Blog 158 Above Ground/Below Ground

Jefferson one year ago, definitely above ground. Note the extensions to the right of the red tile roof. I may be mistaken, but it looks like an extension off the library wing, one floor only. This was probably taken using a drone. If you wish to see more, enter Jefferson High School San Antonio, TX. There is a capton on the website to “see photos”.

This is rather quick for another blog, but here it is anyway. It is also very long.

First we have comments sent by classmates after the email blast several weeks ago.

Above Ground:
Carolyn Pope Boitnoit: Can’t remember if I told you or not, but John and I moved last June to a retirement community in Baltimore and have settled in.  We are both still finishing up volunteer activities in our old part of Baltimore but by this summer should be done and be able to take part in more of the activities we have here.  We are just 15 minutes away from our old home of 40 years.
Frank Hagan:
Hard to believe we were the class of 54. That was a long time ago.

Hope this finds you and yours in good health and enjoying San Antonio. With a little bit of luck I hope to visit your beautiful city this year when it cools down a bit. Here in Gig Harbor we think it’s hot in the mid eighties.

Sam Kersh:
I’m still trudging along slowly with my wife of 60+ years,
Sam Granato:
Thanks for your kind words on my 87th. I’m determined to “hang on” despite the usual and unusual problems of old age.

You may remember that I went to the emergency room the day before our 60th reunion. Almost died, yet here I am.

I hope I left no one out. You may recall that Elna and Dan Winder are twins. Dan emigrated to Australia many years ago. Elsn said he now wants to come home to the USA but is having issues, as he chose Australian citizenship.

Checking in with comments about a gift to the school were Ed Brown, Bob Blake, Rudy Alvarez, Herietta (Hank) Boyer Ruhlin, Mary Helen and Sammy Bell, Marcia Dickinson Hudson, Barney Cline, Evelyn Gillis Utay, Kay Matteson Gregory, Don Shoenfeld, Bobby Hunt, Walt Graham, Robert Huff, Patsy Hatch Patterson, Fay Lawrence Armstrong, Mike Esparza, Priscilla Weston Tate, Jeanine Kliefoth Price, Dorothy Putnam, Darrah, Roselyn Mahaffy, Bruce Cassel, Dorothy (Tas) Crawford McGraw, Ofelia Villarreal Siordio, Fritzi Connelly, Pat Sparks, and Elna Winder Thompson.

Below Ground:
I continued to search the Internet for classmates whose email addresses bounced back or who have not been in touch for a very long time. More obituaries or death notices turned up. Here they are some recent, some older, but all listed with a great deal of real sadness.

Janet Carol Walker Mathes
September 19, 1936 –June 26, 2021

Janet Mathes, loving Mother, Grandmother and Faithful Servant
Janet Mathes, age 84, passed away Saturday, June 26, 2021 at Worthington Christian Village.
Janet was a faithful wife, loving Mother & devoted Grandmother to 12 grandchildren. She will be remembered for her great smile and compassion. Janet loved her family and was a loyal & faithful friend to all. She enjoyed family gatherings and vacationing at the beach, the mountains, and her home state of Texas. Janet was a lifelong member of Beechwold Christian Church and was involved in the ministry to women of the YWCA. Janet was an avid sports and Buckeye fan, and had a love for reading. She was a fierce Mah-jong competitor and shared her love of the game with anyone that wanted to learn. Janet was a faithful servant to Jesus Christ, and shared his love with everyone she came in contact with.
She is preceded in death by her husband James Mathes. She is survived by Daughters Cindy (Dan) Ewing and Susan Dunstan. Sons Jeff (Heather) Mathes and Craig (Wendy) Mathes.
Grandchildren Allison Ewing and Wes (Becca) Ewing, Ryan Dunstan, Anna Dunstan, Lindy Dunstan and Bailey Dunstan. Luc Mathes, Sam Mathes, Ben Mathes, Drew Mathes, Grace Mathes and Gwen Mathes.
Family will receive friends Tuesday, July 13 from 3-5 pm at BEECHWOLD CHRISTIAN CHURCH 280 Morse Rd Cols. 43214 where memorial service will follow at 5 pm. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to the Ohio Hospice or the Central Ohio YWCA.

