You'll recognize them at the 65th, they look thusly now.

Al Akers W Mary

Dave Bills WO/ Danielle

Bud Conti W Irene

Francis Craig W Bamby

John Croan W Ruriko

Bill Edler W Ann

Update by Al ... Al retired from the United States Army in 1984 with rank of Major General and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Following his retirement Al completed the Advanced Management Program at Claremont College, Calif. in 1985. He helped found Wels Research Corp. in Austin, Tx. in 1986 and was the COO until 1988. Then, he was Executive Director of Senior Employment Resources from 1990-2. Not having had a hometown, Al has been deeply involved and amply rewarded by wide-ranging, community activities in Fairfax County, the tenth largest county in the Nation. Al and his wife, Mary, make their home in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Life is grand!

Update by Dave ... Dave's last military assignment was as Commanding Officer, 547th Engineer Battalion from 1969 to 1970 when he retired from the United States Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. Dave was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for conspicuously meritorious performance of duty in a non-combat situation on retirement. Dave and his wife Danielle make their home in Indianapolis, Indiana. The March 1991 Assembly notes; "Dave Bills reports the marriage of daughter Christine who will continue her career as a pediatric intensive care nurse at Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis. Dave's travels for Indiana State Government take him to California and enable visits with son Alan. In June 1990 Danielle was General Chairperson for the 3rd Indiana State Flower Show, for which, Dave says proudly a major award is anticipated."

Update by Bud ... Bud retired from the Air Force on June 1, 1980. He was decorated with the Legion of Merit. One month after retirement Bud accepted a position in Dallas, Texas with the Vought Corporation, as head of strategic and development planning for the Missiles and Advanced Programs Division. After five years at Vought, Bud became special assistant to the Division President. In 1985 Bud decided it was time to fully retire and spend time with his family. Ron had by then joined the Navy and Bud joined his wife and Rob in Orlando where he tended his orange trees and garden, volunteering as an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau and truly enjoying the opportunity to control his own schedule. As Orlando developed the Conti's decided to purchase a second home at the Indian River Colony Club near Patrick AFB. Bud became a docent at the Air Force Space Museum, an active member of the Museum Foundation's board of directors and he spends many hours restoring some of the precious artifacts that keep his mind and hands busy. Bud says, "I thoroughly enjoy talking to visitors about the Cape's history, in so doing I can let them know that I had been present at its creation." Bud lives in Melbourne and Irene lives in Orlando. Son Ron is a manager with Tony Roma restaurants, and son Rob is in Corporate Headquarters of Planet Hollywood International, as a systems manager. The Conti's have two grandsons, Christian and Michael.

Update by Francis ... . Departing Europe in 1978, Fran's last active duty assignment was as Chief of Personnel for the Troop Support and Aviation Material Command in St. Louis where he retired in 1981 as a Colonel. Fran and his wife make their home in Ballwin, Missouri where they raised their four children. One son, Jim, graduated from the Academy in 1993. The other three pursue civilian paths. To date they are blessed with a single granddaughter.

Update by John ... Ruriko and Olde John Croan had a wonderful 52E Pilot Reunion at Williamsburg in April 2009. We visited relatives in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and attended shows at Branson Missouri and had a great trip. We are really looking forward to our 60th West Point Reunion in April, 2011. We keep ourselves happy and busy by volunteering at our respective churches, participating in Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion activities, volunteering at an Assisted Living and Nursing Home on Vashon Island and enjoying our expanding family. We now have two great grand children and have two more on the way. The Golden years are truly golden as long as we can accept many health, financial and spiritual changes. We pray that all are in good health and spirits. Olde John and Ruriko Croan

Update by Bill ... Bill retired from the United States Army in 1972 as a Lieutenant Colonel. After retirement Bill was associated with the Ping Research Corporation from 1973 to 1978 when he went with the Army Intelligence and Security Command Staff and served until 1983. Bill and his wife Ann make their home in Cape Coral, Florida.

Tom Foster W Marji (nd)

Clint Granger W/O Shirley

Ed Peloquin W Gert

Jim Phillips W Dolores

Len Shapiro W Charlotte

Aaron Sherman

Update by Tom ... Our final assignment took us to the Presidio of Monterey and the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA. Working with a staff comprised of all the services and senior civilians and a faculty of civilians from many different cultures proved to be extremely challenging, but a very satisfying culmination of 30 years of service (78-81)(DSM). We retired to a little destination resort town in southern Oregon named Ashland that is home to Southern Oregon University, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and located in the Rogue River Valley in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains. We bought an old house, remodeled and over the years have continued to make improvements. Early on, I attended SOU and received a Masters in Business Administration (85). I keep busy in community service activities with the Greenway Foundation, Ashland Parks and Recreation Department, Tax Counseling Services (AARP) and as an Admissions Representative for USMA. Marjory after some ten years of community service with the Tudor Guild (OSF) and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce now dedicates her spare time to painting primarily with water colors. Our four sons have families which have blessed us with seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

