addressing industry and government national security issues. Steve and Chris are both active in their
community and schools.
(The following
article appeared in The Island Packet
and was written by David Lauderdale and edited for space.)
Ralph and Donna Hostetter (Rosholt) are
like hundreds of thousands of people who visit this island for a few days and
then go away.
They drove down last week from their home
in northern Virginia so Ralph could attend a four-day seminar. During one of Ralph’s meeting, Donna did
what millions of visitors have enjoyed…she kicked off her shoes and took a walk
on the beach. The sand felt cool rubbing between her wiggling toes.
It doesn’t seem like much, but for Donna
it was a miracle. The word seems so
trite. You hear it all the time. But for Donna, it’s more than a
mind-boggling concept. It’s real. Her right foot was crushed and mangled on
August 7, 1978, when Ralph and Donna were building a house and Donna was
standing by a stack of 9 sheets of 5/8-inch particle board. The boards shifted and began to fall toward
her. She put up her foot as a
reflex. In an instant, what an engineer
would later say was 2,000 pounds of pressure split her foot.
There was little the doctors could do at
first. For a week, they left the foot
on ice and elevated it. “The doctor
brought the form down to me every day to have it amputated,” Donna said. “I refused.”
After 13 operations, culling the talents
of Johns Hopkins and surgeons worldwide, she had her foot fused. The pain was so bad, even a sheet over her
toes was too painful. It was a pitiful
state for a bouncy woman who in her youth was a professional dancer in
Hollywood.
Ralph and Donna have always lived a life
centered on the Bible. Prayer is as
much a part of their day as shoes and socks.
Still, when they went to a crusade in Baltimore in 1994, they did not
expect charismatic evangelist Benny Hinn to heal Donna’s foot. But it was at this meeting, that Donna
experienced what most people only read about.
She became a miracle.
Benny Hinn said, “There is a lady in a leg
brace whose bones are being healed.”
Wow, wouldn’t that be nice,” Donna thought. “I wonder who it is. That
lucky person.” It was Donna.
She said the healing started when she
stepped around Ralph and stepped out in faith to “get the gift” publicly. When Ralph saw Donna walking down the aisle
with her leg brace held as high as she could lift it, he said, “God, if she’s
going to walk across that stage, you’d better get involved. She can’t do it alone.” Donna did walk across that stage. Today she can stand on her toes. She wiggles a foot that is surgically
fused. She doesn’t understand it, and
she won’t ever understand it. She says
you don’t even have to understand it, you just have to believe it.
(Donna
and Don Rosholt, her twin brother, were in the Class of ’62.)
Now that I'm retired and have time to
pursue other interests, I've opted to initiate a web site that focuses
primarily on the "Class of 1961". Although much has been done so far,
there's still a lot more to do. As time permits, please check it out for
yourself at www.lahsclassof61.homestead.com
I'm interested in your suggestions on
what else to include and solicit your help for articles, tidbits, photos, mini
reunions and other newsworthy items that you'd like to share with others.
As you peruse the various site pages
(Home, Class of '61, Reunion 2000 & Tesoretto) let me know if you encounter
difficulty with any of the functions. Invariably, given the variety of
operating systems, web browsers and internet service providers, there are bound
to be a few glitches. Let me know about them and I'll try to remedy where
possible.
The Tesoretto page is still under development
so, for now, even though you can access the pages that are displayed as
"thumbnails", the original verbiage has not been included. Let's just
say that it's work-in-progress.
And for those of you that do not find
your picture in the "Class of 1961" collage, remember that only those
who graduated from LAHS and whose picture is in the '61 annual are included.
However, as time permits, I will be adding a section to include the alumni who
did not graduate at LAHS but are still recognized as valued members of
the "Class of 1961".
In the meantime, enjoy the site and send
me your thoughts and suggestions on what else to include.
Ciao,
Butch Ray (gcray3@home.com)
Shannon Moore wrote to let
us know that her brother, Larry Gordon
Moore, Class of 1966, passed away on March 31, 2000, in Kansas City,
Kansas, from lung cancer. With him at
the time of his passing, were his wife, Karen, (common law), son, Scott, 23,
and daughter, Carrie, 21. Scott and
Karen, along with their best friends, had tickets to attend the Master’s Golf
Tournament in Atlanta in April, 2000.
