Stories from our last reunion in 2007

Melaney Welch Moisan
1676 Church St. SE
Salem, OR 97302
503-851-8462
melaneymoisan@gmail.com

My bags were packed, and I left for Portland right after graduation. I spent a few months at Western College of Business – or something like that – one of those very expensive proprietary schools I’ve come to dislike after 20 years in higher education public relations. By 1970 I was married with two little boys, Gary and Travis Rutz. I had some very exciting jobs: elevator operator, movie theater usherette, file clerk. For awhile I followed in my mother’s footsteps and ran a floral shop in John Day until my divorce in 1976. In 1977 I was just packing that in when I came to our 10th reunion and ran into Don Moisan. After Don and I got married, I had one more exciting job: medical records at the State Hospital. Then, as the family grew, I stayed home for a few years and raised more babies, Ted and Faith.

One summer – the summer I was 35 -- when the house was filled with my four kids, Don’s three boys, Kirk, Kraig, and Kevin, and two Japanese agricultural trainees, I decided that college might be a good idea. A friend talked me into taking one class with her, and I considered the slow path to a degree. That idea lasted one term. My 40th birthday present to myself was a bachelor’s degree from Linfield College. I then went to work for two years as a newspaper reporter, then to Willamette University and Chemeketa Community College, doing mostly public relations, writing and editing. Somewhere in there, I earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction so I could teach, and for six years I taught writing as a second job at Chemeketa. Now I work at SAIF Corporation as a communications coordinator. This will definitely be my last job.

Don and I have eight grandchildren: Lane and Jordan Rutz, Cole Lysgaard, Asa Rutz, Kimberly and Ashley Moisan, Cameron and Zachary Moisan. Three of our children aren’t married yet, so we haven’t stopped counting.

When I’m not working I enjoy traveling, and I have been fortunate enough to be able to go to China, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Costa Rica, Germany (where I followed my dad’s route in World War II with my youngest son), and 42 of the 50 states. When Don and I had been married three months, we took seven kids (our five and a niece and nephew, ages 4-12) on a cross-country drive. That’s when we hit quite a few of those states. And “hit” is probably the right word.

I’m learning to create websites – it’s hard – and trying to write a book about my dad’s unit in World War II. I also enjoy binding books, so when I get stressed I start ripping paper. Very therapeutic. I pretend to like gardening, but the reality is, I like having a nice garden, but I’m not sure I like working in it. Nancy and I walked a half-marathon last year, so my goal for next year is to walk the Portland Marathon. I’ll report here if I do it and survive.

Mary Yocom
709 NW 9th St.
Redmond, OR 97756-1524
541-58-2930
myocom6689@aol.com

Occupation: Retired maybe! I worked in food service in Seattle for many years.
Hobbies: flying (in an airplane), mountain climbing, back country skiing

I attended Oregon State University and studied English Education. After graduation I did some teaching. In 1978 I moved to Seattle and worked in the food service industry there, including restaurants, banquets, and catering. And I owned a small wholesale bakery for awhile. By working part time, I earned a degree in restaurant management.

In 2002 I moved to Redmond to take care of my mom – she has Alzheimer’s – and will likely stay in Redmond until she passes.

I am still active in a Seattle-based mountain climbing group, and they inspire me to get out often and enjoy outdoor sports.

Update from Cindy Rhodes Trainor

Please add my e-mail to my contact information. I'd love to hear from any of my classmates: cing@bendbroadband.com.

Also, I'd like to add Norma Rhodes Marshall's contact information: 1532 SW Juniper Redmond, Oregon 97756. Her phone number is 541-923-2884. I know that she'd love to hear from you.

Cindy Rhodes Trainor

Class Update

Lynn Vogt Barclay
20722 Snowpeak Dr.
Bend, OR 97701

541-389-8550

lynnpyne@aol.com

Lynn is self-employed in her own retail store. She has three children and three grandchildren.

Greg Westendorf
PO Box 760
Redmond, OR 97756
541-548-2007
scarlet@henstooth.com
www.henstooth.com

Gregg is self-employed. He and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters, 19 and 25, and one 2-year-old grandson, Kalvin. His hobbies are travel to England and Scotland, Hawaii, and the southwest U.S.

He writes:

I worked for eight years at Whittier Moulding, then went to COCC and OCE, where I studied business. I’ve been self-employed for 19 years, and my wife and I own The Hen’s Tooth, a Victorian gift shop offering specialty gifts for your home décor. I also enjoy Bible studies and remodeling houses. We’ve been married for 32 years.

Karyl Yancey Cain

2032 Summit Av NW
Salem, OR 97304503

364-6915 or 503 871-9312

kcain001@aol.com

Karyl is a real estate broker, senior clerical specialist with the Salem-Keizer School District, co-owner of Top Gun of Salem, and team member of Oregon Beverage Services. (Every once in awhile I get to sleep!)
She and her husband, David Cain, will celebrate 38 years on November 15 Children: David Cain Jr. (DJ), 27, and Melissa (Missy), 25

Soon-to-be daughter-in-law: Amber and soon-to-be son-in-law: Bobby

Hobbies include sleep! And lots of reading, RVing when we can, computer games

She writes:

I worked for the State of Oregon for 10 years (Dept of Motor Vehicles and Employment Division). Dave and I were married in 1969. We enjoyed membership and activities through the Salem Jeep club, square danced and generally had a lot of fun for about 10 years. DJ and Missy were born in 1980 and 1982. We did a lot of camping and kid stuff and ran our business of A to Z Rental Centers during next lots of years. Kept pretty busy with kids, camping, etc. until the year 2000. We sold our business and we each took about six months to figure out what we wanted to do. I went to real estate school and became a licensed agent in 2002, and Dave took a job with a company in Portland. He has since bought a new business called Top Gun of Salem (paint metal finishing). I'm involved in real estate, working for school district and helping Dave at his business when I can. Life is wonderful. We are happy. DJ is a war veteran. He spent nine years in the Army (overseas duty in Afghanistan and Iraq). He is a National Guardsman and currently working full time for the National Guard here in Salem. Missy works for OHSU (Dornbecher in the Oncology Dept.)

Update from Dan Cordell

Dan Cordell
87 E Waipuilani RdKihei, HI 96753
cordell@maui.net

40 years, where have they gone? It doesn’t seem possible that so much time has passed yet here you all are and with all those grand kids! I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to join you but I was already committed to a trip to Boulder Colorado when I heard about the reunion. I have enjoyed reading about your lives through Melaney’s blog, she has asked me to contribute as well.

