Monday, May 30, 2011

Lower Requirements; Higher Expectations

We had lunch with Patty Qualls and some of her family, including her parents. Albert and Dorothy Qualls are a fixture every fall in the Reitz Bowl. As long time residents of Reitz Hill and among the most loyal Reitz backers on the Westside, it was a real pleasure to talk about things with them. Tales of raising 3 kids in a very small house, holding a wedding shower for Linda's first, a little bit of everything. It was great fun.

Ever notice how certain aspects of your personality wants to revert back to your teenage ways? Then you catch yourself and shake yourself out of it. Anyway, it's been great lately, watching all the interaction between old friends. The get together did exactly what we hoped it would. Sales for the condo drawing are ongoing. Don't forget, $10 for a $2600 condo stay in Orange Beach AL. What a deal. You've got till July 31st and then we're gonna have a public drawing.

Heard from Ed Voliva, who is back in Newburgh IN.  We also will be including a new photo of Keith Reitz from his family. We will be updating both the website and directory.

BTW, one of the things we didn't get a chance to do in April, (it was hard enough to get the grade school pictures organized) - we wanted to do a veteran's photo. We're doing that next year for sure. And if we don't seem to be getting to it in the program, remind us. This is something we WANT to do.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

One Search Ending; Another Just Begun

The other day, Linda found what seemed to be confirmation that Charlotte Scott had passed. Not in the state of Washington, as all other evidence indicated, but somewhere in Tampa FL. Now I have to go and change our memorial page for someone about whom we know so little. Another thing that this whole experience has taught me (among so many others) is that I don't want to be part of the named but unknown members of my class, obituary read, memory scanned with no results, and then with a shrug, back to the daily grind. I want to reach out to people I went to school with and talk with them and find out what I missed out knowing about them when they were in school. It's not too late. Use the directory, use the website to randomly contact someone you went to school with, or look up that person you used to be friends with. Maybe that friendship is still there waiting to be rekindled. Maybe not but at least you can be sure.

In my classmate search, I have done so as part of the quest for classmates. I've talked and talked about things common to memory with people I only passed in the hallway 44 years ago. But we're talking and high school memories did happen and no, you aren't just making it up in your own imagination because someone else remembers it, and sometimes, just sometimes, they remember you too, and you see yourself from their eyes and compare it to how you remember yourself back then and you learn something about yourself.

Guess what folks, its a different part of the country, it's a different world in Wayne, NJ, but people there are wondering the same thing as you. What ever happened to, you know, what's their name. He used to play ball......or she used to be a twirler........Now we can actually look it up. I've invited my classmates to put together biographical sketches to include on my Wayne Valley blog. I'd like to extend the same invitation to you. Just a few sentences to let people know how you chose to go. It would be interesting for all to read.

And, as a shameless plug, maybe you could read about it on a wireless laptop from a beach in front of that Orange Beach AL condo that you are staying in because you won the condo drawing for only $10 mailed in to Linda Yuan! Chances are still available from Linda, Patty Qualls, Nancy Layson Burke, Bob Willis and Tommy Waterman. We're hoping to raise as much as possible with this one so we can keep the reservation price for the 45th as low as possible while keeping it something special. The drawing's in August. You know how the summer goes. Blink and it's gone, so like the guy on TV says, "Doittoday!"

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Stories of Best Friends Lost and Found

During the course of searching out everyone this past year, Linda encountered so many stories, so many details pushed back into the recesses of our fading memories. She also ran smack dab into old friendships that like memories, had slowly faded into the background. The motives, the feelings that caused those friendships to begin never changed. They just remained in limbo, waiting for the opportunity to pop back up to the surface like bottles containing messages drifting up on the seashore. And that happened for Linda, with friends from both Centennial and West Terrace as well as her Reitz days. And she's been making sure that her busy schedule has time included in it for those friends once again. Who ever thought that retirement would be so busy. I'm trying to convince her that the word is "full" and not "busy". How much better is that than "empty" or "boring".

So why did those friendships get pushed into the background? That is the right way to describe it. Sometimes the events that are directly in front of you get blown out of proportion and take on a false importance. There is only so much time, and those things, like the drive for material wealth and status or overwhelming ambition, start pushing others out of the way. Like friendship, family, faith, memories of the past and your origins all take a seat along the wall like the shy at the high school dance.

