Bobcat BulletinOctober 2001
updated on Sunday, August 06, 2006 09:23 PM
Bobcat Bulletin
October 2001
updated on Sunday, August 06, 2006 09:23 PM
WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?
Seems like only yesterday I was completing the July update and closing off with - SEND ME SOME INFORMATION - and now here it is October 1. I didn’t get a lot of response to the plea for more info. Since I was trying to dress up the updates with a different format, which some people wrote they couldn’t open/read, I am back to plain text updates which everyone should be able to read. Will this inspire some to share news about themselves and family? I certainly hope so.
E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGES.
Here are three new addresses for members of the ‘64 group - Jay Christensen
mailto:jdc@ca-healthlaw.com Phil Souza mailto:psouza6@home.com and our
retired Royal Mountie, Roger Kembel mailto:rkembel@radiant.net
Jay has settled into his new home in La Canada, CA., a little north of Pasadena, and was planning to start some remodeling soon. Haven’t heard if they have started yet, which means Jay owes us some news!! He’s also expanded his law firm with a couple of new partners and still specializes in the medical field as you can see by the e-mail address.
I think Phil has settled back down in Ridgecrest, CA., after spending some of his retirement days back working for the Navy as a weapons consultant where he was training some of America’s finest military pilots. Haven’t heard from Phil either lately, hint.
The last I heard from Roger, besides the address change, was he was coming out of retirement to head up the program for new gun control laws in Canada. I may have written about that in an earlier update and I would like to know some more, hint. And by the way, West Coasters, Roger is planning to visit Los Angeles and Disneyland in November with his grandchildren and family. A gathering near the "happiest place on earth" could be in the offing!!
PHILADELPHIA PANDEMONIUM!
Our class historian Dianne Manos Costanzo, Karen Lerner Berman and Kim Posey League all hooked up in Philadelphia for the first time in 37 years! They spent the night swapping stories as if they had just gotten off the school bus on a Monday morning and had to tell each other about their weekend. With all the laughter that must have happened that night I’m surprised the Liberty Bell didn’t receive another crack! I’m looking forward to hearing more about their adventures but the last e-mail from Dianne was September 10, the day before the terrorist attacks.
SAFE AND SOUND
Had an e-mail from Wilka "Wiki" Mims Carter shortly after the tragedy of September 11. Her son, Mitchell, was working at his office at the Department of Justice when the plane crashed into the Pentagon. The DOJ is just two blocks from the White House and they couldn’t get threw to him. He called about noon to say he was fine.
Bill "Spoonman" Cooper wrote to say that a military friend of the family was in the Pentagon and had to escape through the hole created by the plane crash. The friend is fine and was only mildly injured.
Dr. Pam Palmer Martin’s brother made it out of Afghanistan to Paris before some other Americans were detained. He is an international training consultant for the U.N. and the World Health Organization.
I send prayers and good thoughts that no one else’s family or friends were impacted by that horrible day. I was actually in Las Vegas when my wife called me. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on television. The "Paris" hotel literally shut down many areas including the Eiffel Tower observation deck since some many rumors were spreading about other high rise target areas. Downstairs everything stopped and all monitors were turned on to some newscast. Every show in Las Vegas closed and every rent car in the city was booked within an hour for out of town travel. My wife actually had to drive from Burbank to Las Vegas to pick us up the next day since all flights were canceled. We overhead a couple of conventioneers saying they wouldn’t be able to get out until Saturday and even then they weren’t guaranteed a seat on the plane.
Janet Kearns Carbonneau was stuck for a short time in Seattle after
attending a workshop on Orcas Island, one of the San Juan Islands off the
coast of Washington State. She wrote when she got home and had a wonderful
time seeing a pod of whales playing in the water. Before heading back to
Austin she also stopped in Phoenix to visit some family and/or friends for a
few days,
OFFER UP SOME PRAYERS
Sue Boyle McGuire’s mother is not doing too well. I had an e-mail from her saying her mother was having some complications from one of her medications and diabetes. Take a few seconds to send positive energy down to Florida.
