So, I have been informed by Mike that this is my 100th NEWSLETTER!!!   I sure didn't realize that. Whose counting?  I do know that some of them were probably written before we had an official website.  I do enjoy writing "news" from the classmates every two weeks.  I think it is important to keep us in contact that way.  Mike has done an excellent job of running the website and publishing my letters and anything else I send his way.  He has ideas that has helped to keep the website current and as many have said, "the best class website" on line.  I know that you appreciate it because we hear many compliments.  Thanks and help us to keep it going. 

MAIL CALL

from Willis "Billy" Fowler
Sometimes I am very saddened by the fact that I am not able to make it down to my hometown.  That makes the website even more important to me being so far away.  If it weren't for the work you and Mike put into this project, I would be completely cut off and so much of the past that helped make me who I am, would be forgotten and lost. 

As for the present, I have once again left the oilfield service industry and returned to manufacturing.  This is a cycle I've been in since moving to deep east Texas after graduating from Lamar University in 1991.  It feels strange having been raised in an environment where men went to work in the plants and stayed for 40-50 years in the same place and now that kind of loyalty and longevity is no longer the norm.  However, it has resulted in a vast array of experiences that can be looked back on with a since of real adventure.  Life has certainly not been mundane.  I will soon be moving into another endeavor that will have me building and erecting plants of differnent types in at least three states, as the plans now stand.  One is a pilot methane gas project for a giant food company.  Who would have ever dreamed of making alternative fuel from cow dung?

As for my family life, my wife of ten years now, and I are very active in our church.  If you are going to commit to service, you will be kept busy, I assure you.  Between us, we share eleven grandchildren with # twelve, (Noah Matthew Fowler), due in June.  Yes, God has truly blessed us and we consider ourselves rich though others may not see it that way. 

from Fred McCarty
Glad we don't live in Michigan and so glad we got my 88 year old mother-in-law moved out of her house and into an assisted living center last November.  She was recently snow-bound, but at least she has friends there and does not have to be in and out of the weather.

You have reached the 100th Milestone issue of our class NEWSLETTER, and I want to congratulate you on that great achievement.  You and Mike keep us together as a group, and that means so much to me personally and to so many of our classmates.  Thanks.

As of Feb. 3, I had three meetings with various subcontractors at the building site of our new home.  They got the thermostats installed at the house but had not started up the heaters.  It was a "toasty" 47 degrees during the two+ hours of meetings. 

At the end of January, Janette Light and husband Richard invited Robert Sandoval and wife Sandy to join us for dinner at a very good Mexican restaurant on the northwest side of Houston .  It was to celebrate Bob's birthday and mine as well.  Bob is the older guy...by two days!  Since Bob and I started Kindergarten together at DeQueen in Mrs. Horne's class, I managed to find one of my old DeQueen class photos.  We all enjoyed looking at that and reminiscing about our high school buddies.,  Everyone had a great time.  Janette took a photo of Bob wearing the birthday sombrero.  He actually looked pretty good in it...for an old guy!  I feel so fortunate to have some great friends from Pt. Arthur after all these years. 

from Roy Dale Birkelbach
Becky and I are celebrating our first grandbaby.... 1 1/2 month old Harper Ivy, an 8 lb. baby girl.  It is a blast to spoil her and then send her home!

from Janette Light Norton
If most of our classmates are like me, they have been just surviving winter and waking up to spring.  You'll notice that many of the Face Book posts are about what we're cooking: gumbo, chili, soup, and more gumbo, chili, and soup. 

On one of the recent warm days, Richard and I met Robert and Carole Sandoval and Fred and Sandy McCarty for a little belated birthday fiesta.   Robert, was fetching in the black and silver sombrero and Fred the story teller, gave us much to laugh about and remember.  We agreed that the friendships formed at PA are just the best!!  Next time, Tommy Thompson will join us--kind of a DeQueen reunion, I'm just the event planner from Sam Houston. 

Bob is home from a long work stint in Regina , Canada while Fred and Sandy are building their retirement home with only one level and less lawn work.  As my health continues to improve, Richard and I are finally able to take a cruise to Cozumel and Grand Cayman , where the temp is in the 80s.  When we return, we look forward to some road trips across Texas -this will be our first year to see the bluebonnets without my momma or to take, as we call it, the "Stool Magnolia Tour" because we carried step stools for both the moms to climb in and out of the truck. 