During high school I worked at Cent Wise Bargain Barn selling sporting goods and hardware. Twenty years later I'm running a similar operation in Juneau Alaska in a historic building constructed in 1885 to sell lumber and hardware to the gold miners. I arrived here after a period of self-employment in Berkeley California. It was during this time that I met my wife, Irene. I was a street vendor on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley having submitted my work to and been accepted by the craft committee and then duly licensed by the City. This was the late 70s, didn’t everyone have long hair, beards and earrings? My attendance at my one and only reunion, the 10th, was pure happenstance as I was in transit to Berkeley from Eugene with my first wife Norma Owen, class of 69, and our 3-year-old daughter Amie. Norma and I split up after a year in Berkeley and she returned to Eugene. The following winter Irene convinced me to come to Alaska where she had moved earlier. So in January of 79 I sold my current dwelling, an old Ford Pickup with a little cedar house that I had built on it, and struck out for new adventures.

The Alaska thing went well for several years with lots of hiking and salmon so plentiful you could literally walk across the streams on their backs. It was during this time I decided to become a boat owner. Having purchased a boat of dubious character and spent an entire summer rebuilding the engine I was caught by the early winter, which soon erased all my progress on the engine. Time to sell. Along comes a typical Alaskan type guy, long hair, beard, wool jacket and rubber boots. Likes my boat and wants to buy it. Something fishy about this guy though. His voice somehow seems familiar. Turns out to be Danny Meyers, class of 69 RUHS! Go figure. He at least gets the boat in the water but eventually has bad experiences with it as well.

Apparently I wasn’t destined to be Admiral of the Seas so thought maybe I could become Captain of the Skies and decided to try flying since the only way in or out of Juneau was by plane or boat. Eventually I got my license and one fine Saturday 2 friends and I decided to fly down to this little town in British Columbia to pick up one of the guy’s plane and ferry it back to Juneau (it was there due to engine trouble while in route from Seattle). Everything was going well, I’m flying the plane, a 4 seat Cessna. There is one guy in the back with our bag of snacks for the trip, which was planned as a 1-day down and back. We are flying at about 10,000 feet lost in our thoughts, our little plane dwarfed by the vastness of the rugged but beautiful snow capped mountain wilderness below. Suddenly a loud BANG shakes us from our reverie. Our hearts leap into our throats and are racing a mile a minute. I’m looking for a place to land and see nothing but mountain peaks. The other guys are scrambling around in the plane trying to find out what happened. After what seems like an eternity the guy in the back exclaims. “It was the chips!” Turns out a large family size bag of potato chips had exploded from the lack of pressure at that altitude. We all breathed a little easier thinking our troubles were over. Wrong! We continued on to our destination only to find that the other plane still wasn’t repaired and the weather closed in forcing us to spend the night. Next morning’s weather was marginal but we took off and followed a river north staying under the clouds eventually getting back to the Inside Passage and the ocean. After skimming the waves under the cloud cover for a few more hours (in a plane with wheels!) we ran out of daylight and had to spend the night at Petersburg. Finally on Monday morning we awoke to a beautiful day and continued on to Juneau and work. What started out as a pleasant 1-day adventure turned into a 3-day odyssey.

Alaska’s boom bust economy finally caught up to me in the late 80s. I knew there was trouble ahead when my employee at the hardware store came back from the bank with the morning deposit saying, “The bank is closed!” Well so it was and remained that way for a couple of days until a larger bank could take it over. Eventually the old downtown hardware business became untenable and I moved on as the old building was remodeled to house several smaller shops and a Taco Bell.

With my new-found leisure I decided to complete my college degree having somehow misplaced my enthusiasm for that sort of thing. Soon I was a college graduate with a degree in Business Administration, Management. Perfect, now after a career in business I have a degree and no business, so I became a Retirement Specialist for the State of Alaska.

After suffering through 14 years of freezing winters and almost nonexistent summers we decided to trade Alaska for Hawaii, equally as beautiful but infinitely warmer. I soon rediscovered my passion for cycling by riding my old 10-speed that I had kept around since the early 70’s. The continuous summer weather on Maui and the beautiful countryside encouraged me to seek out new territories to explore on a bike. This led me back to the Mainland in 2000 to join Mike Patrick, class of 66, and 2,000 other riders on Cycle Oregon. Starting at Silver Lake we had a week of riding that took us through La Pine and up into the Cascades and then down through Redmond, Maupin and ending at Hood River. I have upgraded from that old 10 speed a couple of times and then last year I spent more money on a bike than a lot of folks do on a car. I figured if I couldn’t ride the Tour de France with Lance I could at least ride his bike. I ride a lot, normally between 120 and 150 miles per week, which includes 2-3 days of commuting to work and then a long weekend ride of 40-60 miles with like-minded friends. I normally do 4 cycling events per year on Maui that includes a fall and spring Century Ride (100 miles) with around 100 riders, followed by The Kings Trail Triathlon in June (you haven’t lived until you’ve jumped in the ocean with 400 swimmers with 800 arms and legs churning away, thought I was going to drown the first time). I use the triathlon to start my training for the main event in August, Cycle to the Sun. This is a 36-mile extreme road race from sea level to the 10,000 ft summit of the dormant volcano Haleakala.

I have been fortunate to have made it to Europe a few times and cycled around Tuscany, Provence and Bavaria. My high school French class came in handy on more than one occasion as I found very little English spoken in the French countryside. I regret however that I didn’t also take Italian and German. My college Spanish did help in Mexico but that’s another story. We are currently planning our next trip in 09 to join friends either in the French Pyrenees or Italy and then once again to Bavaria. I loved cycling between the beer gartens.
We own a modest 3-bedroom house with a rental cottage a few blocks from the ocean in South Maui. Though it’s not my hobby I seem to continually be repairing or adding on to it. The cottage is rented full time but we do occasional house exchanges with the main house or sometimes just the guest room. We’ve made several new friends from this process.

Amie’s mother Norma, died of cancer in November 1999 just after her 48th birthday. The following June Amie was married and is now settled in Seattle with her husband Christian and their 2 beautiful daughters, Remy Tallulah 3 ½ years and Lena Lucia 3 months. We are all very close but I should have bought stock in the phone company because of the long weekly conversations. Irene and I make at least 2 trips a year and sometimes 3 to see them, usually tied to a larger trip some place where we can hike, bike and visit with friends.

I have worked part-time the past 14 years for Maui’s oldest nonprofit and largest employer of the disabled, Ka Lima O Maui. I wear many hats there including managing Personnel/Payroll, IT, Safety, and assisting with Fund Raising. I also work part-time providing computer services to small businesses. The bottom line is that I haven’t worked a regular full-time job since I left Alaska. Irene is not really happy about this, as she has been working full time for the County of Maui as a Recycling Specialist during the same period. She has been developing recycling on Maui through education programs, writing legislation and building recycling centers. She has had at least one success story however, me. I am much more cognoscente about the environment particularly living on Maui and have recently installed solar voltaic panels on our roof which produces two thirds of our electric needs. Maui’s electric power is generated by oil-fired generators and is some of the most expensive in the country. The tallest man-made structure on the island is our landfill, a testament to the need for more recycling.

