More Photos and Some Updates

Louise Owen

Hi Folks,

Linda, despite being a crazed shut in for the past few weeks, is still hunting photos for both the class and for teachers as well. She contacted Louise Owen who is still around in Evanville and doing well. Before you know it, she'll be zipping around the Westside in the little red Smart car again, unstoppable as ever.

Patty Qualls also got a photo of the previously elusive Phyllis Day.

We are starting to plan some of the elements of Reunion, namely T-Shirts, getting pricing and logo styles and such. We will be announcing details as soon as the research phase is complete. As with everything else we have done in class related items, we will be doing our best to keep pricing affordable to get the broadest participation possible. Reunion theme decorations are starting to float around in the air in as yet idle speculation too.

We found out from Larry Broerman that the R-Men decided to have their Golf Outing on the Friday of Reunion weekend instead of the usual Saturday. That just eases the event crowding on Saturday so the golfers can also do the school tour on Saturday morning.

The response to the Class Cruise Vacation is starting to build. We actually have a half dozen reservations already and verbals for about 20 more (after all, it's a year away, and the miserable sleety snowy weather outside this morning certainly makes me think fondly of the Caribbean that we left only 3 weeks ago.) Yes, we know it's not cheap, but it ain't a john boat on the Ohio either. It promises to be a truly memorable (and better yet, sharable) vacation worth saving for. David Fritz strongly suggests that reservations be made by April so that favorable room accommodations can be secured. After that, the more desirable locations may be gone.

I for one am truly gratified by the wonderful response from the veterans of the class including many photos from the way-back machine.

We're Back!

The Hip Cruise has been taken, the surgery is over, the recuperation has begun, and the work continues We're back on the job, tracking down your teachers. Some are gone, but many are still here and we'll be contacting them and inviting them to the reunion. What better way to spend your stuck-at-home time then to track down the Reitz teachers who gave so much. So keep your eye on the teachers page on the site!

And needless to say, if you have any info about these folks, let us know!

The Cruise to Somewhere clarification:

1. Cruise prices are set by the cruise companies. There are no "discounts" by going to one cruise agent versus another. The commissions are all built in. If you book direct, the cruise company keeps the commission. The difference is what a cruise agent can do with on board ship credits and fee waivers. That's why we went with Cruise Everything.

2. The details of the Cruise are as follows:

     a. The Ship: Freedom of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
     b. The Date: February 10, 2013 - that's NOT next week. It's NEXT YEAR!
     c. Departing from Port Canaveral, FL
     d. Destinations: Cocoa Cay, St. Thomas, St. Maarten

3. You have to get to Port Canaveral. Cruise Everything can help with that too, if you choose.

4. Here is the link to the cruise offer: http://cruises.advaia.com/details/?CID=41&OfferID=876387

5. You can call David with any additional questions you may have. He will be happy to talk to you.

It's Never Easy

Well, the New Year has arrived and Linda and I hope that you had a truly joyous holiday season. The website is still up with the .net ending. I am still working on getting the .com ending to work like it did before. Suffice to say, it's technical.

Before everyone forgot that things Reunion are still moving forward, Linda told me to make sure I told you about:

1. The Cruise to Nowhere is now the Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on Royal Caribbean setting sail on February 10 of 2013 (Next year, folks, next year). So far we are estimating that about a dozen couples are set to sail with us. Leaving out of Port Canaveral, it is about a 12 hour drive or you can arrange for transportation through our very own cruise director, David Fritz of Cruise Everything who has balanced value and price. If you are interested, contact Linda and she will provide all the details as we have them right now. These facts are starting to be etched in stone. There are still some variables though.

2. In February, we will be starting the pricing research for the Reitz T Shirts. We will end up with a standard size distribution matrix and once we start taking orders we will set up a price based on a quantity estimate. Once again, as we typically do, we will be trying to set a fair price for a quality shirt.

3. Later this Spring we will start the process of contacting everyone to remind them of all the arrangements for the 45th. Please make sure you update your contact information with Linda so you won't miss a thing!

Test Signal

Do you remember back on Christmas morning as a kid when it seemed you just couldn't wake up early enough. I'd sneak over to the tree, and then to my parents' bedroom and back again wondering when they'd wake up so that the shredfest could begin. Then there'd be nothing to do but watch some TV when I'd discover that TV wasn't awake yet either.

