Offical Site of TJ Class of 1968
| TJ Class of '68 NEWSLETTER 07/08/06 | ||||
| * | * | Hello again friends,
Well, another summer month has
gone by (nearly drowning
us here in SE TEXAS) and the mosquitoes are
really on a rampage!!! The West Nile mosquito has been reportedly found in
PA and Beaumont. Geez. Everything had been going great until my
computer died and took EVERY BIT of info with it!! I have previously
mentioned that I don't know anything about computers except how to e-mail.
That means I have no idea how to SAVE INFO, either! So, I had to start
over and retype all of the 200+ classmates' addresses and TRY TO REMEMBER who
had e-mailed me with news since the last UPDATE on May 26.. My memory only
takes me so far and I pleaded with those that I could remember to please re-send
their news. I apologize for not being able to include everyone who has
contacted me in the last 6 weeks. If you did send news that is not included,
please send it again and it will make the next UPDATE. "-)
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MAIL CALL
Linda Langhoff Wheatleyin Elberta,
AL lindajo49@yahoo.com
We are coming off an eventful few years. Last
year, Jerry, my husband received a heart transplant that we had been waiting for
about 4 years. He is doing well, returned home from Birmingham the weekend
of January 1, 2006 and seems to be gaining strength each day. I was in a
bad accident a year ago this past February and am still and will be recovering
from that for years. I can walk, so I am happy and am alive, which is a
miracle. I was hit by a 34 year old drunk driver and he died that
night. I didn't realize how hurt I was, but from the looks on people's
faces even now it must have been worse than I knew. My legs were pinned in
the car and broken pretty bad so I will have issues for the rest of my life with
all the surgery they had to do on my knees and major bones in my legs. I
had a lot of prayerful support and made the recovery of learning to walk and
getting back to work in four months after the accident. I
really haven't attended any of the reunions so I picture everyone as 18 years
old. I can't imagine some as they have aged. Our grandson is staying
with us for a month and he wants to play with me so I guess I better
go and enjoy the time I have with him. Tell all hello and keep me updated.
Since everyone associated with this is
about the same age I think that it is important for me to share my health
information with the group. Last March, during a routine colonoscopy it
was discovered that I had colon cancer. Because we caught it early, still
in stage one, it was removed and I don't even have to have chemo or radiation.
I am now being the poster child for colon cancer screening. Please get one if
you haven't had one. As everyone knows the prep for the procedure is not
all that pleasant but now there are pills available that result in the same
outcome without drinking all that chalky stuff. Anyway, I put my screening
off a few years and ended up getting cut open instead of (possibly) only having
a polop removed. The surgery was grueling and the recovery is slow but I
do not have colon cancer. So, please keep up with this very important
test. I didn't have any symptoms. I hope that you will all take care
of yourselves.
(THANKS FOR THIS
MESSAGE LIZ)
I'm thrilled to announce my son Daniel's wedding took
place on June 17 to a beautiful girl from Lumberton, Emma Smith. Her
dad is Mike Smith, TJ class of '66. This is the first of my three sons to
marry, so in a year or so I hope to be announcing my first grandchild!
Hooray! The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Mike and his
wife Cynthia certainly have a beautiful, sweet daughter who is now my first
daughter-in-law!