We are just beginning to think about what retirement may look like. I don’t think either one of us wants to quit working completely but are looking at new careers that will allow us to spend summers on the Mainland and winters on Maui. This vision involves our grand kids, a camper van with bikes on the back, a kayak on the roof, and unknown territories.

Well that’s my story so far, it continues to be an exciting adventure and every day I think how lucky and blessed I have been. I was sorry to have missed the faces of those of you that I am sure I would still recognize and others of whom I probably wouldn't have a clue. But while I wasn’t able to be there with you and toast the old days I was thinking of all of you and wish you well. Here's to the 50th!

Class Update

Kathie Sue Peterson
2337 SW Hall Court
Redmond, OR 97756
541-771-1561 or 541-548-1986
kathiep@bendbroadband.com

Kathie does bookkeeping/payroll. Children in her life are her niece and nephew and two great-nieces and two great-nephews. Her hobbies are counted cross stitch, reading, puzzles, and games.

She writes:

I drove school bus in Redmond for 3 1/2 years, then worked at a title company for several years. For 12 years I was in accounting at Eagle Crest, and I’m now working with my brother. He does taxes, and I do bookkeeping and payroll. We work in the house we grew up in. I went to Italy for three weeks several years ago, and I’m driving the same car I’ve had for 29 years. I’m sure everyone sees me coming.

Randy Scott
70116 Middle Fork Lane
Bates, OR 97817
541-421-3089

Randy does logging and ranching. He has one son, Doug, and two grandchildren, Brantly and Nick. His hobbies are working with his horses and hunting.

Duane Smith
21165 Dulin Dr.
Bend, OR 97701
541-382-4470
duanekaysmith@aol.com

Duane is retired from Pacific Gas Transmission. He has been married to Kay for 40 years, and they have two children, Shannon Jacobson and Shelley Halleman, and four grandchildren, Stephanie, 12; McKenzie, 11; Justin, 10; and Todd, 7. His hobbies are fishing, hunting, guns, and mules.

He writes:

I worked for Safeway, Pepsi, and Pacific Gas Transmission in Redmond. I have lived in Bend since 1975. We built a new home in 2004, just across the pasture from where we lived for 28 years. I hunt and fish as much as possible. We have mules and ride and pack with them – just for pleasure and for hunting use. We own a house in Idaho on the Snake River south of Lewiston and enjoy the river recreation with our 25-foot jet boat.

We have two grandchildren here in Bend and two in Newberg who we enjoy a lot. My 10-year-old grandson loves to fish with grandpa.

We haven’t traveled much since retirement, because we have too many fun things to do locally. I have a love for guns (learned from my dad so I help friends with gun issues and load shells for them.

I’m active in the Central Oregon chapter of Rocky Mountain Elk and help with all the gun-related issues for the fundraiser banquet.

Kay and I have been married nearly 41 years. Our goal is to have as much fun doing the things we enjoy for the rest of our lives.

Barry Stranahan
PO Box 236/733 SW 12th St.
Redmond, OR 97756
541-548-3484
barrys@bendcable.com

Barry is an educator at Elton Gregory Middle School. His hobbies are staying single, gardening, rock-hounding, and playing guitar.

He writes:

Since 1967 I have been drifting aimlessly half the time and working feverishly the other half. Presently I’m into what I consider my fourth career – I’m in my 10th year of education employment with the Redmond School District. That’s a record for longevity. None of the others quite made it to double digits, though most were close to that.

The first one was forest fire fighting, which was mostly smoke-jumping, but also included earlier work on an organized crew and into which I also lump some contract tree planting, thinning, and cone harvesting.

The second is a compilation of carpentry (framing, roofing, remodeling), house painting, and oak furniture making.

The third was back in the woods, doing stand surveys and aerial mapping. Coming out of that in the mid-‘90s, I was much like many other displaced forest workers who retrained for the current workforce. I landed in education, mostly in computer-related tasks, and, in more recent times, I have been moving into special education. Through all of this time, I’ve kept a sideline of intermittent music performance.

Robert C. Ulam
PO Box 335
Crawfordsville, OR 97336
(That’s in Linn Co.)
541-367-0689
shasamlee@yahoo.com

Bob owns and drive a log truck. He is married to Sharon, a retired nurse. He has four children; Sharon has two, so they share six. They almost have six grandchildren (and all are 6 years old and younger). His hobbies are hunting, fishing, rebuilding vehicles, and hauling day trips with Sharon.

He writes:

I’ve been married and divorced twice – the third time has been a charm! I have had many career choices and changes. In the ’60s and ’70s, I started a successful scrap yard, and spent as much time at my hobby at the time – dirt bike racing in Eastern Oregon – as at work. At 30 I started a new life in Redmond. I had three more kids, then moved to Alaska with a trucking business. Later I moved to White Salmon, Wash., to a small horse ranch and had another family life change and career change. I had a mill dismantling business for 10 years.

I met my third, my present, and my final wife, and we bought a tiny horse ranch in Crawfordsville, Ore., (population approximately 250 folks). Now I own and drive a log truck, and my wife, a retired nurse, stays home. I am there for dinner every night, and I still enjoy hunting every season, ocean fishing with fishing buddies, and lake and river fishing with my wife, Sharon. Our sixth grandchild will be born soon.

Class Update

Peggy Murphy
1904 N. Emerson St.
Portland, OR 97217
503-735-0431
murphypl@pdx.edu

Peggy is a writer and editor. Her hobbies are Scrabble, researching interesting things, and music.

She writes:

Since 1967 it’s been work, work, work for the City of Portland. I retired in 2002. I have done some international travel to Europe and Mexico, and volunteered my time as a SMART reader and ESL tutor. I graduated from PSU in 2006, B.A. cum laude in Liberal Studies. I am now a volunteer writer/researcher at Oregon Literacy.

Tinka Nicholson Oliver
Box 6
Seneca, OR 97873
tko_bvmom@hotmail.com

Tinka is a ranch wife and mom

She writes:

My husband, J.C., and I have been married for 35 years.We have a daughter just married this summer and a son in college (freshman)My hobbies are knitting, riding my four-wheeler, hunting, golfing, riding my horse and moving cattle, snowmobiling, and most anything else involved with the outdoors.

After graduation in 1967, I attended COCC in Bend for one year. I don't care for school or college so I didn't go back. Later I attended Pacific Business College in Portland and received my Legal Secretary degree. In 1969 I took some time off from school and served as a princess on the Paulina Rodeo court. In 1970 I went to work at the Bank of Central Oregon in Redmond. In July of 1970 I went on a blind date and fell in love with my now husband. We have lived on his family ranch in Bear Valley (Seneca) ever since. In 1991 I served five years on the District 3 school board.