Instead, the best friends went and scattered some dirt from Larry’s yard
in the wooded section of the golf course.
We have also received word
that Roy Miller (Janet Wells’ husband) lost his brother, Bud, on April 25,
2001. Janet and Roy are missionaries,
living in France.
Please pray for all of the families who have lost a
family member or friend in the past year or so.
Olivia
Casey, Class of ’76
(Editors
note: This e-mail was received last
year but was unable to fit in the newsletter.)
Your special
issue on the untimely death of J Verna prompted me on the passage of time. Surely he is the still youthful, sardonic
man who labored against the vagaries of our youth to instill in his charges a
love of literature. For myself, his
perseverance was a gift I still cherish today.
I’m certain I am not alone.
As for myself, I
have landed in Rockwell, Texas just outside of Dallas. I work for Belo Interactive, the parent
company of The Dallas Morning News, as an applications developer. Before switching to the online world three
years ago, I was a writer, editor and news designer for a host of publications,
including The Dallas Morning News, The
Detroit News, The Press-Democrat in Santa Rosa, CA, and the Western
Producer, in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. I get to live out my wanderlust through a
design consultancy that my husband and I own.
Last year it took us to Sarajevo (we were enjoying a very nice meal on
the banks of the Miljacka River when the waiter informed us that bombs were
falling Kosovo), Copenhagen, Pamplona and this year we are hoping to add Hong
Kong, Shanghai and Ulan Batar to the list.
When we are not traveling, we enjoy the company of our “fur” children –
four cats, a doberman, a golden retriever and a border collie cross.
Again, thanks so
much for putting together this newsletter, and I look forward to seeing more!
Sincerely, Olivia Casey
BARBARA SCHICK PURDY- Do
you remember any of these former students?
I have been searching for a long lost friend since
we were in junior high school together in Heidelberg, Germany...her name was
Hilda Lough and still might be the same. The internet has opened fantastic
opportunities to finding old friends and I gave it a shot. I attended 5th grade
in l959 at the elementary school at Camp Darby....to this day I remember that
year as the happiest of my childhood. We lived in Tirrenia...viale San Guido(?)
cinque(5)...right down the road from the Imperiale (the Officers Club) and the
American Beach. My good friends then were Tina Turpin, Frances Ensworth, and
Claudia Wolz. I remember John Dillon, who gave me a silver Turkish Puzzle ring,
and William Gielow who was the first boy I held hands with in a movie! I
returned for a summer between my sophomore and junior year in High School. That
summer I became friendly with a girl named Kathy Roberts. Hilda had moved there
that summer. Claudia was still there. I remember a
nice guy named John Pallidino(?) and also a somewhat older young man named George Kirylo. Then
there was Larry…can't remember his last name... and a dark haired guy who
returned to Chicago that summer...I'd remember his name if I heard it. I would
also like to find Claudia and Liesel Wolz. Years ago my husband and I returned
to Europe with our children...our old house was still standing... My daughter
will be renting a place for a few months in Tuscany this fall and I will
probably pay her a visit while she is there...hopefully to relive a few
gloriously golden moments of my past!
Barbara (Schick) Purdy, 208 Nuttall Road, Riverside, Illinois
708.447.8452, Fax 708.447.8543
Class of '61 Mini Reunion - March
2001
Pat Spencer, Elda (Herring) Eckles, Madelyn
(Terrell) Horner and Butch Ray got together at Madelyn's house in Pine Beach,
New Jersey, for a day of fond memories. As Madelyn so eloquently said, "It
was great fun tripping down memory lane, and remembering things that were long
gone from the memory bank." After all, it had been 40 years since the four
of them had last been together. Not so for Pat, Elda and Madelyn, as they
rendezvoused at Elda's last year along with Lititia & Mimi (Wells) and Dave
Ellerman.
Pat flew from Mississippi to Baltimore on
Thursday where she was met by Elda. Both drove to New Jersey Friday morning and
joined up with Madelyn at her house. Later that day, the three drove over to
East Brunswick, NJ to visit with Elda's sister and had a sumptuous Italian meal.
Afterwards, they moseyed-on back (that's how they say it in Maryland) to
Madelyn's --- arriving around 10:30 PM and, as Elda so aptly put it,
"chatted for awhile, then we all fell apart and called it a night."
