Classmate Jesse Doud has passed away at age 60

CLASSMATES:

The following was sent to me by Lee and Marge Anderson. I believe it was published in the Jamestown Post-Journal.

==========

6/21/2007 - GREECE, N.Y. — Jesse M. Doud, died suddenly, Monday, June 18, 2007, at age 60.

Jesse is survived by his loving wife, Joan Doud; sons: Jacob (Robin) Doud and Adam Doud; daughters: Peggy (James) Menard and Sarah Soud; brothers: Niles (Phyllis) Doud, the Rev. Richard (Donna) Doud, Calvin (Marilyn) Doud and James ‘‘Archie’’ (Jennifer) Doud; grandchildren: Jessica, LaChelle, Veronica and Austin; sister -in-law, Roberta Doud; several nieces, nephews and cousins; and many friends.

He is preceded in death by his brother, Wilbur Doud.

Jesse was a truck driver for Waste Management, an avid hunter and enjoyed time at his camp in Ellington with his Boy Scout troop.

Friends may call Friday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Vay-Schliech & Meeson Funeral Home, 1075 Long Pond Road. His funeral service will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Interment will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. at Valley View Cemetery in Ellington. (Please meet the family at the entrance of the cemetery.) In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make contributions to Good News Community Church, 4797 Ridge Road West, Spencerport, NY, 14559 or Boys Scout of America Troop 173, 1924 Maiden Lane, Rochester, NY, 14626 in his memory.

For more information or to sign Jesse’s online guestbook, please visit www. Meeson Family.com


Jesse enjoying himself at last year's 40th reunion

The reunion of reunions coming in July

LAKEWOOD, New York, USA - I'm still struggling with my other life committments to attend the July 7, 2007 reunion of the SWCS classes from 1960 to 1970.

Right now, I'm not sure about getting out of Mexico to even get back to Seneca Lake for the summer.

But Randy Carlson reports that the reunion is on track and that people who want to try to jam in at the last moment should contact Brad Zimmer or Ron Ducat...

I hope you make it.

Here's the flyer for the event...


Reunion notice

Obituary - Keith D. Flanders, 1969 SWCS grad

JAMESTOWN, N. Y. - I received a note today that Keith Flanders, Class of '69, died last Friday.

His obituary from the Jamestown Post Journal is reprinted below.

===============================

3/20/2007 - Keith D. Flanders (‘‘Flan”), 55, of 58 School St., Panama, passed away at 11:30 p.m. Friday (March 16, 2007) in the M.C.V. Hospital in Richmond, Va. He was born July 5, 1951, in Jamestown, the son of the late Lewis W. Flanders and Carol S. Ecker. He was a 1969 graduate of Southwestern Central High School and had also attended Jamestown Community College.

Keith was employed by Hagemeyer as a store coordinator and also by the Town of Busti as a court officer. He was previously employed by Quality Markets for many years. Keith was a volunteer fireman for the Village of Lakewood for more than 11 years, answering close to 2,000 alarms. He was also an EMT for seven years and a dispatcher for the Lakewood Police Department. A devoted husband and father, Keith loved to travel and was an avid outdoorsman. His son and his love of the outdoors led him to be an active Boy Scout Leader. He had fond memories of his hike in the Alps with his daughter and also part of the Appalachian Trail. In earlier years he had toured the country camping at most of the major National Parks in the Rockies and western states. Keith loved watching the Bills games with his family and was a devoted Minnesota Twins fan.

Keith was a resident fixture at Erickson’s Restaurant where he spent much of his time chatting with the regulars or just enjoying quiet time over a cup of coffee. Keith loved a wide variety of music, his most recent favorite being that of Big Leg Emma.

Keith’s compassionate, caring ways were a comfort to countless people. He showed others an unconditional love that literally changed their lives. He will always be remembered for his ready smile, open arms and kind heart.

Surviving are his wife Candy, whom he married Nov. 25, 1976; his son, Sean Bernhardt of Jamestown; his daughter, Keylyn Flanders of New Bern, N.C.; two brothers: Jeff (Patti) Flanders and Neil Flanders, all of Jamestown; three sisters: Shelley (Fred) Sundheimer of Canton, Ohio, Laura (Jimmy) Smith of Lakewood and Denise (Pete) Eyler of Sugar Grove, Pa.; his grandmother, Martha Carlson of Lakewood; his a stepfather, Norm Ecker Sr. of Sugar Grove, three stepbrothers; a stepsister; and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Lakewood United Methodist Church. The Rev. Violet A. Davidson, pastor of the church, will officiate. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery, Ashville.

Friends will be received by the family from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the Falconer Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department 2 Packard Way, Lakewood, NY, 14750, or to the Lakewood Memorial Library 12 W. Summit Ave., Lakewood, NY, 14750.

Diane Delancy's email and a photo of the Ruppies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - My email contained this brief missive yesterday:

Diane DeLancey Nolly
e-mail and street address:

Streamside2000@aol.com

Diane Nolly

8525 White Rabbit Trail

Littleton, CO

80127

So we can guess it's the same Diane Delancy we knew from the Class of '66, who signed my yearbook "I hope we will always be good friends and drinking buddies."