Sometimes it takes an event, like the 2011 Preunion, what people are now calling the 44th, to pop that bubble, to pull you back from the brink to where you really wanted to be but had forgotten. And for those of you who have managed to maintain those friendships across the years, perhaps it has helped you look at those relationships with a new understanding of their importance in your lives and with a new appreciation.

As I embark on a similar journey with my high school class, I begin to think about these same things. I've got stories too, and old friends too long forgotten. This has been my awakening too. I'll be relating these at a different venue with the Wayne Valley High School crowd.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Ron Carlisle

Got in touch with Ron's wife because Ron's fighting the good fight against cancer. He's holding his own and we've got a picture of him, Captain Ron, doing what he loves to do best, sail.

We wish him well and hope that he wins.

I've been continuing the class search for my classmates. In the past week, I've talked to about 15 of my classmates who were "lost". It has been and continues to be a great experience. I've reconnected two pairs of best friends so far and gotten several commitments to attend my 45th Reunion May 27th of 2012. That trip will still leave us enough time to continue the planning for the September 8 Reitz 45th. We're in the process of setting up the communications to the class process. Linda doesn't want to hear that people didn't get contacted personally by someone. We want to make sure that all our work continues on. Keep in touch. Be nosy (be a true West Sider!). If you hear of any changes with any of our classmates, let us know!

And don't forget about that condo vacation. Chances are still for sale from the Reunion Committee, so if you run into Linda, Nancy, Patty or Bob Willis or Tom Waterman, make sure to ask them about 'em if you haven't got yours already. You've got a couple of months to act yet, but we all know about procrastination.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Icing on the Cake

Linda talked to Gary Malin. Here's a message he later sent:

Linda, you might add in your blog that since I have been conducting private tours at the NAS Pensacola Naval Museum on the history of Naval Avation and all the corresponding aircraft that the Navy has flown, I will give the winner a private tour of the museum and a tour of the restoration private area(very hard to get this tour) on the Navy base.
Hope sales are going well, see you when you are in the area,


Gary


I thought just the condo itself was great. Now, that is icing on the cake. 


I am having the same kind of fun contacting my classmates as Linda did contacting hers. Now understand that my class was over 600 people. So there were a lot of people I never had any contact with at all for the whole time I was in school. But that being so, I have been talking and carrying on in phone conversation like we were the best of friends, sort of appreciating the fact that we've both come to some good and are still alive and kicking. Unfortunately, here area few more dead ones and there are some not in the greatest of health but still chugging along in spite of it all. I'm hooked on the mission now. 8 down, 142 to go. Then all my class will be located too! 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Into each life a little rain must fall

I'm sorry to report that Linda's research has found that Ben Corn passed away in 2004. Linda also located Ron Carlisle in Michigan. Ron is having some medical issues and would probably really be buoyed by some friendly email. His email is on the website.

I've started my own personal campaign to locate 200 "lost" classmates. Called about a dozen, found 3, one of whom actually remembered me (we had classes together). And of course, Linda, semi professional search specialist was on hand with friendly advice.

Like the Reitz class, my classmates are a far flung group, larger to start with, and with a larger group of "lost" students, but I suspect that just as high a percentage are hidden in plain sight. If I'm successful in the next few months, may we'll have to get a bigger place in New Jersey to hold the event too! Wouldn't that be a shame.
Unlike Evansville, Wayne is really a bedroom for people that work in New York for many. As a result, there is often not much connection with the town. I think a greater percentage of the class moved away than stayed.

Ironically, one of the people I contacted lived in Tempe AZ, so we were able to talk about Arizona where we were just a couple weeks ago.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Reasons Why

In all the excitement, it was easy to forget that there were over 20 classmates that paid for reservations for what everyone has started calling the 44th (it's shorter and just as good a name as any other) but for whatever reason couldn't make it. We followed up (I should say Linda followed up, it's just her nature). For the most part, it was an interesting and sometimes amusing story.Two folks just fogged up and forgot. One waited at Howell Shelter and never went to look at the signs that Willis posted on the door. We met one a few days after who said,"See you on Saturday". We were sorry to have to explain that they missed it. The stories go on and on.

