Do your remember the corner? You passed through it and probably did not give it much thought. The photo below was scanned from a July 13th newspaper which recounted the history of the location. The article did not scan well, so here is a summery.
On the far left is the Woodlawn Theater., which opened in 1946 with a premiere of National Velvet. More famously, the world premier of The Alamo with John Wayne premiered in 1960. A lesser know fact is that the theater was designed in Art Deco style by the same architect who designed the Majestic Theater. The theater still stands and has been home to a number of local theater companies over the years since it closed as a movie theater. Today it houses a comedy club with well-known touring comedians.
Digressing, this area along Fredericksburg Road is known as the Art Deco section .
The right end of the buildings was the original home of the Jefferson State Bank, which was opened in 1946 for the underserved banking needs in the Jefferson area. Of course, it has relocated and grown . Starting with an investment of $125,000, the bank today has a $2.75 billion value. I believe it is still privately owned but would only bet a week of my current wages. Of note is that Byron LeFlore, from our class, was one of only four CEOs in the past six decades.
Above the bank was one of San Antonio’s first bowling alleys, with 20 lanes. Pin boys originally set reset the pins until the alley became the first in town to install automatic pinsetters. The alley closed in 1970 and was dormant until converted to a ball room that is still its main function today, although it hosts other activities, including a burlesque show.
To wrap it up, whether you ever bowled there or not, you probably remember Mrs. Schneider’s Baker cattycornered across the road on the southwest corner.
In Memoriam–Moving On To Less Pleasant Topics. As advised in the recent class blast email searching for classmates, several deaths were reported or found on line. Herer is the list of those
Joan Adams Adkins 8-9-2022 No Obituary Found
Bob Blake 7-5-2025
Ron Bridges 9-18-2025
Eliazbeth Clemmons Wright 8-6-2025
Joan Hodge Rieber not known No Obituary Found
Bobby Hunt 6-24-2025 No Obituary Found
Kay Matteson Gregory 2025 No Obituary Found
Pete Sweet 4-19-2023
Jay Wiedenfeld 8-27-19 No Obituary Found
Obituaries: The several obituaries found are fairly long. Rather than print them here, I will make a few comments about those I knew. You can search the Internet for the obituary by typing the “name and obituary’—e.g. Robert E. Blake Obituary. His obit will be found. If you have special memories of any of them, please reply and tell us. I will be happy to share in future blogs. Reply on the blog or send an email to me at jeff-54@satx.rr.com.
Kay Matteson Gregory was a backbone of the reunion committee which planned our many successful reunions. I did not know her well in school but considered her a front-runner at Jefferson, yet Kay was extremely modest and claimed to me many times that she was just a wallflower. The only details I have of Kay’s death is that she was out walking and fell, hitting her head and dying earlier this year.
Joan Hodge Rieber was married to Ney Rieber and lived in North Carolina for many years. Joan and I met at Mark Twain. She always walked with a bounce, and somewhere along the way, she was christened Pepsi because of the bouncy walk. My recollection is that Ney became a preacher, but that may be faulty memory. Joan was not an emai person, and efforts to contact here in the past few years failed.
Bob Blake was one of the score or so students who lived at Fort Sam Houston and commuted to Jefferson. Others I recall included Harry McEldowney, David Bamburg, Joan Isheerwood, and Joan Ivanoff. Bob was a proud Aggie followed in his dad’s footsteps and made the Army his career. After Bob was widowed, he moved back to San Antonio into the my neighborhood . He connected and Bob became part of the Reunion Committee. He later moved to a retirement community where Penny and I also live, so we continued the friendship.
Pete Sweet was a Student Council rep, a member of the Senate and the track team. He was my seatmate at graduation because we were alphabetically entwined at all the graduation festivities. If you look for his obituary, search for Horace C. Sweet. You can understand why he chose Pete for a nickname.
Ron Bridges was known at Jeff for his tenor voice and in later years for his singing in city productions. I recall seeing him in Pirates of Penzance in school. That production started, like so many, started at sixth period, and if you bought a ticket, you could skip sixth period and go to the show. At that point in my life, I had zero appreciation of Gilbert and Sullivan and thought it was a terrible show. When intermission came, I and probably95% of the audience left and went home. Maybe about 112 remained for the rest of the show. I will comment that today, I have seen and enjoyed a number of Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Tastes change and mature.
Ann Adams, Elizabeth Clemmons, Bobby Hunt, and Jay Weidenfeld. Sadly, I have few recollections of these classmates. Please send along any memories.
And finally, my apologies for a drab, colorless blog. I have not learned the updated editing features and probably will not. Old dog, new tricks, etc.
Remember When? The Sunday newspaper recently carried several items that recalled memories from back when. Here are a few.
Who remembers the Alligator Garder? It was located on Broadway just north of the Witte Museum and the Pioneer Hall. There was a pit with alligators in it and a performance with some handling. Dim memory tells me that they also had occasional rattle snake handling and would kill and cook one and pass around bites. They claimed fried rattlesnake tastes like chicken. I took their word for it! If anyone recalls either of these, please add a comment. The newspaper announced that it closed fifty years ago!
Also closing fifty years ago was the San Pedro Drive-in Movie. It was originally located on San Pedro and Rector Streets but moved out farther north. It was the largest of the drive-in movie theaters in town. Before it close, it had switched to soft*-porn X-rated movies. It amused me that you could dive down Highway 281 and glance over and see the screen from the highway. The last Drive-in movie in town was the Mission Drive-in.. Interestingly, a New Mission Drive-in was built and operates at Brooks City Base. I tried to get some information online but with so many pop-up ads, I gave up. For those who moved away years ago, Brooks City Base was once Brooks Air Force Base and home of the foremost burn center in the US. To ward off the base closure when military bases were being realigned and many closed, the city of SA entered into agreement with the DOD to mange the property. The base closed anyway, but giving new life to the large land area was in place. After closure, the facilities were redeveloped into a mixed-use area of manufacturing, housing, retail, and business operations. The area is thriving today.
Who Knew? If you rode the city bus to and from school, the drop-off and boarding point was between the main campus and a triangular island across a very short, maybe forty yards long two-laned street. The island was surrounded by a five- or so-foot hedge. I suspect none of us knew what was inside the hedge. I also suspect none of us knew that it was called Thespian Island or why.
I have mentioned before that the city passed two bond issues that allocated $50 million for renovations at the school. Much of it was for foundation work under the cafeteria, the gym, and the Administration wing (the Spanish wing in our time). Some of the funding was designated for better traffic control, and who knows what else. Part of the what else was the rejuvenation of Thespian Island.
