________________________________________________
Newsletter #8, Jun 22, 2004
The reunion is this weekend. Even if you are
not coming, we hope you will look for reunion photos at our class website
http://members.cox.net/gbhsclass64
Photos will be posted in late July.
Don’t forget, Saturday afternoon you can tour
GBHS at 1PM. The school has changed. The swimming pool is gone! There are
food vending machines! And a special area has been set aside to honor GBHS ’41
graduate Jack Kilby. Jack is the only GBHS graduate who received a Nobel
Prize. Of course several members of the class of ’64 came close. Dress is
casual – shorts and t-shirts are OK. Following the tour is another tour of the
new Kansas Oil and Gas museum on west 10th street.
A few classmates emailed recently. I don’t
think they would mind if their emails were shared.
From Laura Hagen:
Our
new address is: 11812 Nevis Drive, Midlothian, VA 23114; Phone: 804-379-0682,
Laura's cell 804-814-4833, Don's cell 804-814-4834. We still have not unpacked
but hope to accomplish that soon. Will let you know more as it happens.
From Martha Ann Schumacher:
Thanks Roger...well I
just got back from 3 weeks in Croatia where I attended for two weeks in
Dubrovnik, Croatia, a seminar on ethnic conflict and then spent the third week
in Zagreb, Croatia visiting friends. I lived for 13 years in Zagreb and return
there every other year for visits. I think I mentioned that I am getting my 3rd
MA degree, this time in Conflict Resolution and this seminar in Dubrovnik was
about ethnic conflict and resolution. I have 3 more courses before I finish.
What else...I still weave (which is technically my true profession) but have
recently been busy writing research papers on civil wars in Sri Lanka, and
Africa so my weaving has been set aside for awhile. I have a web site....annschumacher.20m.com
I have a wonderful husband who is a Professor of Mathematics, born in Poland
but was raised in Israel. He has been living in the States for the last 15
years...Our main common interest is traveling...Hope this isn't too private or
too much information...Otherwise, life is great! See you soon...MA
(personal note: I checked out Martha Ann’s
webpage. Very interesting).
From Mike Grover:
Jim, just a note to let
someone know. I do appreciate the work you folks do for the class reunions. I am
sorry I will not be able to attend this one, it falls at the beginning of wheat
harvest in western Kansas and eastern Colorado. My work precludes the
festivities. I have changed "hats" in my career with John Deere. I have been a
parts manager for the last 34 years in two dealerships. I have just recently
been offered and accepted a position as Service Manager at the JD dealership in
Burlington, Colo., McArthur Implement Co. LLC. Our address is still here in
Colby, Ks, for as long as I can stand driving back and forth between Burlington
and Colby. If we move I will be sure to update our information with the class.
Hope all goes well at the reunion.
Finally Bill Lawrence wrote:
"Just don't plan to have any after parties on the Arkansas river!!!!!!!!!!!!!!."
Thanks,
GBHS reunion committee,
Roger Pommerenke, Jim Parrish, Nancy Polson,
Twila Sherwood, Tom Cole, Patty Felke
PS: If you have not done so, we advise you to
brush up on the ‘true’ history of Great Bend at
http://members.cox.net/gbhsclass64/Tv_themes-mono The site has been a hit
with several classmates.
________________________________________________
Newsletter #7, (not posted)
________________________________________________
Newsletter #6, Mar 18, 2004
Dear GBHS '64 classmate
The 40 year reunion of GBHS class of ’64 will be held the last weekend in June. Information will be sent to you soon.
Reminder: The class web page is at http://members.cox.net/gbhsclass64 from there, you can find achieves of the previous five newsletters. We will also post reunion photos there.
The reunion will fun. Activities have been planned. However there will be a solemn event to commemorate classmates who are no longer with us. These classmates include:
Robert James Adams
Jack Graham Fischer
Gary Gunn
Sharon Kay Holmes
Michael Garrett Nixon
Kent Eugene Otte
Melvin Willie Riley
Teddy Poe Rodgers
Allen Kent Saling
Sherry Schwartz-Shupe
Sharon Ann Smith
George Albert Strobel
Lydia Walter Leek
If you know of any corrections or additions to this list, please email Tom Cole
Ron Barnett is getting a golf game organized for the reunion. Email him if you are interested in participating.