On a much happier note, Sue had written earlier she had just sent her Colorado grandsons home. She wrote her 9 year old grandson "attacked" Busch Gardens with socks! One of the rides, a roller coaster, requires all riders to be at least 54" tall so they stuffed an extra pair of socks in the heels of his shoes to increase his height. By lunch time he was walking around like he had a bad leg and Sue had to insist he remove the extra sock - but at least according to him, he got to ride on "the world’s baddest roller coaster."
Also some very sad news to report. Leslie Simpson Walters ‘65 lost her battle against cancer and died in August. Again, take a second to send some positive energy to her family in Michigan.
GRANDBABIES UPDATE
Heard from Pam Copeland Scanlan she is now a proud grandmother! He daughter gave birth to a bouncing baby boy in August. Pam went to visit the last week of August and I’m still waiting for pictures!! Could be another lawyer in the family!
Dr. Pam Palmer Martin is a grandmother once again. The baby had some difficulty at first, but all is well according to the receptionist at Pam’s office. I called today to makes sure all was well and was told Pam is on vacation. Could it be at the new condo in Mexico? Pam and her husband, John, have a trip to Los Angeles scheduled in November so we hope to get together while they are here. Could be another mini-reunion if the time corresponds to Roger Kembel’s visit.
Kim Posey League ventured out to San Diego to welcome in a granddaughter. Talked to her husband, Buzz, earlier to confirm all is well and Kim was out and about. Perhaps she’ll be sharing her story in the future.
One more almost a grandmother again. Ann Gray Rethard is expecting her third grandchild on October 6th so perhaps the next update will have more info.
And Laura Lack Barnes, I somehow deleted that wonderful picture you e-mailed of your four grandchildren so I can’t send it around the Bobcat world like I said. And, yes, you do look 25!
THE WERNETTE’S WIND THROUGH NEW ENGLAND
Had a short e-mail from Jack Wernette, my favorite English teacher who never criticizes my bad punctuation and sentence structure, saying he and Peg had just returned to England after spending some time in New England and New York visiting family and colleagues. They loved the couple of weeks away only to return to a heat wave in England. I would swap a heat wave in England for the 102 in Burbank today!
INDIANANA JONES BOBCAT.
Our own helicopter test pilot Roy Hopkins was honored recently by Bell Helicopter and gave Harrison Ford some flight training in the new Osprey helicopter. As you may recall from news reports several months ago Harrison Ford rescued a lost hiker in the mountains. He spotted him while flying search and rescue in his own helicopter, landed and flew the hiker back to safety.
Roy sent along a couple of pictures via e-mail but we thought you wouldn’t able to pick out the "star" and Chewbacca so we decided not to include the pic with this e-mail.
OUR SHEPHERD FINDS THE SOURCE!
Ed Smith McIntosh has jumped back into the corporate world after taking some time to consider going back to school and get his masters degree. Seems that he was went to check out a job with AquaSource, Inc., a utility company that owns, operates and manages water supply and waste water facilities in 21 states. They were looking for a high-powered person to take over management and operations of their 1,300 vehicle and equipment fleet and to set up a logistics group to manage all shipments and travel. Well, Ed put on some socks (flashback to ‘64) and went to the interview where they offered him the job on the spot based on his previous experience. Not sure if he’s on the road at the moment but he said there would be lots of travel and training for the programs he plans to put in place. So look for him in a neighborhood near you, soon.
Speaking of neighborhoods, Ed sent me a picture of his new country home site - well at least the signage. It’s attached and I hope you can open it.
ARE YOU UP FOR A REUNION?
During the London 2000 reunion the group talked about a reunion next summer in Washington, D.C. Based on the current world situation D.C. might not be the place to gather. Any thoughts about other locations? Jim Fei has mentioned Charleston, S.C. before. I know the ‘66-‘72 group is going to get together in New Orleans. Let me know about D.C. or any other sites soon so we can get a team together to organize.
SEND ME SOME INFORMATION TO INCLUDE IN FUTURE UPDATES AND I’LL TRY NOT TO SPREAD THEM SO FAR APART.
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