WI CLASS OF 1959 NEWSLETTER
| Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith | Issue 13 | September 2000 |
HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY
ONE YEAR DOWN, MANY MORE TO GO
Roleta1@aol.com
September, time for school. Remember when you got excited because summer was finally over? Summer was getting boring wasn't it? You got some new clothes, new school supplies and you were ready to go see friends you hadn't seen since the end of the last school year. Maybe you will have a new teacher, maybe some new classmates, new subjects, who knows what is in store this school year. Yes, those were exciting feelings weren't they? But now they are long gone. We have our memories to share here in this newsletter and our present lives to talk about too.
We now have 2 new sections of the newsletter. "REMEMBER WHEN" and "MY LIFE TODAY" . We are all interested in the past but we are also interested in the present and the future.
Come on, walk with us on the streets of Harrison County, go up those beloved front "Senior" steps one more time, attend a ball game and cheer for the Hilltoppers, eat a Peanutbutter Flop, have a big plate of french fries with vinegar and catsup eaten in your favorite hang out, think about your favorite teacher and your least favorite, first day of school, sharing a locker, gym class, band, write and tell us about those memories. Look through your albums and send us a picture for the "REMEMBER WHEN" section of the newsletter.
But don't stop there, life didn't stop there, we traveled different roads, picked mates, picked professions, chose hobbies, raised kids and now grandkids, collected things, retired, helped others, have pets, traveled, you name it, we are interested. Life does go on and we have moved forward. We are interested in keeping up on what is happening in your life. Are you saying, "I don't do anything interesting"? Sure it may seem that way to you but you may be doing the very activity for which someone else has a passion or in which one would love to get involved. If we know what is happening in your life we can connect with you. You will be more than a name in the newsletter, a person from the past, you will be alive! Communicate with us, that is one of the main uses of the internet...communication. Send us a picture of you today. Tell us about your life and what is happening, we want to read it in "MY LIFE TODAY". We may be old but our lives are not stuck in the 50's and 60's. There is life after high school!
Reach out, step up, make your statement, past, present and future, we care, we are interested.
Send any information to ROLETA1@aol.com . If you have a picture to share, get in touch with me.You can either scan it, attach it to an e-mail or mail it to me, I will scan it and return it to you. Also, I know some feel they can't write an article, well, you write it, I will fix it up and it will be interesting, we aren't grading papers here. I have the promise from all of the classmates who became teachers that they won't grade my work. They just ignore my mistakes and cringe--I appreciate that. I have a daughter who was a journalism major---when she sees this newsletter she cringes a lot. But we are staying in touch! We are interested in you and we know you are interesting.
I await your articles!
LETTERS
Jim Alvaro
Jalvaro@aol.com
You do a heck of a job, Roleta. I know everyone appreciates it. Thanks
Don Sager
Class of 1956
dks@davtv.com (Don&Kitty Sager)
Roleta, your web page is truly a "Labor of Love". Super Excellent Job!!!!!!
Martha Frey Dase
Nanas10@aol.com
Hey.....the more you do the better they get!!!! You guys do such a terrific job. I for one cannot thank you enough. I was so excited to see the letter from Corrine Tannenbaum...I spoke of her this summer and had no idea what had happened to her. I will have to drop her a line. Again thanks for taking this job of newsletter editor and making it such a success
Tom Marshall
Marshall@robert-morris.edu
Thank you, Roleta, for another splendid newsletter.
Connie Bailey Casto
castoca@aol.com
You do such an excellent job with this letter and keeping everyone in touch. Even though we don't always respond, I really appreciate all you do to keep us going and informed about everything. I know it takes time and work and I just want to say THANK YOU. I'm sending a copy to Harriett and I'll tell her to try and get something for the next Newsletter and send it to you. I'm back to work now so my time on the computer is mainly limited to school plans and research.
Joy Gilchrist Stalnaker
hcpd@access.mountain.net
I meant to tell you before the newsletter came. . . and did the website specifically so you could have it . . . and then forgot to tell you. . . Just didn't get the e-mail sent. . . . but a new book, edited by me, has been released. It's a companion to my 1993 book. Also, 1993 book has had its 3rd reprint. You (and classmates) can read more about it at http://www.rootsweb.com/~hcpd/LCHist.htm It can also be ordered from there. It's called Lewis County, WV: Her People and Places It's getting good reviews.
