147th Column
147th Column. 4 Mar: beginning early with material cut
from last effort which was too long.
Sorry for the delay, but here we go—
Professor Gar
O’Quinn retired 16 Feb. From Sue Kernan
of El Paso comes this tribute to Gar on the occasion of his retiring from UTEP:
“Today's
the day of his lecture, ‘Cosmic View: A Perspective on the Health of Humankind’
at the College of Health Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. Following a celebration, a well deserved
retirement.
“When I (Sue) first moved to El Paso
and was a physical therapist in the El Paso School District, a workshop for
Early Childhood teachers was announced, ‘Learning Through Movement,’ a topic
dear to my heart for kids with disabilities. I signed up and on a Saturday morning there was Dr O'Quinn... instantly
recognizable as the cadet working the rings high above in the old gym at West
Point. (Jim used to drop me
there when he went off to a muddy football practice.) I have been fascinated with gymnastics ever
since.
“Needless to say, it was a spirited
reunion as the day was spent being ‘frogs leaping from lily pad to lily pad,’
encouraging a child's imagination as well as his physical strength. Gar was incredible and we remained in touch
through the years as the physical therapy department was next door to his
office. And, El Paso isn't that large a
place not to bump into friends, kindred spirits.
“In my work in schools, I had the
unique experience of working with PE coaches who not only listened to me, but
included my kids in their classes at a real level and had the other children
participate in the program the Special Ed child needed. (Whenever) I commented on their sincere
efforts, they responded they owed who they were to their Kinesiology professor,
Garland O'Quinn. On a personal level,
they felt that Gar was the most influential person in the direction of their
lives. Again and again in the
community, I hear the most wonderful comments about Gar. I thought I needed to share this with
‘58. He's an energy force all his own!” Thanks, Sue. And, Gar, best wishes for your retirement! For those who want more information, go to
Google and type in Garland O’Quinn.
On another trip
to Google-land, type in your own telephone number and search! If your white pages are there, you are in
for some surprises including a map with directions to your home. The worldwide web can be scary as well as
informative.
24 Apr. Back to this task which is due soon, too
soon. Change in tactics: did the seven
photos first. Had to scan three and
send all via email to Germany where my class notes editor is stationed with her
husband.
26 Apr. And now for some words to complete this
one. First, a note from Jimmy Weis with his Founder’s Day
photo: “The word we were given was that Bobby Ross would speak at only two FD
gatherings, the one here at Naples and one I don’t know where. You can discover the probably reason for
Naples visit if you look on the wall of the new weight room (see Bill O’Meara
’59). The Naples WPS is largely guys
from ’59 that supplied the start-up energy and continue to supply the bucks to
get stuff done for West Point.” Can we
take any credit for ’59 success based on our Yearling leadership? The other FD photo is depleted ranks of DC
gang. Longer list of regulars AWOL than
attendees. Scribe hopes for better
attendance next year.
Photo of Jim Emmons comes with a puny
b-ache. I had the photo in a timely
manner but lost it 14 years ago. I
recently asked Judy Emmons to send
another, which I scanned and returned to her.
She wrote: “This was taken in Iraq just after the war ended. Jim was a surgeon with the 403d Combat
Support Hospital. They followed the
forward troops as they moved north.
Most surgeries were on wounded Iraqis soldiers.” Not all news here is up-to-date, but Scribe did
want an Assembly record of our only
classmate to serve in Iraq during DS/DS.
We all know that Dick Graves
made the deck of cards (that time the deck was our leaders in DS/DS rather than
Iraqis guys on the most wanted list), but Dick and his III US Corps were
victims of political solution to send a corps from Germany rather than Ft Hood. The card trick was reported back then based
on photo of Dick’s card in Newsweek
magazine. Does anyone have the real
trading card with his photo?
Scribe has
figured out Chuck Toftoy’s
retirement plan: collecting gold, better than money in the bank. The latest haul was two gold medals at
Senior Virginia Games, soon to be followed by his tossing the Javelin at
National Senior Games in Pittsburgh in June.