Beverly Cole Philipp
New Braunfels, Texas
March 18, 1936 – January 21, 2022

March 18, 1936 – January 21, 2022
Notes from the funeral home: An obituary is not available at this time for Beverly Cole Philipp. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Beverly Cole Philipp, visit the Tribute Store.
There are no events scheduled. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family or plant a tree in memory of Beverly Cole Philipp.
My notes on Beverly. I am sure that many remember Beverly. High school notoriety resulted from cutting class and getting caught. Her punishment, overly harsh in my opinion, was to be kicked out of the principal role in Senior Play. All lead roles in the Senior Play were double cast, one for the morning production and one for the evening. Sarah Belcia was her opposite, but rather than let Sarah do both performances, Carol Hansen learned the role in about 48 hours and took Beverly’s role. I spoke with Beverly maybe fifteen years ago. From our conversation, I surmised that Beverly did not have an easy life.

Dr. Benjamin Luke WILLIAMS
December 21,1936—January 3, 2023

Dr. Benjamin Luke Williams, 86, of Xenia, Ohio passed away peacefully on January 3, 2023.
Ben was born in San Antonio, TX on December 21, 1936, to Raymond H. and Ida Smith Williams.
He was a 1954 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas. Ben continued his education at Texas A&M where he graduated in 1959 with his BS in Aeronautical Engineering—later called aerospace, but as he’d say “there was no space back then.” He proudly never received a Master’s degree but nonetheless earned a PhD in 1976 at the University of Texas, Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Operations Research. He planned to give a thumbs up and shout, “Gig ’em, Aggies!” as he accepted his doctoral hood on the UT stage, but self-preservation and his mother in the audience made him reconsider as he accepted the honor.
He committed 37 years to the United States Air Force as a civilian engineer providing crucial support during some of the country’s most tumultuous times. His tenure ended as the Director of the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The next 19 years were not idly spent. Ben worked as a consultant with ARINC and lectured around the globe. As a life-long advocate of teaching and education, he became a professor and then Chair of the Business Administration Department at Central State University, where he was famous for awarding each of his students who finished the final exam with one of his famous waffles.
He was a man of faith and lifelong member of Disciples of Christ. His faith led him to advance the church’s mission through community and outreach. He was an Elder for Central Christian Church in Kettering, Ohio, which was like a second home and the congregation an extension of his family. Ben and his sons made many memories at the twice-a-year Disciples Fellowship Retreat.
Ben often said, “I have a great memory, it just doesn’t last long.” Yet, anyone within earshot would be subject to a lifetime of stories–whether it be how he, an ice-cream scooper, saved a Howard Johnson’s kitchen on a day no managers or cooks showed up or when he ran away from home five times in one day–all but confirming his mother was a saint. The Boy Scouts often came up in conversation but would end in fits of laughter as he recounted guiding young scouts through a cattle processing plant with screams of both bovine and child filling the air. Thankfully his Eagle Scout honors had already been earned.
Among his many stories would be tales of winemaking, early days in San Antonio, his geodesic dome home, and his obsession with Saab cars. Nothing could compare, however, to the stories of his twin sons Timothy and Daniel. Ben was a constant source of encouragement and did all he could to support their curiosities. From their first success at building a fly trap out of household scraps through college and into their professional careers, they were a constant source of pride and are his lasting legacy.
He was preceded in death by his parents Raymond and Ida Williams, sister Barbara Greene, brother Robert (Zulla) Williams, and nephew John Greene.
He is survived by his sons Daniel Williams and Timothy Williams (Alex Snyder). Stepdaughter Jeanette (Jeremy) Gessner. Grandsons Jacob, Isaac and Brady Gesser. Nieces Hillary Williams, Heather Williams, and Margaret Greene. Nephew Tom Greene. Dear friends Chris and Sylvia Sheridon, Scott and Roberta Sponenbergh, and Jim Danik.
In accordance with Ben’s wishes no formal service will be held. The family intends for his final resting place to be near his parents in San Antonio, Texas. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in Ben’s honor to Camp Christian in Ohio with a designation toward “Family Camp” at https://www.ccinoh.com/donation.aspx
Ben would end each visit with the same send off, and if able, he would do the same here, “Bye, for now.” Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at
Roy Thomas McBride
 I spoke with Roy several months ago. He was home in Alpine for a while but planning to head back to Florida to continue tagging panthers in the Everglades. His death comes as a surprise. He sent a calendar with photos of panthers that he had photographed.