That resulted in narrowing the two lanes to one, expanding the existing island and relandscaping. Who knew that behind the tall hedge was a long-inoperative fountain! The fountain was a gift to the school by classes from the Drama Department. Hence the name of Thespian Island was chosen after the drama students. Here are photos of the island today.
A Neighborhood Change: The day I recently drove down Donaldson Avenue toward our school, I found speed bumps regularly placed. The same was true as I left the area via Club Drive. This ubiquitous nuisance is just proof that with powerful cars, drivers cannot restrain themselves from speeding. Teenaged drivers around schools are the guilty cause of the bumps, but with speed bumps everywhere, we adults are guilty of speeding as well.
One Other Memory: That same Sunday newspaper also reminded that the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending World War II eighty years ago! I suspect very few of us can recall the news of the actual devastation when it happened. My memory is when the news broke that the war had ended, our family dashed to our 1940 Ford and drove downtown. In the heavy traffic pedestrians were out hugging and cheering, and people would jump on the running board of our very slow-moving car and lean in the window and express joy, then jump off. Every horn was honking. We had no idea of the impact the development of the atomic weapon would have on the future of the world.
As Porky Pig would say, “Th-th-that’s all, Folks.” See you next time.
Back to Work: A blog sabbatical that went into overtime has breezed by. It feels like a breeze, no, a gale, no, tornado force winds blowing us all down the hill we are rapidly descending.
Getting back into gear, this blog will be short and with no obituaries. Inspiration grabbed me while looking through reunion photos stored on my computer. I will share some of these in some forthcoming blogs. (Well, this turned out to be longer than I thought it would.)
Scaffolding: I recently drove down Donaldson Avenue and saw scaffolding wrapped around the tower, pictured below. I suppose that is part of the $50 million bond issue passed in two segments a few years ago.
The lawn was also totally torn up, the sod gone, as you can see in the photo below. A workman told me it is utility work. Wee Below.
Below is the before look.
Things have changed inside the building. Here is a bit of an orientation: The arcade with the school name in the center fronts “Mrs. Hicks” rose garden. At the end of the arcade on the right is the entrance for all visitors to the school. Ring a bell for the door to be unlocked. Then enter a vestibule and provide identification to a clerk behind a glass window. She will log in your ID information and print out a name badge to wear inside. She will then unlock the door for you to enter what was the Spanish classes wing when we were there. Now it is completely administrative offices. Remember how we had a Principal and a Vice Principal/Dean of Boys and a Dean of Girls and one counselor? Now there are five Vice Principals and 4-5 counselors! The enrollment, however, is about the same as when we attended—1600-1800. There are still some lockers in the hall, if I recall, but a bunch have been removed and converted into show cases.
Back to the photo, the library is the second floor over the Admin portion sticking out. The cafeteria is to the left at the arcade end. I recall that third period Spanish classes were extremely popular because you could hustle down the arcade for an early place in the cafeteria line. We had 25-minute lunch periods.
Without much news of the school, what I will most likely reminisce about is the school and our time there, plus our reunions over the years. For starters, the first class graduated in 1932—an amazing 92 years ago! Jefferson will soon be 100!!! Drive by and it looks unchanged, except that the stone or cement work over the brick walls needs power washing, which I understand is on the schedule in the next several years.
What amazes me is that when we arrived on Jeff’s doorstep in 1951, the school was only twenty years old! I doubt that any of us had an appreciation for the unique and beautiful school we were attending. It is also difficult to realize that World War II had only ended six years earlier!
Wrapping up for now, I have not been idle. Procrastination and inefficiency have hindered writing this blog, but I have long been a bit of an activist and have been busy in my retirement community. To wit, I co-manage our thousand volume library and write a monthly Library newsletter. I also organize and write, with some help, a bi-monthly or quarterly newsletter about events within the village. This is a 5–6-page effort. With a weekly card afternoon, planned activities, and a lot of reading, time goes. And that is the end of excuses for my absence.
If any of you are still on board with this puny effort at a blog and have a comment, a question, or a memory to share, please reply.
Did you watch the great “debate” last week? Here we saw two old men past their prime calling each other names. What a disaster. It caused me think of the hundreds of thousands who gave their life or were injured in World War II to preserve our freedom. Eighty years later we have a country divided. We have forgotten the rules of civility, of compromise, of working for the good of the country rather than the good of the party. As Abraham Lincoln said so succinctly, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” God help our country.
An Alternative:
Well many of us will not live to see the next four years to completion. Instead of voting for either old man, here is another option. It tickled me eight years ago and still does.
How Do You Feel About Life?
All of these thoughts call to mind a song called Thank God I’m Old. The lyrics below read a bit uneven, so if you want to read along to a performance, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RtYUDGiwDI
When you see the shape the world is in When the way it is ain’t what it’s been When folks just care for gold Thank God, I’m old When you take a gander at the news When you hear the language people use When no sweet songs are sung I don’t wanna be young
Daddy time he Doesn’t fret me Should he spy me That don’t upset me Let him eye me Come and get me That’s fine by me Age don’t worry me
When you see the way folks misbehave When it’s only good times that they crave When kids are much too bold Thank God, I’m old When there ain’t no He-Men left alive When they tell you three men out of five End up locked up or hung I don’t wanna be young
When you see the shape the world is in When the way it is ain’t what it’s been When folks just care for gold Thank God, I’m old When you take a gander at the news When you hear the language people use When no sweet songs are sung I don’t wanna be young
Daddy time he Doesn’t fret me Should he spy me That don’t upset me Let him eye me Come and get me That’s fine by me Age don’t worry me
When you see the way folks misbehave When it’s only good times that they crave When kids are much too bold Thank God, I’m old When there ain’t no He-Men left alive When they tell you three men out of five End up locked up or hung I don’t wanna be young
The Sad
And here is the usual—a couple of obits.
Elizabeth Bradshaw Obituary
August 12, 1936 – May 13, 2024
Elizabeth Jeanne Moore Bradshaw of Dallas Texas, born August 12, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas, by divine plan and power was called to the heavenly presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 13, 2024. She is survived by her devoted husband William (Bill) W. Bradshaw who was blessed by God with her presence in holy matrimony for 68 years. Betty is further survived by two brothers (Pat and Jerry Moore), four children (Bill Bradshaw, Becky Osburn, Mark Bradshaw, and Tracy Bass), nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Jeanne and Hollis Moore.
