Large file downloading - Please be patient!
Click a date to go to that day's Alumni Sandstorm.
Use your browser's back button to return here.
 Alumni Sandstorm Archive ~ August, 2007
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Richland Bombers Calendar website Funeral Notices website *********************************************** *********************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/01/07 ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SANDSTORM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Bombers sent stuff: Patti Jones ('60), David Rivers ('65) ALUMNI SANDSTORM BIRTHDAY Today: Has it really been 9 years? YES! Many thanks to Gary Behymer ('64) for getting us started... BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim Crum ('59) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Ann Engel ('63) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: MaryAnn Weiland ('63) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Dennis Haskins ('66) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Anne Peterson ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Paula Saucier ('71) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Kim Edgar ('79) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Patti Jones Ahrens ('60) Marie Ruppert Hartman ('63) Re: All Bomber Luncheon Richland WHEN: Saturday, August 11, 2007 WHERE: JD Diner, 3790 Van Giesen, West Richland, WA 99353 Used to be Coney Island (Light green building just past the Yakima River bridge heading west from Richland on the right side) TIME: 1:00 P.M. PRICE: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served all day. Prices range from $4.50 - $13.95 (add drink, tax, and tip) Bomber spouses and friends are welcome! Looking forward to also seeing out-of-town Bomber visitors. Bombers Have Fun, -Patti Jones Ahrens ('60), West Richland, WA -Marie Ruppert Hartman ('63) Richland, WA Message from Patti: Please send in reservations for the September 8, 2007 luncheon. Club 40 weekend. We will be letting JD Diner know Thursday September 6 before the luncheon approximately how many will be there so they are prepared. -Patti Jones Ahrens ('60) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: More birthdays and a yellow sticky to prove it August 1st... a red letter day in my book. Two of my mostest favoritest people are having birthdays on the same day. We have the classes of '63 and '66 celebrating today. The girl from '63 has always been one of the most friendly, even to a lowly soph. such as yours truly and has always invited me to the big kid's table. Saw her just last week and I can tell you she is as beautiful and vivacious as she was the first day I saw her at Col-Hi... what a gem... all the guys will agree and the girls love her as much as the boys adore her... She has had some heavy trials in her path recently and has come through each of them a day at a time... she was the girl in a Couple that was the pride and joy of all who knew them... but more about that on the 8th... Ann Engel Schafer is and always will be top drawer in my book... The guy having a birthday has always been there to greet me when I hit town... one of the first I see and certainly one of the first I look for... only caught a glimpse of him this June outside the DQ and when I finally made my way out of the crowd in the building he had moved on... I didn't make it over to the DI on Saturday for Ms. Hoff's all-class so didn't see him there... We were over at the Beaver's carrying on as usual... but it doesn't mean I didn't miss our yearly chat... I did... I am so glad to know and consider this guy a friend... Dennis Haskins ('66) is one of a kind! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ann Engel Schafer and Dennis Haskins!!!!!!!!!! -David Rivers ('65) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/02/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Bombers sent stuff: Mary Triem ('47), Bill Berlin ('56), Linda McKnight ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Rufus "PJ" Pedersen ('48) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Janet Wilgus ('59) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Dick Staley ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Earl Hall ('70) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Dennis Strege ('71) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mary Triem Mowery (a '47 Bomber) Re: Club 40 To all '47 Bombers who haven't been contacted regarding this year's 60th celebration of our graduation: (1) I'm sorry we missed you, and (2) please make the effort to come and join us September 7th and 8th for the Club 40 bash. It will be the 20th (yes indeed, 20th) anniversary of our alumni organization as well and we would love to see a HUGE turnout of '47 grads. -Mary Triem Mowery (a '47 Bomber) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Bill Berlin ('56) Re: Glen Wells, father to Alina ('64) and Bruce ('67) Mr. Glen Wells, father of Bombers Alina Rosano (the star formerly known as Louise Wells ('64) and Bruce Wells, passed away on July 20th in Seattle. Glen was a close personal friend of my Dad's and my Mom and Jean Wells used to shop together weekly if not more often. Both Glen and my Dad smoked pipes, as did Jimbeaux Hamilton's ('63) Dad, "Hammy" Hamilton. When those three got together with pipes fully lit and burning good in the neighborhood, it made the Bomber cloud look like cotton candy. SE Richland had it own cloud... if you get my drift. Glen was a real gentleman, a bit on the quiet side and after my Dad died, my Mom went down to Phoenix, as I recall, and stayed with Jean and Glen for a few days and had a great time. Glen was involved in the Water Works there and given Phoenix is not awash in water, that must have been a very important job, way more important than the Mayor I am sure. In any event, I was sorry to hear of Glen's passing and will fondly remember him in my upcoming book "Memories of a Richland Compound." Alina, send me an e-mail with your address. Mom (aged 98) lives here in Anacortes and would like to have your contact. -Bill Berlin ('56) ~ Anacortes, WA where we have a full house for the month of August. Grandkids, shirt tail relatives, fraternity brothers, ex-Coast Guard mates and, yes, my Canadian daughter. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Linda McKnight Hoban ('65) Happy Birthday dear Ann Engel Schafer ('63) on 8/1. Hope you had a fun, fun day and to all other Bombers, I am trying to write this on my laptop when I am used to my ergonomic keyboard but just wanted to share that we are on our first longggg road trip since we have been married and we're still speaking!!!! We are trailering our 2007 Dyna Screaming Eagle motorcycle to Sturgis (for those diehard Harley riders who are helmetless making the trek, we are too old and too fat to ride all that way) and we are right now in Billings, MT where I have lots of relatives and so we spent most of the day over at my cousins' house having a wonderful time hanging out and yakking our heads off. My third cousin, Kaycee, made homemade egg rolls that were to die for. There were large dogs that totally intimidated our little Pomeranian, the largest being a boxer. We spent the shortest five hours visiting and had a superb time. Tomorrow we drive the last leg of our trip, and right now there are bikes everywhere, welcome Harley riders signs, and bike wash places.... Tomorrow night I will fill you in on the night we arrived in St. Regis, MT, and dealt with the cross-eyed lady at the River Edge Motel .........fun! bomber hugs, -Linda McKnight Hoban ('65) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/03/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Bombers and 1 future Bomber sent stuff: Dick McCoy ('45), Wally Erickson ('53), Mike Clowes ('54) Kaylea Brackensick ('11) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Larry Noble ('60) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Amanda Engel ('97) BOMBER ANNIVERSARIES Today: Bill Johnson ('57) & Joyce Lynn Green ('57) George Zielinski ('65) & Debra Anne Crane ('71) BOMBER/LION ANNIVERSARY Today: Gary Behymer ('64) and Janis Cook ('65 Lion) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dick McCoy ('45, '46, & '02) To: Mary Triem Mowery ('47) Mary I know he isn't a '47er, but John Sullivan is back in the Tri-Cities according to Quig. You are doing a great job on the '47 turnout. Love -Dick McCoy ('45, '46, & '02) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Wally Erickson ('53) Re: The Coeur D'Alene bike trail and the Hiawatha bike trail with David Mansfield ('59), his wife Nonie and Bonnie Allen ('59). It was a fun four days of biking on the two bike trails. We definitely developed a strong friendship during those four days. We started at Mullan the first day (elevation above 3000 ft.); it's a beautiful area in the mountains near where the CD'A River starts at Lookout Pass. Our first day was on a hot day, but starting at a higher elevation and with the shade of the evergreen trees made it very pleasant. We had lunch in Kellogg and continued for another 10 miles in the hot sun with some shade later on. We decided we overdid on our first day and would bike less mileage on the second day. It was a good decision; our second day we continued to follow the CD'A River with the bike trail heading south and away from the traffic noise of I-90 freeway. The weather was about 10 degrees cooler, the scenery continued to be fantastic. We saw several wildlife; we saw two Moose eating in the tall grasses of a wetland area, turtle sunbathing on a log in the water, blue heron and many other types of birds. We saw several moose mud tracks on the pavement... so, we knew there would be moose around. With cooler temperatures and a very pleasant breeze made for enjoyable day of biking. On our third day, Nonie suggested we do the Hiawatha bike trail... since I wouldn't be available the fourth day for biking. Thank you Nonie for that! We started on the other side of Lookout Pass on the Montana side. After purchasing passes and tickets for the bus (to bring us back); we started through the first tunnel. This tunnel is 1.7 miles long, so you must have head lamps and should have bike lamps also. Thanks to David, he also had battery tails lights, which made it easier for me to follow (since my headlamp was giving out on me)... thanks David. There are nine tunnels and seven trestles; one of the trestles is over 200 feet high. The total distance is 15 miles of biking; that's if you take the bus back, which we did. The fourth day I invited David, Nonie and Bonnie to my place for a boat ride after the fourth day of biking. They rode along Lake Coeur D'Alene, crossed the bridge and back. It was another hot day, so the boat ride made it that more enjoyable. On the lake it was very calm and we were able to find a swimming spot without anchoring. The water was "perfect" and clear. Like I've mentioned earlier... it's better than swimming pool water. The swimming, boating and a couple glasses of wine made for an enjoyable day!!!! We said our "goodbyes"; and we decided we would do this again at a new location. We met several bikers from around the country... talked to a young lady, she and her husband were from Wisconsin, where it's very flat. They we're very impressed with the mountains and beauty of the country side. Thanks to the Sandstorm and Maren... it's what made all of this happen!! Thank you, Maren. I also want to say what a great "trooper" Bonnie was in staying with us during all this biking. It can be intimidating when you're driving through the mountains and wondering how you're going to get through all this. The trail is very well maintained and paved all the way following the CD'A River (from 6-10 feet in the beginning, to 50-60 feet wide entering Lake CD'A). There're plenty of rest stops that are very well maintained. We all had a great time... and developed a great friendship during those four days. Thank you David Mansfield and Nonie for putting this together... it was great fun!!!! -Wally Erickson ('53) ~ Where temperatures are hot around Coeur D'Alene, but swimming in Lake CD'A makes it okay! **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Bob Carlson, aka Mike Clowes ('54) Re: The Results of the Latest Debate Department Here are the most recent numbers Class of '45 - 1 Class of '46 - 1 Class of '47 - 21 Class of '48 - 6 Class of '49 - 8 Class of '50 - 0 Class of '51 - 4 Class of '52 - 29 Class of '53 - 6 Class of '54 - 20 Class of '55 - 8 Class of '56 - 7 Class of '57 - 33 Class of '58 - 6 Class of '59 - 1 Class of '60 - 11 Class of '61 - 5 Class of '62 - 1 Class of '63 - 0 Class of '64 - 0 Class of '65 - 0 Class of '66 - 0 Class of '67 - 0 Class of '70 - 1 Some of the usual suspects have checked in, but we are still waiting to hear from those of you who haven't (and you know who you are). In particular, we are waiting to hear from the Class of '67 whose members are now eligible to join Club 40. The process is simple, just go to: http://richlandclub40.org Scroll down to the "2008 Regis. Form" link, print out the form, fill it in and mail to the address on the form along with your check or money order. Love to have you with us at the party. Re: On another note The Club 40 nominating committee is looking for persons interested in running for a club office. At the present they have the follow nominees: Connie Dean O'Neil ('60) and Judy Willox ('61 & '82) for vice president; Karol Brimhall Smith ('56) for Secretary; Ann Thompson, aka Anna May Wann ('49) for Treasurer and myself for president. -Bob Carlson, aka Mike Clowes ('54) ~ reporting from sunny and warm Mount Angel, OR where the countdown to Octoberfest continues. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Kaylea Brackensick ('11) Re: Don't make me go to Hanford! Hi, my name is Kaylea Brackensick. My parents are Steven Brackensick ('85) and Dawn Boggs Brackensick ('86). I was hoping someone could give me some advise. The situation is that I moved a year ago 3 miles away from my old house which put me into the Hanford High School district. My mother has filed for transfer back to Richland High School. We were denied a transfer. I do not want to go to Hanford. I want to be a BOMBER! Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can push this issue further? -Kaylea Brackensick Future Bomber class of 2011 ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/04/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 Bombers sent stuff: Mary Triem ('47), Richard Anderson ('60) Ed Quigley ('62), Gary Behymer ('64) David Rivers ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Roger Fishback ('62) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Ken Dall ('64) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim Heidlebaugh ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Judie Heid ('68) BOMBER ANNIVERSARY Today: Mike Sams ('65) & Mary Bennett ('69) BOMBER/LION ANNIVERSARY Yesterday/Today: Gary Behymer ('64) married Janis Cook ('65 Lion) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mary Triem Mowery ('47) To: Dick McCoy ('46 etc.) Thanks for the info on big John L. I'll give Quig and Joyce a call to pursue. I'm sure there are those '47ers whom I have missed, but w/o the old data base, I was hamstrung! Give a hug to Ida for me and see you in September. -Mary Triem Mowery (a '47 Bomber) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Richard Anderson ('60) To: Kaylea Brackensick (?HS '11) Re: Don't make me go to Hanford! Well Kaylea, my advice is to enjoy your years at Hanford. Your chances of getting your transfer to RHS are approximately zero; you have a couple of problems: 1) you will be an entering freshman (9th grader) this fall, meaning that you have not attended RHS and therefore have no real ties to the school; and 2) you do not live in Richland [note: I did a bit of sleuthing; Kaylea's family lives somewhere in West Richland/Enterprise, whatever one wants to call the place]. The good news is that Hanford is a first rate school. Academically it is superior (much superior, actually) to RHS. It has a smaller student body, so you will develop better "class cohesiveness". The Hanford kids are a friendly good-natured bunch (at least the ones I have met). The real problem is that many years ago (in the sixties) RSD made a bet and lost big time. It determined that the likely growth pattern of Richland would continue to the north past Newcomer/ Catskill/Coast; so, they decided to build a Junior High/Senior High school to serve the expansion area: i.e., Hanford. Great to a degree; but, then along came Milo Bauder who built Meadow Springs in 1969. The area south of Yakima River became the locus for large-lot residential development. Then there was the explosive growth of really large-lot development in West Richland. The consequence is that there are two high schools serving the geographical area north and east of Yakima River and ZERO high schools serving the new population on the other bank of the river. So the school district has drawn all sorts of strange school boundaries to distribute the kids to either HHS or RHS. The district has just plunked down roughly $100 million renovating HHS and RHS; with any luck I'll have won the lottery and moved to WallaWalla before the district determines that it is necessary - vitally necessary! -- to build a new $75 million (or whatever these things cost) high school to serve West Richland/"South Richland" (West Kennewick?). It will be entertaining. Kaylea, in closing, let me assure you it could have been far worse: if your parents had moved to the Richland Wye you would be going to -- gasp! -- Kamiakin (the Wye is in Kennewick School District -- go figure). Bomber (and Falcon) cheers, -Richard Anderson ('60) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Ed Quigley ('62) Re: Quest for "Bombership" To: Kaylea Brackensick ('11) Bless your heart and good luck, Kaylea! Wish I could help you out, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. -Ed Quigley ('62) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Gary Behymer ('64) Re: BOMBER/LION ANNIVERSARY Today [8/3]: Gary Behymer ('64) and Janis Cook ('65 Lion) Janis was married on 08/03/68 while I was married on 08/04/68 (;-) A 'dating' error by our minister Reverend Cox created a conundrum? -Gary Behymer ('64) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: More birthdays for the 4th That time again... last week when I put a balloon on one of these guy's cars and had the donut boyz all sign a card they couldn't believe he was having ANOTHER birthday... I assured them he only had one a year and that's how old people get old... they seemed to accept that explanation... This guy is an artist of the finest kind and I have so much of his handy work on my cars and leather jackets you'd think I was a traveling one man show... he is the resident pin striper for the donut bunch and when we were kids he was the guy you had customize your notebook... since it was the only thing I carried... my books were either in my locker or on the package tray of my car getting a good tan... ya kinda hadda peel them off at the end of the semester... This boy goes by many names in our gang... "The Big Fat Liar", "Jo's Babysitter" (when ever we went to his house to get him the answer was often: "I can't go... I gotta baby sit Jo")... and "Beta Male"... His talents are legend... like there's the time his dad was watching the house next door for a neighbor... the boy wanted to paint his bicycle yellow... no place to paint in a prefab so he painted it in the closet of one of the rooms next door... the evidence was overwhelming... or the time he decided the picture of Norm Grabowski from Life magazine would look good on his wall and he just ripped out the page and glued it to his wall... you can see talent just oozing out of this boy! The other birthday is for a Kat from '64. I have so many great memories of this guy from school. We don't see him around the Sandstorm but I know he's out there somewhere... Pop Quiz... when I divulge this guy's name in a minute or two I want Denler ('64), Twedt ('64), Number 10 ('64) or one of that old crowd to let us all know this birthday boy's nickname. Come on now... I know you all know it... so cough it up... This guy was smart and witty... I will never forget an impromptu speech he gave in Mr. St.John's speech class at Chief Jo... what a quick wit... this guy would have made a great trial lawyer the way he could think so fast on his feet... So now's the time to wish JIMMY HEIDLEBAUGH ('65) and KENNY DALL ('64) a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -David Rivers ('65) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/05/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 Bombers sent stuff: David Mansfield ('59), Mary Judd ('60) Jim House ('63), Roy Ballard ('63) David Rivers ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Sue Erickson ('59) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Sue Nussbaum ('63) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Mary McCue ('67) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Mansfield ('59) Re: Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes First I want to thank Wally Erickson ('53) for his commentary on our bicycle ride down the "Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes", rails to trails bicycle path. This was one of the best bike ride I have ever been on. As Wally wrote, the scenery was beautiful and the bike path was smooth asphalt for seventy-three miles. Well, it was great for at least the sixty plus miles that we actually rode. I have to mention too, that Bonnie Allen ('59) passed her initial bicycle ride with flying colors. Although, she never said anything, I am sure she was ready to kill me after the first day. The first day's ride was 33 miles and the hottest day of the four we rode. Having Wally as a local host/guide was a plus for the trip. Our boat ride the last day on Lake Coeur d'Alene with "Captain Wally" just kind of put the whole week over the top. Well, yes the lake was clear until I jumped in, the subsequent mud slick was a hundred yards across. Fortunately there wasn't a fish kill. Nonie, (my wife) and I like to downhill ski in the winter. I have always enjoyed the Aspen tree groves while skiing in Colorado and Utah. Their almost white bark makes for some of the prettiest snow scenes. We did encounter many Aspen groves all along the bike trail. Some of the Aspens along the Coeur d'Alene River are the biggest I have ever seen. We did observe plenty of wildlife along the trail. I am somewhat of an expert in examining and identifying wild animal scat. As a result, I was able to assess and forewarn the group every day as to what kind of wildlife was around. Nobody seemed to be impressed... I get no respect! Our last day's ride through the tunnels of the Hiawatha Trail was a real treat as well. This trail is a seventeen mile long gravel trail with nine tunnels. The first tunnel and the longest is 1.6 miles. I learned two things from riding through all the tunnels. One was that you can never have enough lights on your bike. And two, always ... always, bring fresh batteries. Having fresh battery packs at home or back at the motel doesn't count! Nonie and I are thinking we would like to plan another ride next summer. So if you like adventure, excitement and or just like living on the edge .... watch this space! -David Mansfield ('59) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mary Judd Hinz ('60) Re: Richland School District Primary Election We have received our Primary Election ballots, and I don't know anything about the candidates who are running for a position on the Richland School Board. Do any of you have a recommendation? -Mary Judd Hinz ('60) ~ In sunny West Richland **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Jim House ('63) Advice to Kaylea Brackensick (2011): RUN AWAY FROM HOME! Belated happy birthday to Ken Dall ('64): I enjoyed watching your advancement to senior management levels at JCP, although for a while I was concerned you were spending too much time in women's clothes. -Jim House ('63) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Roy Ballard ('63) Re: Bomber or Falcon To: Kaylea Brackensick (2011) Kaylea, Solve the problem and move in with your grandparents in Applewood. That might solve the problem ............... -Roy Ballard ('63) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: Big sisters make the world go round I've kind of always wondered why I feel so close to the class of '63... I know I admire them as a class because they seem to stick together as a group and seem to be a gang of really true friends... I've always said I thought of the class of '63 as being similar to the "Fraternity Brothers" played by the members of the 4 Preps in Ozzie and Harriet while my class seemed to be more like "Our Gang"... I'm sure most of that is from looking over from the little kids' table to the big kids' table... but the more I think of it, I'm thinking maybe... just maybe... big sisters could have played a big part of it... I mean across the street I had big sister Beth Parker ('63)... When I went over to Dale's I had big sister Donna Bowers ('63)... Over on Johnston Street there was big sister Ellen W. ('63) with her dear friend (gasp) Mary Lou ('63)... the list goes on and on... the same is true of the birthday girl... as the big sister of one of the class of '65 that I most admired and treasured as a friend, Skip Nussbaum ('65), this big sister was always there... I've worn out the Ralph Lee ('63-RIP) motor cycle story in years past so I won't repeat it here... but this big sister was one of those that we all sighed over... and over... and over... Several years ago Terry Davis ('65), Heidlebaugh ('65), Beej ('65) and I decided it had been too many years since Skip had been around and we trekked over to his place to say hi... it was a very tearful reunion and Skipper came around for a couple of years after that and then dropped out again... Terry and I wanted to do another drop in but Big Sis suggested we not... when big sis speaks we listen... but I hope she knows how much we love her brother and how much we love her as well... HAPPY BIRTHDAY on August 5 to Susan Nussbaum Reeb ('63)!!!!! David Rivers ('65) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/06/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Bombers and 1 Bomber Offspring sent stuff: Dick Wight ('52), Dawn Boggs ('86) Kaylea Brackensick ('11) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Caroline Westover ('52) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Kay Lynch ('60) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Mike Sheeran ('66) TODAY IN HISTORY: Hiroshima, 1945 **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dick Wight ('52) Re: Looking for an ex Navy radio operator In writing down my memories of my 32 years in the Coast Guard, I dredged up an old memory. In the summer of 1954 (I think!) I was a radio operator on the USCGC NORTHWIND, a polar icebreaker. We were operating in the Bering and Beaufort Seas, with a U.S. Navy submarine which was operating under the ice at times. We maintained their radio guard for them. One day we had the sub moored alongside, and I went aboard with a handful of messages to deliver - found their radio room - and the operator on watch was a Col-Hi Bomber from, I think, class of '51. Some coincidence! Anyone know who he might have been???? Incidentally, the sub later rammed us accidently, ruptured one of our fuel tanks. Ha! -Dick Wight ('52) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dawn Boggs Brackensick ('86) Re: Don't make me go to Hanford Thank you all who have responded to my daughter Kaylea ('11). The responses show that many are supportive of her being able to attend the school of her choice. I graduated from RHS in '86, my husband the class of '85 my parents Sharon Brown Boggs-Johnson ('64), my father Don Boggs ('56-RIP), my father-in-law Ron Brackensick, Sr. ('59), mother-in-law, Sharon Workman Brackensick ('62), my brother Jimmy Boggs ('90) and many numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. So you can see that even though Kaylea has not attended RHS yet, the ties are very strong. Kaylea and I recently attended with my mother Sharon Brown Boggs Johnson ('64) the memorial BBQ for Fred Schafer ('63-RIP) in Vancouver. Kaylea was astounded out the number of RHS alumni still hold the Green/Gold strong to heart. It was absolutely amazing! I could only wish that my class was as strong. Even though we live in West Richland, which is Richland School District, we moved only 3 miles and it changed from RHS to HHS. I filed for a transfer and met with the super intendant and went over the reasons as to why I was requesting a transfer. The obvious, her parents are BOMBERS! Well there are many other reasons – Kaylea is on track for participating in the Running Start program once in 11th grade. She wants to take zero hour and with her father working at Albertson’s below the hill, made this an obvious transportation necessity. Also, she