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Bobcat Bulletin
Ides of March 2002
updated on Sunday, August 06, 2006 09:23 PM

Is it just me, or does it seem days go by so much faster now? Where did the month of March go? I get I get behind because I write about days past rather than concentrate on future events like the August gathering. Then again, if you would send me more info about you, your family, and things to share with the group I would be able to write more!! Now here's some good news - a couple of more found Bobcats:

Lil' Tommy Waskow '65 (now Major General Waskow) was found by Kathie Faulkner Jones '66: mailto:waskow@aol.com He's now stationed in Japan and I believe is in charge of USAF in Japan.

Nadine Halstead Navarro '64 I got notice from www.Classmates.com  of a couple of newly found LCHS grad and nadine was one of them. I wrote to her and she has already been in touch with Dianne Manos Costanzo and some others. I hope to have a bio from her to share with you in the next e-mail: mailto:NavarroNT@aol.com

John Bulger '64 has re-surfaced at a new e-mail address: mailto:john.jmbulger@verizon.net

Have any of you found a lost soul that needs to join our group? Let me know

O.K. who's coming to Charleston 8/23-8/25??? Dianne Manos Constanzo can't make it for the following reason:

Hey, CroweMan,

Just got an e-mail from Fie and was wondering if you got my last e-mail re the Aug 23-25 Charleston Reunion? Am really pissed that we can't make it!!! We leave Aug 19 for British Columbia where Young Louis will do the Canadian IronMan on August 25. It's impossible to come up with a date that fits in with everyone's schedule !!! That time frame has no flex for me....just like the first weekend had none for you. Soooo, it'll be up to you to assume the role of Martini Marathon King.

Anyone want to suggest another date in the month of August? We need to decide soon. Another option for some would be the New Orleans gathering 7/12-7/14. This is being organize by the "Londoner" classes from '66-74 and it looks as though they have quite a few attending. You can check them out at:

http://www.londoncentral.org

When you go to the site, click on reunions, and disregard the note about the Washington DC gathering we were talking about two years ago. That got changed to Charleston following the tragedy of September 11.

Here's some details about Charleston from our own Jim Fei who has been running the bases on hotels etc. since Charleston is his home town:

I recommend we use the Charleston Renaissance Hotel, about 18 months old, as our hotel in August. They are discounting the rooms from $169 a nite to $119. I have blocked 20 rooms for a starting point. I will visit them next week and can get additional info (pricing) for a dinner, if that's what we want. Comments or suggestions?

I visited the hotel yesterday and it will be great for our get together. Super location (walk to everything downtown, ie no rental cars), great rooms (either Kings or Dbl-Dbl both with an oversize chair w/ ottoman and a separate desk w/ chair), good restaurant, banquet facilities (if we need them), cocktail lounge which will stay open till 1am (that's a start anyway), pool, gym, and, best of all, we can get a hospitality suite (they only have one) which I could not see because it was occupied, but is described as incorporating the space of three rooms laid out with a small kitchen, bathroom, dining room table w/ eight chairs, a sofa, and four or five other chairs. We could stock the room w/ drinks, snacks, fruit, juices, coffee, etc and not only have a place for some, if not all, of the group to get together, but we would also save on expenses for buying some of these things from the hotel, or room service. The suite has an adjoining King on one side and a dbl/dbl on the other which someone (would have to be a serious party animal) could choose to book as their room. I need some thoughts on what the group is interested in doing for meals. The options may vary with the final head count, but Charleston has many great restaurants within walking distance. I remember, just barely, that in LA we did one banquet in the hotel and one diner at Frank & Musso's (or is it Musso & Frank's?) In NY we had one diner in Little Italy and I can't remember the other one. If the number is 25 or so, I think we can, and should, try local restaurants rather than a banquet in the hotel. Although, a banquet is probably the only way we can have cocktails first (and be moving around, mixing, etc) and then dinner. I need some thoughts from others. I would recommend that on one of the evening I arrange for a couple of large (seating 12-15 each) horse drawn carriages that, following cocktails at the hotel, would pick us up, give us a short tour of the historic district, and drop us of at a restaurant. There is one particular place, Carolina's, which has a great menu, lots of southern touches on familiar items, which is a bout a seven or eight block walk. So a ride their and a walk back would be great. There are two-man pedicabs available everywhere in case on tires of walking (or crawling.) I don't remember if we tried to roll some of the expenses up and collect a payment, like a registration fee for NY and LA (which I know we did do in Houston). I am planning on Fri and Sat nites as the "core" period for the event, altho those traveling from the west coast might want to come in on Thurs since the early (8am or so) flights don't get to Charleston until around 6pm because of having to connect somewhere along the line. Accordingly, I'm looking at a Fri evening function, Sat breakfast on your own, several options exist for Sat, a group dinner on Sat, and probably a group breakfast/brunch on Sun. The hotel puts on a buffet breakfast in the restaurant on the weekends, so we can probably just use that. On Saturday, there are antique shops (with antiques also in the shops), galleries, several museums, up scale shops and plenty of everything in the Old Market. Another possibility is a boat ride out to Fort Sumter (memories of the Circle Tour in NY) where the War of Northern Aggression began. Remember my earlier comments regarding the weather...August will be HOT and HUMID. The pool will definitely look good. Lot's of things to think about. Can you send this around and let's begin to get an idea of the actual interest? I have blocked 20 rooms for now but can add/drop as we need.