I have spent most of my life riding for cows, calving cows and heifers, and driving hay machinery. I get tired but do love doing it. We have gotten to go to Hawaii twice and the NFR once. My sister and I spend a week at the coast each year for fun. We have also been very involved with the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.
It took a while but in 1985 we had a daughter. She was married this summer and now lives with her husband in Evanston, Wy, and is a Certified Veterinary Technician. Our son was born 1988 and just graduated from Grant Union High School. He played in the East-West Shrine game and now is attending University of Idaho studying Ag Systems Management. We are very proud of our lives, accomplishments and our family.

Dad passed away in 1999 and Mom passed away in 2004. We just lost J.C.'s Mom one year ago and his Dad in 1996.

I have a very good friend who's name is Sigh. He is four years old and a pure bred Australian Sheppard. He helps me with everything and loves to ride on the four-wheeler with me.

Terry Penhollow
61236 King Zedekiah
Bend, OR 97702
541-389-1201
tpenhollow@sunriver-resort.com

Terry is vice president of Sunriver Water LLC & Environmental LLC. He and his wife, Marsha have three children: Tammy, Todd, Bryan and Eric. They also have two grandchildren: Abby and Alex. His hobbies are golf, hunting, gardening, and trap shooting.

He writes:

Marsha and I recently sold our home that we had lived in for the past 33 years and bought another home in southeast Bend. We had raised our daughter and three sons in the previous home and have years of wonderful memories. We had raised gardens, flowers, calves, sheep and chickens, and all of the children had participated in 4-H with sheep. Marsha and I were 4-H leaders, and I was the 4-H sheep superintendent for 12 years at the old Deschutes County fairgrounds. I have many years of hunting and fishing memories, as well as memories of school sports that the kids participated in.

The kids have grown, and Marsha and I have refocused our energies on the newly purchased home on an acre to design and develop the landscape around. We both really enjoy designing, maintaining and growing vegetable gardens, flowers, and overall gardening. For the past several years, we both have taken up trap shooting and have enjoyed it a lot. Somewhere along the line we got the golf bug and have not been able to get it out of our system. We try to golf as much as we can during the short Central Oregon season, and a couple of years we have found ourselves out golfing on New Year’s Day.

For the past 39+ years I have worked for Sunriver. I am vice president of Sunriver Environmental LLC and of Sunriver Water LLC. During the last seven years under the environmental side of the business, I have developed compost that meets the State of Oregon requirements for class A grade compost that we sell to the general public, landscapers, and commercial businesses for top dressing, vegetable and flower beds, and compost mulch in shrub and ornamental beds. These interests, as well as enjoying working in the water and wastewater business, have kept me busy over the past 40 years.

Class Update

Cathy Maul Lee
3130 NE Weeping Willow Drive
Bend, OR 97701
541-382-6680
clee@bendbroadband.com

Cathy Maul Lee is an electrologist (She writes that is a cross between an electrician and a tattoo artist). She has two children, Brian and Shannon, and one grandchild, Nikole. Her hobbies are photography, hiking and backpacking, reading, and traveling the backroads.

Rebecca McCall Hov
2118 W. Carson Rd.
Phoenix, Arizona 85041
602-304-1549
mrshovid@yahoo.com

Becky is an operations manager at Wells Fargo. She is married to Dave Hov, and they have four children between them: her two, Mark and Randy Miller, and Dave’s girls, Mindy and Angie.

Their four grandchildren are Mark and Tracy’s two, Mason and Kayden, and Mindy and Greg’s two: Corbin and Hadley. Her hobbies are crosswords; jigsaw puzzles; her dogs, Abby and Schnapps; and her grandchildren.

Don Moisan
PO Box 20237
Keizer, OR 97307
503-393-0161
donsdairy@wildblue.net

Don is still dairying. He has been married to Melaney Welch since 1978, not long after the 10th reunion. In the interest of space, the kids and grandkids will be listed under Melaney’s entry. Being a dairy farmer precludes hobbies.

RUHS Class of 1967

I would like to thank everyone that worked so hard to get our 40th Year Reunion done in a manner that was GREAT. I've live in Central Oregon all but 9 years of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The best years of my life was going to school and having some of the greatest friends.

Wade Clark and I got married in Aug. 1966 and we had a son named Clay which he is now 40. Clay has given me 4 wonderful grandchildren 3 granddaughters and 1 grandson. Clay lives at North Pole, Alaska and he is in the Air National Guards. Clay's been in Alaska since 1986. The time really does get away when your kids are the same age as to when we got out of school. In 1972 we (Wade and I) had Traci and she lives in Wellsboro, PA and she has given me 3 wonderful grandchildren, 2 granddaughters and 1 grandson. Like most of us I was one of many (that I found out) that took not 12 years to Graduate it took me 14 years and I'm so glad that I did.

In 1977 I found out that I had Multiple Sclerosis. I was told that I wasn't going to walk and be confined to a wheelchair. I told the Dr's that I wasn't going to be in a wheelchair and that I had 2 small children at home that need me so as some of you could see that I'm doing quiet well.

Wade and I got divorced in 1991 but I left him 1986 and by the time 1988 came around my MS was going into remission and every day I thank god that I can get out of bed and walk.

Some of my hobbies when I was younger was taking my son (Clay) motorcycle racing every weekend until he Graduated from High School. I also raced a 1964 GTO and other cars as well. None I just bowl and play some golf. I belong to the Redmond Soroptimist Club and right now I'm the Northwest Regional and District 2 Rep for Life without Violence, go figure after all the abuse I got from Wade when we were dating and even after we got married. I guess when your young and in love all common since goes out the door. So now I get to help other ladies and they're family find the help that they need to get out of the relationship that they're in.

In 1996 I married Charlie Trainor and we've been doing a lot of traveling and hope to continue doing. Paula Kratz, it was so great to see you after all this years, and we could still laugh at some of the thing that we did in school. John Baer, Diana Saunder Dollarhide, Mike Griffin, you guys out of all of us I gotten figure out who you were.

At the dinner on Saturday, Diana Saunder Dollarhide came up to me and told me that I could give out her address home and email along with her phone number just in case some of us would like to keep in contact with her. Diana Saunder Dollarhide 1142 East Lake Dr. Mose Lake, Washington 98837 her phone is 509-765-3724 and email address is dbld@gemsi.com

Hope to see all of us in 10 years.

Thanks again for the great job you all have done and I plan on keep checking the Blog to see if anyone else has post something.

Cindy Rhodes Clark Trainor
3673 SW Bobby Jones Ct.
Redmond, Oregon 97756

541-526-1567

Class Update

Paula Kratz
9320 Wagner Creek Rd.
Talent, OR 97540
541-535-7450
taylorkratz@yahoo.com

Paula is a licensed practical nurse. She has one child, Dee Dee McMurran Harrison, and two grandsons, Corey, 16, and Jesse, 11. Her partner's name is Donna Taylor. Her hobbies are farm animals, gardening, playing with grandsons, building things, baking pies, and landscaping.

