Folks: Once again it is my sad duty to update the list of deceased classmates:
- When we were young, lots of guys went in the military and ended becoming "lifers" as we called them, career service members. One of them was Roger Blankenheim who joined the Air Force and stayed in, rising to the rank of E-9, the highest enlisted grade possible. We had a bunch of guys that got together and played poker and Roger was one of them, a skill that I'm sure did him a lot of good in his miltary career. Adios Roger, and remember that you never draw to an inside straight.
- Warren (Hans) Herbrand went to the old Hadfield school that was torn down in 1952 (or so), a wonderful old pile of bricks with a creaky floor. Hans was a quiet, polite, nice guy.
- Gary Bass was sort of any oddity in that he was part of the group that wore leather jackets with the collar turned up, smoked, swore, etc., but Gary was also very intelligent and read a lot. He was proud of his email address when I contacted him for one of the reunions; it was "Bassomatic" named after one of the classic Saturday Night Live skits (Look it up, I'm sure it's on YouTube). Gary Also was qiet and polite and a nice person. Others that I didn't know personally are Charles Stevens, Karen Abrahamson Smith, and Diana Battles Kammueller.
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From: Bruce Kerr
Subject: Re: Jim Kerr remembered
Date: May 9, 2023 at 7:14:54 AM PDT
To: Bruce Kerr
I'm sad to report my older brother, Jim Kerr, succumbed to Alzheimers and died Sunday night at 82. He went peacefully in his sleep in his own bed in an assisted living memory unit in LA with adoring attendants caring for him.
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Once again, I have updated the list of classmates who have left this
Earth and gone mto whatever comes next, and I have added their pictures
to the "In Memoriam" section. The list includes Pat Hess, Mary Ann Gollwitzer
Schaefer, Gerald Panawash, Ed Bladow, Edith Pavlovics Love, and Tom Wright.
I wasn't close to all of these people, but I was to Tom Wright who was an assistant manager of the Basketball team and thus became very close to my Brother-in-law Ken Reichert. Tom was a financial advisor for most of his life, and then decided there was more ti life than finances and became a clergyman, and a dedicated one at that. I'm told he spent his last day on earth by delivering two sermons at two churches, but couldn't make it to the third.
Edith Pavlovics came to Waukesha after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and a hair-raising escape from Hungary. She married George love, another member of The Class O'58 at WHS, and lived a long and peaceful life in Waukesha.
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Anyone who reads this website knows that I do NOT enjoy posting obituaries of old classmates in general, but this one REALLY hurts. My old
and dear friend, Gary Schroeder, fell and was hospitalized with injuries, and finally succumbed to his injuries. I've posted an obit that I wrote at the end of the "In Memoriam" section, plus the responses of some people who responded to my initial email announcing Gary's death.
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I've added two more pictures of deceased classmates, Maribel Ewert Murray and Joe Giesie. Maribel (Sometimes spelled Maribil) was a fellow graduate of Hadfield school in Waukesha, not the NEW Hadfield, but rather the old red brick building with creaking floors and a cornerstone that said "1865".
Joe Giesie was a friendly nice guy, kind of an "Aw shucks" Jimmie Stewart sort of guy.
They'll both be missed.
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Two more photos added to the "In Memoriam section, David Brisk, a fellow graduate of Hadfield Elementary School, and Carol Oeser Danner.
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I got an email from the late Carole Meyer Kowalski's husband informing me of her passing aay, so I have added her photo to the "In Memoriam" section and added th email also.
_____________________________________________________________________________ Donnie Roberts' kids have erected my nominee as The World's Best Headstone over his final reasting place -- see Photo #1 in the "More Current Photos" album. As a former biker (now retired) I especially loved the motorcycle on the stone, surely a Harley-Davidson! Special thanks to Frank Bielinski for bringing this to my attention.
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Once again, I have two more classmates that have gone to their reward. First, Gilbert larson (Nobody called him anything but Gibby) died in Ruskin Florida in May. Gibby was a nice guy who always had a good word for everyone. And second, Paul Westbrook who was probably the most successful author from the Class O'58 who started off as a financial advisor and ended writing a series of financial advice books.
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Sad to say, I have added Gerald (or Jerry) "Hub" Bennett's picture to the "In Memoriam" section.
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Good News:
The website has been renewed for another 5 years, and will expire (Probably forever) in February of 2024. The cost was $449, and we have a little over $1000 in our account. Any suggestions as to what we want to do with that?
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Folks:
I hope everyone who attended had a good time at the Waukesha South High School 60th Reunion; I know that I did. However, there are few things that I forgot to mention when I stood up in front of everyone on Saturday night.
Although I did remember to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ann Davies Shea, I forgot to thank her for the great job that she had arranging and conducting the Saturday morning bus tour. I also wanted to thank Jeremy Shea for doing his homework on Waukesha history and giving us an informative and very witty commentary on our fair city. Good job! And who knew that such a skinny little guy could have such a robust voice?
One thing I wanted to apologize for was the shortage of printed student rosters from the class of 1958. I took a plastic bag full of them to a committee meeting the week before, passed some out to the committee, came home, put the bag with 13 more copies on my coffee table, and then proceeded to forget the fact that they were on the coffee table. So if anyone didn't get a roster send me an email or call me and I will either mail you a copy or else email you a copy if that is possible.
Note that in most copies of the printed roster there is the last page with a list of typos, mistakes and other errata. Those of you who have these flawed rosters may want to update using the info on the last page.
Many people at the reunion thanked me for my time and effort in organizing the last three reunions. But I want to reiterate that this is not a solo effort; a lot of people devoted a lot of time and effort to making all the attendees happy and well fed. And though I certainly appreciate your gratitude, please note that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't somehow enjoy it and did a lot of personal satisfaction doing it. That said, to all those of you who thanked me I can only say "You're welcome."
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Once again, it is my sad duty to update the In Memoriam section, this time with a picture of Curt Hinckley.
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I got the email below from the late Dick Holmberg's sister. Please repond to her directly if you have photos. Or, you could bring them to the Friday get-together at the reunion and let me copy them so I can post a copy to the website and send a copy to Karen.
Name: Karen Holmberg Spoentgen
E-mail: karenjean@prodigy.net
Telephone: 805 647-2686
Comments: Hi, I was just going through your website and luckily found the photo of my brother, Richard that I do not have. I had contributed the one of him in his T-bird with me. But the school photo was precious as I have few photos of him. I am wondering, since you are having a class reunion, if anyone might have some old photos with Richard in them to share with me. As you know, he died suddenly in 1960. I really didn't know all that much about him outside of home. We all lived pretty separate lives, even in school. I would appreciate any stories or photos. Thank you for anything thoughts you may have. Karen
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I got an email from Ralph Clark with photos of Union School from the 1950s, see Photos 82-86 in the "Photos from School days" album.
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I have updated the "In Memoriam" section with photos of Barry Colbert and John Eilertson. I got a phone call last night saying Barry is deceased (Thanks Bill)
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Anyone who reads this knows that updating the "In Memoriam" section isn't my fave thing to do, but I consider it an obligation. So I have added the photos of Nancy Blackstone, Judith Brueggerman, Raymond Dahms, Richard Gagan, James Graf, Sharon Koeppen, Bill McCurdy, Judy Renner, Emil Scherf, Dorothy Smith, and Judith Tunnell. Most of these have been added because we've been contacting classmates for the reunion, but some have been added because they "fell through the cracks" (not my favorite phrase).
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ANOTHER IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Folks: If you look into the "Lost Classmates" section of this website, you will see a list of classmates that we are unable to find, in spite of awesome Internet capabilities and knowledge.
So, if you know the address, telephone, email adress of any of the missing classmates, LET US KNOW! Send an email to kz1100man@sbcglobal.net or
call Dave Fuller at 262-691-2613, or, if you're a little old-fashioned, send
a letter or post card to:
D.R. Fuller
N30W23062 Pineview Cir.
Pewaukee, WI 53072
Note that I have left old info of the lost persons i the table to jog your memories.
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gain, I've added pictures of deceased classmates Roger Habeck, James Pettit, James McNulty, and Margaret Shultis. These have been discovered by our calling program for the 60th reunion.
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As some of you know, we are updating the class roster for the 60th reunion by calling
and verifying the addresses (Mail and E-Mail). In the course of this process, we have
found a few more deceased classmates John Alyea, Janet Potokar, Rosemary Roberts, and Nancy Rink. I have updated the pictures in the "In Memoriam" Section of the website.
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1. I received word that Don Roberts passed away in January, so I have added his photo to the "In Memoriam" section. Thanks for the info, Dave.
2. I sent an e-mail to every member of the class with a known e-mail address asking for hep in calling class members. I got a reply saying that Jim Baird had died in 2012, so I have added his picture to the "In Memoriam" section also.
3. As mentioned, I sent e-mail to all known e-mail addresses asking for help calling classmates. I got a few responses (Thanks Folks!) but I could use more help. If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please let me know.
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I've updated the "In Memoriam" section with a picture of Larry Anders, who died on Dec. 27th. Thanks Ralph for the "Heads Up"
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Updates:
1. Karl Thew was a quiet and friendly member of the Class O'58 who died recently. I have posted his Obit and picture in the "In Memoriam" section.
2. The hotel where we are having the 60th reunion, Country Springs, is being remodeled and renamed to The Ingleside hotel. There are a couple of photos of a remodeled room and a remodeled meeting room are posted above.
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A couple of days ago I got a letter from Donna (Sambs) Stephenson. The note said
"Dave,
These photos are of 1958 graduates.
We still get together every month even after 60 years.
There used to be 12 of us. Now only seven are left. We meet at each other's homes and really enjoy our visits.
Years ago we tried to play cards but we talk too much.
Were looking forward to our 60th class reunion.
Donna Sambs"
The photos of these lovely ladies are photos 61 and 62 of the "Current Photos" album. Thanks Donna!