Helen House Fleming
Fleming@citynet.net
Roleta, We all appreciate the time and work you put into the monthly newsletter. I thought the end of summer is such a busy time for so many of us to be sending in news that I would try to help out with some.
The big news in my family is that my twin granddaughters won medals for third place in the look alike contest for 9 to 10 year olds at the 25th annual Twins Festival in Twinsburg, OH. It was their first visit there, but they are excited about going back again. There were about 2700 sets of twins, including some triplets, there.
Roleta, keep up the good work.
Crector1@aol.com
We were with the grandkids at Myrtle Beach last week. The Hefners and Dyers (Jeanne) were also with us---36 of us altogether. Rachel is doing well and I am sure it is due to all the support we received from friends. Thank you again for getting her name on all the prayer lists. It is a wait and see prognosis with her since she has not learned anything yet. Only when she gets older will we know about her brain damage. Hopefully her brain will overcome the loss. Thanks again for your support.
On November 14, 1970 in a plane crash on a Wayne County hillside near Tri-State Airport Frank Loria, Sr lost his life. He was a coach with the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team. 75 men and women ... members of the football team, coaches, staff and many devoted Huntington fans ... died in this crash.
From the College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony:
Two-time All-American, Frank Loria Sr., was honored posthumously. The Virginia Tech defensive back from 1965-67 went on to become the offensive coordinator at Marshall and was killed in the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the football team.
His son, Frank Jr., accepted the award, saying he never knew his father but knew he was more than just an athlete.
"I can tell he was not only a great football player but a great man by the way people look at me and see a little bit of him in me," said Loria, whose mother was seven months pregnant with him when his father died. "I know that my dad would be grateful."
submitted by: Erma Lynn Loria Uhle
ErmaUhle@aol.com
Roleta, Just thought I would write to you about the Induction of my brother, Frank Loria, into the College Football Hall of Fame for the newsletter. What a wonderful week-end. From the time the volunteers picked me up at the airport until they drove me back, everything was just perfect. All the inductees had to give a speech, and my nephew, Frank Loria, Jr. gave such a wonderful speech that they wrote him up in the paper as the best. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. My sister, brother-in-law, 2 nieces, and 5 nephews were in attendance. My brother was a wonderful person as well as a great football player. This award showed his accomplishments. I am so proud of him and miss him very much.....Erma
dbkuhl@juno.com
I am very optimistic about our future. I believe the conditions are right or rapidly getting better for some very encouraging developments. This is sort of a celestial focusing if you will. Here are some of my reasons for this opinion:
(1) Presidential election year. With serious candidates in both parties, the opportunity may be better than ever for raising new and creative issues. A one-up-man-ship atmosphere might take off with some real creativity being injected into the public view. I believe the public is hungry for some new outside-the-box thinking by our public officials. Most of us are fed up with the business as usual special interest politics with few real solutions to problems.
(2) Budget surplus environment: This is the first time in many years that this has occurred. Experimental endeavors that could never have been considered in a budget deficit year might see the light of day now.
(3) General economic well being goes along with the budget surplus. High levels of employment, low interest rates, low inflation rates, etc. all contribute to a calm and rational period in our national development. Long range planning and thinking should be popular versus the brush fire fighting mentality that has often prevailed. We are economically healthier and more militarily secure than we have ever been in modern times. I find it incredible that one of the biggest topics of national discussion is the solvency of Social Security some forty years into the future. If that is our biggest problem, we don't have any problems.
(4) Technological developments such as the personal computer and the internet which are a big part of our economic success also provide tremendous opportunities for additional developments. These include increased worker productivity, better and cheaper medical care, on line educational opportunities, increased telecommuting employment opportunities, etc. These developments enable quality of life improvements which could rival living on the Star Trek starship Enterprise. We literally have the capability now to have every book ever written and every library in the world on line for immediate access. Just the potential cost savings in printing could reach into the billions a year. If every worker were allowed the opportunity to telecommute, the over head of most industries could be cut to a fraction. A $2,000 computer could allow most workers to do everything that they do now from a cubicle in an office building to perform that effort from any location. This could cut most business overhead charges to a fraction of what they now spend.