 Roy Thomas McBride passed away on Tuesday, May 24, on a ranch near Alpine. He was almost 87 years old and resided in Alpine most of his life. He was an international wildlife biologist, entrepreneur, inventor, manufacturer, and rancher. He married Jere Jean Johnson of San Antonio in 1957, and they are both survived by three children (Rocky, Randy, Rowdy), his daughter-inlaws Monica and Mistie, five grandchildren (Cougar, Caleb, Micah, Ryelan, and Mayson), along with great-grandchildren Stryker and Lynx.
Graveside services will be held on Saturday, June 3 at 2 p.m. at Elm Grove Cemetery in Alpine.
Roy’s legacy also includes his deep friendships throughout the ranching community in western and southern Texas, and among the wildlife biologists and mountain lion hunters who were his treasured peers in many places.
Roy is widely remembered by many as a modest genius and entrepreneur who had traveled throughout many continents in the capture and study of large predators. He was considered a foremost authority and biologist of various predator species, who had not only captured these animals’ using dogs and other trapping methods but had also published peer-reviewed scientific studies of their populations and habits. He was extensively involved in largescale efforts to save and revitalize threatened predators ranging from the Florida Panther to the Mexican Gray Wolves and the Red Wolves in the Southwestern U.S. His wildlife and capture contracts also encompassed working with jaguars, leopards, jackals, bobcats, ocelots, and other small predators on several continents. As an inventor and manufacturer, his patents and predator control devices are currently used by governments and private industry in numerous countries.
Roy also owned and operated a cattle ranch in the Chinati Mountains south of Marfa.
A graduate of Sul Ross University with both bachelor’s and master’s degree in wildlife biology, Roy had formerly attended Texas A&M on a football scholarship, where he was one of the original “Junction Boys” who played under Bear Bryant until his initial career in trapping led him to South and West Texas where he finished his studies.
His fitting departure was characteristic of his life, in that he was hunting with his hounds at the time of his passing.
Most importantly, Roy was a man of faith, with a heart for God and a deep understanding of the salvation afforded to all of us through Christ Jesus.
He will be incredibly missed and treasured in the hearts of many.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Alpine Christian School.
Online condolences may be left at: www. alpinememorialfuneralhome.
com Services have been entrusted to Alpine Memorial Funeral Home.

Deanie Conklin Willmann
November 3, 1936-December 27, 2022

Deanie Willmann passed away peacefully on Dec. 27, 2022. Daughter of Anita Flynn (Conklin) and Major Frank Milton Conklin (retired), Deanie was born in San Antonio, Texas where she also met and married the love of her life Jim Willmann. After moving to Bainbridge in 1971, Deanie became well known as the Island Welcome Wagon lady. She welcomed hundreds of new neighbors to the Island with her basket of goodies. She was also an avid, award winning quilter and embroiderer, having made over 350 quilts for people all over the world. Deanie successfully lobbied to register their first Island home in Eagledale as a Bainbridge Island historic property.

In retirement Deanie loved to travel the world with her husband Jim until his passing in 2018. Jim and Deanie were married 63 years and are survived by their three children, Douglas (Kate), Frank (Amy), and Debra (Chris), along with five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Deanie was a very loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Deanie was known for her kind and loving nature, along with her winning smile and open, generous heart. She will be greatly missed. A service will be held for Deanie at St. Cecelia Church at 8:00 AM on February 6, 2023

Note:
No class picture available, as Deanie moved away at the end of Junior year.

Ron Arnold

August 8, 1937 – January 22, 2022

I found no obituary for Ron, but I found a great deal of information about him

on the Internet. The following item appears in Wikipedia. I did not know him at Jeff. The yearbook states that he was in the band and Information Please. I had no idea that Ron was well known.