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Back in 1958 after I graduated, I didn't have a lot going for me so I decided to join the Army. The Waukesha come recruiting sergeant at the time had five guys that wanted to join the Army right after high school graduation; Dave Fuller (me), Andy Eiler, Hal Schneidewendt, Don Ortmann, and Dale Meidenbauer. We were assigned to the same basic training company at Fort Leonard Wood, and the company commander was nice enough to assign us to the same platoon, so we all lived together in the same barracks.
Sad to say this quintet is now down to four people with the passing of Dale Meidenbauer. Dale's picture has been added to the "In Memoriam" section
of this web site.
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As most of you know, our classmate Jim Kerr lives in the American Virgin Islands, an
area which recently suffered through two Hurricanes. In addition, Jim is legally blind
and lives in a rural area of St. Thomas. To those who wonder how he fared, go to
the photo album entitled "More Current Photos" and go to images 67 and 68 to read
what the Waukesha Freeman has printed about the situation. It's an exciting and
interesting article. If you click thr artticle and find the text too small to read, use the
"+" key while holding down the "CTRL" key to expand the window with the text.
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I got a reply from Julie Gray's daughter to my mass email to the class, and, sadly,
Julie passed away shortly after the 55th reunion. I have added her picture to the
"In Memoriam" section.
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The Waukesha Daily Freeman publishes a Lake Country edition, and recently did an
article about Stuart Pease with pictures. If you'd like to read it, scroll to the bottom
of the "In Memoriam" section.
____________________________________________________________________ For some reason, I didn't update the pictures of deceased classmates after I learned of
Dave Larson's death. My apologies to all who knew Dave; his picture is now in the
"In Memoriam" section.
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Is there such a thing as good news about hurricane Irma? In our particular case, yes.
According to the Facebook page of Bruce Kerr, the following status of his brother Jim is:
Jim was found safe and sound according to his brother Bruce Facebook report. Plans to return home once his roof is repaired. He had a Thanksgiving meal the other day.
From Bruce's Facebook page:
" Jim was found, safe & sound, out of water, digging his way up his 100 dirt steps covered in downed trees, 3 hour climb, then with rescuers on final, fourth, hour."
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In the course of sending out emails to verify info on 1958 graduates, I got the following email from Bente Vennerod, now Bente Hallingby. For those of you who can remember back that far, Vente was the exchange student we had for a year from Norway. She sent the following to me:
Bente Hallingby
"Hi!
I am impressed that you manage to call for a reunion after 60 years! I will probably not be there, but I had an idea just now! May be I could have some contact with some of the few that I remember on Facebook! Easy and comfortable, no demands! Bente Vennerød - my name now is Bente Hallingby. Married to the same man, and 9 grandchildren are almost all grown up! Greetings to all of you!"
I think it would be a great idea to reestablish correspondence with Vente. After all, isn't that the general idea behind having exchange students?
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I had the sad duty to update the "In Memoriam" section again; we lost Stuart Pease, who was a good guy. R.I.P. Stu.
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The reunion committee has had a couple of meetings to plan the 2018 60th
reunion. Any suggestions, brickbats, etc send them to me at:
kz1100man@sbcglobal.net
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I have added Dave Ziech (Zeich?) picture to the "In Memoriam" page
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Ralph Clark has sent me a bunch more of the photos of cacti, Joshua Trees, and other flora of Mesa Arizona. So I gave him his own album! Click on the "Photo Albums" control on the left side of the Logon page, then scroll down to "Ralph Clark's Arizona". Most of the photos are pretty, and some are gorgeous.
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I've added a bunch of photos that Ralph Clark has sent me from Arizona. If you pay attention to the news, you'll know that the desert has been blessed with much rainfall this year, leaving them with a wonderful array of flowers that Ralph has captured. Look in the "Current Photos" album Photos 44-60
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I got a photo of Ralph Clark and his bride who recently celebrated 3141 days of wedded bliss. It's photo No. 43 in the "Current Photos" album
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The published obituary for Richard Gagan has been added.
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Today I am updating the "In Memoriam" section with news that a special friend of mine, Richard Gagan, is no longer with us after suffering a massive stroke in Leicester, North Carolina. Richard was a real friend of mine and I will miss him immensely.
See the "Pictures from School Days" section, photos 79-81 for some photos of
Richard, me, and the late Jerry Eales.
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It seems that all I do lately with respect to the website is to update the "In Memoriam" section. The latest addition was Betty Hurula Donaldson.
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Recently I updated the "In Memoriam" section with a picture of David Kind. I got a call this morning informing me that David Kind is alive and kicking and his ( I think) cousin, Dean Kind, who actually passed away.
As you can see in the comment below, keeping the "In Memoriam" section is indeed tricky. My sympathies and apologies go out to the families of Dean Kind And David Kind.
And if you're trying to send email to David Brisk, his email address is now:
briskdave@gmail.com
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More additions to the "In Memoriam" section: I added David Kind's photo. In addition,
when I added Lee Pearce's photo, the job was botched and the photo was not added
(In my defense, the process is tricky and easy to mess up.) The updates have been accomplished, successfully this time.
Note that, as noted above, the process of keeping "In Memoriam" up-to-date is tricky.
Please let me know if you see anything in that section that is not correct. Many Thanks!
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A copy of the obituary for Judy Renner Higbee has been added to the "In Memoriam" Section and her photo has been added to the photos of deceased classmates.
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I have scanned and uploaded a feature from the Waukesha Daily Freeman about Isabel
(Izzy) Barron and his wife of 50 years, Juanita (Janie), see photo No. 66 in the
"More Current Photos" Album. Congratulations Izzy and Juanita, both of who look a
lot younger than I do.
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This is from Bill Kelsey in Oregon - can anyone help him? If so, send him an email at
par4par@bendbroadband.com
Ralph Clark sent some more photos, see photos 57-62 in the "More Current Photos" album.
Also, I received an e-mail from Jim Kerr telling us how he fared in the Paralympics
sailing event. The letter is printed below. Note that USVI is an abbreviation for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a personal note, I would like to thank Jim, and I would like to congratulate him for his efforts, and to say that we all admire his courage and drive. I doubt that I could have done what he accomplished, and I a fully sighted. Well done sir!
Good Morning Charlie, Phil, Chris, David Fuller & David Kerznar,
Here’s the latest Sailing Team info with an opening base touch to two of my great neighbors & supporters.
I hope all of you are well and readying yourself for Christmas.
Jim
Hi Edmundo & Mila,
The above “Subject” Title for my note to you is somewhat misleading as it hints that we made it into the starting lineup for the Rio Paralympic Games. I’m sorry to report that we did not. More on that below.
We got home late yesterday and I thought you’d like to hear the report I received today straight from John Foster, one of our two Founders who was also our Coach in Australia.
I felt quite honored when I arrived back on the Rock last night and your dogs came out for a welcome home pet which I enjoyed equally with them. I hope the Taxi and I did not disturb you too much as the driver found it hard to believe I was going to any other house than the one he could see (yours). He was worried that I was walking into the darkness and I had to assure him that, being blind, I was quite well acquainted with that dark cloak.
In a way, his over concern for my safety is a common enough topic that it is touched upon in John’s thoughts about our “legacy” mentioned in his attached note. It comes as a surprise to many that there, too, is life, song, and even a safe way down darkened stairways for a blind person!
Much love to you Good Neighbors.
Jim
Hello Coach Foster & Manager Robinson,
Thanks John for your summation of our Australian/Reo efforts. Perspective is a difficult thing to grasp especially when formed so close to the end of the Timeframes action.
You wrote a superb compilation of our experience which leaves us with our goals intact and, I believe, our efforts remaining to encourage others to feel the challenge and equip their Disabled Dreams with new wings.
You and Jan made this dream possible for us and others likely to follow similar future quests.
Thank you again for the exposure to the greatness of your insight and embrace of the challenge. You have shown that time and disability are not the iron shackles they were once thought to be.
Bravo! & Bravura!
Jim
From: John Foster [mailto:fozzisnow@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2015 4:50 PM
To: Jan Robinson; Jim Kerr; TONY SANPERE; DAVE FLAHERTY; Regine Fitzner
Subject: Fwd: Sorry about Rio
Jan & Team: We all arrived home safely and on time yesterday. Here is my explanation of what took place in Australia. Please include it in any communications you may have. You are free of course to add your own thoughts to this.
Best wishes for the future and have a safe & joyous Christmas. I will be in touch with any follow up information received
The USVI Paralympic Sailing Team returned from Melbourne, Australia to St. Thomas on December 4th after 23 hours of travel. We had a great regatta and out team held up well even though we had a borrowed boat. We do not own our own so we had to make do with what we could find in Australia. Unfortunately there are very few Sonar class boats there. We were lucky to find one as we did not have the funding to buy one in the US (between $20,000 to $30,000) and ship it ($10,000 each way). The US team had funding to do it (two boats) and the other countries located closer to Australia had their own boats shipped in for much less money. On top of that the measurer found that our boat had an illegal keel (according to Sonar class rules). Apparently after our boat was built they changed the allowable keel profile and dimensions. Ours did not fit the new rule. We had to find a local boat builder to rebuild the keel so that we could race in the regatta (The 2015 Paralympic Sailing World Championship). This took three days to do with the boat out of the water. This meant we were not able to train and practice out on the course with the other competitors but spent our days on shore waiting for the work to be finished. We were lucky to have the work done and the boat back in the water in time for the first day of racing. We tried very hard to make up for this loss but we were not able to catch up with the leaders. In the end we were sailing at the back of the fleet with Korea, Japan and one Australian boat. Even so our team felt it was well worth all the effort we put it to get the U.S. Virgin Islands onto the international scene for disabled sailors and many people in Australia appreciated the fact that we had dared to compete from so far away without our own boat. I think we contributed well to our sport and we will always remember that it is not the size of your country that matters, it's the size of your courage and determination that makes the difference.