I know you and many of our classmates know Tommy
Theriotfrom the Class of 1967. So, I wanted to share some information
on his situation. Tom underwent
a cat scan which identified a brain tumor that was subsequently removed on 6/22. The tumor was found to be malignant. Following is the text of a note from one of Tom Theriot's co-workersat ExxonMobil: OK . . . I just returned from M. D. Anderson following Tom's surgery and all I can say is what a trooper! They began surgery at 8:24am and about 10:15am, his wife, Castine, received word that the operating room was calling. We assumed it was for the 10am update on his condition; instead, she and his son, Matthew, actually talked to Tom during his surgery! He had a procedure called"asleep--awake--asleep" in which they put him to sleep until the brain was exposed and then brought him out of sedation. He was awake for most of the operation, with them testing his speech/recognition to make sure they didn't cause any problems for him. The doctor came out at 1:15 to talk to the family. The preliminary results are that the tumor is malignant. The good news is that the doctor thinks he got 100% (he's sure of 95% and they'll perform an MRI tomorrow for verification) of it removed, but Tom will require some follow-up treatment. When I saw him at 2:30pm, in his true competitive spirit, he told me he was almost ready to check his email. And in his own words, the whole thing was"an incredible experience." If you'd like to send a card to him during his recovery, the address is 2014 Forest Falls Drive, Kingwood, Texas 77345. Many thanks to all of you for your caring, support, and prayers; please keep them up as they're most appreciated!!I will provide any further information as I receive it. Fred C. McCarty, Jr.
Logistics/Infrastructure Manager ExxonMobil Production Company New Operations Design and Development CORP-EMB-3205B Phone: 713-656-3257, Fax: 713-656-3161 fred.c.mccarty@exxonmobil.com Allen Baldridgein Reston, VA allen_baldridge@hotmail.com
Yes, we are moving again. Virginia has been wonderful, but it's time to
get back to where we belong--West of the Mississippi and South of the Red
River--TEXAS!!!! We're a little undecided right now other than deciding we are
moving back to Texas. Therefore, we must put our belongings in storage in
Dallas, use my mom's address as our temporary address, and I guess we'll be
at the mercy of our friends. As I've told some of you on the phone, when I
ring the door bell, invite me in and show me to my room. My wife and I both
are actually looking for jobs; will be looking for a house on the lake when we
get back there; and will be doing a lot of ballooning in the months to come.
We'll see how it all plays out. Perhaps it's our second childhood; we're
trying to find ourselves.
Lynn Eldridge Gillin Dallas, TX lynngill@texashealth.org
We
had a fireworks display and picnic at the farm in Tupelo, TX. It was fun
– Carolyn McCollum Ellender attended and also Paul
Colletti, & Jude Arisco. We had about
a hundred – a storm blew in from the south and wrecked all the tables but it
didn’t last long – we moved to the back yard and had a great sunset and
fireworks.
Nancy Jowell Grisbee in Cooper
City, FL nancisum@aol.com
I just got a call from my son.
He said that you were asking about me. I was so glad to hear that I could
get in contact with someone. I haven't been to a reunion in years.
Now that we are living in the U.S it will be easier to get to them. We
have served as missionaries for the past 25 years. We were in Venezuela
and Dominican Republic. We are now based in Florida and travel
throughout Latin America teaching seminars with our mission. Most of my
family still lives in Texas so we get back there quite often. You can
get in contact with us through email or my home address:
5323 SW 87th Ave.
Cooper
City, FL 33328
954-680-3842
David Weldonin Decatur, TX dweldon@earthlink.com
I'm
still at the same address and will probably retire right here, out in the
country. The wife and I finally got rid of the kids (grown and gone and
ain't coming home
). The youngest just joined the army
and the big
dummy signed up
for special forces. Following in the old man's footsteps. No sense at
all.
We
have an 8 year old grandson who's my hunting and fishing partner. I'm
still a forester with the U.S. Forest Service. Getting older, fatter,
grumpier
and more ornery by the day. Life is good.
Betty
Bernauer Waedemon in Sugarland, TX bbw1m@aol.com
Ron and I celebrated our 35th anniversary in Italy with Kay (King) Youngand husband, Dwayne . We spent 16 glorious days touring Italy on
our own. It was great!!
Charles Cramerin Downingtown, PA cramerc@us.ibm.com
I was in Port Arthur in December to visit with my children
(both live in Beaumont) and checked out the damage. Fortunately, they
were spared any major damage. But I was really shocked when I went
down to Port Arthur to see the damage there. I hope all my classmates
in that area are back on their feet and the blueplastic is gone.