“Ron Arnold (August 8, 1937 – January 22, 2022) was an American writer and activist. He was the Executive Vice-President of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise. He wrote frequently on natural resource issues and is an opponent of the environmental movement. Critics saw Arnold as promoting abuse of the environment, typified in an assessment by Wild Wilderness executive director Scott Silver: “Fifteen years after creating his 25 Point Wise-Use Agenda, an agenda prescribing unrestrained, unregulated and unconscionable abuse of the American commons, Ron Arnold is within striking distance of checking off every agenda item on his list.” A key U.S. Senate staffer writing in 2011 noted his impact on federal legislation.

Biography

Arnold was born in Houston, Texas and studied business administration at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Washington. He died on January 24, 2022.

Career

Arnold worked as a technical writer for the Boeing Company from 1961 until he left in 1971 to found Northwoods Studio. In 1974 he began contributing to Western Conservation Journal, which exposed him to the effects of litigation related to environmental issues upon logging and mining industries. Between 1978 and 1981, Arnold was a contributing editor of Logging Management Journal. His 1979 magazine series, “The Environmental Battle”, analyzed the utilization / preservation conflict, and won the American Business Press 1980 Editorial Achievement Award.

In 1981, Arnold wrote the authorized biography of Interior Secretary James G. Watt. Between 1982 and 1990, he wrote a weekly column for the Bellevue (Washington) Journal-American. In 1987, he founded the Free Enterprise Press, later merged into Merril Press, and began writing a series of books on the environmental movement. His “EcoTerror” was included in the “100 Best Nonfiction Books of the 20th Century” Random House / Modern Library Reader’s List.

Arnold also uncovered the identity of the actual founder of the United States National Forest after a century of mystery shrouded the origin in conflicting claims. An almost forgotten politician named William S. Holman created the concept and the initial legislation, as revealed in documents Arnold discovered in the National Archives. He was invited to present his findings at the centennial symposium of the United States Forest Service in 1991.

Environmentalists have challenged Arnold’s “Wise Use Movement,” launched at a Reno, Nevada conference in 1988, as inappropriately co-opting the term from utilitarian conservationist and first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, who held different views on man and nature than Arnold and his movement. Arnold readily admits the borrowing, but disputes arguments that it is improper, a controversy that continues unresolved.

He has mobilized political allies to protests, as covered by ABC News Nightline (broadcast February 24, 1994) by using case histories of environmentalist excesses in influencing policymakers to adopt his ideas. Certain policies of President George W. Bush]] have been attributed to Arnold’s influence. Playboy magazine’s May 2004 issue featured a profile of Arnold in the Playboy Forum, by reporter Dean Kuypers. Titled, Guru of Wise Use, its headline read: The spiritual father of the Bush administration’s environmental policies says we shouldn’t be timid about timber. 

Arnold has built a network of academic colleagues to help analyze large-scale social movements, and told the Boston Globe that environmentalism is “the third great wave of messianism to hit the planet, after Christianity and Marxism-Leninism.” The Globe commented, “‘Wise users’ charge that the environmental crisis has been largely trumped up as an excuse to take control of the nation’s natural resources.” ^[12]

Arnold’s conclusion that movements of social change, including environmentalism, are fundamentally a kind of war was examined and found valid by sociologist Luther P. Gerlach in the RAND research document, “Networks and Netwars.”^[13]

Arnold ran the Left Tracking Library,^[14] a site that tracks what it claims to be undue influence by left-wing politicians and environmentalists.

In late 2010, Arnold began writing a weekly column for The Washington Examiner; one was placed in the Congressional Record in early 2011.^[15] Another was used as source material by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) in a Senate confirmation hearing.”

Arnold was the author of eight books, a researcher and editor of ten books, and columnist for the Washington Examiner. His pioneering work on exposing the left’s funding, displayed in the Undue Influence website, led to invitations to testify before congressional committees, resulting in a congressional investigation into the left’s funding irregularities.

Arnold’s weekly Washington Examiner columns had been cited as authoritative in U.S. Senate hearings and the Congressional Record.

John Robert Maddox

July 31, 1936 ~ December 21, 2022

John Robert Maddox, 86, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at his home in Spotsylvania County.

John was born on July 31, 1936 in Houston, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with degrees in Physics and Math. He went on to earn a Master’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University. He had a life-long love of learning. John taught and attended courses at George Mason University and Germanna Community College after retirement.