(5) The end of the cold war allows the creative genius concentrated in the defense industry to be focused on non defense topics. The trillions once spent to keep the Soviet bogey man at bay can now be focused on developments which can contribute to a better quality of life. It is in our national interest to keep the defense industrial complex in tact and to continue to maintain an adequate defense force. Where we once tried to maintain a 600 ship navy, we now maintain a 300 ship navy. When you have the only battle ship afloat, how many do you need to be the baddest dude on the block? Is one enough? When you consider that each of our destroyers can fire 90 independently targeted warheads simultaneously at 90 separate targets and deliver any kind of warhead, how many do we really need? If SALT 3 ever kicks in, we may moth ball four of our 18 Trident subs. With each one capable of launching 240+ nukes, how much is enough? On the other hand if we shut down our defense plants and ship yards and disbursed the workers into other fields, it would take years to reassemble or retrain a qualified work force. It makes more sense to keep them in place and build peaceful products such as cruise ships instead of warships.
(6) Innovations in the financial community also give rise to optimism. Financial offerings and live trading over the internet are just the tip of the iceberg. Virtually immediate availability of venture capital permits tremendous opportunities to start new companies as compared to the old slow markets of the past. We may see flexibility to the point of vending machines offering the sale of stocks and securities. Why should wealthy people who can buy a hundred shares get the discounts on buying stock? In a high tech world, there is no reason that the transaction costs of the purchase of one hundredth of a share should cost any more that the purchase of 100 shares. Except for the placement of the decimal, the transaction involves the same amount of effort. It just requires a new mind set. Convenience to the customer needs to be the first consideration. Traditional concepts need to be reevaluated.
(7) Major developments in medicine are announced almost daily. It is an exciting time to be alive.
I could go on but I think that I have made my point. Let me hear your thoughts on this.
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep us connected! Here are some addresses, welcome these people to our group. Please take a minute and drop a line to an old friend.
| WKWhaley@cs.com | Warren Whaley (WI 58) |
| RLSecret@aol.com | Bob Secret (WI 60) |
| dks@davtv.com | Don Sager (WI 56) |
Below are the e mail addresses of 2 "lost" classmates, I hope you will welcome them home.
| MKober6254@aol.com | Marjorie Jones |
| Porchelob@aol.com | Bobbie Snider Porchelo |
MY LIFE TODAY
Wiring Schools To The Internet (HOBBY)
Judy Daugherty Kimler
jkimler@ezwv.com
Judy is retired from the telephone company and belongs to their organization called Pioneers. Article from Judy follows:
I recently helped wire a school to the internet. No, I didn't do it all by myself. The Huntington Life Member Club of the Telephone Pioneers of America actually did the work. This is a project in which they frequently participate. This time it was easier than usual as it was a new addition to the school. Usually we have to pull wires through existing walls and ceilings of older buildings.
The school we wired is Huntington St Joseph Catholic HS. They recently had a large fund raiser to help with expansion. In addition to the computer lab they will also have a new library. The three story addition greatly enhanced the school. They are having an open house to celebrate the new addition in October.
Larry and I also wired a local day care center so that the after school children could have access to the internet. This was funded by the Governor's state program. The state paid for the computers and we donated our time.
Wiring schools to the World Wide Web is considered a top priority in West Virginia. Every school will eventually be on line.
Warren Whaley (WI 1958) (HOBBY)
WKWhaley@cs.com
I live northwest of Los Angeles, CA and am retired. I have two kids, a girl and a boy. Both kids are married and practice law out of Orange County, which is about 80 miles southeast of my home. And they each have a little girl. They are my hobby.
REMEMBER WHEN
Remember:
Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Disapproval of our parents and grandparents was a much bigger threat!
THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS!
Left to right___________, Vivian Gilispie, Bob Davis, Anthony Julian, John Campbell, ___________, Jim Martin, and Ronnie Werner.
This is a picture of some of our classmates having what looks like a party in a classroom at WI. Does anyone know what classroom, why the party, what year, and who are the unidentified people? Please write to me and fill in the blanks. Thank you.