Betty grew up in San Antonio, married Bill in Jefferson Methodist Church and lived most of her adult life in Abilene, Texas where she raised their children and supported her loving husband as he built and prospered in his law practice of which she was a daily and integral part in its success in so many ways. In recent years, she and Bill retired and moved to Dallas to be near her
Betty’s life was dedicated to her husband and family, such devotion guided and sustained by her steadfast adherence to the reverent reception and application of the Biblical principles taught to her through the ministries of Berachah Church of Houston, Texas. By means of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His revelation through the Holy Scriptures, Betty had a profound impact on her family and those around her as to the true priorities of life. She boldly proclaimed the good news of the Gospel; faith alone in Christ alone, sharing John 3:16 to all in her periphery, “for God loved the world so much that He gave His uniquely born Son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life”. I Peter 5:7 was the bedrock of her faith and practice, “Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” We now treasure the fragrance of many wonderful memories, and because of the blessed assurance, we are confident that she is not really gone from us, but happily restored in heaven. Her family and friends anticipate greatly that reunion with her which is only made possible by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Services are to be announced at a later date.
Carolyn Cochrum Obituary
After a joyous and adventurous life, Carolyn Taylor Cochrum passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on August 12, 2023.
Carolyn was born in San Antonio on August 31, 1936. She attended Woodlawn Elementary, Horace Mann Jr. High, and Thomas Jefferson High, where she made lifelong friends. In high school, she served as the president of the school’s ‘Lassos’ and was a member of the swimming and diving team. After high school, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied geology and was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. After meeting Kenneth Lee Cochrum on a blind date, Carolyn married him in August 1956 and graduated from UT with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 1959.
After college, the Cochrums moved to Wichita, Kansas, where Carolyn taught kindergarten, and Ken was stationed as a meteorologist in the Air Force. After their stint in the Midwest, they moved to Beaumont, Texas, where they welcomed their son, Ken Jr., in 1963 and their daughter, Carrie, in 1966.
In 1971, Ken and Carolyn moved to Houston, where Carolyn kept an active social and volunteer life. She joined the Samuel Sorrell chapter of the DAR in Houston, was an active member of the Houston Ladies Tennis Association, served as a founding member of the Houston Junior Woman’s Club, volunteered at the Hunter and Jumper Horse Show, taught Sunday school, was an active member of the Colonel John Alston chapter of Colonial Dames of XVII century, and acted as a Sunday docent for the historical center Bayou Bend. She also enjoyed spending time with her dear friends, nicknamed ‘The Wild Bunch.’ They started as tennis friends and walked through many of life’s milestones together over the decades. Carolyn excelled as a wife, mom, and grandmother, “Honey;” she was our biggest cheerleader. Above all, Carolyn’s faith in Jesus Christ anchored her life and was bolstered by her involvement in Community Bible Study, Bible Study Fellowship, and Grace Presbyterian Church.
Carolyn is survived by her beloved husband, Ken Cochrum; her son Ken Cochrum Jr., and his wife, Ann Elvig Cochrum; her daughter Carrie Runn and her husband, Gary Runn; her brother-in-law George Cochrum and his wife, wife Karen Anderson Cochrum; her niece Elizabeth King and her husband, Creston King; her grandchildren Travis Cochrum and his wife Ruth Megli Cochrum; Amy Cochrum Havis and her husband, Kevin Havis; Courtney Runn; Davis Runn; her great-grandchildren Jude, Wes, and Hazel Cochrum, and Maisy and Hope Havis; her great-nephew Cuatro King; her great-niece Libby King. She is preceded in death by her father, Richard Kahn Taylor, her mother, Mignon Glover Taylor, and her sister Mignon Taylor Nicholson.
Carolyn will be greatly missed by her family and her many dear friends. A private family service will be held.
Blog 160 Unintended Blog Before you read this, just know that what follows looks nothing like I laid it out i.e. no color, no changing font or font size, and no control over the photo size of placement. I have spent a half-hour trying to edit this and give up. I suppose I am just not smart enough.
A time or two ago, I wrote about my procrastinating, and because of that, here I am once again. My annual fee for the privilege to post on the Internet expired earlier in the month, and I fully intended to let it lapse. However, some while ago, I clicked on automatic renewal, and by ignoring the renewal notice, I was charged for another year.
While the blog was originally intended to stimulate attendance at our sixtieth reunion, it has continued most recently to announce classmate deaths, which is sad commentary. There is not a lot of other news about classmates, butreading on, you will find info on three more.
Jefferson Methodist Church opened its doors seventy-eight years ago in 1946. It grew rapidly until the demographics in the area began changing and the congregation begin to shrink. As I understand, the church had undeveloped grounds intended for later growth, which never occurred. Then, when soccer became a school sport, the SA Independent School District purchased the land and added soccer fields behind the sanctuary.
Meanwhile, the church continued to meet. But two or three years ago, a schism in the United Methodist Church led to about 25% of the churches breaking away. Some formed a new organization, and some became independent, which I believe Jefferson Methodist did. As part of the withdrawal agreement, Jefferson Methodist was to pay $25,000 yearly to the Methodist Conference for continued use of the facilities. The small congregation was unable to meet mounting financial obligations and were told to move. A recent newspaper article indicated that the independent group will search for a new place to meet. What is written here is the gist of what I remember without further research, so apologies for any inaccuracies. I include it here because Jefferson Methodist at Donaldson and Wilson was so much a part of the landscape when we were students.
An aside: Below is a fun item to remind us how truly fortunate (and lucky) we are to have grown up in the best of times, as the world appears to be approaching the worst of times as each year passes. That item is followed by two more classmate deaths.
Some of us fit into the 1% Age Group
We are a part of this special group who were born between 1930 & 1946, covering 16 years. In 2024, the age range is between 78 & 94. Since I copied this, just substitute I and we when you read you and they. Another vice of mine is laziness; hence, you can substitute as opposed to my doing it for you.
You are the smallest group of children born since the early 1900’s.
You are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can
remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war that rattled
the structure of our daily lives for years.
You are the last to remember ration books for everything from gas to sugar
to shoes to stoves.
You saved tin foil and poured fried meat fat into tin cans.
You can remember milk being delivered to your house early in the morning
and placed in the “milk box” on the porch.
You are the last generation who spent childhood without television;
instead, you “imagined” what you heard on the radio.
With no TV until the 1950s, you spent your childhood “playing outside.”
There was no Little League.
There was no city playground for kids.
The lack of television in your early years meant that you had little real
understanding of what the world was like.
Telephones were one to a house, often shared (party lines), and hung on
the wall in the kitchen (no cares about privacy).