Considering that I haven't talked to her since 1966 - or shared a beverage (that I remember) - it's safe to say that I didn't keep up my end of the bargain.

Diane! Come to California, the drinks are on me...



While I was rummaging around in the yearbook, grabbing a copy of Diane's photo, I also kept getting frames of Linda Davidson (isn't that a great shot of her?), so I'm including her photo from the yearbook, too. Linda was at the reunion last summer and I have lots of photos of her dancing up a storm...with the rest of us.



In other class-related news, I'm happy to report that John Rupp's wife Paula and their daughter Noelani are safely ensconsced in a new condo in Vermont. Paula sent along the shot below of the two of them, titled The Ruppies.

Paula said that she and Lani will be visiting Mexico at the end of April - Puerto Vallarta of all places! I will miss them by about a month, but it's nice to know they have passports and we can time the visits together in the future.

Oh-my-God! This just gave me a great idea for a class reunion.

How about holding a reunion in Mexico? The food is cheap, the margaritas intoxicating and the weather gorgeous, nearly year round. And I bet I can find hotels a lot cheaper than Webb's Resort to stay in. For the price of a weekend stay at Webb's, I think I can find you a beachfront palapa for a week or more, complete with a guy who brings you cold beer and cooks any fish you catch.

Of course, there is the small matter of airfares, I suppose.

Details, details...Don't bother with details. Let's start planning una fiesta right now.


Paula and Lani - The Ruppies

The reunion this summer will be exactly when?

JAMESTOWN, New York - So it's February and in the East - from reading the weather reports out here in California - it's unlikely dreams of summer have started yet.

Wait, let's think about that. Maybe dreams of summer are all that anyone is thinking about.

Whatever...

But by all accounts the July 7, 2007, 10-years-worth-of-SWCS graduating classes is still on.

My plans are still in flux (Where is flux, anyway?) for the summer with job stuff, Mexico stuff, Seneca Lake stuff and, well, just stuff...

Whatever...

But I hope we get a good Class of '66 turnout at the July 7 soiree. If other people have some dates in mind in addition, let me know and I'll post it here. (Even if you are simply going to be in the area, give a shout, si?)

The July 7 date looks unlikely for me to be in Lakewood - at least at this moment - but everything that far out from today's date is certainly subject to change.

In case you forgot how much fun last summer's party was, here's a few photos to remind you.

Later amigos.


Dance fever



See Zurh House scene



Lee Johnson


Dan Flanagan, class president and First Lady


The skating crowd

A special announcement about the next reunion

JAMESTOWN, New York - Here's the latest announcement for this summer's July 7 class reunion for the 1960-1970 grads.

If you can't read it in this format, click on the notice itself.

==================

Obituary for Roger Seiberg

JAMESTOWN, New York - I received this email this morning from Gayla Swartzman, sister of Dana Bolles and the late Rhonda Bolles.

Roger's obituary from the Post Journal follows her missive.

=====================

Hi mike, this is Danas sister Gayla Swartzman. Wanted to let you know that Roger Seiberg passed away on sunday 1/21/2007. He was 55 yrs. old and graduated with my sister Rhonda. He was living in North Tonawanda. His obituary is in the post journal, tuesday 1/23/2007. If you need more information, please let me know. Thanks.

=====================


Roger Seiberg's obituary from the Post Journal

The Class of '66 is still looking for classmates

JAMESTOWN, New York - Randy Carlson sent along the following list of folks who the class just hasn't been able to locate yet. Have you see these people or have any idea where they might be?


Bob Fulcher

I was in touch with Bob Fulcher's sister Terrie a few years ago, but her email suddenly went out of service and so that was that. She was living in Florida.

I had photos of these two classmates close on hand from the list.


Debbie Stabler


Tom Wrinn

Here's the entire list:

HELP NEEDED WITH UNFOUND CLASSMATES 2007

Mailed and returned or no current address Last known address

Kathy Bowman Scott
Diane Delancey Nolly Newport News
Linda Foster Cross
Bob Fulcher Cabot, Ak
Cubby Gleason Cortland NY
Linda Hetrick Gill
Ellen Hurt never had address
Pamela Sue Johnson
John Limberg
Roberta Lindbeck Knight Aurora, Co
Denise Norell never had address
Doug Pillsbury Hasbrouck Hts, N.J.
Melanie Robertson Reynolds
Debbie Stabler Melec Essexville, Mi
Ann Sivi Johnson
Diane Thorpe Hackett
Thomas Wrinn never had address

Please send email addresses to Mike F. mikefitz@csus.edu
Street addresses should go to Randy C. carlscus@netsync.net

Bob Swanson sends full lyrics for that drinking song

JAMESTOWN, New York - Classmate Bob Swanson has sent along the full chorus & lyrics to the drinking song I referenced yesterday. Thanks Bob!

Here you go:

Cheers, Cheers, to Southwestern High
You bring the whiskey, I'll bring the rye
Send the freshmen out for gin
And don't let a sober sophomore in
Juniors never stagger
Seniors never fall
They sober up on wood alcohol
While the royal faculty
Lies drunk on the bar room floor.