Don Sager (WI 56)
dks@davtv.com (Don&Kitty Sager)
After "56", I joined the Navy and returned to Morgantown in 1960. (Sorry I missed your Senior Prom). Graduated from WVU in "64". Looking back at growing up in C-burg (Broad Oaks) in the 50's, it now seems to have been a perfect environment to be never seen again. The City was "alive". It is now hard to believe that bus service ran every 15 minutes from Adamston to Anmoore and Broad Oaks to Stealey from 5:00am to midnight. The Moose Hall was jumping, long waits to get a "flat-top" at the Stonewall, on Saturday the sidewalks were crowded and on "parade days" everything came to a halt. The glass factories and the Carbon were working overtime and it seemed like everyone's father had a job. (and they only had one father) Lake Floyd and Maple Lake had traffic jams getting off the highways. No major crime (except on Halloween) and little violence. Can you now imagine a group of guys hitchhiking to Pittsburgh on Sat. nite just for something to do with little thought of safety worries or fear of "perverts".
It was not until I went into the Navy that I realized that "all West Virginians" were hillbillies. I always thought the hillbillies were living in Beckley or Bluefield and we lived in the "City of Clarksburg".
When I was at WVU, the economy began to slide, the Malls were coming and the Interstates were beginning to be planned. The downtown C-burg I remembered was beginning the turn into a ghost town. How many parking lots do we need? Bridgeport was "in". I have returned for every class reunion and we are slated (I hope) for our 45th next summer. Usually the "out-of-towners" outnumber the "townies". Maybe next year that will change.
We have lived in Sun City/Hilton Head, South Carolina for a year. Retired. Like being on permanent vacation. If anyone is thinking about retiring to the Southeast then "Come on Down". I cannot keep up with all the activities. Jim Alvaro and Bobby Kopp "56ers" are coming to visit from Atlanta next month to play some golf. Sorry, tickets to watch us in this fiasco are not available. Keep up the Great Job! Maybe someone as creative from "56" will pop up.
Jim Brown Class of 1957
jbrown@gabrown.com
There are enough stories from Mr. Frederick's class to fill a book. We all remember the tests which, as JES III points out, were exercises in memorization. Consequently, cribbing (cheating for those who have forgotten) was an attractive path to a good, (or maybe simply passing) grade. The wearing of the classic pullover WI letter sweater (Navy Blue w/blockWI) facilitated the process since the broad waist band could be turned up to create a rather deep (and certainly wide) pocket. Of course, it looked more than a little weird to wear one of those heavy garments in the middle of May but, well maybe you were just proud of your school - yeah, that's it. One athlete who shall remain nameless (except that his initials were C.W.) prepared a complete copy of the second semester exam. He succeeded in taking it into the test and used it to get a perfect score - so perfect in fact, that he turned in the cheat sheets with the test. He took the second semester over the next year with our class. And then there was the time ........................... as they say - don't get me started.
We have several missing classmates. Do you have a hint as to where we might locate these people? If you can help us, please contact me at Roleta1@aol.com
Missing from the class of 1959 are:
Our Class President---David Hornor
| Ray Allen | Richard McIntere |
| Elaine Talkington Bostic | Robert Neal |
| Frank Bush | Janet Post Hoges |
| Judy Grant Prout | Jon Reger |
| Peggy Robinson | Roger Taylor |
| Jean Romano Riffle | Peggy Tibbs |
| Anne Campbell McCabe |
A big thanks once again to all of you who have contributed to the newsletter this month.
I can never express in words my appreciation to Judy Daughtery Kimler (WI '59) and husband, Larry, for their continued help with this newsletter. After I send the first draft to Larry, Judy adds graphics, Larry puts my first draft on line for my eyes only. Then we work together--back and forth on line--perfecting (hopefully) and editing until it becomes as good as we can create. That is when Larry puts it on his web site and I notify you that it is up for your enjoyment. We hope you enjoy it, the only way we know if you are reading it or not is if you write to us. Will you please either sign the guestbook or send a letter to the editor? We welcome suggestions, complaints and of course your good wishes. Most of all we hope you will send us an article to use, then we know you are not only reading the newsletter but you are interested in it too. It is hard to keep soliciting articles, it is time consuming and my creative brain is "old". I too am busy, I still work part time, am a wife, mother, grandmother of 6, paint, garden, golf, sew, collect teddy bears, decorate and travel but this newsletter is a labor of love. I really enjoy the newsletter as much or probably more than you do. Let's keep it alive.... Communicate with us, send articles to Roleta1@aol.com.
Oh, a special thanks to Judy for the little teddy bear at the end of each newsletter. She surprises me with a cute one each month. I have collected over 100 teddy bears which are displayed in my home. I will write an article about my life and my collections real soon. But until that time, I send each of you a big warm teddy bear hug until we meet again.
GO HILLTOPPERS!
