Class Poop

Send your input to interum Class Scribe - Step Tyner at styner@stsllc.com
Visit the 1965 Class Notes Photo Album, Photo Album 2 and Photo Album 3 to see all the photos below full-size!


Class Notes Fourth Quarter 2018

West Coast Golf Outing/Mini-Reunion
11/29/2018

This is the one I really thought I’d be able to attend, cockeyed optimist that I used to be. I did not, but a number of folks from out of the area did, as John Swensson explains below:

“Following a festive Thursday lunch at the Saratoga Country club, replete with a banner that said
‘Welcome USMA Class of 1965’ on the wall, the golfers attacked the golf course and the ladies and some non-golfing gentlemen took a wine tasting tour of Saratoga and then a tour of downtown Los Gatos with a stop at The Butter Paddle, a charity store that sells new goods and is run by volunteers. Thank you, Susan, for leading that outing.

Photo Right: L-R, John Howell, Lenore Garman, Larry Neal

“Thursday afternoon, the Hospitality Suite opened at the Clariana Hotel and classmates gathered to imbibe and tell stories before adjourning to a local restaurant for dinner. The hotel, run by Vietnamese refugees, provided inexpensive rooms and wonderful service all weekend. Bob and Faye took advantage of the rates to stay six days and Bob was made an honorary Assistant Manager (and desk clerk).

“Friday the golfers repaired to Moffett Field golf course, joined by Donna and Matt (John’s son) Seymour. Matt has now joined Dave Kuhn in Proshot Golf, taking his father’s place. It was wonderful being with them. The non-golfers went to Stanford University, where Kathy Adams led a tour of the Anderson Art Collection at the Stanford Museum. Thank you, Kathy.

Photo: Left: L-R, Harley Moore, Myrna Valdez, Myrita Pindar, Ross Wollen

“Friday evening we held a class dinner at the Silicon Valley Capital Club. We started with a briefing by Mr. Erik Oines ‘15 of the AOG Development Office -- Erik is a member of our affiliate class and he gave a presentation on future projects and vision at West Point. Joe De Francisco, you should be proud of this lad. We continued with dinner toasts led by Bruce Clark, Ralph Adams, and Russ Campbell. Following a wonderful meal, former Secretary of the Army Fran Harvey gave remarks, thanking the class for its sacrifices and service.. Russ and Ross Wollen presented Secretary Harvey and his wife Mary with a copy of the Paul Martin painting of the Arvin gymnasium, noting Fran’s lifesaving up-armoring of HUMVs for Iraq and Afghanistan .

“Saturday saw a lively USMA tailgate of perhaps 600 souls with visits by the Cadet Rally band and the new Superintendent, LTG Williams. Todd Browne, AOG President, spent some time with the class and after a photo with the Supe, we adjourned to cheer on Army in its 51-3 drubbing of San Jose State.”

L-R, Secretary Harvey, Jeff Radcliffe, Bob Radcliffe, Faye Hayes | L-R, Erik Oines (’15) and Swensson | Ralph Adams | L-R, Bud & Judy Fish, Bob & Michele Axley
| Susan Swensson

Here’s hoping that West Coast mini-reunions become a tradition – quickly, before everything burns down!


Ninety Years Young
11/29/2018

No, not a Classmate, but, rather, someone who coached our Classmates. Bob Radcliffe explains on the next page.

L-R, Jack Thomasson, Betty Adams, Coach Jim “Ace” Adams, Bob Radcliffe (photo by Larry Neal)


A Fundraiser with a Difference
11/29/2018

Gene Parker writes to tell about a fundraiser for veterans with which he was recently involved:

 

 


Hijinks in the Old Dominion
11/29/2018

Without even the requirement of a subpoena, Barry Zais (last seen on these pages molesting a bass) has spilt the frijoles on the recent gathering of some of our most distinguished alleged perpetrators.

“Ten Classmates met recently at Steve Darrah’s club in Powhatan, VA, for their annual bash consisting of golf, poker, food, and drinks. As one can imagine, a lot of wild stories were recounted.”

Seated, L-R: Sandy Hallenbeck, Bob Harter, Fred Grates, Steve Darrah
Standing, L-R: Pat Kenny, Bob Radcliffe, Jack Thomasson, Chris Needels, Steve Ammon, Barrie Zais

As I understand it, positions at the table were dictated by who felt okay on his feet versus who wanted to sit until the room quit spinning. What Virginia moonshine lacks in flavor and finesse it makes up for in purity of ethanol, or so an anonymous source has informed me.