Saturday was a lazy day for the
three adventurers…too tired to repeat Friday's performance, Pat and Elda
managed to persuade Madelyn to prepare dinner (a great dinner it was!).
Afterwards, they stayed home and enjoyed the evening reminiscing some more.
Butch arrived Sunday around noon and the
four of them went to a local restaurant for lunch. Two hours later, they peeled
themselves from their chairs and headed back towards Madelyn's via a tour of
the area and shore (we refer to the beach as the shore in Joisey).
Once back at Madelyn's we got out the year books, albums and wine and had an
enjoyable time recalling the past and the 40 years hence.
Butch headed home early that evening and
the three adventurers took off again, this time for Atlantic City and a big
gambling night (ha!). It was a dull evening at the slots (it being Sunday).
Elda managed to drop $5.00 and left it at that (big gambler) while Madelyn and
Pat, being more daring, managed to get a little return and did a little better
than break even for the night. All in all, it was a nice evening and they
managed to get back to Madelyn's safely after a night of gambling and dining.
Unfortunately the weekend passed all too
quickly (seems to always be the case). Pat and Elda headed out for the
Baltimore airport Monday morning.
For the first time, Pete Hobiger set foot in the Big Apple as part of his 3-day stay with Butch Ray in Plainsboro, New Jersey (where?).
Pete flew out to New Jersey on Sunday, 4/22. The day of arrival was spent on the back deck catching up on happenings since the reunion in Spokane. When Pete mentioned that he had never been to New York City the reality of being this close without going couldn’t be ignored (as the city was only 45 miles from Butch’s). Butch saw it as an opportunity to show Pete the city and expose him to the rapid transit systems of the East (a phenomenon unheard of in the West).
A mid-morning train ride got them to the city without the usual early morning commuter hassles and deposited them at the Penn Station where they purchased a daily metro card for use on the notorious subway system. A short ride on the subway put them in Times Square where they took in the sights of Broadway and stopped to have a pizza at Ray’s Pizza (where else). Then to Central Park by subway, a walk down Fifth Avenue with a stop at the Trump Tower for a cappuccino, then on to St Patrick’s Cathedral and across the avenue to Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, before catching the subway to Downtown Manhattan for a view of the city from atop the World Trade Center.
Pete was starting to show signs of fatigue by then, but his enthusiasm persisted, so it was on to China Town and Little Italy by subway before heading back Uptown to catch the train home. All that and more in just 4 ½ hours. I’m sure his blisters have healed by now.
The next day (Tuesday) was also a highlight of his trip as Madelyn (Terrell) Horner drove over from the shore (Pine Beach) to join us for lunch and an afternoon visit.
Spokane Reunion 2000
(Sue
Wright and Jo Jo Hentschel contributed the following account of last year’s
reunion. Thanks, ladies.)
If you
missed the Spokane Reunion, you missed one of the largest reunions we have ever
had. Vicki Triplett Bergstrom and Linda Jones Chambers did a super job
organizing the 2000 reunion and even arranged for the weather to be perfect.
There were 70 in attendance, 43 former students. First timers included Sandi
Hostrop Ambroff, Sam Dodson, George Kirylo, Dianne Denmark, Kathy Denmark Dehn,
Nancy Bodman Glessner, Ann Schwab Green, Clayne Leitner, Sharon Finley
Mercurio, Bob Becker, Donna Chase Stang, Rhoda Crampton Willis, Dan Hollock,
Brent Hunter, and Duncan McKay and numerous spouses.
Butch Ray was the first
to arrive on Wednesday. The hotel staff really outdid themselves, putting up
with our late nights and running through the lobby. They even had our group on
the marquee with a big welcome. The hospitality suite was always open, even
when Jack Bergstrom and Joe Sherill had to help the manager pick the lock to
get in. Linda picked up JoJo and Bert Hentschel on her way into Spokane. Her
sister Carolyn and daughter (a surprise for Linda) were waiting for us. Butch
was on the computer and organizing everyone's arrival, taking the shuttle out
to the airport to meet folks as they came in.
The advance group had dinner at an Italian restaurant, and the
waitress there won't forget us. There was wonderful music with Dean Martin
singing old familiar songs. Derwood was on time as promised. Rob and Cheryl
Salter brought two cases of Washington apples that were enjoyed by all.
On Thursday more and more folks
arrived. We went shopping, walking along the river, and checking out the places
for cappuccino.