Well, even in these modern times that can happen too. Due to technical difficulties........So what gives?

Remember the goofy copyright dispute over at www.waynevalley67.com? Well it has spilled over to our Reitz website too. Please be patient and we will resolve it in short order by moving the site to a westside server.
When it comes back up, the site will be www.reitz67.net for a short period and then after a week or so, everything will be back to normal. The .net change should be in place right after Xmas and the change back to normal by New Year. Thanks for your patience and have a safe and wondrous Christmas and New Year.

Out of the Loop

All you westsiders are missing all the excitement. Right now, the action is over at the Wayne Valley Class Directory blog - http://wvhs67.blogspot.com where there is a raging controversy over ownership of class yearbook images. Well actually it's rather one-sided. I gave up raging years ago.

Maybe I should start from the beginning. A number of years ago, a classmate of mine created a class reunion website for the class. He scanned all the pictures of everyone in the yearbook and set it up. A lot of effort especially using the technology back then. When I discovered the site, I made a copy of the whole thing. It was, at the time, not copyrighted and of course, the source material he used from the yearbook wasn't either. When I built the Wayne Class directory, I used some of those images (the ones that were scribbled on I replaced) and he used some of mine from graduation.  It is mostly for reunions and mine is a class directory. You guys are lucky because your website serves both purposes without rivalry or rancor or insecurity or suspicion.

You are all probably familiar with my on again off again, now entirely off again relationship with the reunion committee for being in grown and unconcerned with finding people. You all know how Linda and I feel about non inclusion and cliquishness. Well the Directory launched on Halloween and has been an incredible success and meeting place for old friends. You folks know how that works.

Everything is running smoothly and I'm busy website buildin' and classmate findin' and Linda's Facebookin' and classmates all over the country are emailin' and cell phone callin' each other when all of a sudden we get a notice on Facebook that Linda's posting of Wayne high school yearbook pictures of certain individuals violated copyrights and had been removed. Scratching our heads, we researched the claims and found that they could be traced to the reunion committee. The following day, my webhost informed me that the class directory website had been suspended for alleged copyright violations and until I responded to them the site was down for the count. Hmmmmm. Just a coincidence? Again, we lifted a rock and uncovered...the reunion committee.

Of course, being the "can do" people we are, there is always a way and the net result of this sabotage was a two day interruption of a service that my class has come to enjoy very much.  I don't think they realized how much until it was gone for a short time.

Why tell this story? Well aside from giving me the opportunity to vent a little, it is a cautionary tale for the FJ Reitz Class of 67 too. Don't let the wonderful class spirit that has been generated here drift off into the winter woods. You have captured the essence of that phrase, something that some in my own class may never fully understand. It is about all of you, together, through the years. It doesn't belong to any one person or any one group. You built it together and you'll keep it alive by setting aside one weekend every couple of years to get together; by keeping your contact information current so Linda doesn't have to do that hunt again, and if you haven't yet sent in a current photo, just go ahead and do it! And if you're into cruising, block off a week in the beginning of 2013 - not next year but the next, for the Cruise to Somewhere which is coming into clearer focus now.

So call a classmate and wish them a Merry Christmas, break bread together over the holiday.  Be thankful that you belong to a high school class that understands the essence of Class Spirit.  It's about community. It's not me, it's we.

BTW, the military service page is filling out nicely. Keep the photos and info flowing.

Last Minute Xmas Gift and Wishes

I thought this holiday season was a good time to tell you all about one of my classmates from Wayne Valley High School in Wayne, NJ. During sophomore year (we were a 6-3-3 school system - six grade school years, 3 middle school years and 3 high school years) the football coaches realized that they had something special on their hands, and they responded appropriately and developed a bunch of kids into the most fearsome football squad in the state; they took the state title. These guys had a defensive four that were All State. They were unstoppable.  Much like the Reitz defense last year, but even better, if you can imagine that. In fact, one of them was recently inducted into the Wayne Football Hall of Fame. One of the other defensive four was named Ray Holcomb. Ray went to college and law school and became a lawyer but it wasn't enough. He joined the FBI and began the adventure that became his life.