Computers were called calculators; they were hand-cranked.
Typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage, and
changing the ribbon.
‘INTERNET’ and ‘GOOGLE’ were words that did not exist.
Newspapers and magazines were written for adults and the news was
broadcast on your radio in the evening.
New highways would bring jobs and mobility.
The radio network expanded from 3 stations to thousands.
Your parents were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and
the war, and they threw themselves into working hard to make a living
for Their families.
You weren’t neglected, but you weren’t today’s all-consuming family focus.
They were glad you played by yourselves.
They were busy discovering the postwar world.
You entered a world of overflowing plenty and opportunity; a world where
you were welcomed and felt secure in your future although the
depression poverty was deeply remembered.
Polio was still a crippler.
You came of age in the ’50s and ’60.
You are the last generation to experience an interlude when there were no
threats to our homeland.
The second world war was over and the cold war, terrorism, global
warming, and perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life with
unease.
Only your generation can remember both a time of great war and a time
when our world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty.
You grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting
better.
You are “The Last Ones.”
More than 99% of you are retired, and you feel privileged to have “lived in
the best of times!”
Amen!
Our parents lived in a period of growth and invention, seeing the introduction of flight to putting a man on the moon and more. But no one is as lucky as we were to live in a golden age!
For the Sad Section
Jeanine Kliefoth Price
Jeanine “Nene” Price, age 86, of Harlingen, TX, passed away on March 5, 2024, surrounded by her loving children. She was born on March 30, 1937, in San Antonio, TX to Arthur B and Pauline Kliefoth. Jeanine was known for her kind and loving nature, always with an infectious smile on her face. She found joy in spending time with her family, sharing stories, and laughter.
Jeanine is survived by her brother AB Kliefoth III, her children Kenneth Price Jr. (Amparo), Korby Price (Jane), Kristin Markland, Kendra Williams, Klayton Price (Jennifer), Kelly Price, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even a great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband Kenneth Dale Price in 1995, her father Arthur B. Kliefoth in 1986, and her mother Laura Pauline Kliefoth in 2002.
Before retiring from Valley Baptist as the Histologist Supervisor, Jeanine worked at Swift & Company. She worshipped at First Baptist in Harlingen, TX in earlier years. In her leisure time, she enjoyed playing cards with friends, talking on the phone, dancing, playing the piano, sewing for her children, participating in Bunco, and was an active member of the Harlingen Elks Lodge 1889 and the Red Hats Club.
A Celebration of Life for Jeanine Price will be held on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at 11:00 am at Heavenly Grace Funeral Home, 26873 N. White Ranch Road, La Feria, TX 78559. Following the Service, there will be a gathering for food and socializing from 1:30-3:00 at the Elks Lodge 1426 S. Commerce St. Harlingen, TX. This gathering will serve as a celebration of her Life and birthday, honoring her memory in the way she would have appreciated. We would like to thank Dr. Indal Seudeal for all the medical care he provided for our mother. Please join her family in celebrating her life with our love and memories. A Graveside Service will be held at Mission Park North in San Antonio, Texas at a later date TBD.
Robert David Newhouse
“He tried college, but in the Fall of 1960, he visited me in Austin to let me know he was going in the Navy for four years. When he mustered out, he decided he would stay in California instead of coming back to Texas.
He got a job bartending in San Diego at a joint owned by a fellow who owned a string of bars in SD and LA. Places that catered mostly to members of the military. David ended up marrying the boss’ daughter-a marriage that lasted 62 years.
When David started having kids, he knew he needed to find a real job. By this time he had moved his family to LA-the home of Hollywood!
In the early 50’s, David (we lived five blocks apart) and I worked for an Aggie landscape architect. This stood out on his resume being perused by an HR clerk at Paramount Pictures who was looking for a “grip” to move plants around on movie sets. Landscape architect equals plants equals foliage grip.
So David was in the movies.
After the studio job, which lasted for years, I lost sight of what David was doing for a living. We stayed in touch by ‘phone, talking 2-3 times a year. He retired around 2000 and lived out his life with his wife in a home a block from their daughter, Lori.
Note: ”They” have changed much of the formatting procedure since I last wrote, so this blog has only one color: black. Also, adding photos has changed, , so I feel lucky to have included the yearbook and obituary photos. I am winding down these blogs, so I am not taking the time to learn the new system, plus I am probably too old. So, I suppose that when it looks boring because of inadequate formatting, it probably will sound boring. Just go down to the obituaries. Jack
From our younger days, who recalls old folk wailing that there is just enough time to get everything done? And how did they work and do everything else? After retiring and knowing the feeling of never enough time, I had an epiphany that explains it all. Once retired, our former efficiency level falls from 100% to, maybe 40%. The urgency to meet deadlines just fell off the chart. At the same time, our procrastination level scrambled upward by forty to sixty percent. That is true in my case.
Another epiphany came recently as I was waiting an eternity for a red light to pass through its timing cycle to all all the non*existent cars at the other three corners to proceed. My idle thought was, “well, I am retired and need not be in a rush.” And the second revelation dawned that “Yes, I do need to be in a hurry. At this age, every second counts, and I don’t have time to just sit and wait for a light to change. My available seconds are roaring by at the rate of 1,314,000 every twenty-four hours. I need to be doing something useful, even if it is just procrastinating.”
However, maybe the fleeting seconds are not so precious when considering the state of the world, the state of our country, and the loss of some many values we as society once held, along with the loss of conscience and empathy for those less fortunate. My opinion only, but things have just gotten out of perspective. In politics, we read daily of the billionaires of the country giving huge sums to influence outcomes to their values; in business we read of Elon Musk’s Board of Directors awarding him a salary of $55,000,000; in sports, we read of a baseball player getting a $90,000,000 contract; college student become millionaires for selling their name. Have I depressed you sufficiently?
So this blog has been idle since the last posting just over six months ago. Time does fly. I have a few more classmate losses, a brief update on our attempt to gift the school, and a few idle thoughts.
In the intervening months, we have travelled a bit, finally seeing the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, flew to Northern California for a friend’s wedding; even visited the Aggie campus for the fist (and last) time in my life for graduation of a granddaughter. While the Finger Lakes area was on the bucket list, I must confess that College Station was not. As a Longhorn, I apologize to my Aggie friends.
I manage a 1,000+ volume library in our retirement community and publish a monthly newsletter with library news. With decades of boxes of memorabilia and junk, I have been sorting and discarding, scanning files of papers that should be passed on, and labelling a number of boxes DOD. That stands for Ditch on Death. No need to search for gems inside. Just dump the entire box. That is stuff I am saving to review when it is just easier to sit in a chair rather than being up and about.