On Friday
even more arrived. Dianne Denmark brought her 8th grade yearbook with class
pictures from Pisa. Donna Chase Stang, all the way from Schulenburg, Texas,
still has her ponytail, and George Kirylo still has his Hollywood looks. Duncan
McKay brought his sweet family, and Drake Wells brought beautiful flowers from
Hawaii. Susie Cohen Smith from Southern California and Ann Schwab Green from
Canada were glad to catch up on forty plus years of news. Jim brought Sharon
Miletich with her new hairdo and new lease on life. Janie Tester Polm, back
from Nigeria,and Clayne Lietner were glad to have a reunion close to home. Joe Fernan looked up some
ancestors at Lake Fernan in the area. Several went to Coeur d'Alene for the
day, and Pete and Kathy Hobiger and Dub and Sue (Harris) Wright drove all the
way to Montana for the day. Bob Becker
took off from his hospital
duties to attend, and Nancy Bodman Glessner talked her husband into leaving the
farm for the weekend. Sharon Finley Mercurio kept brother Jim and Pat Bowman in
line as they hiked up the hill for some music. Friday evening, several went to
Idaho for some dancing. Barbara Palmer Sherrill walked (or danced?) too much
despite previous warnings.
Saturday we took group photos at the city
park on the BIG WAGON. It was good to see Rhoda in the class of 1961 photo shot
and visit with her on Saturday. We also had our annual meeting. The group
presented Harry and Connie Heflin with the Beautiful Italy Cookbook signed by
all in attendance as a thank you for all his work for the group and a belated
wedding gift. We voted to have the next three reunions in Florida (2001),
Southern California (2002), and Texas (2003). Dan Hollock's wonderful website
has inspired us with photos that bring back many memories of Camp Darby and
Tirrenia. Each class will develop its own website, and we hope to put the
newsletter on line as well. Butch Ray has already set up a web page for the
class of 1961. Harry Heflin is in the process of revamping the current site for
the school with the
possibility of a new web address. Dinner on Saturday night was at the Arizona
with a barbecue meal catered. A starlit night on the patio with good friends is
hard to beat.
On Sunday the group started to drift home.
Flights were overbooked, so some had to leave earlier or later than originally
planned. Even Joachim Auer with his airline connections had a problem. Pizza
was ordered for those still there. Gale Salter Strait returned with her
wonderful husband Carty and shared some of her watercolors with us. The
stragglers finished the leftovers and did some dancing. Some were even given
private dancing lessons. Bert says thanks to Sandi and Leslie he can now two
step, slow-slow-fast-fast step. Johnny and Barbara Jones joined in the dancing
after he showed us how big his fish was.
On Monday Jack and Gwen Miller went home
via Wyoming. We were off to Idaho to visit friends from Turkey who lived on the
same street we did and Johnny Sager did years ago where he met his bride.
This was another wonderful reunion, sharing with old friends and meeting new ones as well.
See y'all in Florida in October!
Reflections on Spokane
Gail Salter is an accomplished artist who
freely gave copies of some of her watercolors to anyone who wanted one. (Left
is a copy of a personal note that Gail sent to Karel Van Gelder several years
ago.)
And Brent Hunter is a very big art fan and
charcoal artist himself. His hopes are to have a studio or gallery one of these
days. Many of the folks enjoyed the
antique stores within walking distance of the motel. Rhoda Crampton was there.
We had one of the biggest crowds ever!! Very nice to see Harry as happy as he
is; Connie fits in nicely.
It was a very special moment to see
Barbara Palmer-Sherrell, Vicki Bergstrom, Johnny Jones, Jack Miller, Gail Salter all together. Class
of ’58.
We missed many of the regulars and hope
they come back this year.
Butch Ray, Class of ’61 Writes
Spokane,
Washington provided the perfect setting for last year's reunion. The weather
could not have been better...mid 70's and sunny skies. Linda and Vicki did a
marvelous job of planning and arranging the weekend's activities. Selecting the
Travelodge put us within walking distance of downtown and the staff was very
helpful and attended to our many needs. You could tell they enjoyed our
presence as we did their service and hospitality.
What a turnout!! 70 alumni and friends,
an attendance record.
Besides lots of food and drink (a given),
we amused ourselves by antique shopping, strolling in the Riverfront Park and
dancing at Kelly's in nearby Idaho. Of course, most important to us were the
times we spent together reminiscing about the school days and the good times
shared at recent reunions.