There was one story that wasn't all fun and games though. We found out a few days later when Lionel Phelps' wife was listed in the Obits in the paper. We then knew why Lionel didn't make it. Although we haven't said it before, our deepest sympathies go out to him. The same thing happened to Sandy Isaacs Simms, who lost her mother just a couple days before.

I'm a little disappointed in my own classmates lukewarm response to my offer to help find lost classmates, something that we have a little experience with. They seem to be in the Glory Days phase of things, you know, like the Springsteen song. They just keep track of people who show for the events and assume that anyone else isn't interested. Which means that if you miss one, you fall off the radar. No one ever gets a second chance. Is that right?  I don't think so. Think of how many wouldn't have come to the 44 if we had taken that attitude? How many good times missed? How many friendships renewed? How many stories not shared? But if they don't really want the help despite protestations to the contrary.......So we sent the the first batch of classmates to them with contact info. We'll see what they have to say. You know, two of the people actually were Facebook friends with one of the committee who didn't realize that the people were listed as lost. Like a lot of our "lost", a few out of the top of the list were hidden in plain sight in our home town.

Linda tells me that we still have a lot to do to get ready for the Reitz 45. Maybe I should let others do it for the Wayne Valley 45th. Speaking of which, a reminder that tickets for the condo drawing in August are still on sale for a $10 donation and are available from any of the Reunion committee. Support the effort. Get a few tickets. You might just get a great free vacation out of the deal too!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Out of touch for a day

Blogger is back up so here I am after 24 hours of downtime.

Linda managed to get confirmation that Jerry Powell is gone but not forgotten, and the website reflects that now. There is a Social Security Death Record database and Linda found him there. There's a back story to this but not for publication.

In the meanwhile, I am trying to determine if the folks from Wayne Valley charged with doing so really have the time to engage in a real search for the "missing" folks in my class. Once I determine that, I will decide if I am going to go all out (with Linda's expert help, of course). Similarly, I need to determine that someone is going to do something with all this information.

Like just about everything, it got me thinking about how varied and unexpected life has turned out for the people I went to school with. I found myself thinking about the ones I knew that are gone and how I felt when I found out that they were, and the fear that some of the people I've lost touch with, but at one time was real close with, might actually be gone too.   When I was doing the Reitz site and listing people that were gone, they were just names. Now they are real people with whom I have a history and memories, mostly good ones. It makes me wish that all who remain are at my reunion, and it makes me want to find the ones who are "lost" so they can be there too. I now have a better appreciation for what drives Linda to do what she does and it renews my own energies.

How can you NOT want to go to the 45th Reunion? Life is short, and gettng shorter every day. I can't wait for May of 2012 and I hope that you can't wait for September of 2012 in the same way.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Lessons Learned

Linda casually asked me the other night how many classmates from my graduating high school class were not located. I said their website showed a couple hundred (out of a class of 600). She commented that if I printed out a list from the website that she might take a look see how difficult it might be to find some of them, including my best friend from high school who long ago dropped out of sight.

Within minutes, I hear whooping and hollerin' and she announces "I found some!". Sure enough, she had located 5 certain matches on Facebook. One of them was still in my high school home town. It reminded me of a lot of the Reitz folks that were hiding in plain sight here in Evansville.

Spared the responsibility of being on the reunion committee of Wayne Valley Senior High School, I will forward the information along to the folks who have been actively organizing things for my class for the past 44 years. I guess they never thought to use the new tools to find the old people. Anyway, Linda's glad to help and I'm delighted to be back in closer contact with my roots. As the old (literally) Student Council President and newspaper editor, I guess it's only right to shoulder some of the burden and we all know how "persistent" Linda can be in her research. She's still trying to get the true story on Jerry Powell and some others still not located.

And the Reitz Committee (The Gang of Five) has been hawking chances on the Condo drawing with considerable success. The work is a slower go than Reunion reservations or Directories when they first were available, but it's understandable. Some people hate the beach (ugh. All that sand!). Others prefer cool to hot; preferring mountains to beach. And even though the chances are only $10, the trip (what with gas prices as they are) requires a little additional investment, like food and travel sundries etc., etc. Nonetheless, it is an incredible opportunity for a small investment if a Gulf Coast vacation was something you were considering anyway. You know the drill: Getting away for a while, good; Stay at home all the time, bad. Again, our thanks to Gary Malin for making this possible for the class. Linda loves that area. I'm sure we'll be getting some chances too.