John Foster
Coach USVI Paralympic Team
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Those of you who can remember that far back know that, in high school, Gary Schroeder was a pretty skinny kid. He's BACK! See pictures 55-56 of the "More Current Pictures"
Album
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More input from Ralph Clark: he sent me a poem many months ago which I neglected
to post; that error gets rectified NOW:
A Poem
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Fellow classmates: Ralph Clark has set an example by sending me three photos from his collections; they are in the "More Current Photos" section, photos 52-54. I wish Icould
convince more of you to do the same.
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Folks:
I got the following e-mail today from a friend of Jim Kerr, updating me on his adventures
with the Paralympic sailing team of the Virgin Islands:
Included was the following link to a the Virgin Islands Paralympic team Facebook
page. There is a GREAT short clip including an interview with Jim at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/USVISailing?ref=hl
I also got the following blurb about Jim:
Jim Kerr is one of the three crew sailing a Sonar for the first ever U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team. Jim was very active in his younger years. At age 24, he represented the United States in the 1964 Games in Tokyo, taking the silver medal in the Modern Pentathlon team event, and two years later finished second at the 1966 Free World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Sardinia. He was an eight-time All American in swimming, setting records in 1957 and again in 1962. Having moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, his winning ways continued throughout the 1980s in the sport of fencing; culminating with participation in the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, and for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Drawn to sailing, Jim was part of the winning team for 1983 Rolex International Regatta.
Jim summed it up best when he said, “that was all long ago and I certainly thought my days of high level competitive World Championship competitions were over. Over, that is, until Jan Robinson, founder and manager of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team called and wanted me to meet with John Foster, the head coach. They were interested in me joining the team. I mulled it over, for at least a millisecond; because I’ve been catastrophically blind since age 67, five years ago.”
That was in 2014. Since then Jim has competed at two Regattas in Newport, R.I., the World Championships in Miami, FL, and the World Championships in Halifax. The next World Championships in Melbourne, Australia is to compete for a coveted spot in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
We appeal to you to support the team by donating funds to … The Virgin Islands Sports Trust, a 501©3 non profit. EIN#66-6036605.
Recognition will be given to everyone donating to this worthy cause and your donation is tax deductible.
Credit Cards are accepted or please make your checks payable to: Virgin Islands Sports Trust, P.O. Box 502097, St. Thomas, VI 00805
______________________________________________________________I got an e-mail from Dave Brisk today telling m that he met Bob Comstock's sister
and was informed that Bob is no longer with us. Although I knew this, I neglected to
update the"In Memoriam" section, an oversight that I corrected today.
Anyone know of any other classmates I have missed? If so, tell me please.
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Another sad note: Lee Pearce's picture has also been added to the "In Memoriam"
page. I always liked Lee; he always had a kind word to say and was very supportive
of the committee's efforts (and my efforts) for the reunions. He will be missed.
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Sad to say, the latest change to the web site is to add Kaye Lee (Howe) Castagna's
picture to the "In Memoriam" Section. I have also added her obituary to the comments
folowing the Photos.
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Two changes to the website: (1) Added Paul Kaske's photo to the "In Memoriam" Section. (2) Added two travel photos from Gary & Vicky Schroeder's trip tp Cambodia, see the "More Current Photos" album, pictures 48 and 49.
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I want to keep people coming back periodically to the web site, so I'd like to post
some new stuff (Mostly pictures, but some stories too if there are any writers out there.)
If you've got ANYTHING that would be interesting, send it to me at
kz1100man@sbcglobal.net
I guarantee you'll get your stuff back, if you want it.
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Does anyone remember cruising around Waukesha in your Old Man's car (Or your
car if you were realy lucky) and stopping at a funky little food stand on Main Street
called Jimmie's Grotto? The only food I remember were the Italian Sausage Sandwich
with green peppers, and they were lovely.
Well, the Reunion Committee, at Ann Davies Shea's instigation, decided to relive those
days with a luncheon at Jimmie's Grotto, which is now a real restaurant across the street
from the old food stand. They have added PanzaRottas to the menu which is basically a
pizza folded over on itself, and they're dynamite.
Jim Kerr was here from his home in the Virgin Islands to add to the group, wearing
his ParaLympics Sailing Team shirt.
I brought my camera, of course, and I've posted the Photos to pictures 37-42 of the "Current" photo album.
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Folks: I have copied (i.e., ripped off) the following from the website of the Blackshirt Breakfast group at
http://blackshirtsbbg.webstarts.com/
Note that this is a great organization with a great website. The next time you're in
Waukesha and it's Friday, plan on having breakfast with them!
++++++++
Blackshirts Who, What, When, Where, Why-
-
This past January, Jim Kerr '58, a Blackshirt Olympian, was asked to join the U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team. Here is his response, "I mulled it over for at least a millisecond because I’ve been “catastrophically blind” since age 67 but for a call that unbelievable, I couldn’t say no.”
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Anyone would be in awe of receiving a request like that. The following helps to explain how/why Jim received that request.
At age 24, he represented the U.S. at the '64 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He was a "Modern Pentathlete" and the U.S.A. won the Team Silver Medal.
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In '66, Jim won the Individual Silver Medal and the team was once again second. He was an 8-time "All America" selection in swimming including 5 at the University of Michigan. In '57, as a high school Junior, he set an American record in the 50 yard Freestyle prelims of the Nationals and set the record again in '62 while finally winning the Championship Title. His record setting continued throughout the '60s and early '70s.
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In '76, Jim moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands and continued his winning streak throughout the '80s in fencing culminating with participation in the '83 Pan American Games in Venezuela and again in the '84 Summer Games in Los Angeles. While being a resident in the Virgin Islands, he joined a sailing team and he became a winner in the '83 Rolex Cup International Sailing Regatta.
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"All Blackshirts are proud of what you have achieved Jim and we wish you total success with your next endeavor. Please join us when you can!"
-
GO BLACKSHIRTS-
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I'm done updating the photos of deceased classmates; not my favorite chore, so I've
been putting it off. Special thanks to Dave Brisk and Mary Beth Shiveler and others
who have passed along information.
I've also updated e-mails for Kay (Howe) Castagna, Ron Ford, Barb (Heling) Arps, and Lynn (Tans) Connor; find the new info in the "Roster Changes" section of the website.
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I received the following e-mail a few days ago:
Name: Ardi Orysen
E-mail: Asullivan1@wi.rr.com
Telephone:
Comments: I'm sad to inform you that June Orysen Zick passed away on July 20, 2014.
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I was looking through a stack of "stuff" to get rid of excess paper when I came across
a list of names of people that are deceased. The list was given to me at the 55th reunion. If you know of any of these people, either that they are deceased or more importantly not deceased please let me know:
Walter Thomas Hartig
Bonnie Jean Hazel Wilkins
Carolyn Ann Witkowski
Gene Sullivan
Donald A. Schmitz
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Sharon Dueringer took care of my cat recently when I went on vacation. When I got back, she had dug up some old photos, mostly from the Junior Prom. They have been scanned and are photos #71-#78 in the "Photos From School Days" album
aka SmackTavish"
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Once again, I have updated the list of classmates who have left this
Earth and gone mto whatever comes next, and I have added their pictures
to the "In Memoriam" section. The list includes Pat Hess, Mary Ann Gollwitzer
Schaefer, Gerald Panawash, Ed Bladow, Edith Pavlovics Love, and Tom Wright.
I wasn't close to all of these people, but I was to Tom Wright who was an assistant manager of the Basketball team and thus became very close to my Brother-in-law Ken Reichert. Tom was a financial advisor for most of his life, and then decided there was more ti life than finances and became a clergyman, and a dedicated one at that. I'm told he spent his last day on earth by delivering two sermons at two churches, but couldn't make it to the third.
Edith Pavlovics came to Waukesha after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and a hair-raising escape from Hungary. She married George love, another member of The Class O'58 at WHS, and lived a long and peaceful life in Waukesha.
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Anyone who reads this website knows that I do NOT enjoy posting obituaries of old classmates in general, but this one REALLY hurts. My old
and dear friend, Gary Schroeder, fell and was hospitalized with injuries, and finally succumbed to his injuries. I've posted an obit that I wrote at the end of the "In Memoriam" section, plus the responses of some people who responded to my initial email announcing Gary's death.
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I've added two more pictures of deceased classmates, Maribel Ewert Murray and Joe Giesie. Maribel (Sometimes spelled Maribil) was a fellow graduate of Hadfield school in Waukesha, not the NEW Hadfield, but rather the old red brick building with creaking floors and a cornerstone that said "1865".
Joe Giesie was a friendly nice guy, kind of an "Aw shucks" Jimmie Stewart sort of guy.
They'll both be missed.
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Two more photos added to the "In Memoriam section, David Brisk, a fellow graduate of Hadfield Elementary School, and Carol Oeser Danner.
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I got an email from the late Carole Meyer Kowalski's husband informing me of her passing aay, so I have added her photo to the "In Memoriam" section and added th email also.
_____________________________________________________________________________ Donnie Roberts' kids have erected my nominee as The World's Best Headstone over his final reasting place -- see Photo #1 in the "More Current Photos" album. As a former biker (now retired) I especially loved the motorcycle on the stone, surely a Harley-Davidson! Special thanks to Frank Bielinski for bringing this to my attention.
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Once again, I have two more classmates that have gone to their reward. First, Gilbert larson (Nobody called him anything but Gibby) died in Ruskin Florida in May. Gibby was a nice guy who always had a good word for everyone. And second, Paul Westbrook who was probably the most successful author from the Class O'58 who started off as a financial advisor and ended writing a series of financial advice books.
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Sad to say, I have added Gerald (or Jerry) "Hub" Bennett's picture to the "In Memoriam" section.
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Good News:
The website has been renewed for another 5 years, and will expire (Probably forever) in February of 2024. The cost was $449, and we have a little over $1000 in our account. Any suggestions as to what we want to do with that?