I think he holds an athletic scholarship position on the George
Washington Univ B-school faculty. His
card says he is Director of Entrepreneurship Programs. Hard to believe he has time for entrepreneurs
in addition to his track and field career.
Letter from Joan Collins asking me to explain to
class readers of this expose’ that she didn’t get out Christmas cards (first
failure in 46 years) due to incredible back pain. She & Sam have
made a few trips, but Joan has been using a wheel chair. She had another round of back surgery in
early April and hopes to be OK for San Francisco Mini in Oct. I hope Joan is well on the mend by the time
you read this one.
Jack May and son Winston have appeared
in press accounts. Jack’s story is old,
but not as old as earlier DS/DS story.
“Jackson Campbell May is a character – a real kick in the pants. He is a Florida developer, an old Kentucky
woodsman, a graduate of West Point, a MENSA member, and he’s tone deaf. He and his wife Lee, members of the Heritage Club in Gainesville, FL, do things
that a lot of people would not think are good ideas. The spent four weeks driving a car as fast as they could through
9,000 miles of South American jungles in the first and only Trans-American
Rallye auto race. They hiked to the top
of Mount Kilimanjaro, where Lee became delirious with altitude sickness and had
to be helped off the mountain by Jack and the porters. Jack won the legendary Cannonball Run (back
when it was a real auto race), averaging 83 mph and establishing the land speed
record from New York City to Los Angeles: 35 hours and 53 minutes. Lee says Jack is the ‘oldest living
teenager.’” A citation from Private Clubs magazine in May/June 1994. Winston’s article is more recent. He placed third in the national
K-12/Collegiate Chess Championship, a US Chess Federation tournament held in
Orlando. At age 12, he ranked 20th
overall in the tournament.
Congratulations, Winston! About
two weeks ago Jack & Lee hosted B-2 gathering in Gainesville in April.
Now to check my email. “Reluctant CINCSKI,” Palmer McGrew reports: “The class skiers assembled at Steamboat
Springs, CO, a great ski town and a wonderful mountain, for a week of sliding
on the snow. Non-skiers and those
taking days off from the slopes found places to snowshoe, shop, or soak in hot
tubs. Thanks to Mike & Grace Dugan who took charge after I asked Mike to take a
trip to Steamboat and find us a place to stay.
They found a really nice condo resort for us, with busses to the slopes
or anywhere else in town you wanted to go.
Hugh & Ann Trumbull
volunteered to handle social gatherings at which we benefited from their
acquaintance with a family of chefs in town.
All in all, a great time! Next
year we go to the US's premier ski resort, Sun Valley, ID. Gene Wilson
is putting his far-West team back together to make this trip very special. Plan to join us.
Bob
Grete’s email reports on Rocky Bayou Christian School trip: “God still loves TEEN-PAC! We arrived home 5 March, completing our 26th
over 2500 mile (the bus logged 2791 miles) adventure that so many people helped
to make so very special. All seven
college visits provided valuable learning experiences, with very kind people
making us feel right at home. Our time
in Washington was extraordinary. Arlington
Cemetery, a tour of the Capitol led by RBCS grad Chris Stanley (LA for Senator
Vitter), Smithsonian and monument stuff, a Kennedy Center concert, a Wizards versus
Sacramento game, and a great worship service at Immanuel Bible Church filled
our weekend. Trink and I had the special pleasure of Sunday brunch with two M-2
Classmates” (see photo).
The rest must wait till next time. Looking forward to seeing many of you dear
readers at San Francisco Mini 17-20 Oct.
I only wish that more of ’58 subscribed to Assembly.
-
58Ski at Steamboat Springs Mar 05 -
M2 Janice Brintnall, Bob & Trinky Grete, Pete Brintnall,
Dodie & Dale Hruby -
Jim Emmons DS/DS 1991 -
Toftoy collecting more gold -
Coach Ross, Susan & Jimmy Weis -
Return to Camp Gary AAF Oct 04 -
DC Founder’s Day 2005