She writes:

I’m so excited to be invited to our high school reunion. After 40 years, I’m so glad someone remembered that I was supposed to have graduated with all of you, but I was kicked out of school five days before graduation. I wrote the article “Walk Proud” that was published in our school newspaper about how important graduation is and my disappointment. Believe it or not, I later received my high school diploma.

Since high school, I stopped being rebellious and stupid – most of the time, anyway. And I’ve been in the “Graduation Walk” twice: once for graduating from community college as a licensed practical nurse and again when I received my bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Women’s Studies from Southern Oregon University.

I stopped drinking and running from myself years ago and started accepting “Life on Life’s Terms,” most of the time. My partner, Donna, and I have been together for 34 years. She and I raised my daughter, Dee Dee, who was born before my senior year. Dee Dee is now 41 and lives nearby with her husband, Rick, and our two grandsons. Her dad, Ray (Leon) McMurran and I divorced long ago. Now Donna and I value our friendship with Ray and his wife, Phyllis, and Dee Dee is close to her half-sister, Jeanette, whom she met as an adult. I’ve worked in programs giving assistance to teen moms in three Oregon counties, as well as in California. It was satisfying to help young women who were facing challenges much like I’d faced as a teenager. Now I work with elderly residents in a convalescent center, where I am a charge nurse and supervise certified nurses aides.

We live in a two-story red house we designed and built with our own hands on five acres of trees snuggled at the base of the Siskiyou Mountains near Talent, Oregon. We enjoy our cat, two dogs, six chickens, a goat named Cloud Dancer, and our 24-year-old donkey, Molly Dee, as well as several deer, wild turkeys, and an occasional bear.

I’m truly blessed to have lived through my self-destructive years in high school and as a young adult. Now I’m going to our high school reunion, finally coming full circle. It will be so nice to see you all again.

Mike Lantz
323 SW Canyon Dr.
Redmond, OR 97756
541-420-2176 or 541-548-8787

Mike is a retired electrical contractor. He and his wife, Mary, have two daughters and two granddaughters. His hobbies are golf, hunting, remodeling houses, and enjoying our kids and grandkids.

He writes:

Since 1967 life has been full. I went to COCC for two years, then to Oregon State for three years, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. I married Mary in 1971, and we have been married for 36 years now. I started working for my dad, Chet, going to apprentice school for four years to become an electrician. I bought my dad’s business and ran it for 28 years. Mary and I had two daughters, Michelle and Mindy. Both are married and we have two granddaughters, Casee, 10 years old, and Chloee, 4 years old. We are now retired – as of January 2007. I’m an avid hunter, enjoy golf, and plan on doing some traveling. My wife and I restore and renovate old houses. We restored the old Deschutes Farmers Coop building on Evergreen Ave. also. We attend the Powell Butte Church and have for 30 years. Other than an achey back, I have been very fortunate to have good health, good friends, and family.

Linda MacDonald Unrein
2929 NW 39th Street
Redmond, OR 97756
541-788-2291 (cell)
lulvscts@gmail.com (preferred contact)

Linda is retired, but in retirement has found another vocation as a commissioned artist of liturgical elements, including banners, stoles, etc. She and her husband, Richard, have three children -- Scott, Kari, and Kipp -- and five grandchildren -- Lauren, 16; Abbey, 14; Carmen, 9 mo.; Jolen Taylor, 12; and Mary Ellen, 10. Her hobbies are golf, cooking, bicycling, reading, travel, sewing, volunteering for church, golf events, Redmond community concert Assoc., and Cascade Festival of Music.

She writes:

After graduation from business college in Salem, I began working at Oregon State University in Corvallis. I got married and moved to Salem so my husband could attend Willamette University College of Law. We divorced after five years. While in Salem, I enjoyed working for various agencies within State government, including the Health Division, General Services Department, Justice Department, and a final promotion as the assistant to the Oregon State Librarian. After leaving State government for work in the private sector, I worked at Salem Hospital for 10 years as a medical staff secretary. My last job before retirement was working at Willamette University for seven years as administrative assistant for the Music Department. However, I am not fully retired, as I do commissioned work as a designer/creator of liturgical elements for churches.

My husband, Dick, and I were married in 1975, and we have one son who is married and completing his doctorate in music composition at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Dick has one son who is married with three children and lives in Bend as a house painter. He also has a daughter who lives in Boise. She is married with two children and is a regional representative for Arbonne International.

We built a home on five acres northwest of Redmond 1999 and have enjoyed the retired life of playing golf, involvement in the Community Presbyterian Church, and volunteering in various music organizations and golf tournaments in Central Oregon.

Note: Linda recently lost her husband to pancreatic cancer. See the notice below.

Class Update

Linda Gregg Joseph
37123 Hansen Lane
Baker City, OR 97814
541-894-2347
millworks@starband.net
www.josephmillworks.com

Linda is a rancher and woodworker. She and her husband, Randy, have three children: Jennifer, Loran, and Wade. One grandchild is on the way – finally! Her hobbies are birds, wildflowers, and gardening.

She writes:

I married Randy Joseph in 1973, after college at the UofO. We lived in Michigan for six years, in Eugene for 15 years, and Baker County for the past 13 years. We raised children, draft horses, and beef cows, and built timber-framed barns and custom wood doors and windows. We are now interested in renewable energy, working on biodiesel, biomass, and a wind project.

Mike Griffin
PO Box 58485
Fairbanks, Alaska 99711
907-488-1467

Mike is retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He and his wife, Sheila, have two daughters, Shannon and Kelly, and three grandchildren, Kaily, 8; Brianna, 4; and Tyler, 18 months. His hobbies include woodworking, golf, saltwater fishing, and hunting.

He writes:

I served in the U.S. Navy from 1967 to 1971 and moved to Alaska in 1975, the same year I was employed by the U.S. Postal Service. I retired in 2004. I married Sheila in 1977, and we have two daughters, Shannon and Kelly. I love living in Alaska, hunting and fishing.

Alison Hamlin McKinnon
PO Box 745
Redmond, OR 97756
541-548-3096

Alison is the office manager for Ridgeline Metal. She has three children and three grandchildren.

Randy Hilgers
2136 SW 25th Street
Redmond, OR 97756
541-420-7402

Randy is an electrician. He and his wife, Connie, have two children: Rebekah and Nicholas, and one grandchild, Tanner. His hobbies include travel.

He writes:

I worked at Fuqua Homes for 10 years, and then I worked at the mill for 11 years. Since then, I have been an electrician for 20 years.

The Hallowed Halls of RUHS

Thank you, thank you, thank you – to Melaney, Nancy, Mary and Joanne, for the wonderful reunion. It was great to see so many classmates and to hear everyone laughing and having a good time with each other.