It is almost time for a procrastination break. Just take in the following obits.
I have put off publishing names of our classmates now departed, but this is like the moment in Oscar presentations, where we list a few names. I suspect there are a fair number of others whom I have not been able to track down, even with Internet search engines. One trend noticed is that obituaries are going out of style. Have you written yours yet?
Skipper Quick
Milburn Lee (Skip) Quick, was born in Hays County, Texas, on February 19, 1935. He went into the arms of our Lord surrounded by his wife and family on January 20, 2023. He was 87 years old.
Skip was preceded into the afterlife by his parents, Oley and Lena Faye Quick, brothers Thomas Quick and Dr. Donald Quick, and his sister Peggy Munson.
Left to survive his legacy are his wife of 66 years, Carol; son Michael (Carol) Quick of Montgomery, TX; daughters Karen (Jeff) O’Rear of Goliad, TX; Christi (Rob) Wilson of Akumal, Mexico; and Jana (Greg) Dalton of Freeport, TX; grandchildren Ryan (Bayly) Quick, Sarah (Ryan) Austin, Russell Quick, Kaeli (Rusty) Brown, Kolby (Marli) Klaus, Brooke (Robert) Winkler, Tyler (Elizabeth) Conard, Lauren O’Rear, Ashley Wilson, Joseph Wilson, Dara (Zach) Frandsen; 10 great-grandchildren; uncle Joby Connell; and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces.
While growing up, Skipper spent lots of time with his brothers, cousins, and uncles at his grandmother’s home in Campwood, TX. He always loved the Campwood and Barksdale area and would often reminisce about those days. As Skip got older, his activities included calf-roping at rodeos, tooling leather into belts & wallets, dancing with his sweetheart, Carol, and playing baseball.
Skip graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio in 1954. He worked at Pearl Brewery and attended classes at San Antonio College. He and Carol married in August 1956, at Woodlawn Methodist Church in San Antonio and they moved to Austin, TX, where they worked to put him through college. Skipper graduated with a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1960. The couple and their 2 year old son, Mike, moved to Corpus Christi, TX, where Skip’s 55-year career in the Oil & Gas Industry began. Skip was a well-respected and highly knowledgeable petroleum engineer throughout South Texas. He was often out in the field making sure the job was done right and loved to talk about the oilfield business.
Skip also enjoyed playing golf, going dancing, hunting, visiting the Campwood and Barksdale area for family reunions, listening to good old country music, telling jokes, playing nickel-ante-quarter-limit poker at family gatherings, and jalapenos. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do or fix…he was an exceptionally talented, humorous and intelligent man.
Skip and Carol moved to Portland, TX, in 1962 where they raised their 4 children. Even though he worked a lot, he always made sure his family was well taken care of and did his best to make every concert, game, recital, play, contest, award ceremony, and activity his kids were involved in. Skipper cared for his friends, too, helping them out whenever called upon. He was very active in the Portland Jaycees and was the club’s first recipient of the Jaycee Lifetime Senatorship in Junior Chamber International. Skip and Carol were members of the First United Methodist Church in Portland, the Bayshore Dance Club, the International Oilmen’s Golf Association, and Northshore Country Club. After living in Portland for 49 years, Skip and Carol moved to Victoria, TX, to be closer to their children. Skip continued working in Corpus as an independent consultant until the age of 80.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 10:00 am at Grace Funeral Home, 2401 Houston Highway, Victoria, TX, with a reception to be held afterward. Ashes will be interned at a later date.
The family would like to thank the DaVita Spring Creek Dialysis center, the Hospice of South Texas – Dornburg Center of Compassion, and Nurse Xiomara Foote, Nurse Morgan McCutcheon, and Nurse Aaron Puga at Citizens Medical Center for their care and compassion.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made to the Hospice of South Texas – Dornburg Center of Compassion (www.hospice-vic.org/donate/) or to the charity of your choice.
Ann Johnson MacEwan
We are heartbroken to announce that Ann Marshall Johnston MacEwan passed away peacefully on June 6, 2023 at the age of 86 while in hospice care in Los Angeles, California.
She leaves behind her daughter, Allison MacEwan, and granddaughter, Dana MacEwan. She was preceded in death by her son, David MacEwan, in 2016 – a loss from which she never fully recovered.
Ann was born in East Texas to Frederic and Pauline Johnston. Tragically, she lost her father just before her 5th birthday when the plane he was piloting for the RAF Ferry Command crashed on take-off. Luckily, she was blessed with a large and loving extended family that gave her both comfort and joy throughout her long life.
Growing up, Ann was one of those girls with looks, brains and talent. Indoors, she played piano and sang beautifully and excelled at math. Outdoors, she was climbing, digging, birdwatching and exploring caves in her lifelong appreciation of geology. Her interests led her to a career in the oil industry and then computer analysis & programming which kept her employed well into her 80’s.
Ann married and divorced twice, raising her two children for the most part as a single mother and stepping in to help raise her granddaughter after she lost her own mother at an early age.
Her family and friends remember a sweet, loving woman with a sly sense of humor and an enduring love of good gossip. Ann loved nature and animals of all kinds. Her home was filled with colorful fish tanks; she rescued birds with broken wings and took in stray cats and dogs. Ann also defiantly nurtured an abiding love affair with sugar, celebrating her retirement with a cake made entirely of buttercream frosting. And yes, she ate the whole thing.
Per Ann’s request, her family will hold a private ceremony to scatter her ashes, along with her son’s. Please celebrate her long life and so many happy memories and remember her with a smile.
Elizabeth White Rudder
Elizabeth Rudder, age 84, of West, passed away Saturday afternoon, November 6, 2021 at her residence in West.
Funeral Service will be held 1:00 p.m. Saturday November 13, 2021 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brady, with Rev. Thom Lewis officiating. Burial will follow at Rest Haven Cemetery in Brady. The family will receive visitors from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday at Aderhold Funeral Home in West.
Elizabeth was born April 10, 1937 in San Antonio, the daughter of Robert and Josephine (McCormack) White. She was a graduate of Jefferson High School in San Antonio prior to attending the University of Texas in Austin, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. On January 29, 1957 she was united in marriage to John Rudder in San Antonio. John preceded her in death on September 21, 2020. Elizabeth resided for much of her life in Brady and was a longtime member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. She also spent time there working for Rudder Drug for many years. Elizabeth enjoyed sewing, playing golf (she was a past City of Brady women’s golf champion), cooking, water skiing, dance club, and bridge. She especially loved having family and friends over to visit.
