Alumni Sandstorm ~ 03/01/15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10 Bombers sent stuff: Shannon CRAIG ('50), Dave RHODES ('52wb) Curt DONAHUE ('53), Ann BISHOP ('56) Ed QUIGLEY ('62), Duane LEE ('63) Bill SCOTT ('64), Deedee WILLOX ('64) Jim HEIDLEBAUGH ('65), Mike FRANCO ('70) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** 6 days till the Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 2015 in Anchorage BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Elwin "Gene" BOYLE ('64) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Anna DURBIN ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Pat HAMMOND ('71) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Patricia INGHRAM ('72) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Sheri LUKINS ('75) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Deana SHIPMAN ('77) BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar Click the event you want to know more about. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Shannon CRAIG Hightower ('50) Thanks so much, Maren. So glad you were interested in looking up my little brother and talking to me. I thought that was what this sandstorm was all about... and am glad for it. I don't know what anyone has a problem with... guess I missed that one. -Shannon CRAIG Hightower ('50) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Dave RHODES ('52wb) Hi Maren I am sorry that people have become so narrow minded that if people write things they disagree with they are dropping out. I often times have read articles that I did not agree with, but I also believe that those persons had the right to their own opinions. I recently paid my next years dues and I intend to continue as long as I am still alive. My good friend and classmate Dick WIGHT ('52) and I do not always agree on things,but by golly we are still friends and I hope that we always will be. I only attended Col Hi from 1948 until we moved away in June of 1950. My happiest and most fun times were when I lived here. I was one of the so-called trailer trash from North Richland. Our fathers were heavy construction workers and as their jobs were finished we moved on. My next stop was a little railroad town (Wishram) where my stepfather took a permanent job with the SP&S Ry Co. The school there was so bad that I was sent to Stevenson, WA to live with my Grandparents. I worked there all the summer of 1950 as a section hand. One month after school started my Grandfather was transferred and I lived with a family where I was treated very well. I need to backtrack a little bit. You see I had been nearly beaten to death by my stepmother, so I came to Richland to live with my mom and Stepfather as a ward of the court with the stipulation that I had to live with a family member. I finished my junior year at SHS (Stevenson High School) and my sister accidentally told my Stepmother I was living with a Foster family, and the court sent me to Renton to live with her and my Dad. The day I graduated I left them and went my own way. This is probably not very interesting unless you had the same experiences. I am proud to say that I am a Bomber. GO BOMBERS. -Dave RHODES ('52wb) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Curt DONAHUE ('53) Re: Biggest Giant, Cliff Thompson Some days ago I wrote about this over 8-foot man, Cliff Thompson, being at the "Y" Grocery Store when I worked there. He was selling replicas of his wedding ring for fifty cents and I bought one, but have lost it in the many moves. If you bought one of them, he gave you a little booklet that told all about him. That I still have. I felt like a really small child working around him all day that day he was there. About two years later, while I was going to school in Portland, OR, I saw him drive by in a 1948 Dodge Coupe. It looked like he was sitting in the back seat, his seat was so far back. It was specially modified for him. Maren found the following - everything that's in the little booklet - on the internet: http://www.sideshowworld.com/41-GG/65-C-Thompson-A/CG-Cliff-Thompson-ABC.html Thanks Maren for all you do!! -Curt DONAHUE ('53) ~ Pasco where the sun is shining brightly **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Sara Ousley, aka Ann BISHOP ('56) I guess I'll throw in my "opinion" of the latest events. I agree with most of the others that the AS is NOT the place for true political discussions. Some of the entries are "boring", but most are not. I didn't have the advantage of growing up in Richland. I tell folks I grew up "everywhere west of the Mississippi" and that is mostly true. When I was 5, I'd had a birthday in 5 different states. Col Hi is the ONLY school that I spent more than a few months in and that was for 2 years and 9 weeks! I went to as high as 5 schools in one year, from the ArkLaTex to several schools in Washington. My mother was rather strict, so I wasn't allowed to go to the "hang outs" enjoyed by the rest of you. Because of that, I never had any long time close friends. You are all so blessed. So, that being said, why is there so much hostility among us? No two of us are always in total agreement... not even among CLOSE friends or family. Why can't we just get along and tolerate/ embrace our differences, grow from them and enjoy the things we do agree on and the great, funny and sad memories we each have? I don't personally know 99% of you... just 2 or 3, but through the AS, I have become familiar with a lot of you and prayed for all who asked for prayer. I guess I'm kin to what is called a 'prayer warrior' in my Christian circles. I find most of the entries informative, entertaining, funny (i.e. 'tooter') and sometimes sad. Those I have no interest in, I just scroll through. No biggie. I, for another, am sticking with the AS. Thanks Maren for your mighty efforts. O.K., so I'm off my mini soapbox! -Sara Ousley, aka Ann BISHOP ('56) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Ed QUIGLEY ('62) Re: Subscription. . . Wow; seems as though I unintentionally tweaked a couple of people, but I'm happy to see that it inspired a few entries! Let me set a couple of things straight: 1. I DO appreciate all of Maren's hard work, and have told her so. I helped set up a free, Mac-specific, free help website, along with 16 other people from all over the world, back in... immmm... 