The tour of the high school may have been the best activity of the reunion. The school is not nearly so large as in 1964-67. It still has the original lockers and many alum walked right to theirs. The floors are carpeted and the bases of the stairwells are now storage rooms. The math room door seems to have disappeared -- at least it’s not where we remembered it. The school gives off a warm and fuzzy appeal I don’t remember, perhaps because it’s a middle school with lots of décor on the walls, desks arranged in small clusters so students can talk and learn from one another. Just think of all of the teaching time our teachers wasted keeping our eyes and bodies front and center, our mouths shut, and making sure we stayed seated in alphabetical order.

Do you know what you were doing when the school’s PA announced President Kennedy’s assassination? I was in freshman gym class, someone else was in math. We knew something serious was up when teachers were called out of the classroom and came back grimfaced. Then we heard the announcement on the PA…

On a lighter note, we now know that Tommy Abbas spent all of his extra time in the library studying. He also noted that he is now tall enough for the back row of the reunion class photo.

When Kathie Peterson, Mary Yocum, Karen Cunningham and I were in the old band room, we all marveled at Mr. Moore’s influence and his great patience with the many young musicians who passed through his life. For the nonband members, playing with Doc Severinson was a great honor. Accompanying Pat Boone on the Battle Hymn of the Republic at a Portland Rose Festival also rated highly. During the tour I heard a lot about Dalton Clark’s mentoring of the budding young men in our class, and the important role of the dean of boys. . .

Mrs. Gregg from eighth grade met us at the school, along with the “Wolves 1962” and “Wolves 1963” yearbooks. She says she remembers all of her students. She began teaching just a few years before we were in eighth grade and taught a wide range of subjects including art and music, and served as a counselor. She’s retired from the school district, and still very active, teaching guitar at the community college and enjoying her artwork.

It’s been a lot of fun looking at all the old and new photos Melaney has posted. I am finding that most of the names are right on the tip of the tongue – for the others I have relied on my dear mother’s careful recording of them on the back of the photo. Still, there are a few folks who may remain unidentified. Let Melaney know if you recognize them.

Thanks for the memories!

Class Update

Nancy Donat Freeman
19862 SW Celebrity St.
Aloha, OR 97007
503-267-3475
503-591-7600
Nfreeman7600@verizon.net

Nancy works on a library staff in acquisitions. She has two children: Matt, 31, and Nicki, 29. Her hobbies are camping, hiking, walking, dancing, and river rafting.

She writes:

I lived in Coos Bay for 26 years and moved to the Portland area in 2000.

Sherry Farrier Binger
7015 SW Canal Blvd.
Redmond, OR 97756
541-350-9188
sherrybingerVIP@aol.com

Sherry is president of VIP Meetings & Golf Events, and is married to Rick.
She has a son, Adam, 30, and two stepdaughters, Sherry and Carrie. Her four grandchildren are Lyndsi, Cory, Nate, and Jaclyn. Hobbies include golf, travel, visiting with friends, and family.

She writes:

I went to college at Portland State and then moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, for a year, working for the University of Alaska. I bought a motorcycle up there, and when I brought it back to the continental U.S., a 16-year-old girl ran over me, and I had to lay down for a year.

When I was 24, I married Jerry Katt in Lake Oswego, and Anne Beckwith was my maid of honor. We moved back to Central Oregon and rented the little house on Mom and Dad’s property on S. Canal. Jerry didn’t last long, and I got a divorce a year later.

I went into the real estate business in Central Oregon and married Jerry Cloninger a couple of years later. Anne Beckwith was my maid of honor. Jerry and I had a son, Adam, when I was 28 years old. This was one of the favorite times in my life, watching Adam grow. After seven years of marriage, Jerry and I divorced.

I moved to Palm Springs, Calif., with Adam when he was five years old. I worked in the hotel industry as the director of Incentive Sales, which allowed me to travel the world, including China, Thailand, South America, and Europe. I specialized in the golf market for mega-resort properties. It was a lot of fun playing in golf tournaments with all expenses paid by my employer.

I married Rick Binger 20 years ago (Anne Beckwith couldn’t be the maid of honor, as she was busy playing “Little House on the Prairie” back in Minnesota or somewhere cold). Rick and I started our own business, VIP Meetings & Golf Events, creating golf tournaments for corporations. That led us to also provide the clients with logo golf shirts, golf balls, etc. We were very fortunate to acquire the management contract for the Skins Game during Tiger Woods first two years as a pro. We ran the Skins Game in 1996 and 1997 with players Tiger Woods, Freddie Couples, John Daley, etc.

I suppose my claim to fame in business was winning the Nabisco Dinah Shore Pro Am some years ago. My team was Hal Linden, John Sanunu, and a delightful Japanese lady pro who couldn’t speak a word of English, but we gave her a lot of high fives and hugs. We started out birdie, birdie, eagle, and came in 18 under par for the round. Great fun!

I found out I had breast cancer about five years ago. It was a tough one with over a year of treatment, but I’m happy to be here today and living every day to the max.

Rick, Adam, and I took the train from California to Central Oregon four years ago in April to celebrate Mom’s 75th birthday. When we got here, we saw that Mom and Dad were struggling to keep up with the property, so on the trip back to Palm Springs, we decided we would sell our homes and move back to Central Oregon to help out. We sold our house in three days and Adam sold his house in three hours. Within 45 days, we were all moved to Central Oregon. I love being close to my parents and my sister, Leilani. It’s been great to see girlfriends and family in Oregon. I feel like I’ve come home.

Joanne Frizzell Kidd
PO Box 362
Redmond, OR 97756
541-548-8833
waynekidd@coinet.com

Joanne is a pharmacy technician at Safeway in Redmond and is married toWayne Kidd, RUHS Class of 1966. Her hobbies are bowling, needlework, camping, and slot machines.

She writes:

After graduation, I went to OCE in Monmouth for three years. I married Wayne in 1972 after his four years in the Navy. We have stayed in Redmond all along and have been married 35 years. We enjoy spending time in the outdoors and going camping, hunting, and fishing whenever we can. We live on six acres west of Redmond with two shorthairs, Smokey and Bandit. We really enjoy watching the wildlife out here, especially the several generations of deer.

After Wayne and I were married, I went to work at the old Save-On Drug Store, which was later sold and then purchased by Safeway in 1981. I am currently a pharmacy technician for Safeway and have been with them for 26 years. Wayne has been selling real estate here for the last 12 years.

We really enjoy our life here, although it’s certainly not the same little Redmond it was 40 years ago!