Lighter than Air
11/29/2018

Jim Harvey (last seen on these pages as a small craft skipper) decided to celebrate his 75th birthday in style … free-fall style, that is.

As light as Jim is, I have some doubts as to whether he’s landed yet. Also, I forgive him for making a tandem jump; the alternative would have been to attend jump refresher at Bragg, I guess. And finally, pretty good hair line for a 75-year-old, Jim!

Plus Ça Change …. Bob Woolf’s eagle eye has detected an upcoming Army uniform change – back to greens, but not AG44, the genuine olive green of WWII! See https://webmail.networksolutionsemail.com/appsuite/#!!&app=io.ox/mail/detail&folder=default0/INBOX&id=6624166547822769192


And finally... From John Bell via Tom Henneberry
11/29/2018

comes an amusing set of quotations relating to college football, a game that Army has become quite adept at of late.
"Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble the football"

John Heisman
"I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game."

Bear Bryant / Alabama
"It isn't necessary to see a good tackle, you can hear it!”

Knute Rockne / Notre Dame
"At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money, and we don't have any."

Erik Russell / Georgia Southern
"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it."

Lou Holtz / Arkansas - Notre Dame
"When you win, nothing hurts."

Joe Namath / Alabama
"A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall."

Frank Leahy / Notre Dame
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the s**t kicked out of you."

Woody Hayes / Ohio State
"I don't expect to win enough games to be put on NCAA probation. I just want to win enough to warrant an investigation."

Bob Devaney / Nebraska
"In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."

Wally Butts / Georgia
"I never graduated from Iowa. But I was only there for two terms - Truman's and Eisenhower's."

– Alex Karras / Iowa
"My advice to defensive players is to take the shortest route to the ball, and arrive in a bad humor.”

Erik Russell / Georgia Southern
"I could have been a Rhodes Scholar except for my grades."

Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State
"Always remember Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David."

Shug Jordan / Auburn
"I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn't recruit me .” He said, ‘Well, Walt, we took a look at you, and you weren't any good.’"

Walt Garrison / Oklahoma State/Dallas Cowboys
"Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering wheel."

Bobby Bowden / Florida State
"Football is NOT a contact sport, it is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport."

Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State
After USC lost 51-0 to Notre Dame, his post-game message to his team was, "All those who need showers, take them."

John McKay / USC
"If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education.”

Murray Warmath / Minnesota
"The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb. To be a back, you only have to be dumb."

Knute Rockne / Notre Dame
"We live one day at a time and scratch where it itches."

Darrell Royal / Texas
"We didn't tackle well today, but we made up for it by not blocking."

John McKay / USC
"I've found that prayers work best when you have big players."

Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

Ohio State 's Urban Meyer on one of his players:
"He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear. In fact, I just saw his grades and he doesn’t know the meaning of a lot of words.”

And now, some team jokes!

Why do Auburn fans wear orange? So they can dress that way for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.

What does the average Alabama player get on his SATs? Drool.

How many Michigan State freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb? None. That's a sophomore course.

How did the Auburn football player die from drinking milk? The cow fell on him.

Two Texas A&M football players were walking in the woods. One of them said, "Look, a dead bird.” The other looked up in the sky and said, "Where?"

What do you say to a Florida State University football player dressed in a three-piece suit? "Will the defendant please rise.”

If three Rutgers football players are in the same car, who is driving? The police officer.

How can you tell if a Clemson football player has a girlfriend? There's tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.

What do you get when you put 32 Arkansas cheerleaders in one room? A full set of teeth.

After a player showed him his semester report with four F's and one D, coach Bowden said, "Son, it looks to me like you've spent too much time on just one subject."

University of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week; the other half are able to dress themselves.

And on that note, Beat Navy!!! Step


Joan Maree Williams Memorial Service
11/1/2018

I'd first like to reiterate to Dick Williams his Classmates' condolences with regard to the passing of his beloved wife. Dick himself reports,

John Bell represented the Class of 1965 at the September 8 Memorial Service for my wife of 44 years, Joan Maree Porter Emmack Williams. I greatly appreciated the support.

Photo: L-R, John Bell and Dick Williams at Joan Maree's memorial service, 180908


Ken Yoshitani reports on a gathering of the Chicago Elect.
11/1/2018

The Chicago group enjoyed another lunch get together at an Italian restaurant, minus Ron Layer who was in Florida. Each of us gave a short summary of family member status. Although our group has several middle aged USMA male graduates, there is so far only one granddaughter attending USMA. Hopefully, there will be a few more. We failed to make accurate head count, but there are more than 20 grandchildren from our group.

