Freed Lowrey
                                                                                                    Brookside Condo, Apt G-9
                                                                                                    129 Main St.
                                                                                                    Cornwall, NY 12518
                                                                                                    (H)  914-534-7845
                                                                                                    (W) 914-446-3028
                                                                                                    yf9508@trotter.usma.edu

9 Nov ’97:  Received a nice long letter from Don "Mac" MacPherson a while back, and as frequently happens these days, it got buried under the mounds of clutter in my Dilbert cubicle at work, and has just resurfaced as I was looking for a week old banana.  Sorry, Mac; I promise to scourge myself.  Mac’s letter provided a great update on him and his family.  The MacPherson’s live in Phoenix, AZ, where Mac is an attorney and head of a professional legal corporation and national practice that includes civil and criminal law, especially trials and appeals.  They specialize in the areas of tax law, including civil and criminal litigation; criminal defense; bankruptcy, including elimination of income tax debts; personal injury; and civil litigation.  Mac’s real passion is taking on the IRS, and he has become a legend of sorts in the Southwest for his courtroom battles - and victories - against the insidious forces of the Tax Men.  Mac is my new hero!  He’s been written about in newspapers around the country, and his clients include the former governor of Arizona.  Mac’s even written three books:  Tax Fraud and Evasion: The war Stories;  April 15th: The Most Pernicious Attack Upon English Liberties;  and his latest one, Secret Exposed: Eliminating Income Tax Debts Through Bankruptcy.  I think it’s a real shame that Mac didn’t come to the 30th reunion; it would have been a ton of fun to lock him in a room with Phil Kinney, who just happens to work for the IRS out in the far west. (ED NOTE:  Insert photo #1 here)
 
As for the rest of the MacPherson clan, he’s still married to Barbara, whom he started dating at Camp Buckner as a Yearling - but he had to woo her away from Pete Hagan first.  It’s ironic in a way that Mac and Pete ran into each other as company commanders in Vietnam.  Mac and Barbara have three sons:  Scott, 27, is married to Merrilee and they have a daughter, Tessa, which make Mac a grandfather.  Old, damn old.  Scott got an MS in Math (ugh!) at Purdue and works on military projects for TRW in Redondo Beach, CA.  Second son Ryan, 22, just started grad school at Notre Dame where he received a full scholarship and will be paid an annual stipend for 5 years to obtain his Ph.D. in the history of science.  He plans to eventually attend the seminary, become a missionary, go on overseas missions and eventually teach college.  He speaks German, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew and Latin, and has written and marketed his own "PC software for Foreign Language Education," which in use in a number of schools.  Wow!  My kids only speak one language, and I don’t think it’s English.  I think it’s called grunt and groan.  Mac’s youngest son, Nathan, 18, dropped out of school in the 9th grade, took the SAT, scored in top two percentile and enrolled in college.  He hopes to own a plumbing business someday.  The MacPhersons are certainly an eclectic bunch.  Anyone wanting to joust with the IRS, give Mac a call.

12 Nov ’97:  Cyber-note from Bob Laraia on my machine today; Bob zapped me to let me know that our own LTG Monty Meigs, CG at Ft. Leavenworth,  was the guest speaker today at the combined monthly meeting of the West Point Society of Greater Houston and the Houston Kiwanis Club.  Monty was introduced to the multitudes by Tom Parr, who has some nebulous position in the local society, and is also an orthopedic surgeon of some note in Houston.  A number of other classmates were in attendance, including Tom White, Larry Izzo, and Randy Pais, all of whom were hoping for a chance to be seen hobnobbing with a real Great Military Leader and to kiss Monty’s ring.  According to Bob, Monty delivered an excellent speech, and was cheered to an echo.  They are starved for entertainment down in Houston.

5 Dec ’97:  This is my favorite day of the year, and I have been lobbying hard for many years to have it declared a national holiday.  Why, you ask?  Because this is the date the 18th Amendment - ushering in Prohibition - was repealed by the passage of the 21st Amendment, restoring sanity and good drink to the land.  What could be more fitting for a day of national celebration?

15 Dec ’97:  Nice note from Jack Wood came across the airways today.  He and Judy will be spending Christmas in Europe with their daughter Kimberly and family, with a side trip to Prague planned.  Jack complains about working too hard as the ops officer of a national environmental consulting firm; says its more challenging than anything he did in the Army for a while.  But then that begs the question:  just what did Jack do in the Army?  Did he do anything?  Jack reports that Steve & Marie Frankiewicz have moved back to northern Virginia from Albuquerque, to be closer to their family.  That’s an interesting concept; I think my kids would consider being on the moon as being close enough to family.

16 Dec ’97:  It had to happen sooner or later.  The Turks finally got their fill of The Great Turkey, and he’s back in the states, poaching trout and wild game everywhere.  I’m speaking of MG David Hale, of course, who after 18 months as the Deputy Commanding General, Allied Land Forces Southeastern Europe, Turkey, is now the Deputy IG of the whole by-god Army.  Hide the women and kids, lock all the beer and brandy away, and alert game wardens everywhere.  The man who perfected the art of worm fishing with a $500.00 fly rod is back in civilization.  Welcome home, amigo; lets go fishing!

