A. S. S. ~ Alumni Sandstorm ~ 03/18/22
	RED SHIRT FRIDAY - till ALL our troops come home. SF!!!
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5 Bombers sent stuff: 
Dick WIGHT ('52)
Rex HUNT ('53)
Mike CLOWES ('54)
David DOUGLAS ('62)
Dennis HAMMER ('64)
	Next A.S.S. will be published when we have an entry from 5 Bombers
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FROMM THE EDITOR:
IDITARAOD CONTINUES. THE 2022 WINNER IS BRENT SASS. There are stilll 11
teams on the trail. As soon as everybody gets to Nome, I'l publish th
elist. -Maren 
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>>From: Dick WIGHT ('52)

Re: Richland ramblings episode 4

So after my father died in 1978, I had little incentive to visit the area,
except to visit his grave and the grave of my step mother, interred in the
small cemetery near the Uptown Shopping Mall. That little cemetery is one
of the relatively few Richland landmarks that predates WW II, with
gravesite markers dating well back into the early 1900s. I retired from
the Coast Guard in 1986 and we settled in Port Angeles, WA where I had
commanded a USCG ship. Not long after Dad died I received a letter and some
information from Sharon STREGE (I think), a '52 classmate and, as I
learned, an active participant in class reunions and Col-Hi alumni affairs.
She had read Dad's obituary which noted that I was serving in the USCG, and
"tracked me down". From her I learned that the Class of '52 had held
successful reunions at 5-year intervals. I knew nothing of them, nor had I
ever connected with any classmates over the years.....so I missed the first
five reunions. But my wife Ruth and I have attended all of them since!

We returned here (Richland) in 2014. Over the 62 years between "departure
and return" I lived, or was stationed, in many places .... Seattle, Long
Beach, CA, Monterey, CA, Kodiak (twice) and Juneau, AK, Boston, northeastern
Spain, New York City, Washington D.C., Miami, FL, New London, CT, northern
Arkansas (near Branson, MO), Port Angeles, WA, on Chinook Pass west of
Yakima...........I may have missed a couple. We full-time RV'd for two
years (2012-2014) and ended up back in Richland!!!! I plan to leave here
feet first in a prone position!

In the past 8 years I've become a lot better acquainted with the area, its
changes over the years, its history. Many changes since '52! The whole
Columbia Basin area has grown into a major diverse agriculture area -
vegetables (particularly potatoes), fruit orchards (apples, peaches, pears
etc, etc.).....and grapes! LOTS of grapes and literally dozens of wineries!
Agriculture and related businesses are all OVER the area! That industry has
become the largest economic "engine" for the Tri Cities, even though the
nuclear cleanup projects, Northwest National Laboratory and other
scientific/technical enterprises are still "big players" in the economy
here. Richland itself has sprawled geographically, particularly to the
south and west. I don't have good accurate numbers, but before WW II the
area (Benton and Franklin Counties) had perhaps 10,000 folks - and I'd
guess we have around 300,000 now! And growing! Yet Richland still - to me -
has a small city flavor, and it has become a genuinely nice place to live!
Lots of trees, nice facilities, decent infrastructure .... and on and on! 

We like it here!

-Dick WIGHT ('52) ~ enjoying my old "home town" of Richland!!!
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>>From: Rex HUNT ('53)

Re: Richland???

I was a late comer to Richland. I was a new junior in Hi-school in mid
1951. 