One should never write out of a sense of guilt-you're bound to get more confession than you care for, but here, Linda, is my contribution to the 100th edition of our newsletter.  I predict when our brains and hands thaw out you'll be hearing from many more of us.  Don't give up on us just yet.  You and Mike provide the kindest service of all.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.

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MARDI GRAS in PA March 3-6

www.mardigras.portarthur.com for all the information.  It is a great event and you will more than likely see some old friends there.
Married classmates Jonnye Dee (Doering) and Robert "Bob" Williamson are honored to be the King and Queen of the Bon Ami Krewe.

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News from the Homefront

I am enjoying this "springlike" weather.  It allows my Dad to spend some time sitting on the back sun porch and front porch soaking in the fresh air.  We couldn't do that too much when we lived in Bridge City due to the mosquito population.  I sure don't miss them.  Today is 9 months since Mom passed away.  I still have my moments.  Thank heavens some of my dreams are good ones of Mom now instead of the sad ones I had for so long. 

My sister seems to be settling into the new RX meds the doctor gave her for her ADD and Bi-Polar condition.  Of course, as some of you know, mood swings are constant.  She is going to have cataract surgery on both her eyes during the month of March.  Her eyesight had gotten really bad. 

I was going to write in this edition about a trip to Lynn Eldridge's ranch home in Tupelo that was supposed to take place February 11-13.  She had invited classmates Paul Colletti , Jim Andrus , Jude Arisco , and Jude's sister & spouses for a fun-filled weekend.  Well, three hours before we were to all gather, we received a phone call!  Her water heater and pipes in the attic had frozen,

 then thawed and she arrived to find her house in shambles from the ceiling caving in.  The photos she sent proved to us that she wasn't just "making up an excuse" to cancel!  "-)  Southeast Texans know all about floods.  We feel your pain.

Well, my dad was on two spaces on a SUPER BOWL pot.  He won $250.00!  So, now we are going to buy him a suit.  He lost his only one in the flood during Hurricane Ike.  We never replaced it.  He said now he'll have a "funeral suit"!  

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POSITIVE SIDE OF LIFE

 Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

 Birthdays are good for you, the more you have, the longer you live.

Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

We could learn a lot from crayons:  some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all  are different colors...but they all exist very nicely in the same box.

 A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery of a detour.

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RECIPE for Hatton Elementary (in BCISD) Yeast Rolls

(contributed by Janette Light Norton )

2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cups sugar

2 T yeast

3/4 cups oil

1/2 cup of milk

7 cups flour

1 T salt

Mix water, sugar, and yeast with a whisk.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Mix flour and salt and set aside.  Add oil and milk to the first mixture on low speed.  Add flour a little at a time.  The dough should pull away from the bowl.  It it doesn't, add a little more flour.  Cover with butter and let it rise to double in size.  Pinch into rolls, let it double in size.  Bake at 350 degrees.  Makes about 24 rolls.

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FACE BOOK

This is a suggestion.  Often, I get asked to "friend" a classmate.  I like to send this name to all of you that I have listed on Face Book.  The problem I have is when you have signed up without using your MAIDEN name.  Other classmates write me back asking me who you are.  To help with this, please do the following:

Go to your home page, find ACCOUNT then ACCOUNT SETTING, click on YOUR REAL NAME, change your name to include your MAIDEN name!  Remember, your photo will not ALWAYS look the same as you did in HIGH SCHOOL!  "-)

Here is a list of classmates that could add their MAIDEN names to their profile:

(I put their maiden name in parenthesis so you would recognize them.  Be sure to "friend" them so that you will be in touch with some more classmates.)

