| Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith | Issue 25 | September 2001 |
Did you notice the new name for our newsletter? The old name was "THE CLASS OF 1959 NEWSLETTER". I started the newsletter 2 years ago this month with the main purpose being to keep everyone from the Class of 1959 in touch. However; the readership has grown to many other alumni and friends so now it is time for a change. The new name is used to reflect an invitation to all to contribute to the newsletter. The readership is over 350 per month. I have had many comments from readers that they didn't want to bust in on our Class of 1959 newsletter. Well, I have tried to extend invitations to all of you in every way I can imagine and thank you for your great response. To honor all alumni and give all of you a WELCOME place to gather, remember, and reminisce, Judy and I thought it only right that the new name in honor of our second anniversary should be "THE WI NEWSLETTER". Hope you like it enough to contribute to its continuing success....Roleta and Judy
roleta1@aol.com
Joy Gregorie Stalnaker and Phyllis Fittro Brown (WI '59) organized a WI Summer Picnic held at the Nutter Fort Park on August 25, 2001. They were assisted by Gary Weiner (WI '60). This picnic was a place for all alumni to gather to visit and eat the wonderful food. The weather was excellent, the attendance was great for the first picnic and we are sure it will grow each year. Next year we expect more people to attend. We missed all of the people who didn't attend but live so close that we wish they had dropped by to say "Howdy". Joy and Phyllis provided a fun game with little prizes for all. Gary Weiner has a great memory of people and filled many with data. Bob Stealey stopped by and autographed books for all who wished to buy. Ken McIe (WI '59) received a prize for traveling the farthest----Philadelphia, PA. Nice to see Ken after all of these years. He has a lovely wife from Scotland who was with him. The person who graduated from the oldest class represented was Ella Grace (Kyle) Spears (WI '34). Ella is the mother of Dottie Spears Rinehart (WI '60) and Bill Spears (WI '64).
Elise Andre (WI '55) was driving back to Tennessee from a vacation in Connecticut and stopped by the picnic to say hello.
It was so good to see old friends, some we hadn't seen since high school. We shared memories and laughs and certainly enjoyed the afternoon.
Hope to see some of you again next year. Watch for the notice in the Clarksburg paper or here in the newsletter. Joy did mention that it will probably be the same date next year so mark your calendar now.
| Name | Class | |
| 1 | Mildred Gardner Gregoire | 1939 |
| 2 | Barbara Brown Musick | 1952 |
| 3 | Dianna Robey Tillman | 1952 |
| 4 | Melanie Tillman | 1982 |
| 5 | Kathie Robey Leuliette | 1938 |
| 6 | Dr Hugh ("Mickey") Brown | 1944 |
| 7 | Phyllis Fittro Brown | 1959 |
| 8 | Janet Ocheltree | 1963 |
| 9 | Linda Wright Douglas | 1963 |
| 10 | Ella Grace Kyle Spears | 1934 |
| 11 | Dottie Spears Rinehart | 1960 |
| 12 | Jim and Sharyn Cottrill McGahan | 1959 |
| 13 | Elise Andre | 1955 |
| 14 | Clioreta Post Criss | 1935 |
| 15 | Joy and David Stalnaker | 1959 |
| 16 | Bill Spears | 1962 |
| 17 | Kathleen Barbara Hamrick Phillips | 1943 |
| 18 | Ron Werner | 1959 |
| 19 | Becky McClain Werner | 1960 |
| 20 | Ken and Meg McIe | 1959 |
| 21 | Bill and Roleta Smith Meredith | 1959 |
| 22 | Jeanie Werner Davis | 1959 |
| 23 | Dick Taylor | 1960 |
| 24 | Pat Pferdihirt Wagner | 1959 |
| 25 | Evan ("Stumpie") Bice | 1962 |
| 26 | Sandra Wamsley Bennett | 1958 |
| 27 | Gary S Weiner | 1960 |
| 28 | Bob Stealey | 1964 |
| 29 | Bob Teter | 1960 |
| 30 | Mike Fresa | 1959 |
| 31 | Richard K Hanifan | 1959 |
| 32 | Paula Brasseuer Riley | 1959 |
Joy is presenting Ken with a tube of West Virginia air.