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Folks:
I hope everyone who attended had a good time at the Waukesha South High School 60th Reunion; I know that I did. However, there are few things that I forgot to mention when I stood up in front of everyone on Saturday night.
Although I did remember to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ann Davies Shea, I forgot to thank her for the great job that she had arranging and conducting the Saturday morning bus tour. I also wanted to thank Jeremy Shea for doing his homework on Waukesha history and giving us an informative and very witty commentary on our fair city. Good job! And who knew that such a skinny little guy could have such a robust voice?
One thing I wanted to apologize for was the shortage of printed student rosters from the class of 1958. I took a plastic bag full of them to a committee meeting the week before, passed some out to the committee, came home, put the bag with 13 more copies on my coffee table, and then proceeded to forget the fact that they were on the coffee table. So if anyone didn't get a roster send me an email or call me and I will either mail you a copy or else email you a copy if that is possible.
Note that in most copies of the printed roster there is the last page with a list of typos, mistakes and other errata. Those of you who have these flawed rosters may want to update using the info on the last page.
Many people at the reunion thanked me for my time and effort in organizing the last three reunions. But I want to reiterate that this is not a solo effort; a lot of people devoted a lot of time and effort to making all the attendees happy and well fed. And though I certainly appreciate your gratitude, please note that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't somehow enjoy it and did a lot of personal satisfaction doing it. That said, to all those of you who thanked me I can only say "You're welcome."
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Once again, it is my sad duty to update the In Memoriam section, this time with a picture of Curt Hinckley.
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I got the email below from the late Dick Holmberg's sister. Please repond to her directly if you have photos. Or, you could bring them to the Friday get-together at the reunion and let me copy them so I can post a copy to the website and send a copy to Karen.
Name: Karen Holmberg Spoentgen
E-mail: karenjean@prodigy.net
Telephone: 805 647-2686
Comments: Hi, I was just going through your website and luckily found the photo of my brother, Richard that I do not have. I had contributed the one of him in his T-bird with me. But the school photo was precious as I have few photos of him. I am wondering, since you are having a class reunion, if anyone might have some old photos with Richard in them to share with me. As you know, he died suddenly in 1960. I really didn't know all that much about him outside of home. We all lived pretty separate lives, even in school. I would appreciate any stories or photos. Thank you for anything thoughts you may have. Karen
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I got an email from Ralph Clark with photos of Union School from the 1950s, see Photos 82-86 in the "Photos from School days" album.
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I have updated the "In Memoriam" section with photos of Barry Colbert and John Eilertson. I got a phone call last night saying Barry is deceased (Thanks Bill)
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Anyone who reads this knows that updating the "In Memoriam" section isn't my fave thing to do, but I consider it an obligation. So I have added the photos of Nancy Blackstone, Judith Brueggerman, Raymond Dahms, Richard Gagan, James Graf, Sharon Koeppen, Bill McCurdy, Judy Renner, Emil Scherf, Dorothy Smith, and Judith Tunnell. Most of these have been added because we've been contacting classmates for the reunion, but some have been added because they "fell through the cracks" (not my favorite phrase).
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ANOTHER IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Folks: If you look into the "Lost Classmates" section of this website, you will see a list of classmates that we are unable to find, in spite of awesome Internet capabilities and knowledge.
So, if you know the address, telephone, email adress of any of the missing classmates, LET US KNOW! Send an email to kz1100man@sbcglobal.net or
call Dave Fuller at 262-691-2613, or, if you're a little old-fashioned, send
a letter or post card to:
D.R. Fuller
N30W23062 Pineview Cir.
Pewaukee, WI 53072
Note that I have left old info of the lost persons i the table to jog your memories.
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gain, I've added pictures of deceased classmates Roger Habeck, James Pettit, James McNulty, and Margaret Shultis. These have been discovered by our calling program for the 60th reunion.
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As some of you know, we are updating the class roster for the 60th reunion by calling
and verifying the addresses (Mail and E-Mail). In the course of this process, we have
found a few more deceased classmates John Alyea, Janet Potokar, Rosemary Roberts, and Nancy Rink. I have updated the pictures in the "In Memoriam" Section of the website.
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1. I received word that Don Roberts passed away in January, so I have added his photo to the "In Memoriam" section. Thanks for the info, Dave.
2. I sent an e-mail to every member of the class with a known e-mail address asking for hep in calling class members. I got a reply saying that Jim Baird had died in 2012, so I have added his picture to the "In Memoriam" section also.
3. As mentioned, I sent e-mail to all known e-mail addresses asking for help calling classmates. I got a few responses (Thanks Folks!) but I could use more help. If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please let me know.
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I've updated the "In Memoriam" section with a picture of Larry Anders, who died on Dec. 27th. Thanks Ralph for the "Heads Up"
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Updates:
1. Karl Thew was a quiet and friendly member of the Class O'58 who died recently. I have posted his Obit and picture in the "In Memoriam" section.
2. The hotel where we are having the 60th reunion, Country Springs, is being remodeled and renamed to The Ingleside hotel. There are a couple of photos of a remodeled room and a remodeled meeting room are posted above.
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A couple of days ago I got a letter from Donna (Sambs) Stephenson. The note said
"Dave,
These photos are of 1958 graduates.
We still get together every month even after 60 years.
There used to be 12 of us. Now only seven are left. We meet at each other's homes and really enjoy our visits.
Years ago we tried to play cards but we talk too much.
Were looking forward to our 60th class reunion.
Donna Sambs"
The photos of these lovely ladies are photos 61 and 62 of the "Current Photos" album. Thanks Donna!
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Back in 1958 after I graduated, I didn't have a lot going for me so I decided to join the Army. The Waukesha come recruiting sergeant at the time had five guys that wanted to join the Army right after high school graduation; Dave Fuller (me), Andy Eiler, Hal Schneidewendt, Don Ortmann, and Dale Meidenbauer. We were assigned to the same basic training company at Fort Leonard Wood, and the company commander was nice enough to assign us to the same platoon, so we all lived together in the same barracks.
Sad to say this quintet is now down to four people with the passing of Dale Meidenbauer. Dale's picture has been added to the "In Memoriam" section
of this web site.
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As most of you know, our classmate Jim Kerr lives in the American Virgin Islands, an
area which recently suffered through two Hurricanes. In addition, Jim is legally blind
and lives in a rural area of St. Thomas. To those who wonder how he fared, go to
the photo album entitled "More Current Photos" and go to images 67 and 68 to read
what the Waukesha Freeman has printed about the situation. It's an exciting and
interesting article. If you click thr artticle and find the text too small to read, use the
"+" key while holding down the "CTRL" key to expand the window with the text.
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I got a reply from Julie Gray's daughter to my mass email to the class, and, sadly,
Julie passed away shortly after the 55th reunion. I have added her picture to the
"In Memoriam" section.
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The Waukesha Daily Freeman publishes a Lake Country edition, and recently did an
article about Stuart Pease with pictures. If you'd like to read it, scroll to the bottom
of the "In Memoriam" section.
____________________________________________________________________ For some reason, I didn't update the pictures of deceased classmates after I learned of
Dave Larson's death. My apologies to all who knew Dave; his picture is now in the
"In Memoriam" section.
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Is there such a thing as good news about hurricane Irma? In our particular case, yes.
According to the Facebook page of Bruce Kerr, the following status of his brother Jim is:
Jim was found safe and sound according to his brother Bruce Facebook report. Plans to return home once his roof is repaired. He had a Thanksgiving meal the other day.
From Bruce's Facebook page:
" Jim was found, safe & sound, out of water, digging his way up his 100 dirt steps covered in downed trees, 3 hour climb, then with rescuers on final, fourth, hour."
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In the course of sending out emails to verify info on 1958 graduates, I got the following email from Bente Vennerod, now Bente Hallingby. For those of you who can remember back that far, Vente was the exchange student we had for a year from Norway. She sent the following to me:
Bente Hallingby
"Hi!
I am impressed that you manage to call for a reunion after 60 years! I will probably not be there, but I had an idea just now! May be I could have some contact with some of the few that I remember on Facebook! Easy and comfortable, no demands! Bente Vennerød - my name now is Bente Hallingby. Married to the same man, and 9 grandchildren are almost all grown up! Greetings to all of you!"
I think it would be a great idea to reestablish correspondence with Vente. After all, isn't that the general idea behind having exchange students?
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I had the sad duty to update the "In Memoriam" section again; we lost Stuart Pease, who was a good guy. R.I.P. Stu.
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The reunion committee has had a couple of meetings to plan the 2018 60th
reunion. Any suggestions, brickbats, etc send them to me at:
kz1100man@sbcglobal.net
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I have added Dave Ziech (Zeich?) picture to the "In Memoriam" page
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Ralph Clark has sent me a bunch more of the photos of cacti, Joshua Trees, and other flora of Mesa Arizona. So I gave him his own album! Click on the "Photo Albums" control on the left side of the Logon page, then scroll down to "Ralph Clark's Arizona". Most of the photos are pretty, and some are gorgeous.
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I've added a bunch of photos that Ralph Clark has sent me from Arizona. If you pay attention to the news, you'll know that the desert has been blessed with much rainfall this year, leaving them with a wonderful array of flowers that Ralph has captured. Look in the "Current Photos" album Photos 44-60
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I got a photo of Ralph Clark and his bride who recently celebrated 3141 days of wedded bliss. It's photo No. 43 in the "Current Photos" album
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The published obituary for Richard Gagan has been added.
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Today I am updating the "In Memoriam" section with news that a special friend of mine, Richard Gagan, is no longer with us after suffering a massive stroke in Leicester, North Carolina. Richard was a real friend of mine and I will miss him immensely.
See the "Pictures from School Days" section, photos 79-81 for some photos of
Richard, me, and the late Jerry Eales.