Elizabeth is also preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Peggy Lasswell.
Survivors include her three children, John White Rudder and wife Veronica of El Paso, Susan Rudder of West, Lynn McCarson and husband Mike of Mountain Home; grandchildren, Alexandra Rudder, John Patrick Rudder, and Amanda Niemeyer and husband Randy; great grandchildren, Brady and Bailey Niemeyer; nephews, Whitey Lasswell, Rob Bryant, and Bill Bryant; niece, Nancy Bryant; brother-in-law, Elmer Lasswell; sister-in-law, Janet Bryant; and many other relatives and friends.
Active pallbearers are her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Honorary pallbearers are members of the Heart of Texas Golf Association.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brady or the charity of your choice.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff of Community Health Care of Texas for taking care of Elizabeth in her final days.
Patsy Brannen Obituary
Patsy “Pat” Brannen passed away peacefully on December 19, 2022. Pat was a very sweet soul who devoted her life to children and education. Born on October 11, 1935, to Leroy and Ruth Brannen in San Antonio, Pat graduated from Jefferson High School and Texas A&I University before embarking on a 38-year teaching career. She is survived by her nephew Ricky Jordan, wife Rhonda, their children Reed and Rylee and her niece Julie (Jordan) Vallery, husband Kenny, their children Clint and Lauren. Graveside Service at Mission Park South on December 27, 2022, at 10:30 a.m.
Flora Jane Rupe Love
No obituary was found nor was Jane’s picture in the Monticello. At Jeff, Jane was known as Flora Jane. Flora Jane and I were in the Doolittle advisory, as was Dorothy Crawford. Her brother Charles was the band drum major and graduated in 1952.
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.
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 SecretaryJames 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
Grocery stores have it right. Some items you pick up have a Best By date stamped in tiny letters that are hard to find. Other items have a Use By date.
Best By: My idle mind wondered what it would mean if we all had a Best By stamped on us at birth. When was I at my best? Definitely not my twenties—too callow—or my thirties, when maturity was just setting in. Forties was once considered middle age, though it is probably late fifties these days. When has my life been fullest, and I felt that I that I was giving my best to my family and giving back to humanity? This is something I continue to ponder.
Use By: Perhaps we should maybe have a Use By date attached to us. Does there come a time in our life when we are all used up but we hang around anyway? What more do we have to give. I live in a retirement community. While it is a vibrant place, I look at those around me and think that at this age, we are just hanging around waiting for the next chapter. I am pleased with the life I have lived, although I read the obituary of a friend this morning and thought that I have contributed very little to society in comparison.
Goodbye: With the spate of returned emails after the last email blast to the class, I spent a little time online searching for news of lost classmates. Here is what I found.
Bettye Sue Conrad Dube: Died 8-21-2020. No other information was available. I do know that she had been in an assisted living or memory care unit after Billy Dube died unexpectedly early that year. To my knowledge, she had no close living relatives when she died.
Patsy Brown Hutchinson: I knew Patsy from third or fourth grade, as we both grew up in Travis Park Methodist. Patsy was one of our nine graduates with a perfect straight A record. She was not a “big” name in our class—rarely saw her at parties or dances. She surprised a lot of people when she and Val Hutchinson (Jeff ’53) were married. It made the newspaper, as they hired a small plane and held the ceremony while circling over the city. Someone told me that in addition to Patsy and Val, there was the minister (possibly Paul Medley) and the pilot present. Val was a doctor, and they lived in Amarillo or Borger. Her obituary is here.
Patricia Hutchinson
(November 20, 1935 – July 26, 2020)
Patricia “Patsy” Hutchinson went to the arms of her Lord, July 26, 2020 in Borger.
Patsy was born November 20, 1935 in San Antonio, Texas to Raymond Kenneth Brown and Emma Lou (Grona) Brown.
Patsy was an office manager in the medical field. She was a member of St. music and children’s ministry. She was a Sunday School teacher and played the handbells at her church.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Dr. Val Hutchinson, Jr.; a son, Val Hutchinson,III and her parents.
Left behind to cherish her memory are 2 daughters: Kathi Dixon and husband Duncan of Boerne, Texas and Neva Gage of Borger; grandchildren: Kenneth and Justine Sharp of Lorton, Virginia, Hallie Angenend of Borger, Keely and Ricardo Valdez of Boerne, Texas and Keith Dixon of Boerne, Texas; great grandchildren: Elise Blakemore of Borger, Sabrina Valdez of Boerne, Texas and Wyatt Sharp (to be born in October) of Lorton, Virginia; a special daughter, Tammy Wilson of Pert, Texas; special sons: Brandon Blakemore of Borger and Michael Nowak of Amarillo.
A Memorial Service will be held August 3, 2020 at 11:00 AM at Brown’s Chapel of the Fountains, 206 W. 1st Street, Borger.
Dorothy Kaak: I don’t recall knowing Dorothy at Jeff. I am sorry I have no memories to relate.
Dorothy Howard
Feb 21, 2022
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SPRING BRANCH — Dorothy Kaak Howard, 85, of Spring Branch, Texas passed away on February 14, 2022. Dorothy was born on July 8, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas to parents Albert and Dorothy (Hicklin) Kaak.
Dorothy worked at a chemical refinery.
She is preceded in death by her parents and daughter, Denise Howard.
Left to cherish his memory is her daughter, Donna Jackson and husband, Bruce Alexander; granddaughter, Samantha Copeland and great grandson, Talom Gutierrez
A visitation will be held at Crowder Funeral Home in Dickinson on Friday, February 18, 2022 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
There will be a graveside service on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Forest Park East Cemetery in Webster, Texas.
Dorothy Lovelace Lay: Dorothy was a most interesting individual. Like Dorothy Kaak, Dorothy Lovelace and I were not acquainted at Jeff. From her obituary and from the notes she sent for our class history, she is someone I would have liked to know. I doubt few knew her because she was married as a sophomore and had a child. She said that T. Guy Rogers kept her from being expelled because of her child, allowing her to attend half days. She had a close relationship with her advisor, Mrs. Lloyd, saying she could talk about raising a child. I will include the bio she sent in 2015 here before her obituary. We have no photo available.