Ella Grace Kyle Spears from the Class of 1934 accepted the prize.
(WI CLASS OF 1959)
EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, we did run an obituary for John but many of you will be as surprised as I was at the brilliance of John. Browning Boggs saw the obit we ran in the newsletter and thought that all who knew John at WI would like to know what he contributed to science and the world.
FROM: "LABSTRACTS" (News from the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC)
portions of the original which were submitted submitted by Bob Whitlock, NRL Chemistry Division
John William Criss, long a significant contributor to the X-ray fluorescence community, passed away on December 8, 2000, just short of his 60th birthday.
Born in Clarksburg, WV, John attended WI and the University of West Virginia, (sic) where he obtained his degree in January 1964. His summer employment as an undergraduate junior professional in NRL's X-ray Optics Branch under L.S. Birks led naturally to a full- time position with the same group when he graduated.
John Criss is noted for work at NRL developing the mathematical techniques and fundamental software code is used around the world today in commercial X-ray fluorescence instruments.
John did much of his computer coding with a noisy, 110 baud Teletype, located in a cramped closet with door, walls and ceiling covered with acoustic tiles. The Teletype terminal was remotely connected by phone line to a time sharing CDC-6000 series computer service supplied by Control Data Corporation. John had an exceptionally agile two finger approach to keyboard typing for computer entry--at which he was faster than others who used the standard touch typing method. His quick mental processes were evident as he edited his computer programs on the successor to the Teletype, and advanced (for the time) 300 baud screen display. While fleetingly viewing a succession of one or two line segments of computer code, John would use search strings to follow the flow of the calculation down through the lengthy source code, viewing only bits and pieces of it at a time. He progressed rapidly in this manner, typing two fingered style, with a cigarette dangling from his Bogartian smile, while smoke and cinders curled up past his eyes. In this way, John built and corrected some rather complicated coding designed to do sizable calculations with the small amounts of computer memory then available, a limitation that led to complications such as overlays, overwrites and other techniques to manage computer resources within a computer run.
John established Criss Software, Inc., to meet the demand for consultation and for rewriting his software code to run on various X-ray fluorescence instruments. In the late 1970s, when Criss left NRL to form his business, the entrepreneurial establishment of small technology companies was much rarer than it is today. John Criss had the technical expertise, excellent interpersonal skills, and the courage to leave his position as a government scientist, in which he was already recognized as very effective, and strike out on his own. His success in the company through the years and decades, and the satisfaction of his many customers, are testimony to his skills and the wisdom of his decision to form his own company. In conjunction with NRL's 75th anniversary John Criss was honored with one of NRL's 75th Anniversary Awards for Innovation in the area of Contributions to Quantitative X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis. While employed as a government mathematician, John Criss served his country well by advancing the computerized operation of X-ray fluorescence analysis, and by transferring that technology to the public domain. In business on his own, he further solidified that contribution and helped it grow to international proportions. XRF is now a standard tool used worldwide, and the NRL fundamental parameters approach is known wherever XRF is used. John's efforts were key to transferring XRF from laboratory science to international technology. John was well liked personally and highly respected scientifically. His long involvement with the Denver X-ray Conference was testimony to his stature in the field, where he was invited to present papers, to chair sessions,, and to organize and lecture at workshops, all dealing with the quantitative interpretation of XRF data. Irrepressibly genuine and straightforward, he freely shared his knowledge and understanding with all who were interested. He always gave a very good, clear presentation and was sought after for his ability to make a complicated subject understandable. He has been described as one of the stalwarts, one of the big men, in the field of XRF. We will never have too many clear thinking, personable people of the likes of John Criss.
He is survived by his wife, Judy, of Largo, Maryland, and two children, Brian, of Baltimore, Maryland and Anne, of Olympia, Washington.
cias@iolinc.net
1. "Mud" --- early nickname for Coach Hite.
2. Tony Folio --- played position of guard under Hite and was one of the greatest lineman that WI ever knew. He later coached at WI.