As for me....I moved to Chicago after Lamar and lived there for over 20 years...then off to Vermont, got remarried, got a house on Lake Champlain, and all set up to be a retired charter fishing boat captain....then life changes. Patti and I had a little girl (2 lbs at birth) in Barcelona (she was on her last business trip before retiring) so we spent the summer of 2000 in Barcelona watching our daughter grow to 5 lbs so she could return with us to Vermont. Patti started her own business selling products to QVC so we moved to Pennsylvania to be close to their West Chester, PA studio. I never retired from IBM as the thought of becoming her secretary keeps me in the workforce. Christina is almost 6 now and starts first grade in the fall. You would never know she was a premie. Life is good. I just returned from my annual Canadian fishing trip in Northwestern Ontario....the fish are now safe. Charlie Cramer
>> Benchmarking Program Manager >> IBM Certified Consultant >> IBM Global Services >> Home Office: >> 1003 Kimberly Lane >> Downingtown, PA 19335 >> 610-578-2727 Accessline Phone and Fax Janice Hebert Boudreaux & Barry Boudreauxin Kingwood, TX mbsjanice@aol.com
We went to Park City, Utah for a week for our 36th anniversary. The
weather was great. We slept with the window open at night and had to cover
up. We visited Olympic Park and drove into the mountains and had
lunch and visited the Mormon Church and also a old Catholic Church while we were
there. We are also expecting our second grandbaby!!
IF YOU ENJOYED READING NEWS FROM THE OTHER CLASSMATES, THEN THEY WILL
ALSO ENJOY HEARING FROM YOU
!!!! DROP ME A LINE OR TWO!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BISHOP BYRNE/TJ ALUMNI CRUISE
April 16, 2007
more info can be found at
(type this website in if it doesn't work when you click on it)
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THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR Okay class listen up.....
Pt. Arthur has celebrated more than 100 years as a Gulf Coast city, but the
shores of the Sabine Lake have been occupied more than 1,500 years, with the
Atakapas tribe of Native Americans as the first known settlers. The earliest
attempt at permanently settling the area was the community of Aurora, located at
what is now historic Pt. Arthur. Some lots were sold around 1840, but the
project failed to take off. Railroad Pioneer Arthur E. Stilwell began
establishing Pt. Arthur as the southern terminus for his new Kansas City
Southern Railroad. The city's official incorporation is dated 1898.
In 1899, Stillwell invited his friend, John W. Gates, to visit Pt. Arthur.
Gates quickly decided he, too, wanted an interest in the development of this
promising town. Aided by the effects of the Spindletop Gusher in 1901, he
built the Mary Gates Hospital, now known as Christus St. Mary, in 1909 and
founded the Pt. Arthur Business College, now Lamar State College, the same year.
The eruption of the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop in 1901 changed the fate of Pt.
Arthur. The Port quickly began to serve the needs of the new petrochemical
industry and companies such as Gulf Oil Corp. in 1901 and the Texas Company
(Texaco) in 1902 set up refining facilities in the city. By 1957, Pt.
Arthur was known as the center of the world's prosperous oil refining
facilities.
CURRENT INFORMATION (FYI)
Population:57,756
Ethnic breakdown: Caucacian 39%, African-American 43%, Native American .5%,
Asian 5.9%, Hispanic 17.5%, other or mixed 11%
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A SAD FAREWELL
Last month, the PAISD voted to close Woodrow Wilson Jr. High.
The school facility was in very sad shape and HURRICANE RITA just
fast-forwarded the inevitable. The repairs were going to cost way
more than the district could afford. As a former VERY PROUD alumni of
Woody, I am disheartened to see it close, but also know it isn't fair to the
students trying to learn in such an environment. So, our memories of the
Black and Gold Bears will continue to make us smile!!! Tri-Hi Y dances,
High 9 check day, and of course the rivalry with Edison Jr. High (THE EDDY/WOODY
GAME at the Thomas Jefferson High School football field!!!) and the homecoming
dance. The corsages were just ONE MUM with streamers. They were beautiful,
weren't they? Go, Woody! I'll miss you. (I have a photo of the High 9
dance with 39 classmates pictured. I will send it by request).