Our group has been very busy travelling all over the world, and we will be again busy travelling to all corners of the world in 2019. We expect interesting reports at our next luncheon.

We were very happy to have Dave & Patty Jones back with the Chicago group. They lived in Chicagoland some 15 or 20 years ago, and apparently began to miss the frigid Chicago winter after they moved to Florida. They will also be very close to their growing family.

Attached is the best that our designated photographer can manage. Unfortunately, the photo had to be taken at a stair, and some of us do not appear clearly. Front row from left are Bridget Eckstein, Jill Seaworth, Anna Croak, Izumi Yoshitani, and Denny Coll. Second row from left are Norm Eckstein,George Seaworth, Tom Croak, Patty Jones, and Ken Yoshitani. Third row from left are Chuck Shaw, Carol Roseberg, Don Shutters, and Dave Jones. Finally, at the top is John Roseberg. We will make an effort to send you a better photo the next time.

Strength and Drive!

For caption, please see text.

Ken also made a daring prognostication regarding the current World Series, which with benefit of hindsight I have chosen to omit. As the fan of a team whose last two Series appearances resulted in a loss in extra innings of the 7th game, I am accustomed to drought; the Tribe's last successful World Series appearance was back when Bob Feller and Larry Doby and Bob Lemon and Lou Boudreau were burning it up, and I was in kindergarten. Not to fret, Ken; the Cubs will be back … and maybe they'll lose the Series to the Indians!


Out of Africa
11/1/2018

Skip O'Donnell sent a brief account and a few snaps (some, regrettably, unusable) of his and Marilyn's recent trip to South Africa:

Marilyn and I had a great trip to Cape Town and safari in Pilanesburg Game reserve, South Africa, last month

Photo Left: L-R, Marilyn and Skip. The sign is self-explanatory

Pachyderm not yet poached

Photo Right: You talkin' to me? You talkin' to ME?

Looks like a great trip, Skip. Who knows how soon seeing such creatures in their natural habitat will be impossible?


Whilst in the Central Portion of the Old Dominion ...
11/1/2018

Jim Helberg reports on the latest in the periodic gatherings of Classmates in that region.

Photo Left: L-R, Jim & Lynne Helberg, Jim Harvey, Dave & Darlene Hopkins

As you may know there is a group of 65ers who meet occasionally for lunch and fellowship in Central Virginia. Our numbers have grown from an original four couples to ten couples and one single guy (widower) - we are always looking for additional 65ers to add to the group. With that number we rarely are able to get everyone together at the same time, but usually do quite well. September was to be our next gathering and we tried hard to get everyone together but we are a busy bunch and could not make it happen. But in the spirit of press on regardless we decided to get together anyway - on 28 September (hey, it was still September) - all six of us. Jim & June Harvey graciously hosted us for appetizers at their lovely waterside home in Chesapeake, VA, followed by lunch at a local spot, then back to their home for a boat ride conducted by Captain Jim, and desert.

Photo Right: Making absolutely zero wake in the estuary

June Harvey at the Leica

Thanks, Jim. It's good to see a portion of the Mid-Atlantic Littoral looking relatively normal after all the weather horror stories this year!


Christmas, 1966
11/1/2018

George Ruggles sent the photo atop the next page, uncaptioned (though he seems to be the fellow in the middle on the left, if the Clark Kent glasses are any giveaway). It looks like it was taken in a US government facility somewhere in Southeast Asia with something resembling a pinhole camera. Evocative of a time long ago and place far away, isn't it? Thanks, Geo.


Lou Csoka
11/1/2018

Tim (Fred, to those who didn't know him way back when) Timmerman contacted me recently with encouraging news about Lou Csoka, who you'll recall has faced some serious health problems in recent years.

Regarding Louis, a number a classmates asked about him on the recently completed Ireland gambit. On our return [from Ireland] we took him to our local Oktoberfest. If anyone wants an update, with all his challenges he is hanging in there. I do believe a German beer or two brings out the best in everyone!

Photo: Front – Lou and Judy Csoka. Rear – Tim and son Eric ('91)


Tom Abraham Human Interest Story
11/1/2018

Tom Abraham sends a human interest story about a neighbor of his that will have some meaning for many of you despite its not being about a Classmate.