3. Miss Griffin, Mr. Gudekunst, Miss Hollins --- Name 3 members of the 1924 faculty who were there for the class of 1959.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks Gary, apparently everyone was stumped with these questions. No one wrote me with any answers.
| Mary Harbert Nophsker (WI '58) | menr40@aol.com |
| Carolyn Harbert Eneix (WI '59) | WVSC2@webtv.net |
| Steve Griffith (NDHS '60) | SGriff2393@aol.com |
| Judy Coyne Shepherd (WI '57) | Shep@apex.net |
| Jim Israel (WI '70) | MedPhysTwo@aol.com |
| Marjorie Smith Richard (WI '36) | richard.marjorie@worldnet.att.net |
| Sargent P. McQuillan (WI '57) | Sargent827@aol.com |
| Jayne Rose Ross (WI '57) | jynbilross@aol.com |
| Bob Stealey (WI '64) | Bobnalong1@aol.com |
| Evan Bice (WI '62) | Evanbice@aol.com |
| Elise Andre (WI '55) | Eliseandre@yahoo.com |
| Melanie Tillman (WI '82) | Acepuppie@aol.com |
| Dianna Tillman (WI '52) | Tillmanor@aol.com |
| Sandra Wamsley Bennett (WI '58) | Hill0508@cs.com |
Please note---when I send out an e-mail and it is returned undeliverable, I usually try a couple more times to re send. However, if it fails to be delivered, I remove the name from my notification list. I do not have the time to chase down people who change addresses and don't notify me. I guess if they miss reading the newsletter they will let me know. So keep in touch!
| Robert McGee (WI '55) | REMcgee2030@cs.com |
| Holly Furbee Berger (WI '59) | hollyivy@midsouth.rr.com |
| Penny Christie Johnson (WI '60) | penem329@optonline.net |
submitted by: Browning Boggs (WI '50)
rb.boggs@ieee.org
I just noticed one error in your otherwise excellent newsletter: I am listed as a member of the class of '59. My class is 1950!
Thanks,
EDITOR'S NOTE: Gosh, I wish someone would make a 9 year error in my age!!! I wonder if I would correct them?
submitted by: Sharyn Cottrill McGahan (WI '59)
Mt Mama WV
Hey Roleta & Judy....great job as usual. I was reading your newsletter and the history of Stonewall. Our 10 year old granddaughter in NC went to a computer camp this summer and did a web page all by herself. Her subject was West Va. and she remembered me showing her the statue of Stonewall on the courthouse plaza and wrote of it.
We just returned from a few days running around the state with the grandchildren and visiting and riding the Cass Railroad, touring the National Radio Observatory in Green Bank. Later we tent camped at Stuart's Park near Elkins, and stayed in our camp near Glady. The children loved every minute of our WV vacation. Those that lived away from here wanted to come back, those here said they would never leave. I am enclosing some pictures of the beauty of our state that I took. The trip included swimming in the river, feeding wild animals and things that are so precious to our young ones.
Thanks again for your hard work and dedication to the Newsletter.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks Sharyn, here are a couple of your pictures for all to enjoy.
We can leave it but it never leaves our hearts.
submitted by: Marjorie Smith Richard (WI '38)
richard.marjorie@worldnet.att.net
I would like to register for the W.I. newsletter and was told that you would be glad to add my name to your list. I graduated from WI in l938. My husband, Robert Richard, graduated in l936. My e-mail address is richard.marjorie@worldnet.att.net
We live in Bradenton, Fl. Can you help?
Thanks, Marjorie (Smith) Richard.
submitted by: Jerry Winerman (WI '57))
gerjerry@loop.com
Again, I can't compliment you enough for the newsletter. I look forward to reading it every month. It certainly makes someone like me in California feel a lot closer to the beautiful hills and old friends, many of whom I've been able to contact for the first time in many years.
We've never met, but I consider you one of my old friends too.
submitted by: Sally Moshein Solomon (WI '59)
sally@AFRinc.com
Thanks for doing such a good job on keeping us updated on our classmates. I will be unable to attend, but never know when I will make it back to Clarksburg. I saw Barbara Karp Rockman in California last month. It was great visiting with her, as we hadn't seen each other in over 35 years. What a trip
I am awaiting my 5th grandchild on Wednesday. It is a boy. This is number 4 boy and we have 1 girl. We are also expecting another grandchild in December and this will be #6 and it's a girl. We are truly blessed.