________________________________________________
Newsletter #5, Feb 25, 2004
On Jan 23, 2004, GBHS '64 class prez Jim Parrish sent announcements on the June 25-26,2004, reunion to classmates with a known snail mail address. Unfortunately 30 of those announcements were returned because of incorrect addresses. It is our hope that everyone who receives this email will review the class database and help locate lost classmates. The lost classmates on the database are those classmates with a blank in the address column, or else a notation next to the address that states the address is invalid. Please email Jim if you can correct info on those lost classmates. This email is also being sent to a few GBHS alums who did not graduate with us, but may want to party with us.
Heads up: This database is for personal communication with class members. Please do not send jokes, homily messages, or emails about anything remotely connected to politics. Some reunion organizers are already getting close to a hundred emails a week (not counting spam). It is impossible respond to all of these emails. However we love to hear about what you have been doing the past 40 years. E.G…
Robert Peacock wrote, “Good to hear from you. I took an Early Retirement offer in 2000 and have been working harder ever since! Damn, this is 40, right?.....Damn!.....Hard to believe Keep me posted on the details.”
Kathy Potter wrote, “Thanks for your great work in keeping up the website. I received the mailing from Jim Parrish the other day, and I was happy to learn we could visit the website. I retired from teaching in 2002. I had taught at the elementary and middle school levels for 34 years. My husband, who is also retired, and I live on 43 acres of woods, meadows, hills and ponds in northern Minnesota's lake country. We try to grow and raise much of our own food and live a simple life style. Each year we raise a couple of pigs and also tend to a small flock of chickens. Gardening has become an important part of my life, and I enjoy it very much. I am planning to attend the class reunion in June, and I look forward to seeing many of you then.
Betty Radke wrote, “We have two sons, Robbie (23) and Bentley (21) who are studying in England. My husband is Vice President of Graduate and Adult Education at LeTourneau University here in Longview. I work as a bookkeeper for a couple of restaurants and real estate owner…Please keep the newsletters coming, I am interested in what everyone is doing--I just wish there were pictures with the names!!!”
Wilda Jeffrey wrote, “Mike was called to active duty in 1989. We spent 3 1/2 years in Panama, 3 years in DC, 5 years in Atlanta. He is retired and now working for General Dynamics at his dream job. I stay at home and eat bon bons with the dog. We have three gorgeous granddaughters ages 9, 11, and 16. The nine year old is still shorter than me. I do stain glass to keep out of trouble and have been doing it for about twenty years. .One daughter lives in Atlanta and the other in Santa Monica. We survived drugs and alcohol with our youngest. She has been clean for twelve years with the grace of God. We have been in Michigan since last July and like it very much. We are contemplating where we would like to retire. I look forward to seeing everyone…..Thanks again, I am looking forward to the reunion.”
Rosemary Grubb wrote, “Am looking forward to the class reunion. Hope a lot of people come. By the way - I saw your mother in Great Bend when I was there this summer. She looks great!
Phil Briscoe, class of 1963, wrote of experiences in the Argonne Rebels that can be found at http://members.cox.net/argonne_rebels/Briscoe.htm
Vicki Schulz and Charlie Stevens are posting messages on the class discussion board on the Monster Hole. See what they wrote at http://members.cox.net/gbhsclass64/Class1964/index.htm Click on “discussion group”.
________________________________________________
Newsletter #4, Jan 13, 2004
Dear GBHS '64 classmate
In the last newsletter it was reported that classmate Mark Cassell thought Great Bend might be featured on national TV Dec 18. Well, Mark was right. Great Bend was on national TV
Remember the California earthquake around Christmas? Classmate Mohammad Mohabbat emailed, “Hi Roger, We are about 50 miles from the center of the earthquake. It was a rather strong one and lasted for unusually long period. We all left our offices and ran outside. We had some power outages at the city and I have been busy directing our personal to restore power. Luckily no sever damages have been reported. I could not walk or stand in the parking lot and had to hold on to parked vehicles which were swinging back in forth considerably.”
Cheryl Pettit (class secretary) emailed, “My daughter is 33, and they have a priceless 2 1/2 yr. old. That is why we moved fairly close to Manhattan so that we could watch her grow up. I am teaching 7th grade at Abilene Middle School 30 min. away. We are closer to Lake Milford...if trees were (not) in our backyard and to the west of us, we would have beautiful view of the water of Lake Milford, a gorgeous lake of Kansas.” Cheryl also wrote that she collects clowns.