The committee is working on convincing Linda that it's okay not to have every little detail locked down for the 45th Reunion. We've got over a year. It's a lot like trying to get James Brown (you know, the hardest working man in show business) to quit. You get her settled down and then she grabs the mike and the cape and starts dancin' and singin' again. We'll keep working on it and in the meanwhile, all you folks that have offered to help with Reunion tasks: Just be careful what you ask for; you just might get it. Just kidding. But don't be surprised if a classmate comes to your door to ask a favor of you.......

This whole experience has made me stop and think about the lessons I've learned about this whole experience. First, that no matter how you try to separate it from your life, your past is a part of who you are, good, bad or indifferent. You couldn't have done it any other way or else you would have, so while you may have regrets, it's too late now. It's just one foot in front of the other as you proceed down the road of life. At this point in our finite time, you might as well celebrate your past and use it to pave your future path. That's why I'm going to my 45th Reunion in Wayne NJ on May 27, 2012. It's why you should go to yours on September 8, 2012. Hell, I'm only an honorary member of your class and I'm going!?!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Echo Valley Minimums

So, Linda gets the mailed contract from Echo Valley yesterday and discovers that there is a 200 person minimum on catering in addition to the cost of the facility. Now being an independent minded person, she bridles at the notion that if the 45th is underattended , that the class funds will still be tapped for 200 instead of the actual head count.

Her immediate reaction is to reinitiate research into other facilities since it is not as though we don't have a little time. We're well over a year away. My reaction is that we'll just have to make sure we have over 200 so that if we lose a few folks to last minute unavoidable absences,which we know from the Spring thing happens, we'll still have over 200 and everything will be fine. Either way, it does not detract from the quality of the facility.

After consultation with other members of the committee, who reassure Linda that we will have over 200 for the Reunion, Linda rededicates herself to tying up loose ends with Directories and CDs and such. Sh still feels like she's being held for ransom though. I can tell.

In the meanwhile, we have received quite a few offers of help. We are talking about what form this additional help can take. We are certain that the need for help is always there. It is a question of how best to utilize the help in a meaningful and least painful way. Even though decorating is a long way off, there is still momentum building activities such as setting up telephone contact trees and such. We always welcome help.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Fundraising

Fundraisers. The very use of the word is enough to send most folks packing for the Hills with one hand on the wallet; the other on the forehead. Mostly it's from grandkids who have to support their own extracurricular activities now that school budgets are hacking away at student supplies and even teachers' paychecks. Cookie dough, popcorn, magazine subscriptions, flower seeds, peelers, chocolate bars, the list seems endless, and the campaigns seem constant. Then there are the charitable organizations, most of whom deserve support since they now form much of our social safety net in the age of budget deficits and soaring fuel costs.

But here's one fundraising campaign that is designed to specifically benefit you and your classmates. Our fundraising is meant to ensure the greatest possible participation in our class events by keeping the cost of admission as low as possible while maintaining the highest possible levels of quality for venue, food and refreshments. The April Get Together was just an example of how that could be done. The food wasn't fancy, but it was wholesome. The venue wasn't the Ritz, but it provided a comfortable space for great conversation and mixing. The soft drinks weren't everyone's cup of tea, no pun intended, but it was a change of pace to demonstrate that alcohol wasn't the secret to success.

We believe that the actual 45th reunion should and will be more upscale, but upscale doesn't mean more formal. It just means more special, and part of that still involves keeping costs as low as possible while cranking up the levels on everything else. The money has to come from somewhere. We've been hawking Directories, CDs of the directory, Photos of the Spring Class photos and the like to raise funds to do that. The condo donation by Gary Malin and the resulting drawing is also intended to raise funds for the Reunion. It's not just about the condo stay, which in and of itself is terrific. It's about participation and interest in the class and its members and activities as well. Your participation is every bit as important as the next person. Buy a drawing ticket for $10. You can't win it if you're not in it. Even if the beach is not your thing (like Milton, who hates sand) it's for a great cause. We're developing some consolation prizes now, and for $10 bucks, you can always donate it to another deserving classmate who does love the beach. Gary's only stipulation was that an actual classmate get to use the place. And we have more in store for the future as well but more on that later.