is a Candy Striper at Kadlec, once again, this would make it easier for her to continue this after school with just being able to walk to the hospital. Now let’s talk about the school mates, she has some issues with classmates (girls are not nice) that will be attending HHS and for the best high school experience it would be best that Kaylea not have to deal with the same issues that she did from these girls in high school, it is going to be tough enough! When meeting with Rom Costillejo – superintendent at the time, he informed me that no transfers were being approved due to the construction and all of the portables being used. Teachers of RHS would not even be able to transfer their children in this year. I was told that I could check back late summer once the schools knew what their numbers looked like and then again after Labor Day, but most likely would be able to get a transfer next year. I do not want to start her off at one high school and then transfer her. I checked back last week and the numbers are not completely in yet, but was told that by law they had to let the teachers children transfer. Kennewick has 3 high schools and they can choose which one they want to attend, they just need to provide their own transportation. I really believe that the Richland high school boundaries need to be reexamined, we are paying more money to transport kids to schools further from their home. For example, my younger children were going to be bussed to Tapteal Elementary because when we moved they no longer were in the Wiley Elementary boundary. The funny thing is, we live right behind Wiley, the kids just go through the gate on the fence. They were granted transfers because they had already started at Wiley, good through their entire elementary grades. But this just goes to show how messed up the boundaries are. As for Richard Anderson's ('60) response – you must not be a true Bomber thru and thru otherwise you would not be so uncompassionate about it. As for saying that she lives with a relative within the district – I would have to give up all legal educational rights for Kaylea to whoever she was with – I am not at that point yet! Moving would be a choice I would make before giving up any rights to my child. What will happen to these children that’s parents get relocated here and fall into the RHS district, they will get to attend and could probably have cared less, since they know no different. I am going to continue to check for updates and pester them until they just want me to go away and give in. I am not ready to give up the fight! BOMBERS all the way! Keep up with the responses – just maybe if I get enough we can start an uproar! Maybe the next thing will be an editorial to the Tri-City Herald. -Dawn Boggs Brackensick ('86) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Kaylea Brackensick ('11) Re: Bomber or Falcon To: Roy Ballard ('63) Thanks for the advise for me to be able to go to Richland High. But to move in with my grandparents in Applewood I would have to be insanely crazy. I would be bored out of my mind. To live with my grandparents, my parents would have to give up their parental education rights. And trust me they are not ready for that. I would also have to physically live with them. Thanks to all who have responded to my entry. Don't make me go to Hanford. I really am glad to see all the responses I am getting. -Kaylea Brackensick, Future Bomber 2011 ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/07/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4 Bombers sent stuff: Will Goss ('56wb), Steve Carson ('58) Ed Quigley ('62), David Rivers ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim Bobo ('56) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Michael Peterson ('77) BOMBER ANNIVERSARY Today: Fred Schafer ('63-RIP) & Ann Engel ('63) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Will Goss ('56wb) I received the fake site e-mail right after entering my new e-mail address [on the '56 home page]..... -Will Goss ('56wb) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Steve Carson (Championship class of '58) Interesting stuff on the development of the Richland School System. Thank you Mr. Anderson ('60). Now I have been gone for a very long time and will be looking for my fellow Bombers to comment (rebut) on Mr. Anderson's comments that HHS is Academically superior to RHS. -Steve Carson (Championship class of '58) ~ Chicago, where the CUBS will finally win a world series. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Ed Quigley ('62) To: Kaylea Brackensick ('11) Not to encourage you to be devious, Kaylea, but couldn't you use your grandparents' address as a "residence of convenience"? Obviously, this means a lot to you and your family, and all the school boundaries are is an issue of bureaucratic pigheadedness; go ahead and buck the system. Consider it an exercise in civil disobedience... You're going to need the experience late in life anyway, the way things are going. Wait; maybe I AM encouraging you! :) -Ed Quigley ('62) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: A view from the little kids' table As the guy with the most trips to the alter from the class of '65 (tho I do believe that my pal Mike Sheeran ('66) has me beat in that department... belated Happy Birthday, Mike) I sit here and wonder how many times it really happens... boy meets girl... they fall in love... get married and live (reasonably) happily ever after... I say reasonably because even an old romantic such as I am knows that every life has its ups and downs... even Donald Trump has a bad hair day... right... so it makes me smile really big when I think of my friends who fall into the love ever after category as opposed to the Billy and Sue category of the BJ Thomas' ilk... As I count them I am happy to say that I do know quite of few of the members of such love stories... I won't say I envy them because that isn't the correct emotion... I admire them... really admire them... one of them stands out today as very special. She was "the catch of her class" and he was the boy that caught her... I always loved seeing them together even tho living as far away from home as I do I only got to see them once or a few times a year... this year he wrote me saying they wouldn't see me in Richland but would see me a few weeks later in Las Vegas... the reason was understandable tho I hate to miss seeing kids at home in our own element... I have loved it over the years when I would see their email address in my mail I knew there was a "good one" coming my way... they came often and I loved to throw a few dig in my response... loved the pictures of the get togethers and was always so happy to know them and to be included in their thoughts... they are big kids so it was extra special to get to leave the little kids' table with them now and then... the KoolAid always tastes best at the big kids' table and I'm always careful not to spill it... So many things I would like to say but the tear ducts are already starting to twitch... how come your nose runs when your tear ducts start to fill? Just wondered... I know The Gold Medal Class and many others will be thinking of these two on the 7th of August as I will... with admiration and love... Happy Anniversary for Ann and Freddie Schafer ('63)... the love never dies. -David Rivers ('65) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/08/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Bombers and 1 Bomber Offspring sent stuff: Jim House (’63), David Rivers ('65), Kaylea Brackensick ('11), BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Bruce Strand ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Grant Ranlett ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Gordy Edgar ('78) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jennifer Harden ('96) BOMBER ANNIVERSARY Today: Jim Adair ('66) & Kathie Moore ('69) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Jim House (’63) Re: Obnoxious Bomber Fans? Yesterday I watched the Richland Knights American Legion baseball team playing in the state tournament in Spokane. I happened to be sitting amid the Spokane fans, who seemed to be outnumbered and not as vocal by those supporting Richland. At one point I heard comments about how good the Richland Bomber teams traditionally were (even though we were not watching a Bomber team). Then someone said that the Bomber Fans were obnoxious and did not exhibit good sportsmanship. Sportsmanship has never been one of my virtues, so I listened for specifics. Eventually it came out that fans of the Bomber girls' soccer, softball and basketball were the worst offenders. Their major flaw was they "were poor winners". I never did hear exactly how that was manifested. By the way, what do the winning players say to their opponents during those compulsory line-ups after the game? How do you say "Nice game, loser. We never thought we would beat you by thirty"? -Jim House (’63) ~ Mead, WA **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: A pair to draw to... Didja hear the one about the biker dude and his ol' lady? You could read the back of his t-shirt when the b__ch fell off... hardy har har... Well it's time for Willis and Willis to celebrate another year of heavenly bliss on the 8th... yup...they been together a fer piece now tho not as long as some others... certainly longer than I've ever been... they seem to get along quite well tho... specially when he works those 7/12s... or maybe it was only 7/10s... anyway it kept him outa her hair for a while... Gotta say these two have been life savers for me over the years... better friends nobody could ever ask for... Hope they know how much they are loved and cherished by so many... me included... so let's give it up for Jimmie Adair ('65-'67) and Kathy Moore ('69)... Happy anniversary you two! -David Rivers ('65) PS Happy anniversary to Gary the collector ('64) and Janis Behymer... maybe you guys and the Adairs can rent the Grange Hall for a big hoedown! **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Kaylea Brackensick (Future Bomber 2011) Re: Richard Anderson's ('60) comment about RHS Just to get the facts straight: RHS is actually more academically superior to HHS because even though kids live in the HHS district they transfer to RHS because of RHS sports. -Kaylea Brackensick (Future Bomber 2011) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/09/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 Bombers sent stuff: Marilyn De Vine ('52), Betty King ('53) Mike Clowes ('54), Roy Ballard ('63) Linda McKnight ('65), Rick Maddy ('67) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Marj Qualheim ('60) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Valerie Nielsen ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Gay Wear ('69) TODAY IN HISTORY: Nagasaki **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Marilyn De Vine ('52) Re: Kaylea Brackensick (HHS '11) school boundaries I am sorry to see that prejudice is ALL TOO alive in Richland/West Richland. This is the thing of which gang-wars are made, you know? While your mother mentioned some sort of valid reasons for you to go to RHS (perhaps neither she nor you know, BFT has busses running at all hours to get you from where you are to where you want/need to be). In my opinion, family tradition is not/should not be a factor! Think of yourself as a Blazer of New Trails, a Setter of New Traditions! I am so boiling mad, I would take you to task for attacking Richard Anderson ('60) but Maren would most likely cut my remarks. I will say simply: how dare you challenge his being a "true Bomber"... do you and your mother know he is the one who keeps the Sandstorm going when Maren is unavailable???? Can you spell A-C-A-D-E-M-I-A??? Do you know the DIFFERENCE between Academics and Sports? My guess is, you don't. Your mom mentioned that "girls are not kind" or words to that effect... big darn deal; LIFE is sometimes not kind! There are "unkind" people and situations wherever you go. Those "unkind girls" may unknowingly be doing you a favor by 1) teaching YOU how NOT to behave towards others, 2) giving you opportunities to learn diplomacy, 3) allowing you to learn forgiveness, and 4) may be setting you up to learn some "avoidance" skills, which everyone needs if you/they are to succeed without falling for some of the garbage that's out there, for instance: stealing, lying, cheating, drugs, materialism, self-centeredness, low morals, etc. But, of course, those things may mean nothing to you and your family compared to being a B—B----B----BOMBER. If you THINK for one second that there are NOT unkind girls (and boys, for that matter) at RHS, I can guarantee: you are dead-wrong! -M. De Vine '52 ~ enjoying cooler temps and a little breeze in the north end of Richland, near the home of the Hanford Hi Falcons **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Betty King Moody ('53) Re: Different rolls in the Indian Nation Some of you asked for the different rolls. Hope this helps. Too many to answer one on one.. The Final Dawes Roll (1898-1914): Dawes is a list of those members of the Five Civilized Tribes who removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) during the 1800s and were living there during the above dates. IF YOUR ANCESTOR WAS NOT LIVING IN INDIAN TERRITORY AT THIS TIME, THEY WILL NOT BE LISTED ON DAWES!! This is a list of those Choctaws, Cherokees, Chickasaws, Seminoles and Creeks who were given land allotments in Indian Territory via the 1877 Dawes Act. It was the final step the US government took to break up the tribal status of these nations and to assimilate them into mainstream white society. The left-over land in Indian Territory was opened to white settlement and sold prior to statehood. This act opened the way for the famous "land runs" in Oklahoma at the turn of the century. Not until the Indian Reorganization Act of the 1970s were these tribes re-established and their tribal governments reinstated. Does that mean that every person living in Oklahoma at this time is listed on Dawes?? NO! There were plenty of people there (intruders and others) who were not entitled to land allotments. Dawes lists only those Indians who RECEIVED LAND under the provisions of the Dawes Act. It also lists those Freedmen who received land allotments as provided for in the Dawes Act. The Guion-Miller Roll (1909): In 1909 the US government was ordered by the courts to make payments to the descendants of the original Eastern Band of Cherokee (of North Carolina) for treaty violations on the part of the US that had occurred in the 1800s. Some 100,000 people made applications to be included in this payment, claiming they were descendants. Each application was reviewed and only 35,000 were proved to be actual descendants. Therefore, your ancestor may have applied for this roll, but found not eligible and rejected. There are records of these applications which include name, application number and the state the applicant was living in at the time it was made. Those who were found to be genuinely eligible for this payment are listed on the "Guion Miller Roll". This roll includes EASTERN CHEROKEE ONLY, but they may have been living in any state in 1909. 