Speaking of collections, Linda Kay (Armour) Finch ’63 (college professor at UTPB) collects pterodactyls and emailed, “You should have seen me at (college) differential equations - I'm sure Mr. Urban would have had fits.”
Frances Schrader has retired from teaching in Battle Creek, Wisconsin, and is looking forward to moving to Virginia Beach, VA. She says that nobody knew that her Dad called her Cisco. (Now we all know, sorry Frances).
Patty Felke went to Chicago Oct 4 for her daughter’s wedding. The reception was on the rooftop of a 40-story skyscraper. Patty emailed, “It was windy”! (Guess that’s why they call it the ‘windy city’. And that is from a Kansas gal)
Lana Boyle’s (class treasurer) daughter was married a little after Patty’s daughter was married.
Rex Rosenberg has a neat website at http://www.bugwing.com/
And don’t forget our own website at http://members.cox.net/gbhsclass64 where you can find previous newsletters (like this) that have been achieved.
What do these three classmates have in common (besides being beautiful babes back in high school): Jeanette Vsetecka Allen, Coleen Peschka Cape, and Patty Felke Kalberloh? Answer: They all work at Barton County Community College.
Thank you to all the classmates who emailed they enjoyed these newsletters. I apologize for not responding to your emails. No time. Remember the good ole days in Great Bend High School when we were bored, because there was nothing to do? Ahh, youth. What a shame to waste it on the young (Oscar Wilde, I think).
See you at the reunion (somebody emailed that she
is planning a tummy tuck and eye-job),
Roger Pommerenke (class vice president) and the Reunion Committee
___________________________________________________________________
Newsletter #3, Dec 17, 2003
Will Great Bend be featured on national TV tomorrow (Thursday) night? Tune into A&E's Ultimate Small Town Christmas and find
out. (Webmaster's note: GREAT BEND WAS ON NATIONAL TV.
Classmate Mark Cassell emailed that possibility while my wife and I were skiing in Colorado.
We returned yesterday, and tonight Mandy (my wife) and I are volunteering at the local theatre.
Time has run out to confirm Mark's story. So here it is, maybe it is true. It is possible that Great Bend will be on national TV Thursday, Dec 18 on the A&E Network.
Check your local paper for time.
Also Jim Parrish will be sending, by snail mail, details about our reunion in a few weeks. He will also send an updated list of classmates with hopefully current address and email address etc.
Many classmates were unable to read the Excel spreadsheet emailed a few weeks ago.
Leslie Edwards wrote "I decided to get a master's degree a couple of years ago and now am almost finished. It's in Organizational Leadership, whatever that is! It's been incredibly fun, but I am down to my last two classes and getting restless. Of course I work full time too!"
Paul Folds wrote a correction to the last newsletter "hello pom pom my mailing address is p.o.box # 828, Trilby, FL (Paul went on the explain that his 'street address' was OK, but he lives in a remote location that does not have mail service). ---please keep me informed about the reunion and other stuff ----your friend paul"
Tom Cole asked, "Roger, How many of our classmates have had, or are going to have, bypass surgery and or heart attacks and or
stents? -----T Cole" (Obviously Tom has not changed much in 40 years).
Finally, recently I was Santa Clause for the Roanoke Ski Club. Click on here to see some photos. Then either click where it says, "click here for more photos of winter party", or if you have broadband (DSL or cable), click where it says "if you have broadband." for a multimedia show (caution
5MB. Use ESC to stop the show).
___________________________________________________________________
Newsletter #2, Nov 13, 2003
Remember cruising Main Street listening to KOMA radio?
An original recording of KOMA radio, circa 1962, is available here
. Considering the recording was made 40 years ago on AM radio, it is 'not bad'. Vicki Shultz emailed it's the best part of that page.
Pheasant hunting in Kansas
Skip Yowell is coming off the mountains to hunt pheasants in western Kansas with Dannis Robinson in early November.
Argonne Rebels
Glenn Opie wants to hear from former Rebels. Email Glenn at opie@ArgonneRebels.RoanokeSkiClub.Org
. Mention where you got his email address.
The following classmates have retired. Are there more?
Dannis Robinson
David Dennis
Sandra Manning Scherlacker
Roger Pommerenke
The following classmates are still in school. Are there more?