About 5 years ago, he decided to write it all down, got all the sensitive national security material cleared for publication or removed, and published his book in June of this year. It is the story of one helluva career

I read a lot. Always have, except for a 4 year period of time after I got out of Yale which so soured me on books that I didn't even pick one up during that time. Even now, my reading is either total fantasy (leaning heavily to science fiction) or documentaries. Well, I decided to buy Ray's book (he's a classmate after all). It had such an impact on me that I even wrote a review of the book for Amazon, where the book is available in either hard cover or Kindle. This is the review I wrote:

The exploits of this career-FBI counter-terrorism agent are quite enough to propel the narrative of Endless Enemies to a satisfying if not cautionary conclusion. This can be said of many first person documentary writings. This tale rewards the reader in many other ways.

The narrative is a historical zoom lens. On the one hand, Mr. Holcomb zooms in and describes the milestones of his career in the Bureau in astonishing and often amusing detail that could only come from a field operative on the inside; on the other he pulls back and is able to place these events in context on a strategic international stage. He presents the dynamic of the domestic and international roles played by the FBI; he covers budgetary constraints and internal political and personal agendas; he intelligently discusses the difficulties of recasting a large law enforcement agency into an effective tool against new and evolving foes; he caringly describes the human toll that its agents continually pay to adapt to that changing role. On a personal level, Ray wistfully recalls the emotional pull of the comfort and safety of a career in corporate law against his visceral desire to meet the security needs of the country.

What makes this narrative so compelling is that Mr. Holcomb is a self-aware narrator. He has clearly given great thought to his role in these sadly real events and it is the depth and clarity of his thinking that makes this book special. He does not posture about his role. He simply lived a life of understated patriotism to the best of his ability and to the extent of his character, and that has taken him farther than most are willing to go. Endless Enemies deserves a read. When you're done, you'll come away with a much deeper appreciation for the dedicated people like Ray Holcomb who are doing their best to protect us amid all the political ambitions and drama being played out in the national headlines of the past 30 years. 


Yeah, sure, Ray is a classmate of mine. That does not change the fact that this man is an unsung national hero and that the book is a real thrill ride precisely because it relates true events from the life of a very modest man.


Speaking of patriots, thanks to all the Reitz vets who have provided information about their military service. This is something that has resonated with this class as well as my own in New Jersey. It wouldn't surprise me if you served in the same units as some of my own classmates. 


I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Reitz Class of 1967 for teaching me some very valuable lessons which have proved very useful in my chasing down the Wayne Valley High School Class of 1967. It has also taught me a great deal about the importance of old friends and common memories and appreciate my own a great deal more.

And now for the Christmas wishes part:

*

From

Howell

To Hitch Peter

We all started anew.

An Orange Beach Condo

To watch Blue Angels that flew

A new website to see all as we were

A Get Together with friendships renewed.

Now the Mother of all Reunions and football Game

and then a Cruise to Somewhere to top it all off. Whew.

Merry Xmas

From

Milton

And

Linda Yuan

Somewhere has a name

For those of you who have taken to keeping up with the adventures of the Reitz Class of 1967 lately, you know we've been mumbling about the Cruise to Somewhere for quite some time, most recently to announce that it was pushed into the Fall of 2012 after Reunion. There was a meeting of the newly and informally formed (it was whoever could show up of the people that expressed an interest) Cruise to Somewhere Committee (that's CSC in bureaucratese).

Drum roll please. It has been decided that the Cruise to Somewhere will be to (rim shot please) The Southern Caribbean via Royal Caribbean for 7 days in Jan or Feb of 2013. (OVER A YEAR AWAY) Enough time to properly plan and save for such an expedition. It sails out of Port Canaveral FL, a closer port, and goes to places fewer have been. Details will follow but there's plenty of time to see if you're interested. We've already been told by some folks they won't be going because of bad cruise experiences, but those are anecdotal. After all, Linda's first cruise was chased by Hurricane George all around the Caribbean but didn't turn her from cruising again. It's going to be a fun time for anyone that goes and it will be all handled by a travel professional of Patty Qualls acquaintance so the committee will be available to work on other projects to keep the spirit alive and the class getting together as often as we reasonably can.

In the meanwhile, back at the ranch, Linda has been making sure that all her emails and mailing addresses for all the Reitz 67 gang are up to date so that when the reminders and sign-ups start for the 45 we can still get hold of everyone.

Anyone interested in the Cruise to Somewhere should contact Linda (812-425-3255) or Patty (812-626-7917) for more details.