Also, Bob noted that Gunnie Nelson, owner/operator of the Pastime Restaurant in Lakewood (across the canal from the Rod & Gun Club) has passed away.

I spent many hours and many dollars at the Pastime, which had pretty good bands back in those days. I actually met my first wife there, now that I think about it. I'll leave all that for another day.

The seven graduations were looong, but good

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The seven graduations - even lugging the university 'mace' went as well as such things can, with only a few goofs in the program and more than a few students whose exuberance was fueled by alcohol.

If I had been a student (and not sitting up on the platform) and had any advance warning about how dull some of the speeches would be, I might have dosed myself with a little Grey Goose before the ceremony.

Interestingly, one group that graduated at 8 a.m. probably had the highest percentage of smashed students marching up to get their diplomas.

What was that song we used to sing?

Seniors never stagger,
Juniors never fall,
They sober up on wood alcohol,
And the loyal faculty,
lies drunk on the bar room floor.

Or something like that.

I only muffed my lines one, stumbling over the pronounciation of Dean Sanjay Varshney.

Oh sure, it looks easy from where you are sitting right now. Try saying that name in front of 2,000 people while your goofy hat is falling off your head.


Standing post with the university mace

Christmas greetings from Dianne Hagglund

JAMESTOWN, New York - The following Christmas missive goes out to all classmates from Dianne Hagglund, to whom I apologize if I misspelled her last name - I'm in San Francisco on my way to Mexico to celebrate Christmas on a surfboard with a margarita in my hand.

Here's Dianne's note:

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.You talk of the cold and the frozen lake.Not this year ! It has been very mild ,the lake isn't frozen and today the temperature is about 44.

I was also thinking how different the holidays are now from 40 years ago.Then we wanted that new sweater or shirt, money or any other gadget we thought out friends might be envious of.Today we all want about the same thing.We want health,happiness for our children and granchildren.We also want health for ourselves so we can enjoy the time we spend with them.So that is what i wish to all of you this Christmas season, health and happiness!

I had earlier this year suggested we all write in Mike's blog. Since i didn't get to talk to everyone at the reunion, maybe you could write and tell us a few of the things you have done since we walked tha halls of SWCS.

We know what Mike is up to and Alan,and a few others.

Another time i will let you in on my 40 years after SWCS.

Take care everyone, stay safe this holiday season and enjoy your family to the fullest. Until we meet again in the summer of 2007,

Dianne(also known as Hag)

Diane and her three amigas last summer at Bemus Point

So, would you like to sit through 7 graduations?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The end of the semester is a magical time for most people who teach college, largely because there will be no more term papers to read, no more lectures to prepare and no more campus politics to get your blood boiling.

But it also means graduation for many universities, even in December.

And at California State University, Sacramento, it means seven graduations: one for each college.

As chair of our faculty senate, I'm the designated chief marshal, which means I get to attend all seven and at each lead in the procession of faculty and students and say important things like: Please stand for the national anthem.

I'll probably be able to say that quite well by the fifth or sixth time I utter in front of several thousand people. (I wonder how many times you can listen to Pomp & Circumstance before you go completely mad?)

I remember our high school graduation only faintly. We were all lined up and had to walk across the stage in the auditorium to get the little folder that would eventually house our diploma. I don't think we actually were given the diploma that afternoon/evening. I think that arrived later, but I could be wrong.

What I do remember is a wild night of carousing afterwards and driving home at dawn from Lake Erie with the sun rising and the song "Red Rubber Ball" playing on the radio.

More than 40 years ago and I can still hear that song and still see how red the sun was coming up that morning as I came down West Summit Avenue, hoping to make it home before my mother, grandmother and sister rolled out, at which time they would have realized I hadn't been home.

Not that I didn't stay out all night many, many evenings long before graduation - they just never knew. Thank God for that downstairs window.

College graduation is different, of course, because for most of the grads it means going to work at whatever they have studied. I shake a lot of hands at graduation. Parents are usually so proud they are bursting. It could also be relief over not paying tuition and room and board any more.

So, I'll do my duty, starting tonight with one college, then four on Friday and then two on Saturday.

Please stand for the national anthem.

There, I've got my lines down cold.

Bemus point ferry is probably frozen solid

BEMUS POINT, New York - As I was griping about the cold and rain here (it's close to 60 degrees and drizzling) I ran across this shot of the Bemus Point Ferry, a reminder of summer and the reunion.

I regret that I didn't take a ferry ride last summer for nostalgia purposes, even if I had just ridden it sans auto. The ferry was a big part of my growing up and also it was a great target to buzz when we would bring our boats up from Lakewood.

On more than one occasion, we would roar up in the dark with our lights off and at the last second, turn them on, scaring the crap out of the ferry operator and anyone in their cars watching.

During the day, we were ever-so-polite as we didn't want the sheriff to nail our butts.

That narrows area of the lake is likely frozen solid by now, with ice skaters considering a run across from Bemus to Stow.

Ice skating. Now that brings back memories (however cold...)