Betty (Bernauer) Wademon

Carol (Bonin) Hammonds

Chris (Crochet) Wramp

Colorado Barb N Dani ( This is Barbara Bowers)

Jeanne (Painton) Cain

Jonnye (Doering) Williamson

Katherine (Van Slyke) Sparks

Kay (King) Young

Lila (Delilah Holman) Ivey

Linda (Blanton) Murski

Marilyn ( Jackson ) Williamson

Nelwyn (Comeaux) Blanchette

Peggy (Edwards) Hatfield

Phyllis (Fett) Abshire

Robert N Linda (Dowling) Weldon

Sandra (Nicks) Kelly

Sandra (Ellis) MacNamara

Sara (Little) Chilton

Shari (Louvier) Parker

Sherry (Clingan) Armentor

Susan (Hatfield) Miguez

This weekend, I am going to send you a suggestion to FRIEND a classmate.  She is listed as Lila Ivey .  Well, you will remember her as Delilah Holman .  She hasn't changed her listing on FB yet so I have given you warning as to who this is.  Let's see if you read my NEWSLETTERS!  "-)

Face Book seems to be a great place for our classmates to catch up.  I noticed that Christy Dodge and Becky LeBlanc have been having a blast chatting among their old friends!  Just don't forget to send me some of that chatter.  It takes a long time for me to check out the conversations on Face Book so that I have something to write for my NEWSLETTERS.

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TJ Memories

(sent in by Fred McCarty )

The link below is an essay written by Fred Schneider, TJ '66 (classmate Randy Schneider's brother ).  I found it very interesting and it provided some history about our school which I thought might be of interest to share with others in our Class of '68.

www.tjmemories.com/essay.htm

I really love the conclusion of Fred Schneider's essay which says,

In early summer of 1966, we wore the caps and gowns that we so desperately chased for our entire student lives.  We were glad to be finished and looked forward to the road ahead.  Now, we are nearing the other end of that road.  More than any other group, high school friends have much more in common with each other, because we started at the beginning.

The only thing I could add to Fred's conclusion is "ditto for the TJHS , class of '68".

I was looking at some of the other class websites through the links posted on our web page and discovered that the class links for '62, '65, '73, and '80 are no longer active.  I tried to see if I could find new addresses for those classes but I have not been successful yet.  I hope there is still someone working on behalf of those other classes.  Looking at these other websites just reinforced my view that our site is clearly the best.

While looking, I found the website www.tjmemories.com   The Fred Schneider essay is posted on this site along with a good bit of other information.  We need to consider posting it as another "Website of Interest" link on our home page.

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BIRTHDAYS!

I hope you have been clicking on the list of birthdays for your classmate friends.  Mike has them listed by the months.  It is a good way to reconnect with some of your favorite friends of by-gone days.  You can find their e-mail address by going on the website and clicking on CLASSMATE LISTING. 

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SUPPORT

(a note from Bobby Williamson about wife, Jonnye Dee (Doering)
Jonnye's arteriogram discovered only a small blockage on the left side of her neck.  The doctors say they can cure that with medication.  The right side was corrected with surgery two years ago and is doing just fine with no blockage at all.

(a note from Al Hebert's wife, Carolyn )
It is with much sadness that I have to report that we had to put our beloved pet, Princess, down after prolonged illness.  I have also suffered a big seizure.  The doctor wants me to be on bedrest for several days. 

(a note from Sandy Ellis MacNamara )
I had a TIA.  It's a "baby stroke" or as the doctor stated, "it's a warning shot."  I also have a clogged carotid artery.  I'll tell you what, if it's not one thing it's another!  I'm tough, I will fight.  Now, I have to get my blood pressure stablized.  We ALL need to take care of ourselves.  Just when I thought I was moving and groving, I couldn't talk in front of a group of clients.  I could hear them say, "Miss Sandy, are you Ok, Miss Sandy?" as I try to explain that I am fine and I can't even speak English.  I could use some prayers.

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CONDOLENCES

Msgr. Don Golasinski
(Pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Groves )
died Feb. 5, 2011

Wade Foster
June 6, 1949-January 30, 2011

Please remember that anyone mentioned in the CONDOLENCE section usually has an obituary published in Mike's OBITUARIES section on the front page of the website.

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There you have it!  My 100th NEWSLETTER for all it is worth.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do writing them.  Sometimes it is a monumental task that seems to loom over my head and then as I write, I forget the "task" part.  I love you all and hope that we will be able to continue "meeting" like this for a long time to come.

                                       Stay in touch and contact a classmate,
                                       Linda DeCuir McFadden
lindadmcfadden@yahoo.com
www.tjhs1968.com