1817 Reservation Roll: A list of those Cherokee living in the "east" who stated they did not want to remove to Oklahoma and signed up to accept a 640 acre tract of land in the eastern part of the United States and remain there. 1817-1835 Emigration Rolls: This is a list of those Cherokees in the east who signed up to move west, first to Arkansas Territory and then on to Oklahoma. 1831 Armstrong Roll: This roll was done in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana and is a listing of CHOCTAWS living in those states, the number of acres farmed and number of people in the household. Made prior to the removal of the main body of Choctaws to Indian Territory under the provisions of the Dawes Act. 1835 Henderson Roll: These Cherokees were living in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina IN 1835 and signed up to remove to Oklahoma under the 1835 Treaty of New Echota (contains 16,000 names). Just because they signed up doesn't mean they actually went, but they registered their intent to remove. 1848 Mullay Roll: This is a list of those Cherokees who REMAINED in NORTH CAROLINA after the others left in 1838. It contains 1,157 names. 1851 Siler Roll: An act of Congress in 1850 forced the United States government to make a payment to some members of the Eastern Band of Cherokees. These are the names of those who were found to be entitled to receive this payment. Contains 1700 names. 1851 Old Settler Roll: This roll lists those Cherokees IN OKLAHOMA who were still living in 1851 who were already living in Indian Territory when the main body of the Cherokee arrives in the winter of 1839. These people are known as the "Old Settlers". They were already in Oklahoma when the Cherokees who removed under the 1835 Treaty of New Echota got there. 1852 Drennen Roll: This was the first census of the new arrivals of 1839 and is today known as the "Trail of Tears" group. 1852 Chapman Roll: This roll lists those Cherokee who actually received the payment based on the names Siler had. 1855 Cooper Roll: Listing of CHOCTAWS remaining in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana at this time. 1869 Swetland Roll: Lists those Eastern Cherokee and their descendants who were STILL LIVING IN NORTH CAROLINA in 1848 and who were considering removal to Indian Territory. 1883 Hester Roll: Lists the Eastern Band of Cherokees in 1883. These were the people who were still in the east and had not removed to Indian Territory. This roll contains ancestors, age and Indian name, plus English names. 1908 Churchill Roll: Again, lists only those members certified as Eastern Band of Cherokee. Includes degree of blood and lists rejected. 1924 Baker Roll: This was supposed to be the last roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. Their land remaining in the east was to be allotted to them individually rather than communally-held tribal lands, and they would become regular US citizens. Fortunately the Eastern Band of Cherokee was able to avoid termination of their tribal status, unlike those who had removed to Oklahoma. The Revised Baker Roll is the "base roll" for membership in the Eastern Band of Cherokee today. One must be able to PROVE a direct blood line back to someone listed on the Baker Roll, plus meet age and blood quantum requirements, to be enrolled today in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. -Betty King Moody ('53) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Bob Carlson, aka Mike Clowes ('54) Re: The "Wait, There's More!" Department Here are the latest [Club40 celebration attendance]figures: Class of '45 - 1 Class of '46 - 1 Class of '47 - 23 Class of '48 - 6 Class of '49 - 8 Class of '50 - 1 (finally) Class of '51 - 5 Class of '52 - 30 Class of '53 - 7 Class of '54 - 24 Class of '55 - 8 Class of '56 - 9 Class of '57 - 41 Class of '58 - 9 Class of '59 - 1 Class of '60 - 12 Class of '61 - 5 Class of '62 - 5 Class of '63 - 0 Class of '64 - 3 Class of '65 - 0 Class of '66 - 0 Class of '67 - 0 Class of '70 - 1 A reminder that registration will close on Friday, August 31st, so be sure and get your registration in before the deadline to insure that you will have a seat at "the big kids" table. Registration forms can be found at: http://richlandclub40.org Remember to scroll down to the place on the page where it says "2007 Regis. Form", click it on, print out the form, fill it out and send it to the address on the form along with your check or money order. Sorry we do not take plastic. See you at the Party, -Bob Carlson, aka Mike Clowes ('54) ~ Mount Angel, OR, where it is partly cloudy today **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Roy Ballard ('63) Re: Academics and Champions I have been told, but I'm not sure of the fact, that the Champion Bomber baseball team of this year was also the top academic team of the State. Can anyone tell me if that is true, I believe that the Athletic Director of RHS, Mike Edwards, told me that. -Roy Ballard ('63) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Linda McKnight Hoban ('65) Been to Sturgis and on the way home! Well, I planned to write every day but that didn't happen and the motel we stayed in Billings, MT for some idiot reason would not send my e-mails. There they are all stacked up in my outbox... grrrr... Wanted to get to an internet café and send my updates like a real Bomber editor, but couldn't find one of those. Did see some interesting goofy looking aging frat boys having belly shots at the One-Eyed Jacks Saloon, which was the risque thing I saw, and heard it cost $25 for that. Bikers everywhere... oh my – more leather and tattoos in one place ever... It was a sight to see. So we are now on our way home from the most amazing five days of amazing bikes and bikers in the whole world. Hubby bought me a shirt that is all sparkly and says Biker Babe on it and now I am. I am a good behinder rider, as in sitting behind my hubby, but now I can say I even rode in my shorts... I would never have done that a few weeks ago, but it was so beastly hot and I was on vacation, so what the heck. We stayed in a nice campground that had lots of trees and we had a cabin with air conditioning. So, that wasn't so bad. Our campground was actually pretty quiet compared to others I heard about. Except for the one morning where six big ole Harleys started up one at a time at 6 am. I love, love, love the sound of Harleys so it was really music to my ears. Our little doggy Sunny loves Harleys too, and when we came through town the first day, she was hanging out the window sniffing the exhaust and inspecting each bike we passed. We are so glad we went early because by the weekend, August 5th especially, you couldn't even move. It was like walking your bike all over town and then on the 6th some friends of Denny's from the Chicago area met us at the Rapid City Harley Davidson store, under the American Flag. Ha! It was another huge event with bikes by the hundreds and vendors and food everywhere. We all found each other and had a blast. The only drawback I had was walking so many miles to see everything in my bike boots. Would rather have had my real walking shoes. One last thing, South Dakota and Sturgis were quite a surprise. It was very beautiful and green. Heard they got a lot of rain in the Spring which made it so. Anyway we are now all settled in at the Best Western in Ritzville, WA. Not sure I will get to call and meet up with friends in Richland like I wanted to. We are kinda anxious to get home to our own bed, but I will try to call. And by the way, hubby and I are still speaking, MT, not so bad for a nearly 2600 mile trip at over a week with a hairy little four legged critter. Bomber hugs to all -Linda McKnight Hoban ('65) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Rick Maddy ('67) Re: HHS Richard Anderson's ('60) comments that HHS is possibly academically superior to RHS is only interesting in that someone would actually suggest it. I have seen people fired from sports television broadcasting careers that were not blonde and blue eyed for less of a suggestion. I agree with Mr. Anderson ('60) on the conditions of an assumption with a smattering of scientific observation... I was just a mere lad and the FBI came to my dad asking about the new neighbor. This was CA 1958-60. Soon after, Richland saw many of these neighbors, certainly not all, slowly migrating into north Richland and buying those not-so pre- fabricated types of houses thus ending the physics geek living next door to the laborer in the south end. Sort of like Baltimore moving to Indianapolis... who noticed? It was subtle. It was one o'clock in the morning. I proudly stayed in the south end with dad. My assumption would be the kids were smarter in the north end due to the gene pool migrating there and eventually into the HHS Falcon boundary line, thus making Mr. Anderson's ('60) comments correct. I'm positive reassigning school boundaries so the test scores are never skewed by the south enders could ever happen geographically. The gasp from the HHS crowd in fear of losing those Federal dollars for not being able to teach a bunch of kids within their borders how to read would be heard as far away as the old rose bowl site... NEVERTHELESS, if true, the RHS educational system can rebound from such scrutiny... I know it can... Bombers are can-do folks... and the rumored eugenics program started by G.E. has nothing to do with the plan... the people who teach our children in public school only need to get some intestinal fortitude... and just say NO to Disney movies as aids for teaching American history and just say NO to teaching only to the S.A.T. (Y.A.W.N!!!) which leaves most of our children having ZERO interest in going to college right out of high school with nothing to look forward to every single morning except four years of boredom, sitting at a desk looking like they have a learning disability and taking a pill for that and the depression associated with it... I'm not done... also leaving behind those students wanting to learn not only how to balance a checkbook, but learn a profession within an intrinsic apprenticeship outside the classroom... with future monetary value... for love of an occupation that is enjoyable to get up in the morning for... AND starting in their freshman year of high school. Teachers all know by the end of the eighth grade... on the most part... who the science guy is... who the girl headed for the penitentiary is... and vice versa. The Chinese language skills can be taught in the mandatory evening class to keep then busy enough and tired enough to not tag the B.A. and go home and get some sleep. When teachers teach to the 10% prospective scientists, mathematicians, biologists, chemists, lawyers, etc. etc. the government is looking for in our high schools, when not importing them from Mexico, and leave the other 90% of the student body dying on the vine facing a future somewhere between ultimate cage fighting, unfinished tattoos and cleaning toilets at a local nuke facility... it is time for change... possibly home schooling... or a really really special educational school that teaches a skill taught by a skillful teacher, just like they are doing with the SpEd kids right now... but for a tiny bit different reason... and then let the kid choose Bomber or Falcon for the rest of the "after school" activities like basketball, football, volleyball, baseball, Texas Hold Em and other functions maiming more warriors at an earlier age than warfare while the more than a few use both means as a life and limb gamble to pay for a college course when they are finally ready... not when dad and mom are ready... "after school" activities that should be farmed out to the AAU anyway, but never will because some chest beater has convinced us all that high school sports is the glue, or some other 3M product, that binds and defines school spirit... while calling us a liberal wimp out the other side of their mouth... uh, maybe we have a problem, maybe we don't... AND leaving band, debate and drama in tact in the belly of the beast - GO BOMBERS! Then... and only then... we might actually evolve and Kaylea Brackensick ('11) can live where she wants to and still be a Bomber. I could be wrong, I've been wrong before. And kudos to Richard Anderson ('60). Re: Richland I left Richland for the last time in 1979. I cannot believe the change. Certainly not the same place I knew. The growth has changed much of the surroundings, particularly the highway coming into Richland from the Y. I was amazed and taken aback. Even getting lost, confused and dazed at times until I could see a familiar piece of real estate... like the Columbia River. Mr. Rex Davis' ('49) tennis court at L&C Elementary, gone. Nighthawks, gone. Jackrabbits, gone, roaring hydroplanes replaced by turbine whiners, the A&Dub, gone, dry-hot replaced with hot-humid because of... wine, I guess... and the stretching to unknown limits of the mighty Columbia Basin... is it still a project... nothing lasts forever is very true. To: Steve Shockley ('67) Steve, you are the best. Thanks for taking the mic at our Class of 1967 40th reunion. Excellent night. Way Fun! I'm hoping the medical marijuana laws have passed by the time our 60th birthday party bash happens... just for the laughs alone... and of course, the pain... in the hip... the nagging knee injury... the low back... the psychosis. To: The rest of the Class of 1967 organizers ...and to all who put together our reunion My utmost thank you to all of you. I found the party to be most relaxing in an already stressful situation when thoroughly organized and the hardest part of the whole experience was losing count at the included, nerve stabling, three drink maximum wine table. -Rick Maddy ('67) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/10/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11 Bombers sent stuff: Mike Bradley ('56), Nick Nelson ('56) Terri Royce ('56), Steve Carson ('58) Kaylene Henjum ('60), Tom Verellen ('60) Judy Willox ('61wb & '81), Ed Quigley ('62) Roy Ballard ('63), Cindy Payton ('65) David Rivers ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Helen Bartlett ('52) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Mack Richardson ('52) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Dennis McGrath ('63WB) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jo Marie Roberts ('65) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Rod Collins ('67) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mike Bradley ('56) Re: Club 40 Reunion - September 7, 8, & 9, 2007 To: All members of the Class of 56 Let's get on the ball and get registered for the September event. We only have 9 people registered at this point and that is ridiculous. I sure hope to see more of you than that!!!!! -Mike Bradley ('56) ~ Kirkland, WA where the sun is out & all is well. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Nick Nelson ('56) Re: Club 40 Reunion - September 7, 8, & 9, 2007 To: All Club 40 members If you are going to attend the Club 40 annual reunion and are planning to stay at the Shilo Inn, you'll need to make your reservations before August 17th. if you want to take advantage of the special rates they have made available to us. -Nick Nelson ('56) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Terri Royce Weiner ('56) Re: Kaylea Brackensick (HHS '11) school boundaries To: Marilyn DeVine ('52) I have never been so pleased, with a Sandstorm entry, as I was by yours of August 8th. I heartedly agree with everything you said -- and I, too, could add some choice points, but they'd probably be deemed too personal. Kaylea's inability to distinguish between academics and sports is a sad commentary on our times. Your points about all she could learn and be, by going to HHS, is stellar. Preparation for the real world is what high school should be about. I've only been to Richland twice since graduation, so I'm not familiar with HHS, but it's a universal truth that we are better people for not getting everything we want. If this hasn't been learned before, high school is a great place to start. -Terri Royce Weiner ('56) ~ In cool, lovely Seattle where the dogs are kicking up their heels. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Steve Carson (Championship class of '58) To: Marilyn De Vine ('52) Re: Your Message To Kaylea Wow, that was harsh. At RHS we never had to think about a distinction between sports and academia, we just excelled at both. The fact that we have had a string on State Championships was frosting on the cake. -Steve Carson (Championship class of '58) ~ Chicago where the CUBS are on their way to a World Series. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Kaylene Henjum Livingston ('60) Re: Thanks for saying what I was thinking Marilyn De Vine's ('52) letter in the Sandstorm yesterday said it all, and quite nicely too. I was going to write in and voice my opinion of going to RHS or another school, but was a little hesitant because of the Bombers-or-nothing mentality of some people. I am very proud to say that I am a Bomber, but I also have to preface that by saying that I have a husband and two sons who are not Bombers, but have managed to get good jobs and live productive lives... I think that the Tri-Cities is very fortunate to have several high quality schools, and they all offer students great educations. The school that you go to does not make you successful, YOU make yourself successful. Lets not take the mentality of others and bring back the concept that all Bombers are snotty and stuck up. (unfortunately, that was what other schools thought of us back when)... Go to the school that is assigned to you, excel in everything you do, have fun and enjoy your youth. The world is open to you and the opportunities are there regardless of RHS or HHS or any other kind of high school.... Sitting here at home wishing I could be picking out my High school instead possibly my Nursing home.:( -Kaylene Henjum Livingston ('60) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Tom Verellen ('60) Re: Rating High Schools I believe that the best way to rate differences in high schools has nothing to do with athletic records, SAT scores, or murals. You have to check the geek, dork, greaser, ratios. (Provided they still have greasers, who will some day repair the geeks' transportation devices.) The dorks to fill out the lower portions of the bell curves for grades (otherwise some geeks will be getting less than an A). And the greasers to cause general anxiety to round out the geeks' education. No school is complete without them and if the ratio is to far out of line, society will suffer. Any of you who are interested, there is a four step program designed for all of us losers called Sterotypers Anonamus (sic). SA meetings are scheduled for Monday but don't actually take place until Wednesday for the procrastinators, and dyslexic. Sorry but we have to restrict anyone who has never had or lost their sense of humor to the rear of the room. -Tom Verellen (09,) - Maren, this is our new class motto [I.D.]. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Judy Willox (Classic Class of '61wb and '81) To: Kaylea Brackensick (2011) Re: "I Wanna Be A Bomber!" Wow Little Lady, for such a small pebble, you sure have made a big splash in the Big Bomber Pool here in Bomberville. I am sure that you are destined to go places with the kind of waves you know how to make. Now, I KNOW you wanna be a Bomber--no question there. And you have had some encouragements, some "get over its", some ridicules and some fairly harsh words come your way over this issue. So, my question to you is simply this: Are you SURE you wanna be a grown up? LOL! Just kidding honey, you are surely displaying that you are more so than some. So, you go girl and stick to your convictions and goals. Do not ever let anyone take your dreams away from you, okay? Bomber Cheers Li'l Bomber (even if only at heart for the time being), -Judy Willox (Classic Class of '61wb and '81) ~ Richland where the days are at least tolerable right now and the evenings are beautiful. Love the singing of the crickets in the evenings and the birds in the early mornings. Well, other then the crows and the magpies. ;o) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Ed Quigley ('62) To: Rick Maddy ('67) Tell it like it is, Rick! When I moved up to Tacoma in '64 (Bless you, Robert Rector ('62), for your lasting influence on my life!), the culture shock was amazing. Coming from a class in which 90% went on to college, and assuming the rest of the world was like "us", I couldn't believe what I found; a population in which divorce was rife, most "kids" not aspiring to college, and who had no interest in reading... On and on! It was only after leaving Richland that I truly began to appreciate what we had. And things "out here" have continued to deteriorate; the job applications that come across the desk where I teach (guitar), look like they were printed in crayon by a first grader. And the misspellings... Holy crap!! It still blows me away when a clerk looks at me like I just pulled a rabbit out of my ear, when I tell him/her how much change he owes me, before he can figure it out on a calculator; happened 2 days ago, because he "mispunched" how much I had given him, so, of course, the cash register wasn't right. Simple math, you'd think (!!!) would be requisite, taught in our schools. I still do not understand why, as parents, people will put up with a failing system. When we were kids, our parents' desire was to see their kids be more successful than they were. The reality now, is that the kids are not going to do as well, and many young adults now despair of ever owning a house. And the effect that it is having on our nation has been devastating! I am constantly fighting with one of my best friends, who is a "big business" man, about the negative effects of outsourcing, and the fact that our nation no longer produces our own steel, computer chips, furniture... Again, "on and on"! As an "old fart", I would suggest that parents of kids who are in school right now, take a leaf from the pages of the past; revisit the spirit of the '60s... Rebellion SHOULD be in the wind; depose the school boards who approve teaching to the tests! Throw their butts out and vote in people who espouse "real education". Should this mean going back to "tracking", meaning grouping classes by ability and teaching to that level, which is what the class of '62 grew up with, so be it! Screw the "politically correct" philosophy of throwing everybody together; recent history has PROVED this doesn't work! Sorry to go on a rant, folks, just meant to thank Rick for his entry, and got carried away. -Ed Quigley ('62) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Roy Ballard ('63) Re: Email from Ben Jacobs ('69) hi Roy... our baseball team has been academic state champions for 3 straight years... also, won 2 out of the last 3 4A baseball championships... no 4A school has ever won academics 3 years in a row in baseball... no other team has won academics and a state title in the same year---we have done it twice!!!... not bad for these kids out here on the east side... ben -Roy Ballard ('63) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Cindy Payton Hoffman ('65) To: Marilyn DeVine ('52) Thank you Marilyn for saying your "piece of mind" I agree completely. Life is not about getting what you want all of the time. It is great to be a Bomber but why not take all those ideals and make your situation great at Hanford High? There are four Payton girls. Three attended Richland High, myself ('65), Angela ('69) and Kelley ('72). Karis, my youngest sister, went and graduated from Hanford High in '79. Karis has always been active and especially in sports. I can honestly say we all turned out just fine after high school. Karis has a younger daughter (same age as Kaylea) who is headed to RHS this year who Karis would love to be going to Hanford instead. Best wishes to Kaylea ('11) no matter where you end up. I have found that things always have a way of working out much better than you first believe. Just keep your chin up and go forward! -Cindy Payton Hoffman ('65) ~ Santa Fe, NM **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: An update on my alleged illegitimate son Well for those of you who care and maybe even for those of you who don't give a rat's pitute... Terence Knox, aka Terry Davis ('65) is at it again. No, he's not wearing a helmet or carrying a gun. This time it is much worse. While waiting to make a civil war movie in Georgia in September, Terry agreed to accept a role in a horror film which he believes (tho I think he got it wrong... I have looked for the web site under this name and I can't find it) the name of the film to be "The house that Jack built" I am enclosing (or rather sending to the proper email address) the pictures sent to me from the make up guys who were casting Terry's arm (he doesn't know why they cast his arm but it creaped him out totally to see the thing) and making the mask to turn our dear little Terry into the dreaded "Jack"... the drawing is pretty creepy and these guys appeared to know what they were doing in the casting process... I mean the casting of Terry's mask... not the casting of Terry as Jack tho after you see the drawing of Jack and compare it to Terry's face (natural face) you may wish to draw your own conclusions on the casting of Terry as Jack... I think I've straightened that out... or maybe not... so with all that said, Terry is back in business again and here ya go with his latest venture! I found the web page... not sure how... but I did http://www.myspace.com/jackbuilt Pictures at: http://alumnisandstorm.com/htm2007/Xtra/Any/070810-Rivers-00.html -David Rivers ('65) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/11/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 Bombers sent stuff: Larry Mattingly ('60), Mike Brady ('61), David Rivers ('65) Rick Maddy ('67), Vicki Schrecengost ('67), Dan Morgan ('83) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: George Stephens ('58) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Larry Mattingly ('60) Re: Kaylea wanting to be a Bomber After getting a late night phone call for help, I was on the road at the crack of dawn this morning to run some equipment down south and get back to Bellevue in time for a 9 AM event logistics meeting with a client. This young lady's desires and the wildly diverse opinions of others were rattling around inside my brain. After about 40 minutes of bumper cars on I-5, I decided I may as well put my nickel's worth in. I sometimes don't think there is anybody that hated high school more then I did. And my GPA showed it. I got As in the few subjects I liked a couple of Bs, and Cs and Ds in the rest. I can still remember John Allen hammering me about "working so far below my capability". Frankly if it hadn't been for some Bomber pride I would have quit. It would have been easy I thought. I was over 16 and all I had to do was refuse to go. But I couldn't do it and face my friends who were all Bombers. Set aside athletics and academics for a moment and think about what it meant to be a "Bomber". Particularly up to about classes of '60s and '70s, and a few years after, we had been hurled into the "Atomic City". Many of our parents were working to build those terribly destructive devices. Many of them were assigned to the project on a war time priority and literally had no choice. By the time we got into Columbia High School most of us realized just how lucky we were to live in Richland and be a Bomber. It meant something in those days. And WE WERE PROUD OF IT. At least in those days Bomber Pride was something unique. Far as I know it still is, but I only see Richland in passing these days. My two daughters went to two different high schools in Seattle. There was no pride in either one. And it showed in the attitude of teachers, students, and the school administration. To my disappointment, both quit high school. One in her Jr. year and the other in her senior year. Within a couple of years both had gotten their GED. One became a Corporate Controller, the other tracks all intra-company money movements and accounts for it, for a large multi-national corporation. Both make a lot more a year then dad does. They set goals and achieved them, and they did it the hard way because they had pride in their goals. There is no shame in taking some pride in your goals. The is nothing wrong with setting a path to those goals and taking pride in the accomplishment of them. Sure, Kaylea could probably make it OK at Hanford. But that is not the course she wants to take. Did none of us ever pick a difficult path for ourselves? Are there no Bombers who may have done something the hard way in life? Some of you will disagree, but I say Kaylea should go after it. Move in with relatives if need be to get on the other side of the line. But make it work. Keep your goals in mind and go for it. "Happiness is the sky in bloom" -J Larry Mattingly( Class of 60, aged well like fine wine) From home South of Tacoma where my front yard looks strange. The power company declared the cedar tree (there when I bought the house) was endangering a 7,000 volt line and they removed it. Strange to come home tonight and see the whole front yard lit up by the street light that was hidden in the tree. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mike Brady ('61) I've been waiting for this all my life! Today I opened my Earthlink web site to read the local and national news and sports coverage. Each section was blank except for the words, "no breaking news." I hope someday I can turn on the evening news, and the newsman tells us there is no breaking news today so we're replacing the news with a Seinfeld episode. -Mike Brady ('61) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: David Rivers ('65) Re: Retraction In looking back to see what Richard Anderson ('60) / Maddy ('67) said to create such a fervor, I realized that Behymer ('64) was married or maybe not married since it all occurred on different days on the 3rd or the 4th depending on who was standing next to whom and not on the 8th as my cheat sheet (I didn't say that) says... so now I gotta take back the stuff about the Grange hall... tho I am sure that Gary probably went over there sometime during that period anyway... I assume it is the hot spot... but since Gary and his sweety weren't even married on the same day what difference does it make when they celebrate or don't celebrate or even if they celebrate together... wow that is so cool... I thought my life was the only one that didn't fit nicely in the little forms we all have had to fill out sometime in our past, present or future... I hate those forms... simple questions like Dad's date of birth... Heck my Dad had no clue... he knew the day and the month but his whole family disagreed on the year... so imagine me trying to put down his birth date or his age on MY little form... I'm so pleased that Gary has to think real hard when putting "Married Yes___ No___" "Date of Marriage_____" There's no place for "maybe" on those forms... I hate always having to put "see attached" for every question... and the answer always starts out "well, ya see it was like this..." or as Tony Harrah ('65) loves to say: "Well, we wuz all lickered up... "... so anyway... I hope the Behymers... or is it just Gary and Janis... or maybe Behymer and Behymer-Cook... or Cook-Behymer... so anyway... I have no idea of the demographics or the Richland School District or how they teach or why they teach or who they teach or why... I taught school many many years ago and had to quit before I went crazy as I could not find much teaching going on... I made it a point to take mostly the kids who were on their last chance at school... I will say that I managed to keep several of them out of jail and several more alive... one is even a Principal himself now... most of them... even his own brothers are dead... but most of them thanked me when they finished my class... they knew somebody cared... I left Richland for 20 years the day after the class of '66 graduated (what a great night it was tho... woooooooooooweeeeee... almost as good as my own)... I was home on leave from the Green Machine... so I was a bit shocked to return and find another high school and Fran Rish Stadium and all that stuff... I mean I was a tad tipsy the first trip home and couldn't even figure out HOW I got to Richland when I hadn't even been near the Pasco bridge... .then I realized I had been on a bridge... then couldn't find the Rose Bowl... I mean I'm tellin' you: don't come home for the first time in 20 years drunk or you're gonna be a might confused... luckily I have never had to repeat that experience... so anyway... all I know... ALL I really know is that I shore am glad I got to be a Bomber and wouldn't want it any other way!!!!!!!! -David Rivers ('65) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Rick Maddy ('67) Re: Whatta Tomato http://AlumniSandstorm.com/htm2007/Xtra/Any/070811-Maddy-tom.jpg Anyone know this girl, Patty Bauer (Pasco '55-'56?) standing on a stool holding a tomato? I say "girl" because I am under the belief that any female seventeen and under is a girl and eighteen and over is a woman... stated only for any situation needing clarification. This photo was in the Tri-City Herald... I believe in summer, 1955. I was six years old. 520 and 522 Douglas were owned by the Brown family – Kathleen ('59), Ron ('60), David ('63), Russell ('66 RIP) and the twins, Randy and Janice ('72). My parents rented the 522 side for one year in Mr. and Mrs. Brown's duplex house that was two stories with a basement, coal chute and all - can't remember the style. My dad left the farm leaving four generations of Iowa farmers behind him (1810-1937), the only son with four older sisters, but he never forgot how to farm. He could grow anything. When my parents lived in Kingston, WA in the '70s, Dad went out in the woods and dug up eighty-five rhododendrons (yes, the wild, pink, Washington state flower) and made a 100 foot long hedge out of them. One of the most beautiful things I ever saw him do... and this was a man that could out dig three men with a shovel - an intrinsic aspiration causes this sort of mental illness. And if he did this today he would be in the WallaWalla pen. Anyway, I remember this girl showing up with a photographer and posing with this tomato plant my father had grown in the back yard. Although I was only five I can recall this day. The 'off the daily norm chart' days are the ones we usually do recall. There were several plants like this. My sister, Sheila ('66), and I would take the tomatoes around to the neighbors in my wagon and sell as many as we could for a treat at the store. We didn't do too bad, actually. Interesting that we have done so well with our society in such a short time trying to improve our life styles from previous generations that... how many of us parents will let our eight and six year olds run around the neighborhood on their own selling tomatoes... or anything for that matter? If anyone knows this woman, please say hi. Every so often throughout my dad's life, now deceased (1919-1989), I would ask him if he remembered the girl in the swimsuit holding his tomato. He never answered, but always chuckled. -Rick Maddy ('67) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Vicki Schrecengost Carney ('67) Re: Rick Maddy ('67) and Ed Quigley's ('72) comments I enjoyed reading both of your entries. I, too, believe our educational system is failing. My sister-in-law just retired from a Washington DC school system after 35 years. She worked with the deaf and multiply handicapped, and her problems were different in some ways because she had to deal with parents and lawyers who wanted the school system to subsidize a private education for every disabled child. Many parents simply refused to believe their children had ANY limitations when it came to learning. My sister- in-law believes (as I understand most teachers do) the "No Child Left Behind" Act is a total crock. And she also believes more will leave the profession because it is so low-paying. Well, I'm sure there are a lot of PhDs who believe they are also low-paid. Be that as it may, I, personally, believe the biggest mistake the school system made was doing away with trade school education. There are many kids who just simply will never do well sitting at a desk 8-10 hrs/day shuffling papers. So they go to college, drink themselves silly, party hearty and scrape by with grades good enough to graduate and absolutely no qualifications for any gainful employment. Yet there is a stigma about being in a trade which I just simply do not understand. The schools have adopted this "we are all vanilla" policy. Everyone gets a trophy for sports participation because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Hate to break it to you, educators, but the real world doesn't go by that same philosophy. These kids get out into the world and they can't cope. They feel entitled and pout and complain when things don't go the way THEY feel they should. If an assignment needs to be completed over a weekend and they have plans, guess what? It doesn't get completed. My husband is an attorney. He complains endlessly that the law school graduates (Yale being one of the worst offenders in his opinion) cannot write! They have no idea what an outline is, they just sit down and write "stream of consciousness" at their computer keyboards. Consequently, their briefs to the court make no sense and they have to be redone by a senior partner. Yet, these grads demand and are getting over $150,000/yr to start!!!! And don't even get me started on the Blackberry issue. But these young people have been told their whole lives how "special" they are. Parents attitudes toward the schools has also changed. Time was if the school called your parents about a problem with you, you suffered mightily when you got home. Today, many parents believe the first thing to do is SUE! There was a case in the DC area a few years back where a student from a private school was caught cheating while taking the SAT. The proctor bounced the student and the parents sued the school and probably the SAT people. In fairness to teachers, they are afraid to look cross-eyed at a student for fear of being reprimanded, attacked or sued. How did it come to this? Education happens at home. I gave up relying on the schools and made sure my sons got what I felt they needed. Yes, it was supplemental to the schools' education. But my sons have both thanked my husband and me for making sure they learned the basics--like grammar, thank you very much--and both have very successful careers. Parental involvement is crucial. All of us are strapped for time--jobs, traffic, church responsibilities, volunteer responsibilities. But raising self-important children who are unprepared for the rigors of the work world is getting us nowhere. I don't hear about that same attitude among the young people in India and China where all our jobs are being outsourced. Is this the beginning of the "Fall of the Holy American Empire?" Perhaps. So sad. -Vicki Schrecengost Carney ('67) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dan Morgan ('83) Melanie Orgill Meinhardt ('83) passed away at 3 a.m. on Monday, August 6, 2007, in Forest Grove, Oregon. The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 11, in Forest Grove. I am heading down there for the funeral, and when I return I can point you toward her obituary online. If you would like to send any messages to Melanie's family, you are welcome to e-mail me and I can forward and snail mail them to all of her family. Melanie was loved by many friends from RHS and she will be missed greatly. -Dan Morgan ('83) ~ Richland, WA ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/12/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Bombers sent stuff: Tom Hoffman ('47 & '48), Roger Brunelle ('61), Roy Ballard ('63) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Nat Saenz ('71) BOMBER ANNIVERSARY Today: Aaron Roberts('66) & Robbin Ruth Henderson ('67) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Tom Hoffman ('47 & '48) To: All Richland Bombers Please pray for Jack Johnston ('47). He will be having brain surgery Sunday morning at 8am... he is a Christian... thank you -Tom Hoffman ('47 & '48) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** From the new ALL Bomber Alumni GuestBook. >>From: Roger Brunelle ('61) Saturday 08/11/2007 6:28:21am COMMENTS: I can still see, read, type and I usually turn on the PC on Friday. If you want to "type the breeze" then type away, I will respond. I don't believe in sick humor so don't "send" jokes or any of those "great links". -Roger Brunelle ('61) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Roy Ballard ('63) Wow, after reading today's Sandstorm, I'm very impressed with Bombers. From Larry Mattingly ('60), David Rivers ('65), Rick Maddy ('67) (a day or so ago) and Vicki Schrecengost Carney ('67) I really enjoyed reading the comments from all of you and I go along with what all was said. It is great to be a Bomber and have the "PRIDE" in one's school and school events of life. I'm especially impressed with the comments of Vicki (who graduated with my wife Nancy Erlandson). I'm one of the ones who made a trade my life's work. Being a carpenter all my working life gave me a lot of "PRIDE" in all the things that I helped build along the way. And to this day I still can stand back and say that I helped build that structure or others. The pay, well, let's say I thought that WE did pretty darn good, especially when I was working. I ended up getting a worn out body from it, but I wouldn't change anything, except learn how to lift a little better and maybe be more careful, but then that is another story. I agree with Vicki's subject of the school systems of today. I believe that school district and state systems and all the rest have done away with things that we older folks had that the kids of today don't have or don't take advantage of. How many of today's kids have a job during school to learn responsibility and achieve a sense of doing a job well? A lot don't. Outsourcing is killing this country, look at what we are getting from China, what would happen if we need spare parts for some of our military equipment? We will be in big trouble, how about selling weapons systems to Arab countries? I got off the of my subject. Anyway, The "PRIDE" in one's school namely RHS, I believe is way down, that comes from the district and the administration, the kids can't do a lot of things that we as kids did in our day. The school has or is trying to change history and leaving things out of history... why be ashamed of history? It's life and life goes on, but we learn from our mistakes, not that all are mistakes. But I believe that alternative schools make it too easy for kids and doesn't force them to work... so anyway just a few