Alright, kids, it time to get something booked for Charleston. Who will make it if we get it booked? Here are the ones I know of so far:

but the bottom line is we need to commit soon. I you think we need to commit to a registration fee for dinner and drinks? If so, I'm thinking $125 per people which should cover the expenses for two dinners (Friday & Saturday evenings)/endless drinks & snacks at the hospitality suite. I'll be glad to take on the responsibility of the hospitality suite as I did with the Atlanta reunion - Jerry D you won't have to sleep on the couch this time and we'll send the security personnel home earlier! Don't ask, but it was true.

Let's do this - talk to your significant others, make a decision and get back to both Jim and I via e-mail by May 31. That will give us about 90 days to finalize the events/dinners etc. Let us know other activities you might want to do and we can check it out. It's best to reach me at work, and I'm sure it's the same for Jim:

mailto:ron.crowe@nbc.com

mailto:jim@LCE.com

Let's get together to celebrate 2002 and plan something for 2004 which will be our 40th!! And Class Reps, pass the word to your classmates and join us if you can.

Now on to other news.

Ann Gray Rethard '64 recently visited Phoenix on business and had the opportunity to visit Dr. Pam Palmer Martin '64. Here's what she wrote:

Ron,

I had a wonderful visit with Pam Palmer when I was in Phoenix. Her program for the homeless and victims of domestic violence is awesome. She gave me a tour of the facility -- a gated community with all amenities available including laundry, library, babysitting, gardens, meditation area, etc. Then we had lunch in her office and caught up on each other's lives. It looks like her husband's condition, while serious, is not as bad as they had feared. He will have a thyroidectomy in May. Saturday part of our group took a tour to the Grand Canyon and it was snowing! However, it did clear up and the sun came out so we could see the canyon from the south rim. Hope things are going well back at NBC. Love, Ann

Also had s note from Pam a few days later:

Ronnie: A quiet Sunday morning....John off at the hospital delivering twins. He should be a while. Making progress on the new house - have a move-in date between July 15 and August 1st so the later date for the reunion should work well for us. Count us in. I love the idea of staying downtown - it's one of the most charming cities in the US. John hasn't been there and I'm anxious to share it with him. Also, the later in the summer/fall, the better the weather should be. It should still be very, very hot and humid unless we move into Sept/Oct according to my dear friend who lived in Columbia. The only thing that would prevent our being there is a medical situation with John. A tumor has been found on his thyroid and we are dealing with that at this time. We are hopeful. Surgery is set for July 19th. We are praying it is only on the thyroid and has not spread into the mouth and tongue. Interesting cancer since he is not a smoker. We haven't told the boys or our parents. We want to really have a clear understanding of what the prognosis is. He is doing well with the news....I'm a bit of a mess when I'm away from him. I've spent hours doing research and talking with my dear friend who has a husband who heads one of the seven National Institute of Health divisions in DC. We should know more in a week or two.

I'm thrilled about Cam being found. If we could find Pam Parker then my personal group of "best friends" would be complete. Such fond memories of Sally, Cam, Pam and Wiki. Yes, memories that do last a lifetime.

We just spent a wonderful weekend at Disneyland celebrating our granddaughter Minnie's 7th birthday. The three of us had a marvelous time. My favorite photo is Minnie with a Coke in one hand and a cotton candy in the other. Obviously, her parents were not with us. We do act differently with our grandchildren than our children. John and I have decided that there is no greater gift than the love of a grandchild. Speaking of grandchildren...Sean Patrick Martin is a miracle. My son Ty created a web site for his two little ones: www.JillianandSean.com . Times have changed since we, as young parents, sent a photo of our children to family and friends. When you see Sean in photos it is hard to believe that he had such a very, very fragile beginning.

Best close. Think of John. He will need so many prayers to weather this awful storm. Pam

Keep John in your thoughts and prayers as he moves forward toward a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

Had a short note from Janet Kearns Carbonneau '64. She's excited about a trip:

I have new exciting news, I am going to New Zealand and Australia for 3 weeks in June. I still can't believe it.

Now we all expect postcards, Janet, and a full report when you return. Do you think postcards from down under are written upside down?

Kris Osburn Rohr '64 filled me in on a government job she turned down because it would have been too much time spent at the office - Kris definitely has her priorities straight - and went on to brag about her little brother Hamish '66:

Hope all's well with you -- look forward to the next update. Oh, did you know that Hamish Osborne (my brother) now has two, count 'em two, beautiful granddaughters? My niece, Jenny, was very busy there for awhile and turned out two in 13 months. I, of course, am still slave to my opinionated and chatty Himalayan cat, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Don't feel like a slave to your cat, Kris, our Rottador (Rottweiller/Labrador mix) and pure white cat run our life when our granddaughter, Emily Ann, isn't visiting.

And I'll close with this little bit of government crap. I have a business trip planned to State College, PA, to visit the headquarter of AccuWeather, the company that probably supplies one of your local television stations with their weather equipment and forecasts, to look at some new equipment we are getting later in April. It happens that Lewisburg Federal Prison is about 50 miles away so I planned to visit Mike Scanlan '64 who was moved there about two years ago. My request to visit was turned down because Mike has an even serial number and the weekend I will be in the area is an odd weekend. And I thought the 50 copies of orders we received from the Air Force to travel to one location was ridiculous!

I'm hoping to hook up with Dianne Manos Costanzo, John Hydinger and "Wild Man" Wouter DeNie while in the area - April 13-16. I'll call you guys this next week to see if we can plan something.

That's all for now, folks. Please respond to the request about the reunion soon and send me some info to share with the group.

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