Saturday, as usual, was the big day.
After the buffet breakfast, we convened in the meeting room, took care of
business, then proceeded to Riverfront Park for the group and class pictures
and later spent the evening at the Arizona Stakehouse for a catered BBQ dinner.
We certainly slept well that evening.
Thanks again, Linda and Vicki and, all the alumni and friends that attended last year's reunion. It sure was fun!
Butch
Ray, Class of ’61
JACK MILLER, CLASS OF ’58 Writes
Attending the reunion in Spokane reminded
me that many alumni know that LAHS neither produced an annual in 1957 nor that a class ring had been available.
I was also reminded that LAHS did not
have a copy of the 1958 Annual. So I scanned a picture of the ring and both
annuals to CD and sent copies to the school. The copy off the '57 annual was
scanned from a photocopy sent to me by Bob White, a sophomore that year, who
managed to keep an original for the past mumble years. The scanned
copy is only of fair quality but at least there is some record that we ever
existed. I did only the Livorno section of the '58 year book and trust
Vicenza/Verona will forgive me.
If you would like, I'll mail you copies
of both CDs so they will be available at the Florida reunion. (I hesitate to
send more than one copy since learning how difficult it is for some Floridians
to count :-)
Cheers,
John Sage, Class of ’60 Writes
My wife and I attended the Spokane and thoroughly enjoyed it. Probably my biggest thrill was seeing Claine
Leitner and Jane Tester. I hadn't seen either of these two since high school.
I've been working for a great
consulting firm since I retired from the Corps of Engineers in August 1998 and
am still enjoying it very much. I don't think I'm ready for total retirement
just yet. I normally work just 32 hours per week and take off quite a lot of
time for vacations,
golf, etc.
Sue's parent's are still living, in England and we expect to visit them
again this year, probably in August or September. When we go we usually stay
for a month. Our visit may conflict with this year's reunion.
I
now have 3 grandchildren, the youngest, Evelyn, just turned 1 year old a few
weeks ago. My older daughter has two, J. T. and Natalie, almost 4 and 6
respectively. Grandkids are the greatest! If I had known the were going to be
so much fun, I would have skipped having my own kids and gone straight to
having grandkids!!! Probably my biggest
news is that my sister Carol and her husband Mike are currently in Florence until
the 11th of June, and I will be going over on May 26th to spend about 10 days
with them in Lucca. They are renting a villa in Lucca and I am using some
airline miles for a free ticket to go over and spend some time there. Carol was
in Italy with me when we were kids. She was there from when we arrived in 1958
till 1965 (she was in the 7th grade then I think). My wife is not going. She is
not a fan of traveling and she knows she has to go to England yet this year, so
she would rather wait for that trip. I am really looking forward to visiting
Italy and the old stomping grounds again with Carol.
I'll give you some feedback on the trip after I return. Well, I know this isn't much, or very
interesting, but I need to get to bed now. Hope you get more information from
others to put in the newsletter. Thanks for doing this.
John Sager, Class of ’60
Cheri Lavigne, Class of ‘80 (early graduate in Sept 79) Writes
I can’t write as an exciting story as
Mark did for the August 2000 newsletter.
I was so intrigued by it. Thanks
Mark. Miss you! But the story of my endeavors is as follows!
My father was in the Army for many years
and his career took us to Camp Darby Italy in 1975. When it came time for him
to be reassigned he asked for an extension to his tour at Camp Darby and was
honored his request. We lived in Italy
until Sept 1979. What a life! I only wish I could raise my daughter in the
same environment as I. I always tell
her stories of Livorno American High School, our sports trips, the Bar Sport
and it’s owner “Roberto”, the annual carnivals held on the base with the
“flying chairs” and many other memories I have of being raised in my teen years
in Italy.
When it was time for my dad’s tour to end
at Camp Darby, it was one school year short of me being able to graduate with
my class of 1980. I was terrified to
come back to the states and go to a school I didn’t know for one year to
graduate with people I didn’t know, so I decided to calculate my credits and be
an early graduate of LAHS I was short one credit in Health. UGH!
The principle at that time was Dr. Gangsei. He, my parents and I got together and decided that if I made up
that one credit I could receive my diploma early. So I did, and in Sept. 1979 I received my High School Diploma
from Livorno American High School. What
an honor it is to say I graduated from LAHS.