more of my thoughts. Thanks for listening to my ramblings. -Roy Ballard ('63) ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/13/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 Bombers sent stuff: Mary Triem ('47), Mike Ragland ('57), John Browne ('61) Gary Behymer ('64), Betti Avant ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim Clementson ('57) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Gary Persons ('57) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mary Triem Mowery (a '47 Bomber) To: Tom Hoffman ('47 & '48) Re: Jack Johnston ('47) Please give me a mailing address for Jack and we will have the '40's ladies sign a card for him at our monthly luncheon. The Club 40 database (again, thank you Anna May) has a Bellingham address and the letter I sent him hasn't been returned yet. I'm sure all our classmates join me in prayers for him and his family. -Mary Triem Mowery (a '47 Bomber) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mike Ragland ('57) Re: Last few days comments We now live in a completely different world than when we grew up. Like many of my age, I started working mowing lawns and taking care of them while the people were on vacation when I was about twelve. While I had some periods of unemployment, I have worked pretty much steady since then. Had a lot of menial jobs that didn't make me rich and famous. Most of us worked the pea harvest, bucked bails during haying season, picked fruit and similar stuff for beer and spending money. Worst one was hoeing beets. The Mexicans would do three rows to our one and we were paid by the row. Ours was an innocent world. We grew up in an area that was protected from outside influence due to the secret nature of the plant. The FBI was always there to make sure no one got to out of line. Drugs, even Pot, were virtually unknown back then. There weren't any steroids for the athletes either. Just a lot of beer, and an occasional bottle of hard stuff. We could do a lot of stuff back then because everyone knew everyone in Richland. If we got caught by a stranger, he sure knew our dad. Today, we have generations of kids that have been pampered since they were small children, told all kinds of BS about their worth and what they should earn in the work place. I owned a construction company for some time, while my stepchildren were in high school. I actually had some of these kids tell me that they would not work for less than $15 per hour, when I was hiring grown, experienced laborers for $10 per hour. I asked them what made them special, when they had no knowledge or job skills, that anyone would pay them more that the going wage? Their reply was that they were educated and had more self worth than that. I did hire a couple that agreed to start at $9 an hour, then work up. They did acquire skills, worked hard and learned as we went. They went on to become skilled craftsmen and earn well, eventually becoming union tradesmen and staying working on a regular basis. The ones too good to work for that pittance graduated from high school and began working parking cars for the Four Seasons Hotel, working as bus boys and similar high tech jobs for which I must assume they were handsomely paid or they would not have worked. Or just maybe their idea of their self worth approached reality. In any event, there are some options for today's youth, but if we continue to pamper them, we will destroy them. Our educational system is a joke. With the greatest resources in the world, we have the lowest standards and create the smallest percentage of engineers and scientists in the industrialized world who demand the highest wages. And we wonder why we have the speak to someone in India relative to our technical assistance for computers. We also wonder why the best of the teaching profession is leaving. No discipline, no ability to enforce rules, no ability to teach to those who want to learn. Mainstreaming was a noble experiment, it didn't work so lets go back to basics. Enough rambling from a grouchy old man. -Mike Ragland ('57) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: John Browne, Jr. ('61) Re: You want a what?.. eddication? Have moicy, have moicy... I gotta say to my esteemed fellow alumnuses, dos Ricardos, that it don't get no better than Them. As my mind rolls back, over the inculcation of basic "speed" arithmetic (muchas gracias, Sr. Wilson, grade 6, at Spalding), the nuances of grammar from the drop-dead gorgeous Ora Cottrill (nee Tate), the first "hands on clay" under the elevated brow of Francis Coelho at Jefferson, my astonishment at first viewing of the Jefferson Grade School Symphony Orchestra (by the newbie Catholic kid from Tacoma who only knew Gregorian Chant as a formal music pursuit) and on & on, the circumstances of all that early mentoring by "people who KNEW something" - and could transmit it - remains embedded (sometimes so deeply that I can't seem to extract it) from those years of grace & wonder. Ida Mecum, PhD & published poet, guiding me through the intricacies of dissection with a pickled sheep's eyeball... really - how good does it get? FIVE foreign languages, including Russian, (we weren't worthy, Sonja P!), in a Time before Sputnik - back when you studied a foreign language out of Curiosity (& not in Self-defense), maybe... halcyon days! A VandeGraaf generator as big as the Ritz... an auto shop with air tools... a small farm on the outskirts of town... gigantic kilns, a real in-house newspaper, darkrooms, graphics, the latest in vaulting poles & shoulder pads, free "Safe Driving" courses, school nurses, a nutritionist, P.E. taught by PhDs (in their field!), mathematicians & scientists teaching (mostly) willing students (not asking what dressing you'd like on your salad), towering authoritative "builders of men" cracking the occasional whip (& quip) in the locker rooms, OH! sigh... it's amazing what the government can do Right - if only enough money is spent on it... The democracy that was endowed with the absence of "old Families" (mostly) or ANY kind of "Baronial presence" socially, was truly infectious... we were "all in this together" (mostly). A year in Benton City was illustrative of the difference with which Richland was endowed. Kennewick had the wheat farming aristocracy and the "townies"; and Pasco had a colony of... Ebonics-speakers (thanks to the Railroad)... the closest thing to a foreign-language in our cultural midst at the time... & if we listened to "Amos 'n Andy" we had a kind of clue, there. Where did the Kultur-train leave the track? When rock-'n-roll inveigled its way into the playlists on "KALE Corral"? When it was pre-determined that, even crawling out from under our desks after the "Armageddon Cold-War Showdown", we would be the equivalent of Stone-age people? When the first reefer made its way past the spectre of the drunken Indian as something to "watch out for"? When it slowly dawned on those in control of our society (& our lives) that it was "all about money"? When we "chickened out" & didn't nuke N. Korea? When the Interstate Highway System & cheap gas & used cars made it too easy to leave home? When college kids started work earning more than their fathers? When the best thing on TV was the commercials? When a lawsuit was the "doorway of opportunity"? (hey - Perry Mason never sued anybody.) When the Boogieman became "dwindling resources"... and our lifestyle was to blame? Lotto? Liquor sales on Sunday? VietNam? When my youngest daughter was 15 she knew - she KNEW - the lyrics to enough popular songs to make an equivalency to the Iliad... and she didn't have AC current in her environs until she was 8 (& she probably doesn't know much about the Whitman massacre, or the Donner Party, or the Bullmoose Party, or the marvels that G.W. Carver performed with the peanut). She CAN build a kayak from scratch - with hand tools - because she was lucky enough to have a kitchen job in a fishing village, and decided that wooden boats were "the s**t" (as kidz will avow, these days). She's a lucky one... Teachers today have a thankless task of trying to convince kids that history matters, that grammar matters, that spelling matters, that thinking through a "math" problem which involves basic calculations matters, when there are spell-checkers, calculators and people who make millions by being big & strong (not "educated"), and others who make millions by composing songs that have no necessarily grammar-critical components, &/or who have mastered an amplifiable musical instrument... &/or who have "beautiful" faces (& maybe bodies to match). We have millions of kids with the best "thumb-to-eye" coordination in history - millions of potential F-22 pilots - in a world where they can feel superior to their teachers, as 9 year-olds, because they know how to reboot a computer, program the clock on a VCR, and load a wireless phone for "speed-dial" for their 10 top friends (which they can do with their thumbs with the phones in their pockets). Oliver Hazard Perry, anyone? Mason-Dixon line, children? Gerunds? And maybe the teacher has some Hispanic students (& didn't need a foreign language to get a BA & a teaching certificate). Maybe there are some Hmong kids, & a Thai or two, a Karen, a Somali, some Guatemalans, some really bright Eritreans (who had to know 2 African languages & Arabic before they were 10)... maybe some teens from "traditional" families who feel that their daughters need a new form of clothing... something a bit more modest than blue jeans, or skirts & blouses... It was one thing to buy black people and train them to understand English, and to ignore the "savages" (and let cultural attrition take its steady toll - anyone know what "shahaptin" is?); but now we're dealing with cultures as old, or older than, our Euro roots... and as subtle and pervasive, and self-assured - because they're "survivors", too. Maybe we can force them all to bi- linguality, while we don't "lower ourselves" to join them. So, who's better off, in the long haul? I may not have been worthy of the government largesse that my parents (well, OK - my dad) dragged us into in Richland... but I am grateful to have had the experience, as poorly as I may have utilized it. (Note: the 8th grade "Iowa Tests" determined that I'd be a fine astronomer or Forest Ranger - and I concur... they had me pegged pretty well.) Whatever today's "Richland kids" get out of their educational experience, the milieu in which they find themselves is physically better than 90% of the world's other children. The "socio-cultural" percentile will be up to them & their parents and the greater community to advance as they see fit to do so... chow ^..^ -John Browne, Jr. ('61) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Gary Behymer ('64) Re: Veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag... Legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (S.1877) clarifies U.S. law to allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag. The bill passed in the Senate recently by unanimous consent. "The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's military service," Senator Inhofe said. "Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform. "Unfortunately, current U.S. Law leaves confusion as to whether veterans and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not. "I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at baseball games, parades, and formal events. I believe this is an appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the United States who have served in the military and remain as role models to others citizens. Those who are currently serving or have served in the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an inspiration to others." This Bill was passed July 25, 2007. Let your veteran friends know about the Passage of this Bill. ***** Salute! ***** -Gary Behymer ('64) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Betti Avant ('69) Re: Sports I can't believe it's that time of year--football. Right after the post-game show for the Mariners got over this afternoon they started with the Seahawks pre game show. I had 3 things going on earlier; the radio was playing the Mariners and I was flipping the TV between NASCAR and golf. I guess I'm still a sports nut at heart. Does anyone out there know anything about Willamette Dental Group? When I applied for new insurance I also wanted dental coverage. The only one I can use is the above even though my dentist is listed in the provider directory. -Betti Avant ('69) ~ Lacey, WA ~ where its been cooler and it looks like rain possibly overnight ******************************************* ******************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø **************************************************************** Alumni Sandstorm ~ 08/14/07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12 Bombers sent stuff and 1 Bomber funeral notice today: Dave Rhodes ('52wb), Curt Donahue ('53) Joretta Garrison ('58), Dale Ennor ('59) Ernie Trujillo ('59), Patti Jones ('60) Richard Anderson ('60), Tom Verellen ('60) Annette Hall ('62), Greg Alley ('73) Cecily Riccobuono ('77), Mandy Holmes ('97) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim Collings ('62) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Richard Swanson ('64) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dave Rhodes ('52wb) Mike Ragland ('57) you hit the nail right on the head. I was a teacher for 39 years, all at the secondary level (HS). When I started it was a great profession, but as I reached the end I was very glad to retire. I don't blame the teachers for the mess because a lot of it was caused by the courts making bad decisions on education issues. A lack of adequate financing for public schools was also a determining factor. Parents who gave their children too much without having to work for it was also a big factor. If you want good teachers they must be supported or they will leave for another profession. I too worked all the jobs that you listed. My family taught me the value of working for the things that I wanted. We were no poorer than most people as I grew up, we had enough for the basics, but the thing I had the most was a very loving and caring family for my support group. -Dave Rhodes ('52wb) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Curt Donahue ('53) To: Mike Ragland ('57) & John Browne, Jr. ('61) Right on, gentlemen!! -Curt Donahue ('53) ~ Federal Way, WA **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Sue Pritchett, aka Joretta Garrison ('58) Re: Class of '58 A note was sent to all known email addresses for our classmates. Not unexpectedly, 2/3 came back as unable to deliver. If you have an email address, and have not received a notice from me, please send your info. In planning for our 50th Reunion next year, we hope to send as many invitations as possible to email addresses-- saving us a little money on printing and postage. It would also be helpful if you would confirm your home address and phone number. These are not shared with others, but will be useful when trying to find you in the future *grin!