The goal is always to have the class events pay for themselves and still keep a little seed money to kick start future events. Fundraising is one of the few ways we have to do that and still keep the price of admission at levels that ensure the greatest possible participation. If this all works out the way we hope, you'll be amazed at the pricing levels that we can achieve and how much bang we get for the buck. What's $10 bucks get you nowadays? Not even enough gas to mow your yard. 3 trips to Starbucks? Two Reitz sporting events? A movie ticket and a bottle of water. Spend it for your classmates. Spend it for yourself. See Linda, Patty, Nancy or Bob for tickets. The drawing will be held in early August in public at an announced time and place although you don't have to be present to win.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Digital Yearbook

Don't despair. We haven't forgotten all the folks whose yearbooks ended up in a black hole. Milton will get back on track with that little project! We'll let everyone know when it's available. Same deal. $5 bucks local, $7 out of town. Classmates.com wants $75!?! Jeez.

Linda is going to have to start carrying drawing tickets. We're in the Dollar General and we hear, "Linda, where are you....I know you're in here.." and here comes Sharon Cooper with $20 for a ticket for her and Judy Scheller. BTW, Bob Willis has tickets for sale too.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

We've Got Stamps!

Folks, your participation in the Spring 2011 Get Together means that the Reunion Committee has enough money to spring for stamps to send your condo drawing tickets back to you. I was just kidding about $10.44 a chance. We appreciate it but it isn't necessary.

We're starting to get entries in and have appropriated a big jug for the drawing tickets. Linda is thinking about the drawing already. She's thinking that we ought to do it in public so we're considering locations to do a drawing. You don't have to be president to win, uh, present to win but something this big ought to be very public to make sure that everyone knows it is on the up and up. I'm arguing for a few consolation prizes but Linda made me promise not to crack jokes about the weekend getaway at the Westside Holiday Inn Express. The whole consolation prize thing is still up in the air.

Well we got a personal call from Nate Blackford saying that our class photo was going to be in the Westside edition tomorrow. We'll see. The proof is in the pudding. If it isn't there, we'll start a letter writing campaign.

The Courier Press published our big photo with my blurb following. If they had copied and pasted, they could have gotten our website address right.

BTW, Barb Barrows Francowiak sent us a new email address. It is on the website and will be incorporated into the Class Directory.  Just keep those updates flowing in. Keep Linda's work meaningful. If you move, change phone numbers from land lines to cell phones, change email addresses; if any of your contact info changes, shoot her an email or a phone call.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Back from Arizona

Been away for a week. Blogging on a phone just doesn't cut it. A week in Arizona sunshine (no rain but one morning of 34 degrees with wind which made it feel like 29). A welcome change of climate and scenery but it is always good to come home to Evansville too. Makes me think about why I chose this town anyway (besides Linda).

Wandering in AZ with Linda before during and after the Bin Laden business, we were stopped by the Border Patrol at a checkpoint coming back toward Tucson from Tombstone. A full squad of officers, all vested, Glock and assault rifle equipped young fellows who were cautiously courteous and spread out to avoid crossing each other's line of fire.  Serious stuff, especially after losing one of their own not too long ago. If for no other reason, it's great to carry a US passport!

Now that we're back from a whole week without rain or floods, we will address the short shrift we've been given by the Courier Press, and launch the great Condo Week giveaway with a bang. We've already heard from several classmates who have preplaced their order for chances. Chances are available from Linda at 812-425-3255 and linday7632@gmail.com or Patty Qualls at Beau Cheveaux and patty.qualls@gmail.com  or Nancy Layson Burke at nllburke47720@yahoo.com for $10 a chance. All funds will go directly to the Reitz Class of 1967 Class fund. Only paid chances are eligible to win so send in your checks please. We'll be using paired tickets. You get one, one is retained for the drawing.  If I've gotten any of this wrong, Linda will tell me and I'll publish a correction but I think I'm spot on here.

A bit of sad news as well. We discovered today that up in Princeton, Lionel Phelps lost his wife. Viewing and service information was in the paper today. Our deepest sympathies go out to him and his family. The realization of how fragile life is comes slamming home once more. This year's activities and the Reunions planning for next year (both in NJ and here) have been real incentives to attending the NJ one where I've not been in 25 years.