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It seems that all I do lately with respect to the website is to update the "In Memoriam" section. The latest addition was Betty Hurula Donaldson.
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Recently I updated the "In Memoriam" section with a picture of David Kind. I got a call this morning informing me that David Kind is alive and kicking and his ( I think) cousin, Dean Kind, who actually passed away.
As you can see in the comment below, keeping the "In Memoriam" section is indeed tricky. My sympathies and apologies go out to the families of Dean Kind And David Kind.
And if you're trying to send email to David Brisk, his email address is now:
briskdave@gmail.com
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More additions to the "In Memoriam" section: I added David Kind's photo. In addition,
when I added Lee Pearce's photo, the job was botched and the photo was not added
(In my defense, the process is tricky and easy to mess up.) The updates have been accomplished, successfully this time.
Note that, as noted above, the process of keeping "In Memoriam" up-to-date is tricky.
Please let me know if you see anything in that section that is not correct. Many Thanks!
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A copy of the obituary for Judy Renner Higbee has been added to the "In Memoriam" Section and her photo has been added to the photos of deceased classmates.
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I have scanned and uploaded a feature from the Waukesha Daily Freeman about Isabel
(Izzy) Barron and his wife of 50 years, Juanita (Janie), see photo No. 66 in the
"More Current Photos" Album. Congratulations Izzy and Juanita, both of who look a
lot younger than I do.
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This is from Bill Kelsey in Oregon - can anyone help him? If so, send him an email at
par4par@bendbroadband.com
Ralph Clark sent some more photos, see photos 57-62 in the "More Current Photos" album.
Also, I received an e-mail from Jim Kerr telling us how he fared in the Paralympics
sailing event. The letter is printed below. Note that USVI is an abbreviation for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a personal note, I would like to thank Jim, and I would like to congratulate him for his efforts, and to say that we all admire his courage and drive. I doubt that I could have done what he accomplished, and I a fully sighted. Well done sir!
Good Morning Charlie, Phil, Chris, David Fuller & David Kerznar,
Here’s the latest Sailing Team info with an opening base touch to two of my great neighbors & supporters.
I hope all of you are well and readying yourself for Christmas.
Jim
Hi Edmundo & Mila,
The above “Subject” Title for my note to you is somewhat misleading as it hints that we made it into the starting lineup for the Rio Paralympic Games. I’m sorry to report that we did not. More on that below.
We got home late yesterday and I thought you’d like to hear the report I received today straight from John Foster, one of our two Founders who was also our Coach in Australia.
I felt quite honored when I arrived back on the Rock last night and your dogs came out for a welcome home pet which I enjoyed equally with them. I hope the Taxi and I did not disturb you too much as the driver found it hard to believe I was going to any other house than the one he could see (yours). He was worried that I was walking into the darkness and I had to assure him that, being blind, I was quite well acquainted with that dark cloak.
In a way, his over concern for my safety is a common enough topic that it is touched upon in John’s thoughts about our “legacy” mentioned in his attached note. It comes as a surprise to many that there, too, is life, song, and even a safe way down darkened stairways for a blind person!
Much love to you Good Neighbors.
Jim
Hello Coach Foster & Manager Robinson,
Thanks John for your summation of our Australian/Reo efforts. Perspective is a difficult thing to grasp especially when formed so close to the end of the Timeframes action.
You wrote a superb compilation of our experience which leaves us with our goals intact and, I believe, our efforts remaining to encourage others to feel the challenge and equip their Disabled Dreams with new wings.
You and Jan made this dream possible for us and others likely to follow similar future quests.
Thank you again for the exposure to the greatness of your insight and embrace of the challenge. You have shown that time and disability are not the iron shackles they were once thought to be.
Bravo! & Bravura!
Jim
From: John Foster [mailto:fozzisnow@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2015 4:50 PM
To: Jan Robinson; Jim Kerr; TONY SANPERE; DAVE FLAHERTY; Regine Fitzner
Subject: Fwd: Sorry about Rio
Jan & Team: We all arrived home safely and on time yesterday. Here is my explanation of what took place in Australia. Please include it in any communications you may have. You are free of course to add your own thoughts to this.
Best wishes for the future and have a safe & joyous Christmas. I will be in touch with any follow up information received
The USVI Paralympic Sailing Team returned from Melbourne, Australia to St. Thomas on December 4th after 23 hours of travel. We had a great regatta and out team held up well even though we had a borrowed boat. We do not own our own so we had to make do with what we could find in Australia. Unfortunately there are very few Sonar class boats there. We were lucky to find one as we did not have the funding to buy one in the US (between $20,000 to $30,000) and ship it ($10,000 each way). The US team had funding to do it (two boats) and the other countries located closer to Australia had their own boats shipped in for much less money. On top of that the measurer found that our boat had an illegal keel (according to Sonar class rules). Apparently after our boat was built they changed the allowable keel profile and dimensions. Ours did not fit the new rule. We had to find a local boat builder to rebuild the keel so that we could race in the regatta (The 2015 Paralympic Sailing World Championship). This took three days to do with the boat out of the water. This meant we were not able to train and practice out on the course with the other competitors but spent our days on shore waiting for the work to be finished. We were lucky to have the work done and the boat back in the water in time for the first day of racing. We tried very hard to make up for this loss but we were not able to catch up with the leaders. In the end we were sailing at the back of the fleet with Korea, Japan and one Australian boat. Even so our team felt it was well worth all the effort we put it to get the U.S. Virgin Islands onto the international scene for disabled sailors and many people in Australia appreciated the fact that we had dared to compete from so far away without our own boat. I think we contributed well to our sport and we will always remember that it is not the size of your country that matters, it's the size of your courage and determination that makes the difference.
John Foster
Coach USVI Paralympic Team
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Those of you who can remember that far back know that, in high school, Gary Schroeder was a pretty skinny kid. He's BACK! See pictures 55-56 of the "More Current Pictures"
Album
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More input from Ralph Clark: he sent me a poem many months ago which I neglected
to post; that error gets rectified NOW:
A Poem
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Fellow classmates: Ralph Clark has set an example by sending me three photos from his collections; they are in the "More Current Photos" section, photos 52-54. I wish Icould
convince more of you to do the same.
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Folks:
I got the following e-mail today from a friend of Jim Kerr, updating me on his adventures
with the Paralympic sailing team of the Virgin Islands:
Included was the following link to a the Virgin Islands Paralympic team Facebook
page. There is a GREAT short clip including an interview with Jim at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/USVISailing?ref=hl
I also got the following blurb about Jim:
Jim Kerr is one of the three crew sailing a Sonar for the first ever U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team. Jim was very active in his younger years. At age 24, he represented the United States in the 1964 Games in Tokyo, taking the silver medal in the Modern Pentathlon team event, and two years later finished second at the 1966 Free World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Sardinia. He was an eight-time All American in swimming, setting records in 1957 and again in 1962. Having moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, his winning ways continued throughout the 1980s in the sport of fencing; culminating with participation in the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, and for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Drawn to sailing, Jim was part of the winning team for 1983 Rolex International Regatta.
Jim summed it up best when he said, “that was all long ago and I certainly thought my days of high level competitive World Championship competitions were over. Over, that is, until Jan Robinson, founder and manager of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team called and wanted me to meet with John Foster, the head coach. They were interested in me joining the team. I mulled it over, for at least a millisecond; because I’ve been catastrophically blind since age 67, five years ago.”
That was in 2014. Since then Jim has competed at two Regattas in Newport, R.I., the World Championships in Miami, FL, and the World Championships in Halifax. The next World Championships in Melbourne, Australia is to compete for a coveted spot in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
We appeal to you to support the team by donating funds to … The Virgin Islands Sports Trust, a 501©3 non profit. EIN#66-6036605.
Recognition will be given to everyone donating to this worthy cause and your donation is tax deductible.
Credit Cards are accepted or please make your checks payable to: Virgin Islands Sports Trust, P.O. Box 502097, St. Thomas, VI 00805
______________________________________________________________I got an e-mail from Dave Brisk today telling m that he met Bob Comstock's sister
and was informed that Bob is no longer with us. Although I knew this, I neglected to
update the"In Memoriam" section, an oversight that I corrected today.
Anyone know of any other classmates I have missed? If so, tell me please.
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Another sad note: Lee Pearce's picture has also been added to the "In Memoriam"
page. I always liked Lee; he always had a kind word to say and was very supportive
of the committee's efforts (and my efforts) for the reunions. He will be missed.
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Sad to say, the latest change to the web site is to add Kaye Lee (Howe) Castagna's
picture to the "In Memoriam" Section. I have also added her obituary to the comments
folowing the Photos.
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Two changes to the website: (1) Added Paul Kaske's photo to the "In Memoriam" Section. (2) Added two travel photos from Gary & Vicky Schroeder's trip tp Cambodia, see the "More Current Photos" album, pictures 48 and 49.
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I want to keep people coming back periodically to the web site, so I'd like to post
some new stuff (Mostly pictures, but some stories too if there are any writers out there.)
If you've got ANYTHING that would be interesting, send it to me at
kz1100man@sbcglobal.net
I guarantee you'll get your stuff back, if you want it.
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Does anyone remember cruising around Waukesha in your Old Man's car (Or your
car if you were realy lucky) and stopping at a funky little food stand on Main Street
called Jimmie's Grotto? The only food I remember were the Italian Sausage Sandwich
with green peppers, and they were lovely.
Well, the Reunion Committee, at Ann Davies Shea's instigation, decided to relive those
days with a luncheon at Jimmie's Grotto, which is now a real restaurant across the street
from the old food stand. They have added PanzaRottas to the menu which is basically a
pizza folded over on itself, and they're dynamite.
Jim Kerr was here from his home in the Virgin Islands to add to the group, wearing
his ParaLympics Sailing Team shirt.
I brought my camera, of course, and I've posted the Photos to pictures 37-42 of the "Current" photo album.
