Alumni Sandstorm ~ 12/19/14
   6 days till Christmas ~ 2 days till Winter Solstice
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6 Bombers sent stuff: 
Jim McKEOWN ('53), Larry MATTINGLY ('60)
Frank WHITESIDE ('63), Jim HAMILTON ('63)
David RIVERS ('65)
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BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Evelyn BUBNAR ('55)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Tony HARRAH ('65)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Bonnie BUSHNELL ('71) '
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Lisa McCURDY ('86)

WEEKLY BOMBER LUNCH: Mostly '52ers, Noon, Sterling's GWWay
 (Fridays)

BOMBER LUNCH Today: Girls of '54, 11:30, Rosy's (3rd Friday) 

12/19 CINNAMON BEAR - Listen to "Snowman" Today
     http://www.radiolovers.com/pages/cinnamonbear.htm   

BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar
    Click the event you want to know more about.
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>>From: Jim McKEOWN ('53)

Re: Birthday

Happy belated one day Birthday to Kathy JENSEN Collins, a best
Bud, from that great class of "53"... she is a magician, because
of the disappearing act her Senior year, but all that matters 
is she is back and doing well. Edna, especially wishes you a
wonderful day... and I hope the Chubber did something special 
for you on your special day.

Much love,
-Jim McKEOWN ('53) ~ from very wet Sacramento, CA with more 
        coming... and we need it.
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>>From: Larry MATTINGLY ('60) 

Re: Holidays

Since I am leaving for Alaska tomorrow and will be there thru 
my birthday on January 6. (wow 73, no wonder I feel like I am
wearing out) I will take this time to wish all alums and their
families the best Christmas with friends and loved ones. And...
A Happy, Healthy and prosperous New Year. Keep safe on New Years
Eve (NYE). Going home after NYE displays I have seen way too many
bad wrecks.

I will spend some time helping Jackie getting her 2 NYE displays
ready and we will have Christmas dinner with friends. Two days
after Christmas I fly to Dutch Harbor, AK to do their NYE
display. Jackie's displays are the City of Wasilla at 8PM and a
private display at 10PM. Mine is at midnight sharp. ("weather
permitting" is always the standard phrase at Dutch).

While I tend to ignore my birthdays, Jackie does not. So we will
have a nice dinner at a favored Japanese TeppanYaki joint. 

I will have a Zimmer installed in my right knee joint in late
January. I had the measurement MRI done this week and it takes 
4-5 weeks to have the appliance made. This is not like the 
joint replacement. The appliance is made to exactly fit. It is
"minimally invasive". Google Zimmer Knees for information. Doc
says I have to spend the night but can go back to work the next
day if I feel like it. I certainly hope it will be that easy.

-J. Larry MATTINGLY ('60)
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>>From: Frank WHITESIDE ('63)

To: Pete BEAULIEU ('62)

Being from a large oil-producing state, our budget takes a hit
every time the price of oil goes down. It is nice for the
consumer. I have repeatedly heard it mentioned by some
Congressmen that this is a good time to raise gasoline taxes.
Some state gas taxes are a lot higher than others, hence much
higher gas prices in some states.

Anyway, OPEC has, in the past, met many times to "price fix" by
manipulating supply and demand. Usually, some countries end up
"secretly" (ha!) selling their oil supplies "under the counter,"
so that doesn't usually work very well.

Oil companies normally cut back on gasoline production to produce
a lot more fuel oil for heating when the weather gets really
cold, so imagine at some point that will reduce the gasoline
supply.

I think at some point, just like the stock market, prices will
bottom out and prices will go back up like they always do. In the
meantime, countries like Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and Middle
Eastern counties that get most of their revenue from oil will
suffer big time. We are fortunate that oil is not a huge part of
U.S. income. 

People will have more money to spend on other things, so I would
think in the long run that lower gas prices would help stimulate
more buying of products. Guess the lower prices will give them a
reason to not build the pipeline. Warren Buffett will still be
able to ship oil on his railroads for a while longer.