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
CLIFFORD ANTONE FUNERAL SERVICE in Pt. Arthur
I attended the funeral service for Clifford at Grammier Oberle Funeral Home in
late May. Several classmates attended while I was there. I talked with Jack
Catalina, Randy Hutchins, Carol Olivier Nunez, Carole Oubre Reeves, David
Elliott, Janice Jones Kelly, Robert McClintock, Susan Hatfield Miguez, Shelley
Dettman, Jack Etheredge, Alan "AJ" Hebert, and Rosendo Lopez.
He also had a public memorial service in Austin, June 3. Susan
Antone, class of '67, said to convey her heartfelt thanks for all the
messages and support given to her from his classmates.
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CONDOLENCES
Betty Bernauer Waedemon Danny
Phares
(loss of her mom)
(loss of his mom)
1818 Cheyenne River Circle
1635 Thomas Rd
Sugarland, TX 77478
Beaumont, TX 77706
(281)980-5368
(409)898-2482
Sally Fitch Strunk
Roy Dale Birklebach
(loss of her dad) (loss
of his brother, Bobby, class of '65)
2918 Acorn Wood Way
812 Marlin
Houston, TX 77059
Hitchcock, TX 77563
(409)938-1615
Randy Monte Susan
Antone(class of '67)
(loss of his mom in Dec.,05)
(loss of her brother, Clifford, class of '68
1370 H Industrial
c/o Antone's
Petaluma, CA 94952 213
W. 5th St.
(707)778-6320 Austin,
TX 78701
Please contact the above classmates with your comforting words and
support. We all know how important they can be at a time
of sorrow. It is never too late to send them. MEMORIAL DVD's
are still available:
This is a 45 minute presentation of 52 of our deceased classmates that was
prepared last summer by another classmate, Mike Lawson. The
cost is $9.00. Contact: Mike Lawson
2119 Twin Lakes Blvd.
West Columbia, TX 77486
(979)345-5901
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E-MAIL ADDRESS LIST & SPREADSHEET LIST
I sent out an e-mail address list on June 5 (BEFORE THE INFAMOUS COMPUTER CRASH)
and also sent it in spreadsheet format to those
who requested it. Since then, I have had many changes. They are listed below: CHANGES:
ADDITIONS
Diane Barker Kay
King
Bart Darby
Linda Langhoff
Willis "Billy" Fowler Jimmy
Simmons
Norma Guidry
Joe Gongora
Susan Hatfield
Diana de la Rosa
Jenny Rhodes Nancy
Jowell
John Wilson
Danny Licatino
Please ask your friends, patients, clients, customers, and co-workers that were
also classmates if they are receiving the UPDATE. They might not know
about it.
A big THANK YOU to Beverly Copeland Gaspardfor updating the
spreadsheet for me. I'm hoping she just "sighs" when she
receives the changes!
Be sure to send me additional e-mail changes, deletions, or new e-mail addresses
of other classmates not previously listed. You may contact me if you would
like for me to send the list again.
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OUR OWN "PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR"
Glynn Myers, Loretta LaLonde'shusband, has been helping to
find addresses on our "MISSING CLASSMATES". He sends info to me
and I follow up. We hope to have a much better updated list of the
classmates that we have lost contact of (in some cases) for YEARS!!! Thank
you, Glynn, and a big THANK YOU, Loretta, for loaning him out to us!!! We
will be updating addresses often in the next two years before our FORTIETH (40)
class reunion in 2008~~ Don't groan. We had several classmates that came
to the 35th reunion and it was the FIRST reunion that they had attended.
All of those said they were coming back! Good for them.
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Well, this has been a long afternoon of compiling info into this UPDATE. I
didn't include "SIGHTINGS" this time around. I lost a lot of
those names in the "computer crash". Contact me with any news and
I will include it in the next UPDATE. That is what it is all about.
Take care and keep in touch,
Linda DeCuir McFadden
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