Bemus Ferry crossing

Downtown Jamestown and the holiday season

JAMESTOWN, New York - Earlier this morning I wrote a long Christmas blog about growing up in Jamestown and walking the streets, snow crunching underfoot.

In those days, we didn't have to deal with failing computer technology, like I did earlier.

The entire missive disappeared into cyberspace, but the photos were saved, one of the recent Christmas parade downtown, the second of a snowstorm, , both are posted below.

So the short version, for today:

Ho-Ho and Merry Christmas, y'all.

Some classmates located by Det. R. Carlson

Jack & Linda Nobbs - 25th reunion
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

JAMESTOWN, New York - Randy Carlson, aka, Det. R. Carlson, reports that after relentless work and burning up some shoe leather, he has tracked down classmates Jack Nobbs and Dave Jones.

OK. Maybe he didn't exactly track them down, per se, but Jack stopped by to see Larry Nelson and reports that he now lives in Washington state. It's still good detective work, right?

Here's Jack's contact info:

Email: JAnobbs@aol.com

Address: 1924 W 10th Ave Kennewick, Wa 99336

I was too lazy to pull out the yearbook and snap a shot to show Jack in 1966, but I had this shot of he and his wife Linda from 15 years ago. (By the way Jack, I borrowed $5 from you at The Main Event bar that reunion. I figure with interest, I owe you, well, let's call it square, shall we?)

Det. Carlson didn't let on how he found the contact information for Dave Jones (trade secrets, no doubt) but here's Dave's info:

Dave Jones
42 Turnberry Ln
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601-1100.

OH! And if you lost Ken Sonne's email, here it is:

ksonne@rochester.rr.com.

I can't tell you how nice it is to post some happy news.

Here's a shot of Det. R. Carlson and Larry Nelson from this summer while they were on a case outside the SeeZurh House:

Classmates: Sue Pratt has passed away

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota -- I received word from Dan Beckstrom and also Bob Swanson over the weekend that our classmate, Sue Pratt, has died.

Her obituary from the Jamestown Post-Journal is reprinted - without permission, thank you very much - below.

I looked up Sue in my yearbook and noted that she didn't sign it, though I do remember her. She wasn't very tall and I remember she always seemed to be moving really fast when classes were passing. I also remember her with a smile most of the time.

It's pretty sad how many of our classmates are passing away. We are not that old, people!

Here's Sue's notice:

Dave Carlson tells his tale of retirement

Dave Carlson
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

By Dave Carlson

At the risk of turning some of you green with envy (who cares),
let me tell you I'm already retired! I left IBM at 55 with a tidy
investment and a modest pension.

How did I do it? The Swedish way: My wife and I had good jobs with IBM, we lived beneath our means, saved a lot, and invested it. Oh, and a little luck in the stock market, too.

All is not entirely roses, however as my ex-wife ran off with her college sweetheart (maybe that's a plus). But we had already accumulated enough to comfortably split our assets w.o. letting divorce lawyers taking half!

I'm now looking for someone to explore the world with and am "interviewing" lots of interesting ladies (one at a time, line forms to the left, please, and puh-lease, I'm kidding, maybe...). I'm not living large, that's not my style, but I get on the water most weeks and take a couple of interesting vacations every year (planning to kayak in British Columbia or Belize, next year, and Africa is on the near horizon). And that trip this summer paddling down the Colorado River was a hoot!

MIke, I like your idea of living on a boat. No room for inlaws. LOL!

But how do you take a dog for a constitutional in the middle of the ocean? My Akita is too big to be a deckhand! I’m not buying any coastal property, either, cause I don't want to leave it to a marine sanctuary in my will!



I've got a "happy" job, now, as a literacy instructor in grade school to keep me busy and to repay the community for the blessings I've received. Pay is great, more high fives and gap-toothed smiles than you can count! The hours are great and no hassles, either.

And now that I'm retired, what would I change? Well, I wish this rich nation would make health care available to all and would stop killing so many innocent people. How does anyone expect the world to love us when we're bombing the crap out of them??? BTW, what have the rest of you done to help fulfill JFK's, RFK's, and MLK's dreams? Your accomplishments and endeavors would be a wonderful topic for another day/blog!

Peace, y'all,

Dave Carlson
Holly Springs, NC

Allan Winger has joined the blogosphere...

Allan Winger, 1966
Originally uploaded by Brite Lights photos.

CYBERSPACE - Allan Winger joined the ranks of those of us who labor (this is labor?) in the blogsphere with his new blog, announced to most you via email in the last day or so.

This blogging is contagious, no doubt about it.

I listed Allan's blog on my list of links, so you don't even need to bookmark the url - but I still would advise it.

The more hits he gets from people reading, the more likely he will keep writing. It's a vicious, and fun, circle.

I'm sitting at my keyboard, alternately working, answering emails and then jumping back on the blogging bandwagon just for fun.

In my electronic travels through cyberspace, I ran across this poster, with which I can realllly relate.

Tom Priester at Class of '66 40th reunion

Tom Priester at Class of '66 40th reunion
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

MAYVILLE, New York - Tom Priester responded to my call right away, for stories about people from the Class of '66 era who have retired.