*. When you send your email, please indicate YES or NO that we can put your email address on the Class of '58 Website. Re: Reminder For Class Of 1958 Please plan to attend a planning meeting for our 50th Reunion (to be held next year). We have reserved a room at the Richland Public Library (Gallery room) on Tuesday, August 14, at 7pm. Bring thoughts and ideas, and be prepared to get involved. If you can't come this time but will help in the future, please call one of us; Barbara Isakson Rau , Judy Crose Snowhite, or me. [All phone numbers deleted for privacy. Email Sue for those. -Maren] -Joretta "Sue" Garrison Pritchett ('58) ~ Richland **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dale Ennor ('59) Re: Bomber or Falcon? All the discussion about which Richland high school provides the best education and how easy a life the youth of today have makes me tired. Ragland ('57), we can all be glad we didn't have it like the eighth graders in Kansas in 1895. What do you think your grade would be with this examination? http://alumnisandstorm.com/htm2007/Xtra/Any/070814-Ennor-1895Test.htm Hell, I'd still be there trying to get 5% of the questions correct! -Dale Ennor ('59) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Ernie Trujillo ('59) To: Gary Behymer ('64) Re: Salute Gary, thanks for your post on legislation S.1877. As a young recruit in the 1960s at Lackland AFB, TX, I played in the Drum & Bugle Corps at Lackland and really enjoyed majesty of Retreat when we lowered the flag every night. Since retiring in 1980 and now a civilian, I've always suppressed the urge to salute when the flag is presented or the national anthem is played and just place my hand over my heart. I plan on sending Senator Inhofe a thank you note from a grateful veteran. -Ernie Trujillo ('59), SMSgt, USAF (Retired) ~ Dallas, TX **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Patti Jones Ahrens ('60) Re: All Bomber Luncheon - Richland - 8/11/07 http://alumnisandstorm.com/Lunches/Current-ALL/00.html As Bomber Nick Nelson ('56) said a few years back at the Fife Luncheon "takes the glue to keep the luncheons going". We definitely have many Bombers and spouses who return each month and more joining in. Always a reunion when two or more attend. The following were in attendance: George "Pappy" Swan ('59), Kaye Ivers ('60), Glen Rose ('58), Vera Smith Robbins ('58), Lorin St. John ('55) and spouse Phyllis ('70, Glacier Hi), Marilyn Swan Beddo ('63), Betty Bell Norton ('51), Carol Rose (spouse - '62 Sunnyvale, CA Hi), Derrith Persons Dean ('60), Fred Klute ('58), Sabryna Ahrens ('15, my grand daughter), Dona McCleary Belt ('54), Jeanne Swan (spouse - '62 Fairbanks Alaska), Roy Ballard ('63), Nancy Erlandson Ballard ('67), Burt Pierard ('59), Jan Sharpe (spouse - '65 Kennewick Lion), Kaylene Henjum Livingston ('60), Lloyd West ('63), Betty West (spouse - '71 JFK, New Orleans), Marie Ruppert Hartman ('63), Scott Ahrens ('81wb - Gunderson Hi - my son), Missy Keeney ('59). Dave Rhodes ('52wb) and Alice Rhodes (spouse - '57 Colville, WA Hi) got missed in the pictures. Our apologies... you get two next month. During announcements Betty Bell Norton ('51) let everyone know that she had brought the Christmas Ornaments of all the government houses that are for sale. When Carol Rose said she "graduated from Sunnyvale High School, Sunnyvale, CA.", "Pappy" stood up and sang part of the song "Do you know the way to San Jose". I stood up when he finished and let him know I do, as I had lived there for 22 years. Spent many summers in Richland. Surprised "Pappy" and some others when I said this. Lorin St. John received his Birthday Pie which he missed out on last month. There were no birthdays for the month of August. If it is your birthday month you will get a piece of pie compliments of JD Diner. All their pies are home made. Yummy stuff. Marilyn Swan Beddo was here on her yearly visit to Richland. Everyone is always so glad to see her. She's off soon to visit the Queen. The next announcement was made Roy Ballard, is running for President of Club 40. Lots of yeah's and happy sounds when Roy stood up. Missy Keeney ('59) sang her campaign song for everyone to hear. My next announcement was that I am running for Vice President of Club 40 with blessings from many. My son, Scott, and my granddaughter, Sabryna, were visiting from Tacoma for the weekend. He couldn't leave until I introduced him. Scott also mentioned that he is looking for a machining job. A couple of Bombers immediately had ideas (Go Bombers, always there to help). Scott comes about four times a year with Sabryna and helps me out with handy work. Always topped off with a good Bar-B-Q on Saturday night. When Sabryna stood up to introduce herself she made sure she had counted before to the exact year she would graduate (2015). All the smiles and laughter was worth every minute of it. If all goals for Scott work, he and Sabryna will be moved over here by spring next year and Sabryna will be a Richland High School graduate. From all the recent Sandstorm entries about boundaries, we will be checking them when it is decided where they will live. One happy mom/Grandma. There is always a gathering of Bombers still talking like in the Golden Days in the parking lot as I left: Kathy Hoff Conrad ('64) was there. She decided to come by after being at a Bomber family reunion. The family was Jankovic's (SP). As she left, my thoughts were like the Golden Days checking on who's at By's, Uptown or the Bowling Alley, later Zip's. Thanks, Kathy, for the great memories. With a full, happy, enjoyable luncheon, it is time to sign off and catch up with three days of the Sandstorms and see what is next with the Bombers. If any Bombers, spouses or your friends are attending Club 40 and want to attend the All Bomber Luncheon on Saturday, 9/8/07, please R.S.V.P. This helps the restaurant to prepare. Hope to see many of you at Club 40 and the luncheon. -Patti Jones Ahrens ('60) ~ West Richland, WA the weather is so what I moved back here for. An 80 degree day, sunny, birds singing (lots of gold finches in my back yard and hummingbirds) and the happy laughter of children playing. Left the air conditioner on when I went out for a couple of hours. Turned it off as soon as I got home and opened up all the doors and windows a few minutes later. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Richard Anderson ('60) Re: A Morality Play in Three Acts Act One: Richland Knights Junior American Legion Baseball Thanks to Jim House ('63) and Ben Jacobs ('69) for providing most of the info about the team. All fifteen players are RHS Bombers; OK, Zach Rapacz will become a Bomber freshman when school starts on the 29th; and Trent Sikes is moving to East Valley (which is in Moxee; I can imagine that he is not a happy camper about the move). Houston Castillo will be a (very young) senior; Hayden Hilty and Mike Dunford will be sophomores; and the rest will be juniors: Brett and cousin Danny Jacobs, Cody Shepherd, Jamison Rowe, Jamie Morris, Stinson Ott, Josh Rapacz, Kyle Stumetz, Eric Yardley, and Quinn Zorich. The kids are off to Anchorage (Anchorage? You've got to be kidding!) for their final tournament of the season. Act Two: Anderson's "Bomberness" I do not give a rat's patoutille about Columbia/Richland (or, for that matter, Hanford) high school. I care A VERY GREAT DEAL about having spent my late adolescence living in Richland which -- as anyone who knows me understands -- I define as the place bounded on the south and west by Yakima River, the east by Columbia River, and the north by Hanford Reservation. The only reason that the area south of the river is within the Richland corporate boundary is the imbecilic tax system of Washington State. Geographically, it makes no sense at all. Being a Richland Bomber means to me being part of that community; it was really spiffy that the high school of my years had a bomb for a mascot. I trust that the school will retain that mascot forever. Anyway, I have my Bomber Booster t-shirt for this year; do you? Entr'acte: Links to Interesting Maps City of Richland Maps (the "Alphabet Home Designation" one is particularly cool): http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/RICHLAND/maps/index.cfm Richland School District Boundary Maps: http://www.rsd.edu/about/maps/ Kennewick School District Boundary Maps (to show that they are as screwed up as RSD): http://www.ksd.org/Portal/Content/Resources/HighSchoolBoundaryMap.pdf Act Three: The Imperious Contemporary School District I aver that there is no more destructive institution to a community than the contemporary school district (RSD being only one of thousands across the USA). It has no sense of what a community is, no sense of geography, no sense of what the goal of an education ought to be. It is run like a feed-lot: number of animals in; number of animals out (minus "shrinkage", of concern only when the number is unacceptably large). It has an attitude of absolute dominion: its property belongs not to the community, rather it belongs to "the district". Two examples: 1) once John Steach, board president at the time, got the bright idea of selling Jefferson to the highest bidder; he wasn't too happy to learn that if not used for school purposes the property reverted to park land; 2) from time to time the district condescends to talk with the community about the citizens' use of school facilities. It gets noisome really quickly. School districts are constituted without regard to geography. The most egregious example I can adduce is that of Sammamish (east of Seattle): one of its high schools is in Lake Washington School District, the other in Issaquah School District (I once read that the two schools are roughly a mile apart ... on the same street). Good luck in finding community in that arrangement. Here in Richland we find the same sort of anti-community behavior. What ever in the world are they thinking in refusing Kaylea Brackensick from becoming a third generation Bomber? School enrollment ought to be completely open -- obviously with a mechanism to sort out problems of one school being oversubscribed -- with family tradition being right at the top of the list of tie-breakers. Of course, being a superior athlete does wonders: Cartmells (Ben and Sam) lived well within the Hanford boundary and magically materialized at RHS; David Lehrshall could have walked to HHS. I am certain that there other examples I am not aware of. Grades. Ah, grades. All those kids showing up on the honor roll. They do not want ME to have anything to do with their grades. No high school kid who can say "me and my dad went to Home Depot" is going to show up on my honor roll; no high school kid with a St Louis Cardinal cap on his head, who does not know where St Louis is, is going to show up on my honor roll. But they show up on today's honor roll. Students come out of school these days knowing almost nothing. It is as though they went through twelve years of day care, not twelve years of preparation to become productive citizens. Sure, there are exceptions. It is why I asserted that HHS is superior academically to RHS. At the very top of the scale, where you find the kids who are going to end up with PhD's (I use National Merit achievement for this measurement), Hanford cleans Richland's clock: one year the score was HHS 18 - RHS 1 (or thereabouts, I'd have to do some digging to get the absolutely correct data). All that you can do to have any effect on the future of the schools where you live is to become active in the affairs of your school district. Here in Richland primary ballots are due on Tuesday, August 21st (that's a week from today). And when the general election rolls around in November, make certain that you KNOW which candidate deserves your vote. Oh, and be sure to vote. Curtain Finally, about "rat's patoutille": I have seen Ratatouille twice (the best movie I've seen in ten or twenty years (I don't go to many); and patoutille seems much more elegant than "patootie"! Bomber cheers, -Richard Anderson ('60) [or maybe (09,)?] **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Tom Verellen ('60) To: John Browne ('61) 1: Sha-haptin: ghetto for s--t happenen? B: Gregorian Chant, singing political slogans in the governor's campaign? 3: Mr. Scott, physics and steam powered cars. By the way excellent rant. I'm pretty sure I agree. I think the Iowa test indicated that my career path should be imprinting the city names on the bottom of coke bottles or putting the dots on the back side of Oly labels. I know pretty high aspirations for the South end of Richland. -Tom Verellen (09.) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Annette Hall Bundrant ('62) To: Betti Avant ('69) Re: Willamette Dental Better hope they have better dentists over there than here in the Tri-Cities. Not a good experience for myself and husband, Bob ('62). Check them out and demand good service. -Annette Hall Bundrant ('62) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Greg Alley ('73) I am writing with great sadness to inform some long time Bombers of the passing of Bernie Saueressig. He was a Bomber dad, Falcon dad, friend, my dad's friend, and friend to many others. He passed away Friday, August 10th and the funeral is still pending with Einan's. I can say I go back with him and Marlene cause I was in their wedding photo 50 years ago. Einan's Website -Greg Alley ('73) ~ Summer is winding down and its a little cooler in the evenings. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Cecily Riccobuono McClanahan ('77) Re: Class of '77's 30 year reunion What a weekend! Many, many thanks to Deb Nelson Burnett, Deb Bowling Lee, Jeanie LaCroix Grant and the others who helped make this all happen. EVERYTHING was perfect. It was great to see everyone and share stories, laughs, and tears. Trish Saucier, you're still a riot. Lisa McDonald still knows how to party. Sandy Oberg and Michelle Ruane, still two of the nicest, sweetest people I'll ever know. Bill Peterson, so much fun to talk to. Your memory amazes me. Aldolfo Zaval