Leslie Edwards
Martha Ann Schumacher
"Hi Roger...it has been a long time. It would be fun to come to this reunion...I am back in graduate school and will be taking classes in the summer, but I will try. Martha Ann"
Ouch, this hurt
The reunion committee sometimes uses the Internet to find classmates. Just for grins, I googled myself and learned there was a serial murderer in Hamburg, Germany, with my last name. He killed a bunch of young women in 1956 after watching The Ten Commandments. Try googling yourself, and let me know what you learn.
I feel your pain
A couple classmates asked about my wife's foot surgery after reading about it on our web site members.cox.net/pommerenke. That part was obsolete, it's been deleted, she is fine, and the proof is in the attached
photo of her dancing at a charity thing last month. Thank you for you concern.
Great Bend History Lesson
in 1860, the trading post on the Walnut Creek was taken over by Charles Rath who married an Indian women named Making-Out-Road?
Making-Out-Road was Kit Carson's ex-squaw. Indians came to the trading post/saloon near present day Great Bend and got drunk!
Why didn't they teach us this stuff at GBHS?
___________________________________________________________________
Newsletter #1, Oct 27, 2003
Class prez Jim is still waiting to hear from more classmates before announcing a date for next year’s reunion. In the meantime, the reunion will be hyped with a series of newsletters. We hope you will enjoy, and contribute, to these NLs. But more importantly, we hope you will consider going back to Great Bend for next year's reunion.
Recently classmate Bill Lawrence emailed “
| Have some contest for bragging rights most children/grand-children, most unusual pets, traveled the farthest. |
| See if any of the Argonne Rebels members have more to add to the site Roger has created (http://members.cox.net/gbhsclass64/Argonnerebels ) |
| Do a list of any teachers & request photos or stories about the person for the web-site (maybe we can keep it up til the 50th reunion) |
| Do a military section to all class members as to who served in which service, ranks, awards & retirements |
| See if any one wants to do a family tree of brothers & sisters that graduated from GBHS to connect with other family members in different graduating classes |
| Have e-mail addresses of class members who want to exchange them available on the web-site. |
Jim, Tom & Roger have done this one right - Input from more class members will bring more to the reunion.” William (Bill) C. Lawrence
Thank you Bill. This first newsletter is mainly a response to your email. About those ‘photos’ and ‘bragging rights’, I have attached a photo of me taken last weekend. Clearly I should be considered a contestant for “person who changed the most”. I also got an email from Skip Yowell with a photo of Skip in WA atop Mount Rainier. Please send more photos for the next NL.
Some classmates have asked for a list of e-mail addresses. Work is progressing on increasing the quantity and quality of email addresses. If you did not respond to the last two emails, please respond to this email so we know your email address is good. (In fact, this email is a thinly disguised ploy to validate our database). We also need to create a system where someone can look at an email address and determine the classmate’s name.
Email Bill (not me) regarding his email. Updating the database is almost a full time job, and we’ve just started. I’ve received so many emails that I haven’t had a chance to acknowledged them all. But please email me about the Rebels.
Great Bend History Lesson
Did you know that...
In 1855 two white men, Bill Allison and Francis Boothe, stopped at present day Great Bend because their mules "gave out".
They built the first permanent structure near present day Great Bend, a "last chance" trading post where the Santa Fe Trail crossed the Walnut Creek.
They traded with Indians who soon called Walnut Creek "Tsodalhente-da Pa" which meant "Armless Man's Creek" because Allison had only one arm.
___________________________________________________________________
Sept 8, 2003 email from Jim Parish (photo)
Greetings,
The 40th reunion of the Great Bend High School Class of 1964 is being planned
for sometime next summer. If you get this notice, that means the email address I
have for you is still valid.
We have checked the dates at the Golden Belt Country Club and learned that almost every weekend from June 11th through August 29 is available with the exception of July 2nd and 3rd. What best fits your schedule?
Several have expressed interest in helping on a "Reunion Committee." They include Roger Pommerenke, Nancy Schuetz and Patty Kalberloh. Let any one of us know if you are interested.
The first order of business is to get as many current, accurate addresses (geographic and electronic) as possible. I will be happy to receive all address updates and get mailings out. Please let me know of any recent address changes of which you may be aware.
Generally we plan to follow the same format as we did in 1994 and 1999, keeping things informal with at least two gatherings, the last of which will be on Saturday evening. However, suggestions are welcome!
We will be in touch with more details. Feel free to offer any ideas and forward any addresses you may have.
Thanks.
--jim parrish--
Last edited 01/09/05