I saw Tom a month or so before our reunion and, just like at the reunion in Mayville, he was tan, fit and rested. We had him over to our house in Sacramento for lunch and my wife, ever curious, asked Tom what I was like when I was in high school.

He told her, too. I think he used the phrase 'a little squirrelly,' several times in the conversation.

He still gets to wear a whistle a lot in retirement, officiating at track meets, et al. Here's what he passed along...

====================

Tom in 1966

Dear Class of 66

Retirement is AWESOME! You get to play with grandchildren, do some traveling, and especially VOLUNTEERING TO HELP OTHERS. That is very gratifying. You can even visit class reunions like I do.
Give it some thought, first. Be sure you have enough $$$$ for health insurance. It is VERY EXPENSIVE.
Whatever you decide, have FUN doing it. We only live once.
Tom

=====================

So, as a natural leader, Tom Priester went first with his retirement story.

Send me yours, with or without a photo, and I'll post it here...

Cheers, amigos

Fitz

When you know that it's time for retirement

Arecibo beach
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

A SANDY BEACH, Earth - The shorter days seem to leave me time for reflection about what the next years will bring. Or it could be the case of wine I started working on this weekend.

Will there be more work? More stress? Less money (due to inflation)?

I try not to dwell on that stuff and instead to look at pictures like the one with this blog. Click on it. Please click on it. Good Gawd. Is that a real place?

Yup.

I've been to beaches like that. In fact I have anchored my sailboat in front of little resorts like that, gone in and had a couple of drinks - the kind they stick a little umbrella in. (NOTE TO TOURISTS: If you actually do get a drink with a little umbrella in it, well, chances are you are paying way too much for it. Move down the beach to the saloon that's short on umbrellas but has bigger glasses with more rum or tequila.)

When I started out as a journalist, the farthest thing from my mind was ever leaving that profession and when I started teaching - nearly 25 years ago - same deal. Retire? Never.

And in way, that's kind of true.

What I look forward to doing is having the time to do rockumentaries, finish book projects, learn the play the guitar better (provided the tendinitis is cured) and sit in the sun. OK, because my dermatologist now reads this blog, what I really meant to say, was sit in the shade with sun all around me.

When I hear the word retire used in the same sentence as my name, I always wince a little, because I expect to be even more busy, retired from the university than I am now, working fullltime+ with teaching and writing for three outfits.

There was certainly a lot of conversation at our class reunion about retirement. I know at least a dozen of our Class of '66 classmates said they are retired - or about to be.

Maybe a fun thing for this blog would be for people to let us know what it's like to be 'retired.' And, if it's not too much self-disclosure, to let the rest of the class know how you swung it in your 50s. Land investments,? Wealthy spouses? Patents? Ponzi schemes?

I know some of the folks I talked with at the reunion were talking about working until the very day they dropped in their tracks; others were buying coastal vacation homes.

I'm not buying a coastal home, mine floats.

But what kind of retirement plans do you have? Enquiring Class of '66 minds would like to know...

SWCS reunion at the Silver Gate Yacht Club

Michael & Cheryl at Silver Gate YC
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - There was a mini-reunion (very mini) over the past weekend in San Diego between the Class of '66 (represented by me) and the Class of '69 (with delegate Cheryl Aitken-Thompson).

Cheryl is a teacher in San Diego and joined the Admiral and I at the Silver Gate Yacht Club for dinner and glass of wine last weekend. OK, we had more than one glass of wine. OK, we had more than two glasses of wine. Enough questions.

Cheryl has been a Californian for more than 25 years and, like a good Californian, lives in a beautiful condo near La Jolla and has a great swimming pool, where she says she hangs out a lot. She has the tan to prove, too.

She's hoping to attend to the SWCS 10-years-worth-of-classes reunion July 7, but might not be able to make it. That July 7 date is early in the summer for a lot of people, so we might have to have another reunion later in July or even August for all of us SWCS-Jamestown area expatriates.

I noticed riding in Cheryl's car, that when she comes to a curve, instead of stepping the brake, she punches the gas pedal a little, a trick she says she learned from Bud Hooper who always told her to 'power through the curves.'

In her sporty Toyota, we powered quite nicely around the hills of Point Loma. Maybe Bud Hooper should have taught Driver's Education. Hmm... Let's not go there right now.

In other reunion news, Randy Carlson reports that the 10-years-worth-of-classes reunion July 7 will be at American Legion Post No. 777 and that the street address for the place is actually 26 Jackson Avenue in Celeron. His earlier reports might have had those numbers switched around.

Not a big problem Randy. How many American Legion Posts could there possibly be in Celeron anyway?

Uh-oh, I can hear the veterans marching my way right now.

Sound the retreat, amigos...

July 7 Class Reunion or maybe run with the bulls

Running with the bulls
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

PAMPLONA, Spain - The weekend of the proposed SWCS Class Reunion (for classes from 1960-1970) conflicts with the annual running with the bulls in Spain.

Carumba!

So, I suppose, those of you who annually head over for this celebration - to risk getting gored by a raging bull - will miss the fete in Celeron.