2003(?); it took us about 8 months to get it up and running, and for the next 7 years, I spent 2-4 hours a day doing what Maren does. At the end of the 7 years, after a year of dealing with the back-biting and political intrigue that erupted amongst the administrators, I bailed. I'm happy to say that http://www.techsurvivors.net continues on, to this day, but without my help. So, yes, I know well how much work she puts into it, and how much time it takes out of her life. 2. My decision to suspend my subscription has absolutely nothing to do with be offended with anything that anyone has said (I firmly believe that being offended by someone is a matter of choice!), so it's not a matter of "taking my ball and going home", nor have I been bored with the Sandstorm. As a matter of fact, I have found myself, in the last 24 hours, questioning my decision, because I too, have made a couple of friends that, was I not a subscriber, would not have. I miss Pappy's entries (what a great imagination!), enjoy Larry MATTINGLY's ('60) entries (man, I wish I could play with fireworks that big, and get paid for it!), and many others' who keep us up to date on what's going on in their lives, so, who knows, I may change my mind and be back, but I'm glad that with that last entry, I sparked some more activity here! :) -Ed QUIGLEY ('62) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Duane LEE ('63) Re: Bomber Hoops Decades ago there was a fan at the Bomber basketball games who would stand up just before the tipoff and in a big, booming voice would proclaim "Gooooo Yeeeee Bombers". This would be followed by a loud cheer from the raucous Bomber student section. He was great. There is a guy who is doing it now also. I don't know if he is a relative of the original "crier" or just a loyal fan carrying on the tradition but it is a welcome part of each game. Richland put on a real clinic in the second half of their game with Kentridge tonight [2/27]. The Chiawana gym was packed! Landon Radliff, the team spark plug, pumped in 28 points. Re: New 12 Plex They are building a 12 plex theater in "Richland" since we haven't had one since the Uptown was shut down. The theater will be located across the Yakima on the border of West Richland but still technically in an expanding Richland. There was yet another move to change the name of West Richland to Enterprise but was shot down because it would be cost prohibitive. Re: Hanford High Our grandsons attend Hanford High. It is a great school and they have a lot of team spirit. It just always seems strange to me to attend their sporting events when they play their big 4A cross town RIVAL Bombers. Re: Spudnuts Had to stand in line outside the Spudnut shop today for 10 minutes just to get in the door but the wait was worth it. Hope that place never shuts down or goes hi-tech. Re: Original '63er Last but not least, a big shout out for Maren and the job she is doing every day. Thank you from all of us. She really can't help being such an over achiever since she is claimed by one of the best classes ('63) to ever come out of Bomberville. Keep up the terrific job Maren. We appreciate you. -Duane LEE ('63) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Bill SCOTT ('64) Hats off to Margo COMPTON Lacarde ('60) for defining the proper nature of the Alumni Sandstorm in yesterday's edition. She nailed it. Sheesh, as if there were not enough other venues on the internet for "thoughtful discussions". The problem with those is that they seldom stay "thoughtful" for very long. Sooner rather than later, in today's polarized society they degenerate into name calling, religious and political posturing, vituperation, and hate speech. There's already too much of that on facebook, which is why I seldom look at it anymore. Too hazardous for my blood pressure. I'm sure that isn't what facebook's founder intended. It has taken me a long time to realize how unique we boomer Bombers, who are the most frequent contributors to this venue, were and are. Not to brag, please don't misunderstand. But we really did grow up in Norman Rockwell's America, a place where you didn't need to lock your door when you went out on the town (we didn't), crime and homelessness were virtually nonexistent, and the schools were excellent. Perhaps the reason the boomer reunions are so successful is that for so many of us, our classmates are like an extended family. Why? Because most of our parents worked for the same employer, employment was stable, and so many of us went through school together from kindergarten through high school. It took me years to realize that you don't get that in other towns. I'd hate to see anything introduced into this forum that would drive a wedge between Bombers. I like the Sandstorm just as it is. Maren's done an incredible job of balancing all this over the years, and were it not for her, would the Alumni Sandstorm even exist? Let's keep it as it is, a refuge from controversial topics, where classmates can stay connected over the years, and talk about shared experiences and common memories growing up in a town like no other. -Bill SCOTT ('64) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Deedee WILLOX Loiseau ('64) Re: Opting Out Maren makes a good point: who wants to deal with the political stuff?! I'm as political as anyone else, but the place for airing my views is NOT the Alumni Sandstorm. We did have a "Sandbox" where we could write anything we wanted, but no one wanted to edit or handle it, so it died. If any of you "opting out" people want to take it on, do so, and quit complaining about what ISN'T in the Sandstorm as opposed to what IS there. I don't mean this to sound mean or nasty, but the Alumni Sandstorm has been operating for many years, and I appreciate Maren's efforts on our behalf. -Deedee WILLOX Loiseau ('64) ~ Burbank, WA where the days are warmer, but the nights still nippy. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Jim HEIDLEBAUGH ('65) Re: Herding cats Hi Maren, THANKS for all you do. John C. said it right, "herding cats". Says it all. Great cats, and they are our cats. -Jim HEIDLEBAUGH ('65) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** >>From: Mike FRANCO ('70) To: Donna BOWERS Rice ('63) WOW, so the Auditor of Missouri supposedly committed suicide and his being accused of being Jewish may have affected his political ambitions? And he "looked Jewish"? That's pretty interesting. And our family moved to Richland in 1954. As one of a very few Jewish families in town we knew the other Jewish families very well. If the Baugher family was Jewish I never knew about it. It's not impossible, but I am surprised to learn that. [and I had no idea the Franco family was Jewish till recent years of this Alumni Sandstorm... never knew it when your dad removed my appendix. -Maren] As far as political issues being surfaced here: I kind of like that this forum is relatively politics free. I read newspapers, watch news, read online journalism, follow financial issues, education issues and POLITICS is everywhere. I find that politics is not only everywhere but it often seems to carry a complete lack of civility. I welcome this forum being as free as possible of that discourse. After all, there is no lack of other sites and venues for any and all political discussion. Hope to see a few Bombers in Tacoma next week for some hoops -Mike FRANCO ('70) **************************************************************** **************************************************************** That's it for today. Please send more. ****************************************************************