Reading Dick Wight's ('52) narrative, has flogged my memory, as to my
feelings on arrival. I was in town on a Sunday and reporting to school the
next morning. I had no idea where anything was not the town or the hi
school. We (mom, dad, and me) had moved from a regular house in California
to this small mossy colored camping size trailer! My bedroom was a previous
owner's illusion of a add-on! A small bedroom size shed attached to the end
at the rear door of the Trailer. I happen to be asleep on arrival and did
not awaken till we arrived at said new home. So I had no idea of where we
were. Early Monday morning, I was up and ready for school with no idea
where or how to get there. But seemingly emerging from holes in the ground
were a platoon of kids all wandering toward the same place. So I followed
and at a near by "playground" (2 swings and a slide in a large sandbox
area). they were gathering. As I approached it seemed every pair of eyes
were watching me. I was the new kid! every one wanted to know all the who,
what, where, etc., etc., etc. of my life in the 2 minutes before the bus
arrived. I felt so intimated at all the interest! Now my dad was always
being transferred. Having started at the huge airbase being built at
Bossier City, Louisiana, down to New Orleans at the Higgins boat works just
after Pearl Harbor, then to Port Neches, Texas (new synthetic rubber plant,
Kaiser Shipyards (Richmond, CA), Several "no talking about places" he
was sent to from 45' to 51" I was sort of use to sudden up heavals, I was
so accustomed to new friends new faces, But Richland was different. I was
at a loss how to assimilate into the poly-glot of new people that were
still new to each other as well as myself.

I being the new kid had no idea that no one was from there. all were
wandering waifs. I soon felt so at home among this town of strangers! We
had nothing in common, yet we were all so alike.

I was also impressed with the high school! I had attended 3 other high
schools by then, all bigger, all long established. Yet none could compare
with the curriculum or the teaching staff.

The fact that this news letter is the only one I have ever seen. None of
the eventual 5 high schools I attended have such. 

-Rex HUNT ('53wb) ~ from lovely downtown Hanford, CA where the local 
	Wal*Mart has opened a "SAM's" Club at the local outlet. I expect 
	fire works tonight!
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>>From: Bob Carlson, aka Mike CLOWES ('54)

SENT: 3/16/22

And a "Happy St. Paddy's Day!" to you. And of course, to those Bombers born
on this day; including Richard ROBERTS ('49), Pat LEIBEL ('54) and Sharon
TEMPLEMAN ('55), a very Happy Birthday!

-Bob Carlson, aka Mike CLOWES ('54) ~ Mount Angel, OR
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>>From: David DOUGLAS ('62)

Re: Walker DOUGLAS ('57-RIP)

My older brother, Smith "Walker" Douglas III ('57-RIP) passed away on
Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Seattle. A family memorial will be held soon,
and a memorial service later. 

He was a retired physician with Group Health Cooperative. While in medical
school he found a reference in one of his textbooks to our grandfather, S.
W. Douglas, Sr., a physician in Eudora, Arkansas. He was credited with the
first documentation, in an article in the Arkansas medical journal, of
keeping medical records of his patients. I recall the story of his reading
the chart before going in to see a patient and saying, "I'm glad you
survived the flu you had ten months ago. What brings you in today?" His
patients believed he had a miraculous memory.

-David DOUGLAS ('62) ~ Mesa, AZ
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>>From: Dennis HAMMER ('64)

Re: That 27th Ave Sign again.

You can count on those guys that run the 27th Ave Self Storage to say
everything is just a few words.

	http://alumnisandstorm.com/Xtra/Ham/220317-sign.jpg

-Dennis HAMMER ('64)
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BOMBER MEMORIAL JPEGs by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66)

Randy SIMMONS ('65-RIP) ~ 12/31/46 - 3/5/22
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Steve GULLEY ('69-RIP) ~ 6/27/51 - 2/26/22
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Donny DAVIS ('96-RIP) ~ 5/20/78 - 2/22/22
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Mike FITZPATRICK ('70-RIP) ~ 6/4/52 - 2/26/22
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Sally FOLEY Chapman ('56-RIP) ~ 1/8/38 - 2/22/22
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Sandra KUHLMAN ('81-RIP) ~ 2/21/63 - 1/1/22
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Dave BROWN ('63-RIP) ~ 5/13/45 - 3/9/22
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Jim BOBO ('56-RIP) ~ 8/7/38 - 2/13/22
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no JPEG yet: Jerry PURKHISER ('54-RIP) ~ 10/16/36 - 2/27/22
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