But for everyone else considering coming back to the Jamestown area next summer, here's an update from Class of '66 Special Correspondent Randy Carlson:

===============

The 1960-1970 SWCS reunion is off and running. It will be held 7/7/07 Saturday night at the Herman Kent Post American Legion Lodge at 777 Jackson Avenue Celoron (too many 7's not to be lucky).

Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 6:00 and a buffet starting at 7:00. Music, use of the lodge, outside pavilion, outside tents and access to relatively cheap drinks (additional cost) is included. They set a cost of $25.00 per person and due to the capacity of the facility, it will be limited to 500 people.

In order to reserve a spot, checks made out to SWCS 60's Reunion for $25.00 and sent to Ron Ducat at 118 Elizabeth Street, Lakewood, N.Y. 14750 will do it if you are in the first 500 people to respond.

Our class is in a good position as we are the relative few to have this advance notice, only the class of "67", which was to have their 40th next year, is up and running and should have a large representation based on what Andy Robinson related regarding their last gathering.

I'm sure other events during that weekend will be planned, suggestions welcome.

Randy

==================

It seems like an event of 500 people, might be, well, an event of 500 people. I went to one of those a couple of weeks ago and although it was fun, it was hard to really get around and talk to many folks.

Really BIG name tags will be a requirement, I think.

Perhaps in honor of the day, we could have our own Class of '66 running of bulls, or at least go out cow-tipping that night after cocktails.

In any event, in case you wonder about what other holidays & events you might miss out on July 7, here's a partial list:

The 2007 reunion for classes from 1960-1970

Meeting notice for 2007 reunion
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

JAMESTOWN, New York - Randy Carlson forwarded me this notice about the meeting of the group putting together the 1960-1970 reunion next summer.

The date has been now tentatively (?) set for July 7 - a little early in the summer for me to sojourn to Jamestown, but not impossible.

Randy said he will attend the meeting to defend our class honor and will no doubt have more details after that. Ten years of SWCS grads. Good grief. If you think you had trouble recognizing classmates you graduated with, how about people from other classes?

I would be pretty good at recognizing people from the Class of '65 and Class of '67, but beyond that, I'm not so sure. It would be fun to run into Jim Burk and Dan Harp again (Class of '64) or perhaps Sandy Carlson (Class of '67).

I haven't had too much time lately to write about our class and last summer's reunion. I was reminded today that I still have an hour or so of video to edit and put music to for the stuff I shot, mostly of us dancing like we were 18 again.

HOT HOT HOT, everyone. Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole.

In the meantime, we'll wait for word from Randy to see if this duck is really going to lift off the lake.

Halloween looms with memories of old 'tricks'

Trick or treat
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The air has gotten cold here in Sacramento, but the stores are full of Halloween candy -- all those boxes of chocolate and now virtually indigestible stuff that we soooo craved when we wandered around Halloween night as teenagers.

What I remember most about the Halloween season though, were the sometimes funny, sometimes not-so-funny, tricks that we played for the week or two before (and sometimes the week or two after).

The easy one was soaping windows of houses and even screens. For some reason I don't remember soaping windows on any cars. I'm sure we did. If you were feeling mean, using a candle to 'wax' a window did pretty much the same thing, except getting wax out of a screen was real pain and getting wax off windows sometime required scraping.

More than a few people found their tires pretty flat when they left for work in the morning. Some cars wouldn't start because of the potatoes stuffed up their tailpipes.

One Halloween season we borrowed a stop sign and placed it in various people's front lawns. We would lurk in the bushes and watch people coming to a screeching halt right in the middle of West Summit Avenue where a stop sign had so mysteriously appeared.

People driving by never seemed to take much notice of three or four teenage miscreants carrying a stop sign down the street on a wooden pole.

We moved more than a few cars around, too, though on at least on occasion I remember moving a car on a hill, pushing it, and had it get away from us, nearly landing in a creek.

Another favorite was borrowing the flashing yellow lights that the public works department put on top of those metal sawhorses at construction sites.

Anyone ever filled a paper bag with dog crap, put in on a front porch and then lit it on fire?

And toilet papering a house! Gawd that fun, especially the looks you got earlier at Super Duper, buying a six pack of toilet paper and a dozen eggs for the evening's activities.

Of course, had any of my four children done any of this stuff, I would have locked them in the house a heartbeat.

Halloween is pretty tame here in California, trick-wise, anyway. I think more adults get dressed up and get crazy than kids, especially around the university. All the bars have competitions for the best costumes and it seems that the raunchier they are, the better.

I already did my dressing up two weeks ago in a tuxedo, doing a passable imitiation of a waiter at a restaurant. I think this year I'll sit home with a basket of candy (small Chunky candy bars) for the half-dozen or so neighborhood kids who will come by early, then wait for the toilet papering after dark.

Dancing lessons to physical therapy to ?

The group ABBA
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The past six weeks have been marked by two or three sessions per week with a physical therapist, followed by at-home stretching exercises that make me want to scream.

Still there's some improvement on the tendinitis in my right shoulder that has kept me from playing the guitar at all.

I may have to take up the bongo drums.