19 Dec ’97:  Wonderful Christmas message from Buz Altshuler on the class e-mail net today; those of you who are on the list server should have received it.  Buz and Bill Obley continue to do the class, West Point and the nation proud, as these citizen soldiers continue a long tradition of selfless service, assigned to the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia.  Buz spent Christmas of ’95 in Croatia.  This time he’s commanding 312 soldiers, airmen and marines from the US, Germany, Italy and France that make up the Stabilization Force Combined Joint Civil Military Task Force.  They are the Civil Affairs operators whose job it is to secure the peace through active interface with the Multinational Military Force and the international agencies and organizations, the governments of the ethnic entities, their people and their leadership.  Buz and Bill and their troops work with the militaries of 37 nations, several embassies, a multitude of non-government and private volunteer organizations and hundreds of citizens of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.  A daunting task, to say the very least, but as Buz so eloquently said, a noble enterprise, to which he and Bill will have dedicated themselves for 8 ½ months when they return home in January.  Welcome home, classmates, and WELL DONE.  Pop up those scrawny little chests.

28 Dec ’97:  I’ve been home for the holidays since the 19th.  Suzi is ready for me to go away again.  We’ve become rather independent since I moved to West Point in August. No immediate end in sight for this geographical bachelor gig.  Long story, not of much interest to anyone except possibly a battery of shrinks.  Lets catch up on the Christmas card gossip that’s come my way.  George & Pam Dials are still out in Carlsbad, NM, where he’s still running the Dept of Energy’s Carlsbad Area Office, and still trying to bury spent nuclear waste in his backyard.  This year he had to swim the Pecos River in December, thanks to the flaccid performance of the Army team in the A-N game and a long standing bet he’s got with a squid he works with.  Pam is still on the board of the local arts alliance, and has just been appointed to the board of the NM Endowment for the Humanities.  Son Bill and his fiancee Lisa Kovelman have moved to Albuquerque; Bill completed his Psychology Masters from the New School for Social Research last May.  He and Lisa are planning to be married 19 July in  Long island, NY, so everybody mark your calendars and plan on being there.  Daughter Heather and her husband Byron have moved to Santa Fe.  Byron is the restaurant manager of  La Posada in Santa Fe.  Heather’s operatic career continues to go great guns.  She made her San Francisco Symphony debut 11 - 14 Dec, as soprano soloist for the Stravinsky Mass, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.  I’ll bet George could have sung a soprano part too, after swimming that cold, cold river.  Heather won the District & Regional competition in the Metropolitan Opera Competition, which qualifies her for the Finals 22 March, at the Met.  Everyone keep your fingers crossed for our girl.  In October, she will be singing "Musetta" in La Boheme with the Opera Co. of Philadelphia.  She has also been notified that she won a Sullivan Foundation Grant.  (ED NOTE: Insert photo #2 wherever you want)
March & Mary Perry are busier than ever down in Montgomery, AL.  March is the Dean of Registration and Info Services at South College, and Mary is the Executive Secretary to Administration at Jackson Hospital and Clinic.  They also have a financial planning company, Marchman Perry and Associates, and Mary owns a business called Taylor Made.  (ED NOTE: Insert photo #3 here)

Tom & Paige Dyer’s card finally included a photo from the wedding of their daughter Lisa and Ken Benson this past August.  As you can see, it was well attended by classmates, who, I’m told, were all on their very best behavior.  Suzi wouldn’t let me go. Phooey.  Tom & Paige are going to be grandparents in February, thanks to daughter Katie and hubby Jim.  The Dyer’s youngest son, Tommy, is still at Auburn, where he’s studying broadcasting.  As for Big Tom, nobody knows from day to day where he is or what he’s doing.  (ED NOTE: Insert photo #4 here)

30 Dec ’97:  Got the opportunity to attend BG Dick Black’s retirement ceremony at Ft. Belvoir today.  It was a very moving tribute to Dick, and was well attended by classmates - in fact, LTG Paul Kern officiated the retirement ceremony and made a marvelous speech in praise of Dick. It was a very moving ceremony, and I’m happy to report that the Class Colors were in attendance.  Congratulations, Dick, on the completion of a great career of service, and good luck on you next venture, whatever it may be.
FLASH:  Have just learned that today Randy & Jackie Pais’ daughter CPT Lisa Johnson  presented them with their first grandchild, Lauren Ashley, who signed into the orderly room at the Ft. Hood hospital, carrying an authorized accompanied baggage allowance of 7 lbs 6 ozs.  Mom, baby, and grandmommy are all fine.

2 Jan ’98:  It’s a new year, and I can only hope and pray that it will be better than the last one.  Not too likely, though.  I’m already late getting this literary carrion in to the hands of the editor, so he can rip it to shreds.  Allow me to quote from a recent e-mail I received from that august authority figure: "There is a small problem with your ’67 class notes for Jan/Feb 98.  Even with editing, it covered 2 printed pages. This is acceptable occasionally, but the number of subscribers in your class does not justify continuing encroachment on other classes.  For instance, during Sep 96 - Jul 97, your class averaged 1.6 printed pages, 2% of the allotted pages.  This would be appropriate if your class provided a similar percentage of subscribers.  Unfortunately, ’67 only has 314 of 18,714 grad subscribers or 1.68%.  Your page count should average about 1.34 pages per issue - near the normal 1.33 pages permitted all classes.  Please keep this in mind as you prepare future submissions."  So there you have it folks; from now on you will be getting a lot less than you’re used to, and it won’t be nearly as much fun - fun takes up space.  Sorry.

Keep the faith, suck your guts in, and BEAT NAVY!