From our class history: 1974 Children: I became a school secretary after my children were all in school. Tommy was a career serviceman in the Air Force and we lived in Taiwan and Afghanistan, we also lived in Washington, D. C., California and Georgia. I took college courses whenever available and hope to get a degree to teach high school English when I can find the time. I teach a college and career class in Sunday School, like to read and sing in the choir.” 1984 BA from SWTSU, MPA from UT. Married while a sophomore at Jefferson; traveled a lot as an Air Force wife; attended school everywhere I could. Worked for Consumers Union in Austin where I was involved in the SW Bell-PUC case. Currently an analyst in city of Austin’s budget office. I enjoy backpacking, canoeing, bicycling. Ambitions: fly an ultralight; become head of a city department or city manager, live to be 100
DOROTHY LAY OBITUARY
Dorothy Jean Lay (Lovelace) died peacefully in her sleep on 8/27/2018, aged 82. Dorothy was a strong, keen, willful, charming, risk taker. She hiked the Appalachian Trail (2,174 miles), paddled solo up the Big Bend’s Santa Elena Canyon at flood stage, and was an avid cyclist. She had lived in Taiwan and Afghanistan. Dorothy eloped and was married at age 14 because, as she said, “Saint Paul says it’s better to marry than to burn and I was burning.” She had her first child at 17. Dorothy never graduated middle or high school. She attended The University of Maryland. She finished her Bachelor’s degree at Texas State University. She was admitted to LBJ School of Public Affairs, where she earned her Masters. She had math anxiety so, naturally, she chose to study government accounting because “if it isn’t hard, it isn’t fun.” She and former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan became friends and traveled together for several years. Dorothy served as a budget analyst for the City of Austin and the Combined City and County Health Department. Between adventures, she volunteered with Meals on Wheels and built trails with the Texas Trail Tamers. Dorothy is survived by Vick Roling Hines, her husband of 37 years. She has two sons, Ralph and Andy, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Sandra. A reception in Dorothy’s memory will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, Saturday, December 1 at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Dr., Austin.
Lois Fuller: I did not know Lois. The yearbook says that she was a member of the Homemaking Club, Tom-Tows, Girls Sports Club, and Student Council.
LOIS MACHEN OBITUARY
Lois Faye Machen, 85, of Amarillo, passed away on January 29, 2022. No services are scheduled at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Rowley Funeral Home.
Lois was born on May 10, 1936 in Panama City, Florida. She loved to golf and spend time in the mountains. Lois was an adventurer and even enjoyed riding motorcycles.
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Pete and Fay Fuller and one son, Don Collier and her husband, Deryl Machen. Survivors include her son, Clay Collier and wife Leslie of Amarillo; two grandchildren, Brian Collier (Amanda Westbrook) and Kyla Collier (Nicholas Raburn) all of Amarillo.
To send flowers to Lois’ family, please visit our floral store.
If anyone can share a memory of those listed above, please do.
Feeling Old In 2023? This might be the reason why…
– The Beatles split 49years ago.
– The movie, ‘Wizard of Oz’ is 84 years old.
– Elvis died 46 years ago. He’d be 88 today.
– Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video is 41 years old.
– Mickey Mantle retired 54 years ago.
– The movie, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ is 48 years old.
– The Ed Sullivan show ended 52 years ago.
– The Corvette turned 70 years old this year.
– The Mustang is 59.
Winding Down Flashback to February 7, 2014: Our sixtieth-class reunion is just several months away. To whet interest and anticipation, I posted Blog 1. There was so much to write about, pictures to post, memories to recall. The reunion downtown on the River Walk proved to be one of the very best of our nine class reunions. It turned out to be our last, but to repeated questions about the next, a decision was reached to meet for lunch twice a year. We did that until the pandemic slammed into us and idled intentions to continue.
Because there was news to report about our dear old Jeff High, occasional photos, and opportunities to editorialize now and then, I have continued to post a blog, though the frequency has fallen off in the past several years. The statistics show me that far fewer are reading it as well.
My intent has been to post useful news of classmates and related school events. Sadly, news of classmates is usually of another obituary. I have not included gossip or personal news, such as learning of another case of dementia. A dearth of usable news has left me to prattle on with the odd memory that pops up.
For some years, I have paid a somewhat modest fee to keep the blog posted with the domain www.jeffclassof54.com and free of banner ads. With the annual fee for renewal here, I have decided not renew. That means that if I have something to post, it will require a different address, probably www.jeffclassof54.wordpress.com and some ads inserted. I have some regrets about doing this, but also some frustrations because much of what I post loses its formatting or omits items.
Thank God, I’m Old!
With all the bad news in the world and concern over the loss of civility, I want to insert some humor here. In the musical Barnum, about the circus impresario, there is a song, “Thank God, I’m Old”. I posted it here once before, but the lyrics hit a lot of truths. If you care to hear it sung, the Internet address is here, with the lyrics below to follow along or just read. I urge you to listen and read along. If this does not take you to the site, type in Thank God, I’m Old
Aging is a process that refines our sensibilities and causes me to ponder about life. I am thankful for my many years and good health. At the same time, I wonder when is the tipping point that we reach and surpass our usefulness. Not long before she died, I had good conversations with Ruth Hernandez Stewart. She said, “I have had a good life and I am ready to go whenever the time comes.” Her son informed me of her passing several months later.
Books tell of S.A.’s Lassos and Trinity Tigers
Paula Allen Guest Columnist for the San Antonio Express-News
Sunday April 9, 2023
Lasso Alumni Association
The Lassos are seen on a weeklong goodwill trip to Mexico in 1952, stopping at Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral on a sightseeing tour before performing.
Before Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972, brought equal treatment to male and female students, women had comparatively few options to play sports in educational settings. Two new books describe the development of local programs that did allow young women to experience the benefits of competition and leadership on the field — one in a high school adjusting to a changing neighborhood and the other in a university striving to balance academics and athletics.
The Lasso Legacy — Then and Now: More than Roping“was compiled by the Lasso Alumni Association book committee, former members of Thomas Jefferson High School’s trick-roping pep squad.
As far as they’ve been able to find out, the Lassos — founded in 1932, the year the school opened — are the first and only such unit, pairing rope-twirling skills with marching drills to bring a little extra Texas sass and shine to their routines.
At a time when school sports options for girls were few, the Lassos were a stealth path to the same recognition and lessons in teamwork that boys learned from athletics. First sponsored by physical education teacher Constance Douglas, the Lassos were the school’s “special pride,” according to Life magazine, March 7, 1938. Members were “the pick of the student body,” according to the story about the “Most Outstanding High School in America.”
Lassos, who must meet academic and character standards, traditionally are accepted only after practicing rope tricks for months — at least one hopeful “wore a big bare spot” in her parents’ gravel driveway. Once accepted, Lassos attended every practice, no excuses, learning a different drill for each football game … even the Thanksgiving game with rival Brackenridge High School, when they brown-bagged family dinners to eat on the sidelines.