But today Shelley Kales sent along a list of songs, the titles of which have been updated to reflect our aging baby-boomer physical conditions.

OK, my physical condition.

Here' s Shelley's list:

NEW SONGS FOR BABY BOOMERS

Herman's Hermits --
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker

The Bee Gees --
How Can You Mend a Broken Hip

Bobby Darin --
Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash

Ringo Starr --
I Get By With a Little Help From Depends

Roberta Flack --
The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face

Johnny Nash --
I Can't See Clearly Now

Paul Simon --
Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

The Commodores --
Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom

Marvin Gaye --
Heard It Through the Grape Nuts

Leo Sayer --
You Make Me Feel Like Napping

The Temptations --
Papa's Got a Kidney Stone

Abba --
Denture Queen

Tony Orlando --
Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall

Helen Reddy --
I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore

Willie Nelson --
On the Commode Again

A Class Reunion on Bastille Day next summer?

The Bastille
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

JAMESTOWN, New York - Randy Carlson reports that the group putting together the class reunion for next summer - the one to which SWCS grads from 1960-1970 will be invited - looks like it might be held July 14, 2007.

Here's Randy's email to me:

"The first meeting was held last night. Not all of the classes were represented, but the results seemed to be good, and a follow up meeting will be held on 10/23 at 7:00.

This is all tenative, but it looks like Sat, 7/14/07 will be the date of the event, held at the Herman Kent American Legion Post in Celoron. The use of the hall, which holds about 300 people, the new outdoors covered pavilion and tents and the band (we would have a choice) would be free of charge. The club would be open for spirits purchase (cheap) and they could do a buffet for about $12.00 to $15.00 depending on choices."

So for those of us who suffered through (excuse me, sat through and studied sooooo many) French classes, you know that July 14th is Bastille Day. It is also my ex-father-in-law's birthday, but that's another story.

I just watched a great PBS special on Marie Antoinette, which featured the Bastille. And, by the way, she never said, "Let them eat cake."

That was put out by her political opponents, the descendants of whom probably work for Fox News now.

Anyway, I know we all celebrate Bastille Day in our way, but this year, it could be that we will all be together at a reunion, singing La Marseillaise and swilling French wine. (Well, maybe some Uncle Homer's Red anyway.)

Perhaps we should practice our French phrases, too, in honor of Jon Giacco, about whom Tom Priester can tell us "the rest of the story," when we next get together.

Mon dieu! Mon dieu!

Seneca Lake winery tour ready to set sail

Seneca Lake wineries
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

HECTOR, New York - The annual pilgrimage of Chautauqua County couples to Seneca Lake will be next weekend Bob Swanson reports. Two years ago Bob and Donna stopped by Valois where the Admiral and I have our 'summer house' on the shore of the lake.

If 'summer house' sounds a little pretentious, please stop by anytime you are in the area to help me paint, repair plumbing problems and drag fallen tree limbs to the brush pile.

If that isn't enough fun, we can rake seaweed into piles and haul it to the vegetable garden.

When Bob and Donna came by, we went to the Rasta Ranch Winery, which, like Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect but markets some fine wine. My personal favorite is Uncle Homer's Red, which because of its name probably doesn't get the respect it needs either.

I shipped a case of wine from New York here to California where a dozen bottles are sitting in my wine rack (Gawd, there's another pretentious sounding thing. My wine rack is a cardboard wine box from Trader Joe's sitting on its side.)

I wanted to thank Allan Winger for posting the web address where people could go to see me introducing the president of my university. I think I want to thank him, anyway.

And if you think this blog is only being read by Class of '66 folks, you are mistaken.

At a meeting a few days ago, the president asked me to tell him the how-many-presidents-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a light bulb jokes I mentioned before.

Jaysus!

In case you missed the previous blog about the SWCS reunion for classes from 1960 to 1970, I've posted it here again. I don't know what weekend they're shooting for yet, but I have my fingers crossed that it's in mid to late July. I can usually put down the paint brush in Valois by then to get away.

Class reunion in works for 10 years of graduates

JAMESTOWN, New York - Sue Siecker sent me the clip below from the Post-Journal about planning efforts for a reunion of SWCS graduating classes from 1960 to 1970.

Think how old those class of 1960 people must be! Think how young those 1970 grads are. Young punks, I bet.
In any event, it might be that the Class of '66 could somehow time our visit/reunion/soiree/fete the same weekend. Perhaps someone on the ground there (Helloooooooo Randy!) could get in touch with folks organizing this 10-year deal and see what's up?

While all that's happening, I'll drag out my battered issue of the Centralian, and also set plans for a walking tour of downtown Busti. Bob Swanson has promised to be my guide, but because there aren't any wineries, we will have to carry some along as he points out the notable landmarks.

It was all about Chautauqua Lake for me

What I remember
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

LAKEWOOD, New York - As fall creeps in, even here in California, I'm reminded of how important Chautauqua Lake was to me.

Right after Labor Day was when the boats and docks came out of the water and the boots and heavy jackets out of the closet.