Hope all is well in Clarksburg, give my best to Phyllis, Joy and crew.
More pictures of the Winter WI Clarksburg Picnic held in March on Siesta Key, Florida.
and Gene Day (married to Sallie Holden Day --WI '59)
These two men were kept busy at the picnic preparing the meat for the crowd..
EDITOR'S NOTE: I will just keep putting in pictures of the picnic in Florida and the one in Nutter Fort until all are seen.....I know everyone enjoys the pictures.
JZShepherd@aol.com
Loved the newsletter of August as I do every month since I was adopted as a "Hilltopper" LOL I just returned from 10 days in Clarksburg visiting my mother along with my sister Vickie Zabeau Bowden who lives in Clarksburg and my sister Barbara Elaine (Lanie) Zabeau Norteman who resides in Hilton Head, SC. Lanie and I reminisced about the "old" days and made sure we went to Twin Oaks for a hoagie and also Ritzy Lunch for a chili dog. Brook Beall had E-mailed me to be sure when I had my fill of Ritzy lunch hot dogs to try the Parkette. I must agree, the Parkette had wonderful hot dogs. We also made sure we went to the Wonder Bar for a wonderful steak dinner which seems to be a ritual with our family. Had to wait a while before we were seated however, as Victory was having a class reunion and the table for us was still occupied by the attendees.
Reading about air conditioning and fans in the opening portion of the newsletter brought back memories for me also. I could have written the same description. And, to this day, my mother still has a fan in the window for the upstairs of her home even though she has an air conditioner running downstairs. I believe with the older homes it is difficult to get air conditioning to work properly. We all had a wonderful time and managed to go to WVU for two shows - The Fiddler on the Roof and Carousel presented by the WV Public Theater.
I love returning to Clarksburg from time to time as it conjures up very fond memories of a wonderful childhood.
Eerfanvan@aol.com
Bill and I are thrilled to announce the birth of our third grandchild and first grandson!!
Dylan James Cassidy was born at 8:39 P.M., Aug. 10, 2001. He weighed 6lbs. 9 ozs. Dylan and his parents, Leigh Ann Van Voorhis Cassidy and Scott Cassidy are all doing just fine!!
Bill and I are doing fine, too!
Thanks for another great newsletter!!
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We wish to extend congratulations to Mere Gurson Schwartz (WI '57) Marmer1@mediaone.net on her grandson Drew I think he is a keeper don't you? |
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We also wish to extend congratulations to Grandpappy Bob Davis (WI '59) Rad29063@aol.com
The day finally arrived!! Last night, Monday, August 27, 2001, at 10:22 PM, daughter, Sherri, gave birth to Hannah Mae Hudkins!!! She weighs 8 lbs 1 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. |
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Roleta1@aol.com
Just a minute here to stop and thank Bob Davis (WI '59) for keeping my records straight. And to Judy for all the work she does to make this newsletter complete. Thank you also to everyone who contributed this month.....you make this job so interesting.
1. West Virginia is the only state to be created from another state (Virginia...in 1863).
2. Berkeley Springs, a resort town, has more massage therapists than lawyers.
3. Berkeley Springs is the only place in the US to boast: "George Washington bathed here."
4. WV has had the nation's lowest crime rate for the past 26 years.
5. During the Cold War, a sprawling 112,000 sq. ft. bomb shelter was built to shelter members of congress in the event of a nuclear attack. It's located beneath the famous Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV.
8. St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton was the site of the first Mother's Day celebration in 1908.
9. Two West Virginia men have built castles for their wives. Stephen Elkins built "Halliehurst" in 1890 for his wife Hallie..the only woman in American history to be the daughter, the wife, and the mother of a US senator.
10. In 1885, whiskey distiller Taylor Suite began building Berkeley Castle for his new bride, Rosa, who was 31 years his junior. He died in 1908, a year before the project was finished. Rosa completed the castle but went on to squander her inheritance on extravagant living and wild parties and ended up losing the castle and living in a shack and raising chickens to make ends meet.