Class Update

Rob Comstock
7402 O’Neil Rd. NE
Keizer, OR 97303
503-393-2708
barneythebeagle2@yahoo.com

Rob is a "commodoties relocation manager." He is married to Lynnette, and they have three sons, Ryan, Russell, and Rodney, and six grandchildren: Resce, Rebecca, Rashell, Regan, Rylee, and Tyler. They also have one great-grandchild: Rex Resce Comstock
For fun, Rob works as a PA announcer at the Cottage Grove Speedway. Other hobbies include boating, motorcycle racing and touring, camping, surviving Washington State to New York trucking (and almost everything in between)

He writes:

I took a job with the CIA, undercover, mainly in Russia, where I developed a fond taste for black bread, sausage and vodka, which proved to be hard on my body.

After 17 years of this, I decided the only way to get out alive was to play dead, so I went MIA behind the Iron Curtain. After sneaking back in the U.S. over the Mexican border, I spent some time as a cowboy in Texas, where I took a job driving the tour bus for Willie Nelson (the Honeysuckle Rose). Johnny and Whalen were still alive at the time, and we had some great times together.

I’d probably still be doin’ that today if it weren’t for the fact we got busted at the Canadian border after a show in Canada. Willie scored big up there, and those border dogs had no trouble finding the 30 pounds of grass hidden under the floor of the bus.

This, of course, got the feds involved, and it didn’t take long to find out who I really was. It seems as though my country had really needed my services, and they had all the leverage. I told them I’d do what I could, but they had to let Willie go.

Shortly thereafter, I found myself working for the Department of Defense at Area 51 in Nevada, where I dismantled and back-engineered technology from alien spacecraft. It was through my research and discoveries that Al Gore was enabled to invent the internet. This job, of course, made me a lot of money, which most was spent on airplanes, boats, fast cars, motorcycles, and booze. The rest I just wasted.

Cutbacks in the defense budget cost me this job about eight years ago, and ever since I’ve been struggling to make ends meet by hauling freight in eight western states.

If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have planned my life a little better.

Wally Corwin
PO Box 1051
Bend, OR 97709
541-389-3606
wallyandkaren@bendbroadband.com

Wally is a corporate litigation manager. He and his wife, Karen Jo, have two children: Kasey and Lindsey. They have two grandchildren, Hailey Whitman and Callahan Corwin, and one more, a boy, due in October. Wally's hobby is woodworking.

He writes:

I was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. I have been a corporate litigation manager for JELD-WEN since 1984. We have been renovating a home in Bend’s historic district for the last 25 years.

Gary Dent
8153 SW Liz Place
Beaverton, OR 97007
503-524-9201
gary@dent.net

Gary is a real estate developer. He and his wife, Linda, have two children: Kim and Michele. They also have four grandchildren: Danielle, 13; Austin, 13; DJ, 9; & Emma, 6. Gary's hobbies include travel, collecting baseball cards, and golf.

Class Update

Tom Abbas
6652 Cooper Spur Rd.
Mt. Hood, OR 97041
541-352-6273
Abbastom@embarqmail.com

Tom is semi-retired and has been married to Marilyn Cummings Abbas for 37 years. They have three children and seven grandchildren. His hobbies are farming, hunting, and the grandkids.

He writes:

From 1967 to 1969 I worked for dad, then as a hod carrier in Hawaii until 1971. From 1971 until now I’ve worked for the phone company.

Linda Arnett Johnson
1751 NW Glasson Dr.
Bend, OR 97701
541-388-3699
ljohnson@westsidechurch.org

Linda is a registered nurse/home health care nurse for SCMC. She is married to Ken Johnson, and they have three children: Kara, Christen, and Jeremy. They also have five grandchildren: Preston, Clayton, Noah, Addison and Samuel. Her hobbies are interior design, jewelry making, running, dark chocolate, coffee with friends, and spending time with family.

She writes:

I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from OHSU in 1971. I married my childhood sweetheart, Ken, in 1971 and have lived in Portland and John Day. We moved back to Central Oregon in 1973, where we owned nursing and retirement homes. WE began pasturing in 1979 in Redmond and have pastured at Westside Church in Bend for the last 21 years. Life has never been boring.

Gloria Audrain Johnson
530 Durham Ave.
Eugene, OR 97404
541-689-2967
GEJ1026@comcast.net

Gloria is the office manager of a pest control company. She is married to Phil Johnson, and they have three children: Tracy, Heather and Paige. They also have five grandchildren. Her hobbies are reading, camping, and family.

She writes:

I married Phil Johnson in 1969, and we’ve been married for 38 years. We have lived in Eugene since 1972. Our three girls are married, and we are blessed with five grandchildren, 7 months to 8 years old. I have been with Guardian Pest Control for 14 years, and Phil has had a new job since January 2007 with Johnson Crushers International. We have a 30-foot motor home and really enjoy spending time in it. We are big Beaver fans and enjoy the games and spending time on the OSU campus.


John Baer
106 NE McCartney
Bend, OR 97701
541-389-8482
3jbaers@bendcable.com

John Baer is retired. He and his wife, Jane, have two children, Debi and Jason, and two grandchildren, Brittney and Kayla. They also have one great-grandchild, Carrisa. His hobbies are old cars, golf, and yard work.

He writes:

I was drafted in 1970, so I joined the Air Force. I worked for the federal government after the Air Force for about 28 years, and retired on my 55th birthday. Now I drift from bar to bar daily, try to golf some in the summer, mess with old cars, and garden a bit.

With sympathy

We just learned that Linda MacDonald Unrein's husband died yesterday after a struggle with pancreatic cancer. His funeral will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, Community Presbyterian Church, 529 NW 19th St., Redmond. If you would like to send Linda a word of sympathy, her address is:

Linda McDonald Unrein
2929 NW 39th St.
Redmond, OR 97756

Class Update

Sandra Timpy (Meeks) Yielding couldn’t make the reunion, but did want her information passed along to her classmates. She now lives at 20401 NW 41st Ave., Ridgefield, WA 98642, and works as a legal investigator. She is married to Dennis Yielding and has one son, Cory Jay Meeks, 42, and one daughter, Niki Rachelle Meeks Houlihan, 39. She also has three grandchildren, ages 5 1/2 to 14 1/2. She writes:

I married Jay Meeks in 1964. Our son, Cory Jay, was born in 1965. I graduated in 1967. Our daughter, Niki Rachelle, was born in 1968. We moved to Cuba (Guantanamo Bay) on the military base as civilians in 1968. Jay was transferred to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India for six months, so the kids and I went to Virginia Beach, Va., until he returned. I started cosmetology school there. WE moved to Spain (Roda, Madrid, Seville), then to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. We left there and moved to Medford, followed by a move to Bonney Lake, Wash., where I completed cosmetology school and bought a five-chair salon. Jay and I divorced in 1978, and I remarried in 1983 to Dennis Yielding. We moved to our rural home in Ridgefield, where we live today. We drove team semi-truck in 48 states for 15 years, and I retired from truck driving and began studies and work as a legal investigator for a Vancouver attorney. I still work part time for him. My days are taken up with caretaking of my husband, who has terminal cancer, and upkeep of our farm and home.