John met his wife, Barbara, when they both attended the University of Texas. They were married in Tyler, Texas on August 31, 1957. They lived in Austin and Wichita Falls, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Alexandria and Fairfax, Virginia; finally settling in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1999. John began his career in the United States Air Force working in the then burgeoning field of space exploration. After leaving the Air Force, John worked in the computer satellite field for many years, with a long tenure at Communications Satellite Corporation (ComSat) and spent the later stages of his career as a computer technology consultant.

John loved recreational fishing, camping, and boating from an early age. The family has many strong, fond memories of family camping trips at the beach, in Shenandoah National Park, and in the Northern Neck of Virginia. John also loved playing cards, chess, and other board games. He was always ready to play a game of Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, or Chess with his children and then his grandchildren. John was an active member of two local card-playing clubs, attending weekly meetings right up until his passing. He also loved learning and was an avid reader.

John was an active member of the Roman Catholic Church and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He was a loving family man and attended many band, theatre, and sports events of his children and his grandchildren.

In addition to his wife of 65 years, Barbara, he is survived by his four children, Michael Maddox (Dezire) of Annandale, Elizabeth Schleck (Peter) of Charlottesville, Tom Maddox (Amy) of Amelia Courthouse, and Kelly Maddox Keiser of Fredericksburg; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, William Maddox of Lubbock, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Grace Maddox; and sister Mary Jo Poston.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 29 at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Spotsylvania. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Joe Louis Valdez
1935-2017

Joe L. Valdez, Jr., long time resident of Camarillo, California, passed away on February 13, 2017 following complications from heart disease. He was born on April 7, 1935 in Laredo, Texas to the late Carolina Ancira Valdez and Jose Luis Valdez, Sr. and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He lived most of his life in Ventura County. Joe joined the U.S. Navy in 1955, served honorably for 8 years and achieved the rank of Machinist’s Mate First Class.

While enlisted he was stationed in San Diego and San Francisco was able to travel the world on many ocean deployments including Okinawa, Japan. From 1963 to 1990 Joe was employed at Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station starting out in Public Works, air conditioning/refrigeration, then moved on to become an Engineering Technician responsible for environmental testing of Navy missiles. He served the U.S. Department of Defense as a senior engineering technician specializing in missile development and testing and served as a U.S. Navy on-site representative establishing U.S. missile installations in various foreign countries.

His mechanical abilities were legendary. It seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t fix. In the mid 1970’s he took up running and successfully competed in scores of 10k races, marathons and ultramarathons, most notably the Western States 100, the Double Dipsea and the Boston Marathon. A gifted athlete, Joe was a scratch golfer and competed frequently in tournaments around Ventura County.

Upon retirement, he spent many years working in the golf course pro shops at Westlake Country Club and Pt Mugu. He was an avid dog owner. His beloved dogs, Peanut and George (Big Guy) were his pride and joy. He loved to spend time with his neighbors at Ponderosa Creek, and his golfing buddies, and his coworkers from Pt Mugu.

Joe is survived by his brothers David, Robert and Anthony Valdez, sister Graciela Garza, children Amilyn Gardner Jones (Dana) of Utah, Sally Grigoriev (George) of San Diego, CA, Claudia Knox of Petaluma, CA, Maria Valdez of Simi Valley and Robert Plaza of Ventura, his grandchildren Robert Gardner, Jeffery Gardner, Jessica Makin, Deborah Talbot, and Ryan Gardner of Utah, Vanessa (Joe) Peters of Gulfport, MS, Nick Grigoriev and Alex Grigoriev of San Diego, Louis Knox of Salem, OR, Monica Knox, Bobby Plaza Jr., Luana Belamy, Tina Stanlon and Adam Valdez and numerous great grandchildren. Joe lived life to the very fullest and we all believed that in his strength, he was invincible. May he rest in peace and know that he was much loved.

Family and friends may gather and pay respects to Joe on Saturday, March 25, 2017 from 11am to 12:30pm at Griffin Brothers Chapel 1075 E. Daily Drive in Camarillo with a reception to follow nearby.

Published by Ventura County Star from Mar. 7 to Mar. 12, 2017.

John T. Spoer
April 10, 1936—August 1, 2015
John T. Spoer was born on April 10, 1936 and passed away on August 1, 2015 in Visalia, CA