11. Philippi, WV was the site of the first land battle of the Civil War.
12. In 1921, West Virginia became the first state to have a sales tax.
14. The largest single shipment of matches...20 railroad cars full...was sent from Wheeling, WV to Memphis, TN in1933.
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15. In 1947, Chuck Yeager, a native of Hamlin, WV, became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. |
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17. At the end of the "Guilded Age" in the late 1890's, the town of Bramwell, WV had more millionaires per square mile than any other city in the US Many of their mansions have been restored and can be visited by the public.
18. With an average altitude of 1,500 feet, WV is the highest state east of the Mississippi.
19. The first brick street in the world was laid in the city Charleston in 1873.
20. The first concrete street in the world was laid the town of Webster Springs WV in 1903.
21. Indirect artillery fire (action against an unseen target) was used for the first time in military history at the Battle of Fayetteville on May 1863 by a 19-year old Confederate, Sgt. Milton Humphreys. Virtually all modern artillery fire is now indirect fire.
22. James Rumsey of Shepardstown, WV invented the first steamboat. After he died suddenly in England, while raising funds for his project, his friend, Robert Fulton, took his plans and completed the work and is now credited with the invention of the first steamboat.
23. In 1956, Cecil Underwood (age 34) became the youngest governor in the US. In 1996, Underwood ran again and became the oldest governor in the US.
24. The hardwood flooring in the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York was manufactured by the Meadow River Lumber Co. of Rainelle, WV.
25. West Virginia has the oddest shape of any state. This was because Union officials, during the Civil War, arranged all the pro-Union counties of Virginia into a state which then seceded from that Confederate State.
26. Coalwood WV was home of Homer "Sonny" Hickam Jr the central character of the movie October Sky. Homer realized his dream of working for NASA, and retired from NASA. Homer Sr was from Gary WV, Home of Kenny Kroll and Kyle Parks, 2 current NASA engineers.
And may we add Mingo County, WV, the Heart of the Billion Dollar Coal Field is home of the "Coal House", which holds the Chamber of Commerce. It is located in the county seat, Williamson and is constructed entirely of local coal cut into blocks.
And finally, W.Va. was the first state to utilize food stamps!
kidneybean60@aol.com
I celebrated my 5 year kidney birthday with a big party on July 8, the actual anniversary of the transplant. There were 66 people there including my donor son, his wife and two kids (my wonderful grandchildren), my other sons, my mom , my husband and his mother. Also attending were many friends.
I had a kidney shaped cake and kidney bean salad which I insisted everyone sample in honor of my "kidney being!! The cake said "All angels are not in Heaven," and had Charles's name and my name with little angels above.
Some people even brought gifts--I was not expecting that. I shared the gifts (cash) with Charles, since he is the one that really deserved them.
(EDITOR'S NOTE--Charles is Dolores' son and he donated a kidney to his mother)
We got several gift certificates for local restaurants, so I had to use them, since he lives out of town.
I passed out donor cards and made a little push for organ donation. My children and their friends decorated the pavilion and it looked nice. Several banners promoting organ donation were included in the decorations at my suggestion.
A friend took my invitation and put it on a beautiful gold plaque for me. He had made me one of the original newspaper article that came out right after the TX, so now I have a pair.
The weather cooperated and was beautiful. The day started out so humid that you could hardly walk through the air without pushing it out of the way, but it cleared up by afternoon and was very pleasant, although a little hot.
FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING!!!!
SAVE A LIFE --BE AN ORGAN DONOR
Dolores is standing in the middle in the red top
Roleta1@aol.com
Recently I received a copy of a newspaper clipping from Freddie Layman (VHS-46). He provided it but I really wonder if the people from WI are going to believe it? I will print here a portion.
The following was reported in the Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram in 1972.
Victory holds a 27-16-7 edge in the 50 year series with WI. The last tie came in 1970 at 6-6 and the final win for the Hilltoppers was a 20-14 decision in 1968. The results of the series are as follows....
