Alumni Sandstorm ~ 11/25/19 "Yay, Monday!" Said no one... Ever ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 Bombers sent stuff: Ken HEMINGER ('56), Earl BENNETT ('63) Dennis HAMMER ('64), John FLETCHER ('64) Ray STEIN ('64), Terry DAVIS ('65) ************************************************************* ************************************************************* BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Dennis SCHODT ('63) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Charles SOLOMON ('64) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Fran TEEPLE ('68) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim CANTRELL ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Gary TURNER ('71) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Debbie NELSON ('77) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Leon RICE ('82) BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar Click the event you want to know more about. ************************************************************* ************************************************************* >>From: Ken HEMINGER ('56) Re: Going hunting Ref: Jo MILES ('64) comments I remember in the early '50s, walking the halls of Columbia High with a 16 gauge shot gun. I was heading to and from the wood shop making a new stock for it. There was no panic... In fact as best as I can recall, I went pretty much unnoticed. I would expand on why I think that's impossible today, but it would ruffle feathers in some quarters I'm sure. -Ken HEMINGER ('56wb) ~ 56° in Great Falls, MT ************************************************************* ************************************************************* >>From: Earl BENNETT (Gold Medal Class of '63) Re: Jim HAMILTON's ('63) entry 11/24 Jim: If "a gazillion butterflies" is sufficient incentive to prompt you and the "forever young and always lovely Miss Nancy" to travel that far, I strongly recommend you also check out the 17 Mile Drive on the Carmel Peninsula in California - at the right time of year (just a few days, if I recall correctly - after all, that was 53+ years ago) you can be surrounded by a cloud of monarch butterflies within touching distance, all across the peninsula. That's near the Defense Language Institute/West Coast Branch at the Presidio of Monterey, where Uncle Sugar's Air Force had me learn my career-initiating Arabic language skills - a very good year, at age 20-21! My class was there for 47 weeks and our teacher from Alexandria, Egypt, introduced us to some colloquial Egyptian as well. However, today the basic Modern Standard Arabic course there is a 63-week assignment, and any dialect training requires another assignment of several months after the basic course or later in the career. Unfortunately, since then, my approach to the 17 mile drive is no longer available. It was on my Honda 250 trail bike up the hill beside the Presidio and across a short dirt path at the top; there are now guard rails along the 17 mile drive roads up there that wouldn't allow me to do that - I checked last time I was out in California some years ago - and all usable entries to the 17 Mile Drive involve gates and fee- collecting booths. If you are a golfer (I'm not, but Dad was) you should also check out Pebble Beach Golf Course, site of a major 2019 tournament; might have been the Masters. I recall seeing one hole that's right beside the 17 Mile Drive where you must loft the ball high enough so that it won't roll off into the ocean when it hits the green. That hole might be one of the photos at: Pebble Beach Golf Course The Lone Cypress is another iconic feature of the 17 Mile Drive, and it's pictured at that same web site - it appears to be growing right out of the stone promontory. My wife and I have also visited the Butterfly World tourist attraction in Coconut Beach, Florida, that is similarly fascinating. Butterfly World tourist attraction in Coconut Beach, FL Sincerely, ecb3 -Earl BENNETT ('63) ************************************************************* ************************************************************* >>From:Dennis HAMMER ('64) To: Jo MILES ('64) Re: My how things have changed Your story of going bird hunting with a shotgun across the bicycle handlebars inspires be to send in this entry. Continuing to go through my stuff and see what to keep and what to discard. About a week or so I found a page of notebook paper from Health class in what appears to be Junior High. That would be in Milton-Freewater for me because we didn't move to Richland until the summer of '61. It looks to me like my answers to questions on firearms safety. Imagine, they used to teach firearms safety in public schools. I have no memory of that lesson and was surprised to find any school work at all other than some projects I did, which I did keep. -Dennis HAMMER ('64) ************************************************************* ************************************************************* >>From: John FLETCHER ('64) Re: Ron STULL, Jr. ('66 R.I.P.) It was a sad moment to learn that my friend Ron STULL, Jr ('66-RIP) passed in May this year. A surprisingly calm drive up I-5, then 101 north to Alderbrook took me to Ron's memorial in June. Beautiful weather and black top granted me reflection on our years as buddies. In high school and during summers we played golf, goofed off and had too many laughs. When Ron got mad he laughed. Life was fun to him. We did not stay in touch after I joined the army. In the 1990s I learned through a golf pro friend that Ron was head professional at Sand Point Country Club in Seattle. Within days Ron had me partnered in a pro-am tournament at Pumpkin Ridge near Portland. What a time. Ron's Brother Steve ('69) played practice rounds with us. This was before Steve went on to a successful stint on the European Senior Tour. In the several years that followed, Ron invited me up to Seattle to play the private clubs that he had access to as a PGA professional. I cannot remember them all. I stayed at his home and his wife Katie is a loving treasure. Sitting in a waiting area perusing an old Golf magazine I saw mention of Kyle Stanley, a touring pro. Kyle's home course was Canterwood, a private course near Gig Harbor. I now remember, Ron and I played Canterwood and it was wonderful. I loved to hear Ron talk of his life journey. The most recent time we played was at the Home Course in DuPont. He brought along two of the young pros he was mentoring into the profession. One went on to play on the Asian tour. I am so disappointed Ron and I had not connected in recent years. I arrived at Alderbrook for Ron's memorial early. Parked overlooking the Puget Sound on a sunny day, I dialed my old blues buddy, Errol. I had known this humble Vietnam veteran for over 20 years before I learned he had received 2 bronze stars for heroism under enemy fire. He was a medic, like me. He went to Vietnam, I won the lottery with a Korea assignment. Errol was exposed to Agent Orange and is the poster person for all the horrible after effects. Parkinson's, a unique type of diabetes and more. His disabilities total up to 350%. The VA seems to treat him well. I plan to stay in touch with my buddies. Ron did the Bombers well. Check out this memory of Ron posted on the Washington State Golf Association site. Many of the persons quoted attended and spoke at Ron's memorial. The rooms were overflowing with friends from all over the state. There was food: pizza and chocolate chip cookies, Ron's favorites. Ron, I miss you. You were so generous to me. Thanks for the good times. memory of Ron on the WA State Golf Assoc. site -John FLETCHER ('64) ************************************************************* ************************************************************* >>From: Ray STEIN ('64) It's Apple Cup Week! Let's hear it! As a Coug, I have the Spirit! It's inside me For all to see. I challenge the dawgs to mirror it! Wake up huskies! What do you say? This banter should not be one way. Let's all be bold Like Cougar gold! Give me something to make my day. So Pete, Cochrane, Worley or Bern, You know I have a big concern. That you can't rhyme Any old time Even when I say it's your turn! -Ray STEIN ('64) ~ Go Cougs! ************************************************************* ************************************************************* >>From: Terry DAVIS Knox ('65) Re: David RIVERS' ('65) Birthday I know it isn't today, and maybe not even tomorrow. But I'm pretty dang sure Wednesday is the big day for a special fella who's made a practice, over the years, of keeping us all informed about whose What is happening When-- and so I'm returning the favor here now. It's been about a year now since David was laid low with his illness, which started off as almost a very bad flu kind of thing and has since then ended up pretty much taking over his life. I don't pretend, even now, to understand much about it--except to say that it's getting onto Christmastime again, and he still can't join in any of our reindeer games. Or anything else, for that matter. And that whatever it is, exactly, that's wrong with him is some bad sh*t. I wish I could wish it away, David. We all do. For your sake and for ours. Because we miss having you around. And it's all the more frustrating knowing you're reading these words (right NOW), and yet cannot find the right words to ask for the right help. Aw hell, man. I'll shut up. But have a happy birthday, anyway, the best way you can, old friend. And there's a whole bunch of us that'll be waiting for you whenever you can make it back. Terry [I second the motion and I'm not alone. I miss you, David. -Maren] -Terry DAVIS Knox ('65) Sent from my SmartPhone ************************************************************* ************************************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. *************************************************************