Daniel Priatko, USMA Class of 1984, and his family are close friends of my family and live nearby in North Huntingdon, PA in the school district where our Skip O'Donnell formerly served on the school board. Danny was presented with his high school's Distinguished Graduate award this past May and on September 20, 2018 was inducted into the Norwin High School Hall of Fame.

Photo: Seated -- Dan Priatko ('84), his father Bill Priatko. Standing – Tom Abraham

Danny's life was storybook good until he graduated from West Point in 1984. In high school he was class president, Most Outstanding Male Student, and lettered in football as a running back, linebacker, and team captain. At West Point, he was a Battalion Commander First Class year, was a place kicker, and received the Whitehead Award for the senior football letterman with the highest GPA. After graduation he attended Artillery School, Airborne, and Ranger Schools.

Shortly after commencing active duty, Danny sustained life-threatening injuries from a bad accident, remaining in a coma for seven months, and was not expected to live. His faith in God was strong and he survived but has been 100% disabled since. After the accident, Dan was invited by the West Point Chaplain to speak to the 2800 cadets at Thanksgiving, where he expressed his thankfulness for his days at West Point and his appreciation for his West Point Bible. Dan has been a motivational speaker since that time. Danny became a close personal friend of Coach Krzyzewski, USMA '68. Danny's father, Bill, is an All-American football player from Pitt and played in the NFL with the Packers, Steelers, and Browns as a linebacker. He also was on the Air Force crew that flew me as the 10,000th soldier to catch an AF flight from Pittsburgh to San Francisco, en route to Vietnam in 1966. Danny is still loved and honored for his service to his country by his hometown friends and neighbors.


Class of 1965 Ireland Mini-Reunion
11/1/2018

Having apparently learned that the potato blight has at last been eradicated, a number of our Classmates met recently in the Emerald Isle for innocent merriment. Below is Chuck McCloskey's account of the proceedings (which I have had the decency not to check against a number of police blotters in venues they visited).

The Class of 1965 recently returned from a fun-filled week in Ireland touring the scenic southwest counties of County Kerry, including the Dingle Peninsula, the Gap of Dunloe and Muckross National Park and County Clare, where we visited Dunratty Castle and the Cliffs of Moher. In the happy group were Susan & Frank Arnall, Mary & Bob Frank (with their friends Kristin Stich and Ulrich Foerster), Sherry & Clair Gill, Judy Hemmingway, Sheryl & Dave Hurley, Alice & Pat Kenny, Jane Tomatter and Bruce Marshall, Ariane Wellin and Joe McChristian, Rosemary & Chuck McCloskey, Ruth & Larry Neal (with grandson Kyle Brommer), Conny & Chris Needels (and their Navy friends Cynthia and Steve Walton), Sharon & Don Parrish, Johanna & Emory Pylant, Susan & Bill Sherrell (with Bill's cousin Christine Leinen and her daughter Kathleen), and Sue & Tim Timmerman.

We stayed at the wonderful Dunloe Hotel and the accommodations, cuisine, amenities and grounds were spectacular.

Here are the happy travelers with the beautiful Lakes of Killarney in the background on one of our several warm sunny days.

We had a rollicking good time arranged by Mike Healy, Class of 1969, and featuring coach driver Dan O'Callaghan who was also an accomplished storyteller, singer and musician.

Dan led us in a sing-along about a gentleman who went to a pub and found it out of beer, so he was offered some cider instead. The words:

“Oh, I'll never, I'll never, I'll never again
If I live to a hundred or a hundred and ten. For I fell to the floor and I could not get up, After drinking a bottle of Johnny Jump Up.”

But not to worry, we left plenty of beer in Ireland for future class visitors.


And Finally ...
11/1/2018

I've been called to task for seeming to have abandoned my campaign to make alla youse rite pretty. Not so; I am merely licking my suppurating contusions and abrasions as I gather new material. Here are three points and a graphic, the latter courtesy of George Ruggles.

-- An inclusive with a negative: Often you will see awkward contructs like “Both suspects did not have attorneys at press time.” That both did not does not rule out (in fact, it implies) that one did. Better, and certainly clearer, to write “Neither suspect had an attorney at press time.

-- None and neither: Both are singular, so “is,” not “are” is required. “None is pure of heart,” for example, and “neither has an excuse.”

-- Use of “that” with a human being or smart dog: “The Man That Knew Too Much” is not the title of the movie, folks. When referring to a person, “who” is correct and “that,” at best, is weird and ugly and un-American.

With profound thanks to my contributors, I shall close with a resounding “Beat Air Force, and likewise Navy!”

Step





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