(EDITOR'S NOTE--Due to space I am going to tell you that between 1921 and 1944 WI won 10 lost 12 and tied 1)
| VHS | YEAR | WI |
| 40 | 1945 | 60 |
| 0 | 1946 | 19 |
| 13 | 1947 | 7 |
| 0 | 1948 | 0 |
| 7 | 1949 | 7 |
| 0 | 1950 | 34 |
| 6 | 1951 | 27 |
| 20 | 1952 | 12 |
| 13 | 1953 | 6 |
| 0 | 1954 | 26 |
| 26 | 1955 | 0 |
| 12 | 1956 | 12 |
| 53 | 1957 | 7 |
| 14 | 1958 | 0 |
| 0 | 1959 | 40 |
| 20 | 1960 | 0 |
| 28 | 1961 | 7 |
| 34 | 1962 | 0 |
| 32 | 1963 | 7 |
| 33 | 1964 | 6 |
| 21 | 1965 | 12 |
| 45 | 1966 | 18 |
| 7 | 1967 | 0 |
| 14 | 1968 | 20 |
| 36 | 1969 | 20 |
| 6 | 1970 | 6 |
| 50 | 1971 | 6 |
| 62 | 1972 | 12 |
CLARKSBURG -- Paul A. Bastin Sr., age 81, Clarksburg, died Aug. 14, 2001. His wife, Kathleen "Kay" Worcester Bastin, whom he married on Sept. 29, 1939, survives. Also surviving are one son and a daughter-in-law, Paul A. "Sonny" Bastin Jr. and Nancy, Lake Floyd; two daughters and sons-in-law, Mrs. Evans L. (Joyce Ann) King Jr., Clarksburg, and Mrs. Ronald E. (Karen Sue)(VHS '58) Sprouse, Clarksburg.
CLARKSBURG -- Mrs. Jane Elizabeth Palmer, age 87, Friday, Aug. 24, 2001. Surviving are two sons and daughters-in-law, Dr. Louis C. (WI '57) and Barbara J. Palmer, Clarksburg, and Dr. Dale E. (WI '59) and Barbara L. Palmer, Clarksburg; two daughters and sons-in-law, Emilene and John Marra, Hurricane, and Janet and Norton Smith, Morgantown; 12 grandchildren. She was a member of the Mount Union Homemakers Club, West Virginia Retired Teachers Association and the Sabraton Lions Club.
She was a graduate of Glenville State College and West Virginia University.
Mrs. Palmer was a retired elementary school teacher, and most of her assignments had been in Monongalia County schools.
cias@iolinc.net
Judy Zabeau Shepherd (ND'58) September 30
cias@iolinc.net
The following is for your information from Gary Weiner.
I have accumulated a goodly number of yearbooks and am still looking for more. If anyone had parents who went to WI or other relatives and do not have yearbooks with their pictures, I will have copies made from my books. I will need the year and the name of the relative at the time of graduation and a mailing address. There is no charge. Please contact me by e-mail.
Gary
EDITOR'S NOTE: I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Stealey at the Summer WI Picnic in Clarksburg on September 25. If you wish a book please contact Bob.
Hi Roleta!
Some alums who still see a copy of the Clarksburg newspapers may have caught my column, "Bob'n'Along," either in the paper itself sometime or possibly on the newspaper's Web site at www.Cpubco.com ... If ever you find time with all your efforts toward the newsletter, it appears each Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and can be found in the link identified as "Columns."
But what I'm mainly saying to you today is that I had a book published last fall that includes nearly 200 photographs of familiar people, places and activities of Harrison County ... by a WI alumnus, yet!
It retails for $18.99 and can be obtained by writing to:
Ms. Kate Everingham
Arcadia Publishing
2-A Cumberland Street
Charleston, S.C. 29401
The toll-free number is 1-888-313-2665. Just ask for Ms. Everingham.
For any other information or simply to write to me, my e-mail address is Bobnalong1@aol.com
My mailing address is: Bob Stealey
Route 1, Box 174-B
Lost Creek, WV 26385-9736.
Roleta1@aol.com
I enjoy hearing from you each month. It is wonderful the response we are having to the newsletter. I remember 2 years ago when starting the little newsletter. So many times I nearly quit as it seemed no one was reading it. Very few were responding and I was having to write to people to beg them for an article. Some of you did come through and I still have promises from many others ... by the way, where is that article you were planning to send me? Judy kept encouraging me to continue. I will say without her encouragement there probably wouldn't be a WI NEWSLETTER today. Remember, without you and your input there can be no newsletter. I hope to hear from you soon.