My mother was fearful of the roads, so she bought me a fairly clunky bicycle, but she didn't skimp on the boats. Oh no! I started wth a rowboat at 10, had a small ski boat at 12, a larger one (with a 50 HP Mercury engine) by the time I was 14 and traded it all in for a sailboat my first year of college.

A sailboat! That was the beginning of a 40-year-love affair that keeps me busy nearly every weekend all year long.

Even then I traced the path down Lake Chautauqua from my house in Lakewood, past Celeron, down that windy river (is it a river?) through Jamestown, leading you (if you figure out how to get your boat past several dams) to the Atlantic Ocean. My grandmother (who lived in New York City) gave me a world atlas when I was 13 and I studied it as carefully as any of the Playboy magazines we were able to find. (Hey! I studied the articles. Come on!)

I wish I had actually gotten into sailing earlier, but the then-Lakewood Yacht Club was a closed social circle that I couldn't really crack. It was one of the few places I remember that I was barred from (outside of the bars we tried to sneak into starting about age 16). And for some years, that probably accounted for my having a bad attitude about yacht clubs.


Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club today

I got over that notion in California and have paid enough yacht club dues to four different yacht clubs in California and Puerto Vallarta to buy a pretty nice boat, if I didn't already own one.

I sailed out of the Lakewood Yacht Club just once - aboard a small Sunfish owned by Sandy Carlson (Class of '67), who was a good sailor and couldn't believe that I barely knew a rudder from a centerboard. We headed out late in the day and as the sun set, the wind dropped and we were becalmed, easily a mile from the club dock on one of those warm summer evenings that made the lake such a special place in the summer.

I should have recognized the tactic on her part. I mean, I was always pretending to run out of gas on my ski boat on those rare occasions I actually had a date. But I was as dense then as I am now about such things, so I just started paddling us in instead of having a romantic interlude.

It was a very quiet cruise back to the dock and I just thought Sandy was angry because we were becalmed.

Gawd.

At our reunion I had several conversations with people about the lake - mostly that there was a clear social division between people who lived in Lakewood and those who lived elsewhere. See? Elsewhere. That's how geocentric life was for me.

And, I have a confession. I have never driven to - or though - Busti. No kidding. Not once.

Sorry Bob and Donna Swanson. I'll rectify that next summer.

Taking a tour of Southwestern Central High

Welcome sign
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. - One regret I have about our Class of '66 reunion (aside from the headache I had on Sunday) was not going by the high school and checking it out.

I would have liked to walk the halls and see if they are as huge as I remember, or if that evil aura still exists right outside the principal's office.

Regardless, the photos here come from Lee Anderson and this is an excerpt from his note to me:

My sister, Carin - class of 1961, attended her 45th reunion at the end of July and she sent me some pictures of the school. They went up to the school and were allowed to walk around. Thought you might like to see them.

I sure hope we can do an annual picnic get-together. I would enjoy talking to everyone in a more relaxed setting. It was nice a Webb's but way too loud. Must be my old age. :-)

Lee

Front Entrance


The Alma Mater

Had I gone to the school, I could have checked out the practice fields for softball and soccer where, on the weekends, we would drive around on our motorcycles, jumping some of the hills. It was on one of those hills that Cindy Hall slid off the back of my bike and landed smack dab on her ass.

BOOM

Luckily, she was fine, just (as they say) her pride hurt. My pride was hurt a little, too, by my poor hill-jumping skills, but not like Cindy's.

I would have also like to have gone down the hill to the football field and track and listened for the sound of the crowds I remember from the track meets. I can still hear the voice of Coach Joe Rushin as I would round the turn headed to hand off the relay baton to Larry Nelson.

Fitz- ger- ALD! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Maybe next summer I'll stop by the track when I'm in town for our mini-reunion. That seems like it will probably be the second or third weekend in July. And depending on when the Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club regatta is, I might be there both weekends.

More on that another time.

Noelani Rupp takes to the sidewalks

Noelani takes to the ... sidewalks
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont - I received this photo a couple of days ago of John & Paula Rupp's daughter Noelani, taking off on one of her first excursions on her bicycle. If she is anything like her father, those training wheels will come off very soon and before her mother knows it, she will be pedaling down the street and around the corner - without permission, of course.

John had one of the first motorcycles in the group I hung around with in high school, a Honda 65 that he lent to just about anyone who asked if they could borrow it.

He usually failed to ask an important operant question: Can you ride a motorcycle? So more than once, his bike got smashed and had to be repaired. And, of course, he did a few crashes himself.

Iborrowed it once, promptly crashing into Linda Davidson's front yard where I dug a small trench with the kickstand ( Was it Marvin Avenue in Lakewood?). I quickly removed myself and the motorcycle before anyone came outside. Tom Todaro (Jerry Todaro's younger brother) then borrowed it from me, promptly crashing into a fence across the street from Cindy Hall's house. It's a wonder that motorcycle ran at all.

Paula reports that she and Noelani are settling back in at home now, with pre-school looming and lots of activities for Paula, too, including taking a water safety instuctor's course so she can teach swimming to the little ones.

As sad as I am about John Rupp's early passing, it's a gift to be able to stay in touch with his young family.

Go Noelani! Go!