Most of you knew Jay, and I want to share with those who did that we sadly lost him to cancer last October 27, 2006.

I am blessed with good health and sincerely regret not being able to be there with all of you to visit.

And also a hello from Bob Ulam

Bob Ulam had hoped to attend, but wasn’t able to come. He would like to hear from his classmates, so please contact him at shasamlee@yahoo.com.

Thanks Melaney, Nancy, Joanne, and Mary

Thanks to all of you who worked hard to put this reunion together. It is much appreciated!
Cathy Lee
Bend, OR

We're a pretty classy class

Joy. That is how someone described the faces of people at the reunion on Friday night: filled with joy. It’s true; there was a lot of smiling. The entire photo album should be posted this coming weekend, but take a look at the handful of photos that are there now.

Friday night about 45 people gathered at Mazatlan Restaurant for dinner. We didn’t have name tags on Friday, so quite a bit of guessing was going on. When you don’t see someone for 40 years, you can expect a few changes. For several people, this was the first reunion they had attended, and no one seemed sorry that they finally came.

On Saturday, a few people who attended Tumalo Grade School gathered for a party for Jimmy Couch in Bend. Jimmy, who graduated in the class of 1966, had been severely injured in a logging accident right after graduation and has been in a nursing home since.

At 1 p.m. we were turned loose in the old high school for about an hour, joined by Sandra Gregg, one of our 8th grade teachers, and we spent time poking around in the library, band room, principal’s office, and classrooms.

Saturday night we came together again for a buffet dinner at the new golf club in Redmond. Tom Abbas did some herding of the group and made announcements, and a slide ran throughout the evening, reminding us of what we looked like before – going all the way back to 1955.

My only regret is that we didn’t ask everyone who started first grade in Redmond to stand, because a lot of us did. I learned to read with Barry Stranahan, Dave Hansen, Tom Holecheck, Terry Penhollow, Greg Westendorf, Joanne Frizzell and Kathie Peterson in Mrs. Brown’s first grade class.

Rob Comstock, Tinka Nicholson, Skip Macy, Mary Yocom, Peg Pollock, Rita Sturza, Sharon Zimmerman, Lois Meyers, Linda Gregg, Dale Keller, John Baer, Bob Ulam, Sandra Timpy, Tom Duvall, Paula Kratz, Norma Rhodes, Wally Corwin and Joe Metts can also be found in the class photos from the early years (see the photo album).

In the next few weeks, I will start to post the updates people sent me on this page. I know some people don’t have e-mail or web access, so I’ll put together a printed piece for them, but that will take longer – if anyone should ask you. And remember, the entire photo album from the reunion should be up after next weekend, so come back and see those happy smiles for yourself.

See you at the reunion

I’ve been accused of putting up everyone’s photos but my own, so in the interest of fairness, I’m sharing one of my prouder moments from childhood -- and Nancy's, too, of course.

My daughter likes to remind me that I was born in the first half of the last century, which makes an aging situation seem even worse, but this photo convinced her (and reminded me) that I was young once, and it doesn’t seem like such a long time ago.

It looks like we’re going to have a good turnout both Friday and Saturday night for the reunion, and several people will be taking photos, all with more class than this one. If you can’t come to the reunion, you’ll find the photos here. Hope to see you this weekend.

Today, it’s all about the mail

I have the enviable job of opening all mail coming in from my former classmates and reading what they’ve been up to since 1967. This has been a greater pleasure than you can imagine. I’ve received nice long updates from Paula Kratz, Becky McCall Hov, Linda MacDonald Unrein, Dan Cordell, Peggy Murphy, Mary Yocom, Sherry Farrier Binger, Barry Stranahan, and many more. Oh, the places we’ve been and the things we’ve seen.

Dan moved to Hawaii after Alaska and likes bicycle racing. Paula is a nurse in Talent, Oregon, and Becky is still in the banking business. Peggy is retired – retired! – I want to be retired – and so are John Baer, Linda MacDonald Unrein, and Mike Griffin. Be sure to read the comments on the last post from Becky, Dan, and Peggy. See what they have been doing for the past 40 years.

I hope to take everyone's updates and post them on this blog, along with some photos, after the reunion, so be sure to check back then. I’d like to use this blog and an e-mail list to stay connected, but I also realize that not all of our classmates are “e-connected.” If those who are can send updates to me via e-mail or through this blog, I will be happy to send a paper newsletter once or twice a year to those who request it. If you read this, please help pass the word at the reunion. There will be a sign up sheet.

If you have any other ideas about how we can all stay updated, post them here. I promise to visit this site often, and I know others plan to as well.

After 40 years ...

The 40th Reunion for the Class of 1967 is coming up, and it’s been quite a walk through the past for me the past few weeks. I have thumbed through scrapbooks, read my two remaining yearbooks, listened to music from the ’60s, and talked to old friends. (It was interesting to learn that no matter how much we may think we have changed on the outside, our voices seem to have remained pretty much like they were 40 years ago.) All of this has been to get ready for the reunion on Sept. 15.

Several of us have also spend time with Google, whitepages.com, zabasearch.com, classmates.com, and other sites, trying to track down addresses for classmates who have moved since the last reunion. Some of the people listed below have never attended a reunion, and maybe they have no interest in coming to this one. Still, we still want to invite them if it is at all possible. If you know how we might contact any of the following people, please send me an e-mail at ask4welch@aol.com.

Janet Copley Crowe
Gayle Deets
Tim Dorman
Charles (Tom) Duvall
Kathryn Forbes
Vicki Gardner
Rose Gridley Wise (last in John Day)
Clark Hallgren
Galen Hayes
Kim Hoffman
Harvey Johnson (last in Redmond)
Louise Kinney
Linda Lerwill
Steve Marshall (last in North Plains, OR)
Steve Mayfield
Billy Jack McCoin
Maureen Muma
Jean Ragland
Perry Snyder (last in Redmond)
Debby Standiford
Fred Sutherland
Richard Tracy
Barbara Uptain
Diane Verschoor
Linda Waltz
Lonnie Weigel
Peggy Whitehead
Cliff Williams
William Zilke
Sharon Zimmerman

I also learned in the last month that Ralph Meeker, Peggy Eccleston and Joyce Whittier had joined the list of our deceased classmates. That was news to several of us, and it came as an unwelcome shock. That list now includes:

Peggy Eccleston
Jean Green
Joe Hahn Jr.
Eugene Johnston
Mike McCall
Ralph Meeker
Charlene Thorson
Mike Urell
Joyce Whittier

We miss them.

I hope people will use this blog as a place to connect and stay in touch. Each month I will post a new question or topic that people can use as a starting point for discussion if they like, although, of course, you should feel free to start a discussion on any topic that interests you. Right now, you might want to write about reunions – in general or high school reunions specifically. See you on Sept. 15.