It was a wonderful decision made on my part and I wouldn’t change it for
anything. Yes I missed walking down the
aisle in a “cap and gown” and all the frills of that graduating day, but that’s
okay, I’m glad I did it.
We returned to the United States in
September of 1979. What a sorrowful day
that was. All of us “military brats”
know and understand we never really get a chance to stay in one place long and
make so many friends. I was leaving my
“home” and it was hard!!
Dad was being stationed in Virginia. We resided in Virginia for about a year,
where I began my career with the Federal Government. Dad retired from the Army and accepted a wonderful job
opportunity at McClellan AFB, California.
I was able to take a transfer to McClellan as well, so I followed
them. Shortly after we came to
Sacramento, California, my brother (Chris Rockey, LAHS Class of 1978) and his
wife (Linda) also came to Sacramento.
We were all together again and have been ever since!
I was now working on McClellan AFB. This is where I met my husband, Ron. He was in the Air Force at the time. We were married in June 1984. My name is now Cheri Perry (no laughing, I
hear it all the time!) Ron decided to
end his Air Force career in October of 1984 and continue to work in the
Sacramento area and I continued to work for the Government at McClellan. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter in
May 1987, Megan Nicole.
Since our marriage in 1984, we have
continued to live in the Sacramento area.
I continued with the government and he works in the environmental clean
up field.
Ron is still in the Clean up
business. Megan is now in the 8th
grade and 13 years old. I unfortunately
experienced a job injury in May of 1998, which caused me to have spinal surgery
in Aug 98. The surgery did not go as
expected and I have been forced to leave my career of almost 20 years. Though I have medical problems, I have been
able to be a full-time mom and housewife now for almost 2 years and love my new
career!!
I have not been able to return to Camp
Darby, but I have friends that have been there and shared pictures, as well as
the Tesoretto Times updates. I have
been able to keep in touch with many classmates and it is awesome to talk with
them and walk down memory lane. Thank
god for computers, the web and e-mail.
I try to keep in touch with all
of my LAHS contacts I have found. I
also have a website of my family as well as one of my LAHS memories. Please visit and sign my guest book. I would
love to hear from everybody!
http://sites.netscape.net/nagempcheri/homepage
http://sites.netscape.net/nagempcheri/lahs
LIFE
IS AND HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME!!
Thank
you for keeping us together!!!
And
Last but Not Least – Don’t Forget This Year’s Reunion…Details follow:
Resort
Directly on the Ocean
3730 North
Ocean Drive,Singer Island, Florida 33404
1-800-348-7946 Fax
561-840-1787
www.rutledgeinn.com
E-mail: rutinn@aol.com
Guest Rooms $69.00 Two
Bedroom Apartment $279.00 (1100 sq ft)
Efficiencies $89.00 Specify
1st floor is necessary, no elevators
Mention you are with the Livorno High
School Reunion Group
A
fun-filled weekend is planned with dinner on Saturday night at a private room
overlooking the beautiful Sailfish Marina and Resort (all newly remodeled last
year). Bring your suntan lotion,
bathing suit and dancing shoes.
The hotel is one of the old landmarks on Singer Island and the
rooms are redone every year. Four of
the efficiencies are on the ends directly overlooking the ocean.
The Rutledge Inn surrounds you in glorious tropical splendor
and personalized service, family owned and operated. All accommodations have an ocean and pool view with private
terraces. Choose a large and airy
guestroom with refrigerator, or an efficiency with kitchenette, and cable
TV. Relax on coral sand beaches, or
take a dip in their refreshing pool.
Enjoy a tropical frozen drink at the outdoor Oceanside Tiki Bar, or
fresh grilled specialties from the Outdoor Lunch Grill.
Travel is easy for those in the southeast and in Florida so we
hope everyone from this area will plan to attend. Driving: take I-95 to
Exit 55 (Blue Heron Blvd.) And travel EAST to the ocean and follow road until
you come to the Rutledge Inn. If flying into West Palm Beach (plenty of car
rentals at airport), let us know if you need to be picked up or you can take a
cab.
(Editor’s note: Thanks to
everyone who contributed this year.
Start writing now for next year’s big newsletter. The more stories we
have to share, the better.)
Thanks Karel for yet another fine
edition of The Tesoretto Times!