It's hard to foretell the future, but with the government
sticking its nose into everything, we should probably enjoy the
low gas prices for now, because they will likely boost federal
gas taxes so they will have more money to spend so the national
debt (now well over 18 trillion) can continue to explode and p
produce more "shovel-ready" jobs!

-Frank WHITESIDE ('63)
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>>From: Jim HAMILTON ('63)

Re: And the thunder rolls

It was 70 years ago today that the legend was born.

Every time I hear thunder I'm pretty sure it's the Birthday Boy
and some of the Southenders creating chaos somewhere up above the
clouds. There's Dick, Jim MAULSBY, Paul, Bobby, Billy and those
interlopers from Spalding, Ralph, Dobie, Shelley, Chuck and WEBB
stirring the pot, playing with the pencils and having all kinds
of fun.

Happy Birthday to Pook SMITH. To paraphrase some jug eared
recruit at Fort Benning, "Ain't nobody don't know Pook".

Miss you, my friend.
				-jimbeaux

-Jim HAMILTON ('63)
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>>From: David RIVERS ('65)

Re: There are friends and there are friends

Every year I go on and on about this b-day guy... but I mean
every word. At the end of the summer of my junior year I was
returning from one of the coolest few months I'd ever had. With
the exception of getting thrown in jail in Walla Walla and losing
my drivers licence at the end of the summer, the last half of 
my junior Year had been a blast... Paul Revere and the Raiders,
being one of three mystery kids in a teeny tiny school and on 
and on... now I was back at Col-Hi and things seemed different...
we still ran around and got crazy but slowly but surely the
atmosphere began to change... all I wanted was to stay in High
School and continue the wonderful social gathering it had always
been... I wanted to drink, drag, dance and make out forever...
my friends, however, were widening their circle and I began to
narrow mine... When Nancy MIDDLETON's step dad, Russ, had enough
of me I was looking for new places to stay... eventually I'd end
up in a boarding house in East Pasco... hey don't get me wrong I
loved it, but things were getting much more serious and life was
starting to feel a little too real... As I've always said, even
with three degrees, Academia remains a mystery to me. Many of my
long time buds were changing their focus and I had no clue what
was going on. I was beginning to feel betrayed and I had no idea
why... Terry DAVIS ('65) has recalled many times that he and I
seldom saw each other during our Senior year... I was withdrawing
and becoming more and more reclusive... I spent more time with
Stan MIDDLETON ('63-RIP), Jim COX ('64) and Jim WODEHOUSE ('63)
than before and less time with my old gang... there was one of my
old buds... my long time mentor, the b-day kid, that I continued
to spend a great deal of my time with... he still had his casual,
unstressed way about him and none of this college stuff seemed
urgent to him... I am sure that is only my perspective as
everyone always "seemed" to deal with life much better than I...
many years later, I would learn that we all go through pretty
much the same thing and no matter how cool a kid seems we are all
just scared poopless... but that was my "now" and I knew no other
and could see no further in my future than the weekend... perhaps
I was simply experiencing the fear of the unknown, as our
carefree days were coming to an end... maybe I realized that
after gradgeashun life was gonna become real and earnest and for
that I was totally unprepared... what ever the reason, this kid
stuck with me through thick and thin and I will always remember
him as my total bud... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Tony HARRAH ('65) on your
special day, December 19, 2014, and a special remembrance of the
Senior born that same date, Pook SMITH ('63-RIP)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-David RIVERS ('65)
      P.S. Rosalie ('63) and Chuck (NAB) are back home in
      Richland from the Hospital in Seattle and she is at
      home and he is in rehab. As Chuck did all the driving
      and stuff you might wanna stop by on Van Giesen a
      couple of houses from my old house or give her a call
      in case she needs a little help now and then. If you
      need the address or phone number gimme a call or an
      email.
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That's it for today. Please send more.
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