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Folks: I have copied (i.e., ripped off) the following from the website of the Blackshirt Breakfast group at
http://blackshirtsbbg.webstarts.com/
Note that this is a great organization with a great website. The next time you're in
Waukesha and it's Friday, plan on having breakfast with them!
++++++++
Blackshirts Who, What, When, Where, Why-
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This past January, Jim Kerr '58, a Blackshirt Olympian, was asked to join the U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team. Here is his response, "I mulled it over for at least a millisecond because I’ve been “catastrophically blind” since age 67 but for a call that unbelievable, I couldn’t say no.”
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Anyone would be in awe of receiving a request like that. The following helps to explain how/why Jim received that request.
At age 24, he represented the U.S. at the '64 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He was a "Modern Pentathlete" and the U.S.A. won the Team Silver Medal.
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In '66, Jim won the Individual Silver Medal and the team was once again second. He was an 8-time "All America" selection in swimming including 5 at the University of Michigan. In '57, as a high school Junior, he set an American record in the 50 yard Freestyle prelims of the Nationals and set the record again in '62 while finally winning the Championship Title. His record setting continued throughout the '60s and early '70s.
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In '76, Jim moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands and continued his winning streak throughout the '80s in fencing culminating with participation in the '83 Pan American Games in Venezuela and again in the '84 Summer Games in Los Angeles. While being a resident in the Virgin Islands, he joined a sailing team and he became a winner in the '83 Rolex Cup International Sailing Regatta.
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"All Blackshirts are proud of what you have achieved Jim and we wish you total success with your next endeavor. Please join us when you can!"
-
GO BLACKSHIRTS-
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I'm done updating the photos of deceased classmates; not my favorite chore, so I've
been putting it off. Special thanks to Dave Brisk and Mary Beth Shiveler and others
who have passed along information.
I've also updated e-mails for Kay (Howe) Castagna, Ron Ford, Barb (Heling) Arps, and Lynn (Tans) Connor; find the new info in the "Roster Changes" section of the website.
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I received the following e-mail a few days ago:
Name: Ardi Orysen
E-mail: Asullivan1@wi.rr.com
Telephone:
Comments: I'm sad to inform you that June Orysen Zick passed away on July 20, 2014.
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I was looking through a stack of "stuff" to get rid of excess paper when I came across
a list of names of people that are deceased. The list was given to me at the 55th reunion. If you know of any of these people, either that they are deceased or more importantly not deceased please let me know:
Walter Thomas Hartig
Bonnie Jean Hazel Wilkins
Carolyn Ann Witkowski
Gene Sullivan
Donald A. Schmitz
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Sharon Dueringer took care of my cat recently when I went on vacation. When I got back, she had dug up some old photos, mostly from the Junior Prom. They have been scanned and are photos #71-#78 in the "Photos From School Days" album
aka SmackTavish"
aka SmackTavish
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Once again, I have updated the list of classmates who have left this
Earth and gone mto whatever comes next, and I have added their pictures
to the "In Memoriam" section. The list includes Pat Hess, Mary Ann Gollwitzer
Schaefer, Gerald Panawash, Ed Bladow, Edith Pavlovics Love, and Tom Wright.
I wasn't close to all of these people, but I was to Tom Wright who was an assistant manager of the Basketball team and thus became very close to my Brother-in-law Ken Reichert. Tom was a financial advisor for most of his life, and then decided there was more ti life than finances and became a clergyman, and a dedicated one at that. I'm told he spent his last day on earth by delivering two sermons at two churches, but couldn't make it to the third.
Edith Pavlovics came to Waukesha after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and a hair-raising escape from Hungary. She married George love, another member of The Class O'58 at WHS, and lived a long and peaceful life in Waukesha.
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Anyone who reads this website knows that I do NOT enjoy posting obituaries of old classmates in general, but this one REALLY hurts. My old
and dear friend, Gary Schroeder, fell and was hospitalized with injuries, and finally succumbed to his injuries. I've posted an obit that I wrote at the end of the "In Memoriam" section, plus the responses of some people who responded to my initial email announcing Gary's death.
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I've added two more pictures of deceased classmates, Maribel Ewert Murray and Joe Giesie. Maribel (Sometimes spelled Maribil) was a fellow graduate of Hadfield school in Waukesha, not the NEW Hadfield, but rather the old red brick building with creaking floors and a cornerstone that said "1865".
Joe Giesie was a friendly nice guy, kind of an "Aw shucks" Jimmie Stewart sort of guy.
They'll both be missed.
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Two more photos added to the "In Memoriam section, David Brisk, a fellow graduate of Hadfield Elementary School, and Carol Oeser Danner.
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I got an email from the late Carole Meyer Kowalski's husband informing me of her passing aay, so I have added her photo to the "In Memoriam" section and added th email also.
_____________________________________________________________________________ Donnie Roberts' kids have erected my nominee as The World's Best Headstone over his final reasting place -- see Photo #1 in the "More Current Photos" album. As a former biker (now retired) I especially loved the motorcycle on the stone, surely a Harley-Davidson! Special thanks to Frank Bielinski for bringing this to my attention.
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Once again, I have two more classmates that have gone to their reward. First, Gilbert larson (Nobody called him anything but Gibby) died in Ruskin Florida in May. Gibby was a nice guy who always had a good word for everyone. And second, Paul Westbrook who was probably the most successful author from the Class O'58 who started off as a financial advisor and ended writing a series of financial advice books.
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Sad to say, I have added Gerald (or Jerry) "Hub" Bennett's picture to the "In Memoriam" section.
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Good News:
The website has been renewed for another 5 years, and will expire (Probably forever) in February of 2024. The cost was $449, and we have a little over $1000 in our account. Any suggestions as to what we want to do with that?
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Folks:
I hope everyone who attended had a good time at the Waukesha South High School 60th Reunion; I know that I did. However, there are few things that I forgot to mention when I stood up in front of everyone on Saturday night.
Although I did remember to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ann Davies Shea, I forgot to thank her for the great job that she had arranging and conducting the Saturday morning bus tour. I also wanted to thank Jeremy Shea for doing his homework on Waukesha history and giving us an informative and very witty commentary on our fair city. Good job! And who knew that such a skinny little guy could have such a robust voice?
One thing I wanted to apologize for was the shortage of printed student rosters from the class of 1958. I took a plastic bag full of them to a committee meeting the week before, passed some out to the committee, came home, put the bag with 13 more copies on my coffee table, and then proceeded to forget the fact that they were on the coffee table. So if anyone didn't get a roster send me an email or call me and I will either mail you a copy or else email you a copy if that is possible.
Note that in most copies of the printed roster there is the last page with a list of typos, mistakes and other errata. Those of you who have these flawed rosters may want to update using the info on the last page.
Many people at the reunion thanked me for my time and effort in organizing the last three reunions. But I want to reiterate that this is not a solo effort; a lot of people devoted a lot of time and effort to making all the attendees happy and well fed. And though I certainly appreciate your gratitude, please note that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't somehow enjoy it and did a lot of personal satisfaction doing it. That said, to all those of you who thanked me I can only say "You're welcome."
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Once again, it is my sad duty to update the In Memoriam section, this time with a picture of Curt Hinckley.
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I got the email below from the late Dick Holmberg's sister. Please repond to her directly if you have photos. Or, you could bring them to the Friday get-together at the reunion and let me copy them so I can post a copy to the website and send a copy to Karen.
Name: Karen Holmberg Spoentgen
E-mail: karenjean@prodigy.net
Telephone: 805 647-2686
Comments: Hi, I was just going through your website and luckily found the photo of my brother, Richard that I do not have. I had contributed the one of him in his T-bird with me. But the school photo was precious as I have few photos of him. I am wondering, since you are having a class reunion, if anyone might have some old photos with Richard in them to share with me. As you know, he died suddenly in 1960. I really didn't know all that much about him outside of home. We all lived pretty separate lives, even in school. I would appreciate any stories or photos. Thank you for anything thoughts you may have. Karen
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I got an email from Ralph Clark with photos of Union School from the 1950s, see Photos 82-86 in the "Photos from School days" album.
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I have updated the "In Memoriam" section with photos of Barry Colbert and John Eilertson. I got a phone call last night saying Barry is deceased (Thanks Bill)
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Anyone who reads this knows that updating the "In Memoriam" section isn't my fave thing to do, but I consider it an obligation. So I have added the photos of Nancy Blackstone, Judith Brueggerman, Raymond Dahms, Richard Gagan, James Graf, Sharon Koeppen, Bill McCurdy, Judy Renner, Emil Scherf, Dorothy Smith, and Judith Tunnell. Most of these have been added because we've been contacting classmates for the reunion, but some have been added because they "fell through the cracks" (not my favorite phrase).
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ANOTHER IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Folks: If you look into the "Lost Classmates" section of this website, you will see a list of classmates that we are unable to find, in spite of awesome Internet capabilities and knowledge.
So, if you know the address, telephone, email adress of any of the missing classmates, LET US KNOW! Send an email to kz1100man@sbcglobal.net or
call Dave Fuller at 262-691-2613, or, if you're a little old-fashioned, send
a letter or post card to:
D.R. Fuller
N30W23062 Pineview Cir.
Pewaukee, WI 53072
Note that I have left old info of the lost persons i the table to jog your memories.
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gain, I've added pictures of deceased classmates Roger Habeck, James Pettit, James McNulty, and Margaret Shultis. These have been discovered by our calling program for the 60th reunion.
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As some of you know, we are updating the class roster for the 60th reunion by calling
and verifying the addresses (Mail and E-Mail). In the course of this process, we have
found a few more deceased classmates John Alyea, Janet Potokar, Rosemary Roberts, and Nancy Rink. I have updated the pictures in the "In Memoriam" Section of the website.
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1. I received word that Don Roberts passed away in January, so I have added his photo to the "In Memoriam" section. Thanks for the info, Dave.