Lassos marched in local parades and greeted visiting celebrities, such as Gene Autry, Ed Sullivan, John Wayne and PBS newsman/Jefferson alum Jim Lehrer. In 1939, they toured several states to the north, stopping at the White House for tea with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who remembered “a group of San Antonio high-school students in cowboy attire who were on their way to the New York World’s Fair (to) give exhibitions of roping.” Among other stops, they celebrated the 1 millionth car to come off the line at the Ford plant in Detroit, with a Lasso on the hood for a publicity shot.
Over the years, the Lassos appeared in a 1940 movie, “High School” and strutted their stuff at a jai alai game in Mexico City and at both the Epcot center in Orlando, Fla., and the Astrodome in Houston. They even posed for a Marc Jacobs fashion shoot.
The only thing that broke their stride was societal change.
As neighborhood demographics shifted during the late 20th century, more Jefferson students worked after school, and it was harder for families to find money for uniforms. By 2006, there were only a dozen Lassos.
Alums from the era when the group was 150 strong got together to help — an early meeting was held at Rosario’s restaurant, owned by former Lasso Lisa Wong — and in 2007 formed the Lassos Alumni Association. Alums have passed on their roping knowledge to current students, raised funds for uniforms and provided more than $50,000 in college scholarships to date for graduating seniors. Together, former and current Lassos built back the program and saved a school tradition.
“The Lasso Legacy” will be available for $45, signed by book committee members, at the association’s annual Fiesta get-together, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, at Los Barrios, 4223 Blanco Road. Afterward, the book will be available at http://www.lassos.org for $50 plus postage. (Full disclosure, I wrote the foreword for the book.)
In Closing: This is probably not the final blog, but I will leave it for a while and turn my attention to recording genealogic and family history for my grandchildren. That is a worth project that everyone ought to tackle.
It has been a while since the last blog. Laziness, procrastination, no ideas, no news from anyone, and no new photos. I confess to all those things. So many things today remind me how times have changed, some for the better, some for the worse. So many jokes that come across the internet now are targeted at us oldsters. Here is an example:
Remember when? Remember when you referred to your knees as right and left, instead of good and bad?
But not all are age-related: Here is a very subtle one. If you don’t get it, then you have never waited for the cable repair man to schedule a visit.
A cable repairman was on my street and asked me what time it is. I told him between 8 and 1.
Poetry: I never cared for the English classes when we studied poetry. The teacher would ask our insights into a poem. I never got anything, but I never admitted it. Someone nerdier than I would raise his or her hand and explain the meaning, which I still did not get. And the teacher (Miss Brawner comes to mind) acted like the Rapture had descended upon her classroom. (Sincere apologies to Professor Priscilla Weston Tate, who taught English at TCU).
In my later years, I have become more accepting of poetry, though it has been contemporary, as opposed to one of the classical poets that we studied.
Someone sent me this poem about how our time clock is set. It came without a yiy;r and without spacing or phrasing. Here is my translation.
The clock of life is wound but once,
And then no man has the power
To tell it when to stop,
at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.
Two Whose Clocks Have Wound Down! Two more notices of classmates’ passing have been received: Carl Voelkel and Edward Davis.
At Mark Twain, I remember Carl as Carl David. I finally learned to drop the David some years back. From Jefferson, Carl joined the Navy and after his stint, came home to San Antonio and went to work for Tom Turner, Senior.
Carl and Tom Turner Junior were both mid-termers, arriving at Jeff as sophomores in January 1951. In later years, Carl became the right-hand man to Tom Junior, when Tom Junior assumed the leadership helm at TETCO. Upon retiring, Carl and his wife moved to the Del Webb community in Georgetown.
CARL VOELKEL OBITUARY
1935-2023
Carl David Voelkel passed on Friday January 20, 2023 at home in Georgetown Texas surrounded by his family. He was born in San Marcos Texas, the oldest son of Walton Carl Voelkel and Mary Alice Stewart then moved to San Antonio where he attended school. He served in the Navy and then returned to San Antonio to work in the corporate field and enjoyed his fifty-two years growing and developing lifelong friendships. He had the ability to genuinely bond with people. He told stories that had meaning. Stories of how it was and how it should be. He was a devoted husband, father and friend. He loved The University of Texas Longhorns, Travelling, and enjoyed the best restaurants.
He is survived by his wife, Aleta Gaye Voelkel; son Scott David Voelkel, brother Pat Voelkel and many cousins’, nephews and friends.
A memorial service for Carl will be held Sunday, February 5, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at The Club at Sonterra, 901 E. Sonterra Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78528. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Carl to the Cal Farley Orphanage in Amarillo at https://www.calfarley.org/
Edward and I both arrived at Jefferson in January,1951 as 13-year old mid-termers. He transferred from Page and I from Mark Twain. Neither of us knew anyone else in our class at our new school. We became acquainted while waiting for a late afternoon city bus to take us to our homes early in the semester. By chance, we were both in the Doolittle advisory, and we became lifelong friends.
Edward was born in Belgium (American father and Belgium mother) just as World War II was heating up in Europe. While an infant, his parents threaded their way from Belgium to Spain, finding passage on a ship to the USA and Texas. Edward later traced those steps and recorded the tale of the escape, which he had learned from his parents.
If memory serves, our graduating class had nine students with straight A’s. Edward was one of them, along with Harry Jones, Patsy Brown, and Myrna Bieberdorf, whom Edward married while at Rice. I don’t recall the other straight A’s, although Dick Brusenhan and Joe Coreth were probably two of them. (Full disclosure: I was not one of the nine..)
Edward was a civil engineer whose career was in Houston. Myrna died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1990. They are survived by two sons.
Ending on a lighter note, here or some more old people jokes. Come to think of it, some of you may not find them lighter!
And a few well-chosen quotes:
“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” Andy Rooney
“The older I get, the better I used to be.” Lee Trevino
“Grandchildren don’t make a man feel old, it’s the knowledge that he’s married to a grandmother that does.” J. Norman Collie
“The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.” Will Rogers
“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened. Mark Twain
“Old people shouldn’t eat healthy foods. They need all the preservatives they can get.”
Robert Orben
And finally, one for the ladies, except that these days, earrings are bi-sexual.
Bettye Sue Conrad Dube: Died 8-21-2020. No other information was available. I do know that she had been in an assisted living or memory care unit after Billy Dube died unexpectedly early that year. To my knowledge, she had no close living relatives when she died.
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