2. I sent an e-mail to every member of the class with a known e-mail address asking for hep in calling class members. I got a reply saying that Jim Baird had died in 2012, so I have added his picture to the "In Memoriam" section also.
3. As mentioned, I sent e-mail to all known e-mail addresses asking for help calling classmates. I got a few responses (Thanks Folks!) but I could use more help. If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please let me know.
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I've updated the "In Memoriam" section with a picture of Larry Anders, who died on Dec. 27th. Thanks Ralph for the "Heads Up"
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Updates:
1. Karl Thew was a quiet and friendly member of the Class O'58 who died recently. I have posted his Obit and picture in the "In Memoriam" section.
2. The hotel where we are having the 60th reunion, Country Springs, is being remodeled and renamed to The Ingleside hotel. There are a couple of photos of a remodeled room and a remodeled meeting room are posted above.
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A couple of days ago I got a letter from Donna (Sambs) Stephenson. The note said
"Dave,
These photos are of 1958 graduates.
We still get together every month even after 60 years.
There used to be 12 of us. Now only seven are left. We meet at each other's homes and really enjoy our visits.
Years ago we tried to play cards but we talk too much.
Were looking forward to our 60th class reunion.
Donna Sambs"
The photos of these lovely ladies are photos 61 and 62 of the "Current Photos" album. Thanks Donna!
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Back in 1958 after I graduated, I didn't have a lot going for me so I decided to join the Army. The Waukesha come recruiting sergeant at the time had five guys that wanted to join the Army right after high school graduation; Dave Fuller (me), Andy Eiler, Hal Schneidewendt, Don Ortmann, and Dale Meidenbauer. We were assigned to the same basic training company at Fort Leonard Wood, and the company commander was nice enough to assign us to the same platoon, so we all lived together in the same barracks.
Sad to say this quintet is now down to four people with the passing of Dale Meidenbauer. Dale's picture has been added to the "In Memoriam" section
of this web site.
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As most of you know, our classmate Jim Kerr lives in the American Virgin Islands, an
area which recently suffered through two Hurricanes. In addition, Jim is legally blind
and lives in a rural area of St. Thomas. To those who wonder how he fared, go to
the photo album entitled "More Current Photos" and go to images 67 and 68 to read
what the Waukesha Freeman has printed about the situation. It's an exciting and
interesting article. If you click thr artticle and find the text too small to read, use the
"+" key while holding down the "CTRL" key to expand the window with the text.
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I got a reply from Julie Gray's daughter to my mass email to the class, and, sadly,
Julie passed away shortly after the 55th reunion. I have added her picture to the
"In Memoriam" section.
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The Waukesha Daily Freeman publishes a Lake Country edition, and recently did an
article about Stuart Pease with pictures. If you'd like to read it, scroll to the bottom
of the "In Memoriam" section.
____________________________________________________________________ For some reason, I didn't update the pictures of deceased classmates after I learned of
Dave Larson's death. My apologies to all who knew Dave; his picture is now in the
"In Memoriam" section.
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Is there such a thing as good news about hurricane Irma? In our particular case, yes.
According to the Facebook page of Bruce Kerr, the following status of his brother Jim is:
Jim was found safe and sound according to his brother Bruce Facebook report. Plans to return home once his roof is repaired. He had a Thanksgiving meal the other day.
From Bruce's Facebook page:
" Jim was found, safe & sound, out of water, digging his way up his 100 dirt steps covered in downed trees, 3 hour climb, then with rescuers on final, fourth, hour."
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In the course of sending out emails to verify info on 1958 graduates, I got the following email from Bente Vennerod, now Bente Hallingby. For those of you who can remember back that far, Vente was the exchange student we had for a year from Norway. She sent the following to me:
Bente Hallingby
"Hi!
I am impressed that you manage to call for a reunion after 60 years! I will probably not be there, but I had an idea just now! May be I could have some contact with some of the few that I remember on Facebook! Easy and comfortable, no demands! Bente Vennerød - my name now is Bente Hallingby. Married to the same man, and 9 grandchildren are almost all grown up! Greetings to all of you!"
I think it would be a great idea to reestablish correspondence with Vente. After all, isn't that the general idea behind having exchange students?
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I had the sad duty to update the "In Memoriam" section again; we lost Stuart Pease, who was a good guy. R.I.P. Stu.
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The reunion committee has had a couple of meetings to plan the 2018 60th
reunion. Any suggestions, brickbats, etc send them to me at:
kz1100man@sbcglobal.net
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I have added Dave Ziech (Zeich?) picture to the "In Memoriam" page
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Ralph Clark has sent me a bunch more of the photos of cacti, Joshua Trees, and other flora of Mesa Arizona. So I gave him his own album! Click on the "Photo Albums" control on the left side of the Logon page, then scroll down to "Ralph Clark's Arizona". Most of the photos are pretty, and some are gorgeous.
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I've added a bunch of photos that Ralph Clark has sent me from Arizona. If you pay attention to the news, you'll know that the desert has been blessed with much rainfall this year, leaving them with a wonderful array of flowers that Ralph has captured. Look in the "Current Photos" album Photos 44-60
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I got a photo of Ralph Clark and his bride who recently celebrated 3141 days of wedded bliss. It's photo No. 43 in the "Current Photos" album
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The published obituary for Richard Gagan has been added.
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Today I am updating the "In Memoriam" section with news that a special friend of mine, Richard Gagan, is no longer with us after suffering a massive stroke in Leicester, North Carolina. Richard was a real friend of mine and I will miss him immensely.
See the "Pictures from School Days" section, photos 79-81 for some photos of
Richard, me, and the late Jerry Eales.
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It seems that all I do lately with respect to the website is to update the "In Memoriam" section. The latest addition was Betty Hurula Donaldson.
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Recently I updated the "In Memoriam" section with a picture of David Kind. I got a call this morning informing me that David Kind is alive and kicking and his ( I think) cousin, Dean Kind, who actually passed away.
As you can see in the comment below, keeping the "In Memoriam" section is indeed tricky. My sympathies and apologies go out to the families of Dean Kind And David Kind.
And if you're trying to send email to David Brisk, his email address is now:
briskdave@gmail.com
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More additions to the "In Memoriam" section: I added David Kind's photo. In addition,
when I added Lee Pearce's photo, the job was botched and the photo was not added
(In my defense, the process is tricky and easy to mess up.) The updates have been accomplished, successfully this time.
Note that, as noted above, the process of keeping "In Memoriam" up-to-date is tricky.
Please let me know if you see anything in that section that is not correct. Many Thanks!
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A copy of the obituary for Judy Renner Higbee has been added to the "In Memoriam" Section and her photo has been added to the photos of deceased classmates.
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I have scanned and uploaded a feature from the Waukesha Daily Freeman about Isabel
(Izzy) Barron and his wife of 50 years, Juanita (Janie), see photo No. 66 in the
"More Current Photos" Album. Congratulations Izzy and Juanita, both of who look a
lot younger than I do.
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This is from Bill Kelsey in Oregon - can anyone help him? If so, send him an email at
par4par@bendbroadband.com
Ralph Clark sent some more photos, see photos 57-62 in the "More Current Photos" album.
Also, I received an e-mail from Jim Kerr telling us how he fared in the Paralympics
sailing event. The letter is printed below. Note that USVI is an abbreviation for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a personal note, I would like to thank Jim, and I would like to congratulate him for his efforts, and to say that we all admire his courage and drive. I doubt that I could have done what he accomplished, and I a fully sighted. Well done sir!
Good Morning Charlie, Phil, Chris, David Fuller & David Kerznar,
Here’s the latest Sailing Team info with an opening base touch to two of my great neighbors & supporters.
I hope all of you are well and readying yourself for Christmas.
Jim
Hi Edmundo & Mila,
The above “Subject” Title for my note to you is somewhat misleading as it hints that we made it into the starting lineup for the Rio Paralympic Games. I’m sorry to report that we did not. More on that below.
We got home late yesterday and I thought you’d like to hear the report I received today straight from John Foster, one of our two Founders who was also our Coach in Australia.
I felt quite honored when I arrived back on the Rock last night and your dogs came out for a welcome home pet which I enjoyed equally with them. I hope the Taxi and I did not disturb you too much as the driver found it hard to believe I was going to any other house than the one he could see (yours). He was worried that I was walking into the darkness and I had to assure him that, being blind, I was quite well acquainted with that dark cloak.
In a way, his over concern for my safety is a common enough topic that it is touched upon in John’s thoughts about our “legacy” mentioned in his attached note. It comes as a surprise to many that there, too, is life, song, and even a safe way down darkened stairways for a blind person!
Much love to you Good Neighbors.
Jim
Hello Coach Foster & Manager Robinson,
Thanks John for your summation of our Australian/Reo efforts. Perspective is a difficult thing to grasp especially when formed so close to the end of the Timeframes action.
You wrote a superb compilation of our experience which leaves us with our goals intact and, I believe, our efforts remaining to encourage others to feel the challenge and equip their Disabled Dreams with new wings.
You and Jan made this dream possible for us and others likely to follow similar future quests.
Thank you again for the exposure to the greatness of your insight and embrace of the challenge. You have shown that time and disability are not the iron shackles they were once thought to be.
Bravo! & Bravura!
Jim
From: John Foster [mailto:fozzisnow@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2015 4:50 PM
To: Jan Robinson; Jim Kerr; TONY SANPERE; DAVE FLAHERTY; Regine Fitzner
Subject: Fwd: Sorry about Rio
Jan & Team: We all arrived home safely and on time yesterday. Here is my explanation of what took place in Australia. Please include it in any communications you may have. You are free of course to add your own thoughts to this.
Best wishes for the future and have a safe & joyous Christmas. I will be in touch with any follow up information received
The USVI Paralympic Sailing Team returned from Melbourne, Australia to St. Thomas on December 4th after 23 hours of travel. We had a great regatta and out team held up well even though we had a borrowed boat. We do not own our own so we had to make do with what we could find in Australia. Unfortunately there are very few Sonar class boats there. We were lucky to find one as we did not have the funding to buy one in the US (between $20,000 to $30,000) and ship it ($10,000 each way). The US team had funding to do it (two boats) and the other countries located closer to Australia had their own boats shipped in for much less money. On top of that the measurer found that our boat had an illegal keel (according to Sonar class rules). Apparently after our boat was built they changed the allowable keel profile and dimensions. Ours did not fit the new rule. We had to find a local boat builder to rebuild the keel so that we could race in the regatta (The 2015 Paralympic Sailing World Championship). This took three days to do with the boat out of the water. This meant we were not able to train and practice out on the course with the other competitors but spent our days on shore waiting for the work to be finished. We were lucky to have the work done and the boat back in the water in time for the first day of racing. We tried very hard to make up for this loss but we were not able to catch up with the leaders. In the end we were sailing at the back of the fleet with Korea, Japan and one Australian boat. Even so our team felt it was well worth all the effort we put it to get the U.S. Virgin Islands onto the international scene for disabled sailors and many people in Australia appreciated the fact that we had dared to compete from so far away without our own boat. I think we contributed well to our sport and we will always remember that it is not the size of your country that matters, it's the size of your courage and determination that makes the difference.
John Foster
Coach USVI Paralympic Team
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Those of you who can remember that far back know that, in high school, Gary Schroeder was a pretty skinny kid. He's BACK! See pictures 55-56 of the "More Current Pictures"
Album
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More input from Ralph Clark: he sent me a poem many months ago which I neglected
to post; that error gets rectified NOW:
A Poem
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Fellow classmates: Ralph Clark has set an example by sending me three photos from his collections; they are in the "More Current Photos" section, photos 52-54. I wish Icould
convince more of you to do the same.
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Folks:
I got the following e-mail today from a friend of Jim Kerr, updating me on his adventures
with the Paralympic sailing team of the Virgin Islands:
Included was the following link to a the Virgin Islands Paralympic team Facebook
page. There is a GREAT short clip including an interview with Jim at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/USVISailing?ref=hl
I also got the following blurb about Jim:
Jim Kerr is one of the three crew sailing a Sonar for the first ever U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team. Jim was very active in his younger years. At age 24, he represented the United States in the 1964 Games in Tokyo, taking the silver medal in the Modern Pentathlon team event, and two years later finished second at the 1966 Free World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Sardinia. He was an eight-time All American in swimming, setting records in 1957 and again in 1962. Having moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, his winning ways continued throughout the 1980s in the sport of fencing; culminating with participation in the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, and for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Drawn to sailing, Jim was part of the winning team for 1983 Rolex International Regatta.
Jim summed it up best when he said, “that was all long ago and I certainly thought my days of high level competitive World Championship competitions were over. Over, that is, until Jan Robinson, founder and manager of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team called and wanted me to meet with John Foster, the head coach. They were interested in me joining the team. I mulled it over, for at least a millisecond; because I’ve been catastrophically blind since age 67, five years ago.”
That was in 2014. Since then Jim has competed at two Regattas in Newport, R.I., the World Championships in Miami, FL, and the World Championships in Halifax. The next World Championships in Melbourne, Australia is to compete for a coveted spot in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
We appeal to you to support the team by donating funds to … The Virgin Islands Sports Trust, a 501©3 non profit. EIN#66-6036605.
Recognition will be given to everyone donating to this worthy cause and your donation is tax deductible.
Credit Cards are accepted or please make your checks payable to: Virgin Islands Sports Trust, P.O. Box 502097, St. Thomas, VI 00805
______________________________________________________________I got an e-mail from Dave Brisk today telling m that he met Bob Comstock's sister
and was informed that Bob is no longer with us. Although I knew this, I neglected to
update the"In Memoriam" section, an oversight that I corrected today.
Anyone know of any other classmates I have missed? If so, tell me please.
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Another sad note: Lee Pearce's picture has also been added to the "In Memoriam"
page. I always liked Lee; he always had a kind word to say and was very supportive
of the committee's efforts (and my efforts) for the reunions. He will be missed.
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Sad to say, the latest change to the web site is to add Kaye Lee (Howe) Castagna's
picture to the "In Memoriam" Section. I have also added her obituary to the comments
folowing the Photos.
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Two changes to the website: (1) Added Paul Kaske's photo to the "In Memoriam" Section. (2) Added two travel photos from Gary & Vicky Schroeder's trip tp Cambodia, see the "More Current Photos" album, pictures 48 and 49.
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I want to keep people coming back periodically to the web site, so I'd like to post
some new stuff (Mostly pictures, but some stories too if there are any writers out there.)
If you've got ANYTHING that would be interesting, send it to me at
kz1100man@sbcglobal.net
I guarantee you'll get your stuff back, if you want it.
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Does anyone remember cruising around Waukesha in your Old Man's car (Or your
car if you were realy lucky) and stopping at a funky little food stand on Main Street
called Jimmie's Grotto? The only food I remember were the Italian Sausage Sandwich
with green peppers, and they were lovely.
Well, the Reunion Committee, at Ann Davies Shea's instigation, decided to relive those
days with a luncheon at Jimmie's Grotto, which is now a real restaurant across the street
from the old food stand. They have added PanzaRottas to the menu which is basically a
pizza folded over on itself, and they're dynamite.
Jim Kerr was here from his home in the Virgin Islands to add to the group, wearing
his ParaLympics Sailing Team shirt.
I brought my camera, of course, and I've posted the Photos to pictures 37-42 of the "Current" photo album.
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Folks: I have copied (i.e., ripped off) the following from the website of the Blackshirt Breakfast group at
http://blackshirtsbbg.webstarts.com/
Note that this is a great organization with a great website. The next time you're in
Waukesha and it's Friday, plan on having breakfast with them!
++++++++
Blackshirts Who, What, When, Where, Why-
-
This past January, Jim Kerr '58, a Blackshirt Olympian, was asked to join the U.S. Virgin Islands Paralympic Sailing Team. Here is his response, "I mulled it over for at least a millisecond because I’ve been “catastrophically blind” since age 67 but for a call that unbelievable, I couldn’t say no.”
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Anyone would be in awe of receiving a request like that. The following helps to explain how/why Jim received that request.
At age 24, he represented the U.S. at the '64 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He was a "Modern Pentathlete" and the U.S.A. won the Team Silver Medal.
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In '66, Jim won the Individual Silver Medal and the team was once again second. He was an 8-time "All America" selection in swimming including 5 at the University of Michigan. In '57, as a high school Junior, he set an American record in the 50 yard Freestyle prelims of the Nationals and set the record again in '62 while finally winning the Championship Title. His record setting continued throughout the '60s and early '70s.
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In '76, Jim moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands and continued his winning streak throughout the '80s in fencing culminating with participation in the '83 Pan American Games in Venezuela and again in the '84 Summer Games in Los Angeles. While being a resident in the Virgin Islands, he joined a sailing team and he became a winner in the '83 Rolex Cup International Sailing Regatta.
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"All Blackshirts are proud of what you have achieved Jim and we wish you total success with your next endeavor. Please join us when you can!"
-
GO BLACKSHIRTS-
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I'm done updating the photos of deceased classmates; not my favorite chore, so I've
been putting it off. Special thanks to Dave Brisk and Mary Beth Shiveler and others
who have passed along information.
I've also updated e-mails for Kay (Howe) Castagna, Ron Ford, Barb (Heling) Arps, and Lynn (Tans) Connor; find the new info in the "Roster Changes" section of the website.
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I received the following e-mail a few days ago:
Name: Ardi Orysen
E-mail: Asullivan1@wi.rr.com
Telephone:
Comments: I'm sad to inform you that June Orysen Zick passed away on July 20, 2014.
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I was looking through a stack of "stuff" to get rid of excess paper when I came across
a list of names of people that are deceased. The list was given to me at the 55th reunion. If you know of any of these people, either that they are deceased or more importantly not deceased please let me know:
Walter Thomas Hartig
Bonnie Jean Hazel Wilkins
Carolyn Ann Witkowski
Gene Sullivan
Donald A. Schmitz
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Sharon Dueringer took care of my cat recently when I went on vacation. When I got back, she had dug up some old photos, mostly from the Junior Prom. They have been scanned and are photos #71-#78 in the "Photos From School Days" album
aka SmackTavish"
aka SmackTavish
E-mail: sonador1959@hotmail.com
Telephone: 920-285-1941
Comments: My mother, Margaret Sauer was a graduate in 1958. I would like to acquire a 1958 yearbook for her. She never was able to purchase one. Do you know if that would be possible?
FOLKS: I got an email from Joan Birner, the faithful and competent treasurer for the reunions
that I've been a part of, and for previous reunions also. Here is the email, and my reply:
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Joan Birner
To:'David Fuller'
Fri, Nov 10 at 1:22 PM
David,
Just an FYI. I closed out the class reunion checking account. I have set aside $1,000 to go to two students at Waukesha South who will be attending WCTC to study one of the trades. I contacted the school this year in the spring and was told that they work on scholarships in the fall so I’m going to contact them soon. There was $55.00 left over which I donated to my church which was collecting money to send to Tanzania to feed the school children there. I’m doing well for an old lady and hope you are doing good too.
Thanks,
Joan Birner
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Joan:
Well done. I don't know if you know this but I endowed a "D. R.Fuller Scholarship Fund" which gives to a grad of Waukesha South who is going to
school for the tech trades, so that use of the class funds goes right
along with what I would do with the leftovers of the reunion moneys.
And I hope all is well with you and your family. I'm still hanging in
there, still healthy (for someone my age of course, I have plenty of
aches and pains), and the absolute best part is that, so far anyway, I've
managed to dodge the dementia bullet.
Dave