On Fri, 4/30/10, Thomas Foster wrote: After something like a front circle-up, I have reached the octagenarian threshold and am honored to join my elders. Life for Margie and me is similar to "Groundhog Day". Margie says we are in a rut. I insist its a groove where each day we strive to perform the same routine with greater efficiency. We have essentially given up the hi-life to extend our shelf-life. While Margie is perfecting her art (watercolors), I'm perfecting my art (puttering). But, I also do a lot of reading and have come to realize over recent years how woefully deficient was my knowledge of our Alma Mater. If you too are curious about our heritage, I would recommend three books for a fairly comprehensive review of our history. They are: "The River and the Rock" (1969) by Dave Palmer; "Duty, Honor, Country" (1966) by Stephen Ambrose and "Honor Bright" (2009) by Lewis Sorley. Sel in his report described some of the worthwhile projects he is working on. Not to be outdone, I am currently puttering with the ultimate reckoning airport security screening (URASS) booth. This booth would replace the controversial full-body scanner adopted by TSA to screen airline passengers. This step-in booth will not x-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on you. Believe this will be a win-win for everyone as it would eliminate the question of racial profiling and a long expensive trial. Justice would be quickly served. All the passengers in the terminal would hear would be a muffled explosion followed shortly thereafter by an announcement over the PA system, "Attention standby passengers: we now have a seat available on Flight Number XXX". Hope to see you at the 60th, if you make it through the URASS booth (patent pending). Grip Hands" Tom Foster

On 4-29-11 Tom writes, "Friends, We regret that we had to change our plans to participate in the 60th Reunion festivities. Both Marji and I experienced a series of minor medical problems that were not resolved by the time a decision to attend had to be made. It has been a quiet and uneventful year for us. We remain in the same home we purchased 30 years ago and still find it a comfortable situation. However, a couple of weeks ago for the first time, I had to engage someone to mow the lawn. Admitting that I had to relinquish that responsibility was difficult to swallow. But I guess if we want to continue to live here for a few more years, and we do, we re going to have to enlist some outside assistance. We hope and trust that the Schedule of Events for the Reunion has gone smoothly; that the weather has cooperated and; that those participating in the airborne activity had a safe and soft landing. Though not present in body, we join you in spirit to celebrate the proud legacy and camaraderie of the Class of '51. Grip Hands," Tom Foster, M-1 18145

On April 30, 2012 Tom Writes, "Greetings from Oregon -It has been a mild winter and spring here. None of the wild weather that has plagued other parts of the country, but I guess our turn will come with a flood, fire or quake. Margie continues to paint and hang in a local gallery and I continue to coordinate nature walks in our Lithia Park and work with the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation. My main occupation, however, is house and grounds maintenance and there is no shortage of requirements in that regard to fill the day. We've stayed close to home this year taking advantage of our medicare and tricare benefits (nothing serious) except for a few trips to northern California to see family. About a week or so ago the weather warmed up and it was time to put up the umbrella over the table on our deck. Saturday we looked out and saw a Steller's Jay had decided that on the struts under the umbrella was a perfect spot to build a nest. As he busied himself stacking and arranging sticks and paper, we considered the advantages and disadvantages of his choice from our standpoint. Would watching the nesting process for a month or two outweigh the loss of our use of the spot where we eat many of our meals? Finally, we decided that the Jay wasn't doing a very good building job and we had sufficient grounds to terminate the project. So Sunday we moved his materials to another location. A hard decision for a nature nut. On that sad note I'll end my report. Margie joins me in wishing all of you the best. Grip Hands,"Tom Foster M-1, 18145

Update on Clint ... Note from Bill Givens, "On Sunday, October 26, I drove up to Rutland, Vt. and picked up classmate Clint Granger. Took him to Rockport, Ma., where we had a nice lunch hosted by Peter and Marie Foss, in an obviously popular dining room, seated at a large picture-window table overlooking Rockport Harbor. We reminisced about the old days, as we are wont to do on such occasions. I had not known that Clint had served on the NSC staff with Kissinger, Scowcroft, et al I found it very interesting - what a career! Later, I drove him back to Rutland. We plan to see more of him in future. To memorialize this august occasion, I include below a photo of three old soldiers, or. to be entirely accurate, two real soldiers flanking one old dropout. Warm regards to all." And from Pete and Marie Foss: "Good Morning All; Lunch in Rockport with Clint Granger, Bill and Elana Givens, Peter and Marie Foss was a really great afternoon with never ending, "catch-up" conversation. The day was unusually perfect with sunny weather and temps in the 60's - very unusual for this time of year! Rockport is already looking like Christmas with the stores decorated plus little lighted Christmas trees in all the parking meter posts. As Bill said, the restaurant is right on the harbor so the scenery was outstanding. We came back to our home for coffee and dessert to continue all the stories - which never ran out! You know old soldiers! We tried to convince Clint to stay overnight but he felt he needed to return to VT. In the near future, he plans to move to NH, a bit closer to Boston - and promised that he would stay in touch...so we do expect to see more of him. Bill drove both round trips to VT so this gave Bill and Clint even more time to cover the many years since graduation. We all felt that Clint was glad to be back in touch with so many classmates and friends. Take care out there, stay well. GO ARMY- BEAT NAVY!"

On 8-13-10 Clint writes, "NO car is an antique, if it runs - and NO human being is old if they can still walk erect (I must say that because, while I can walk, the running stopped a good many years ago). Worse yet, I am somewhat grounded - I quit driving almost seven years ago, when I realized that my vision had become so poor that I might well run over a child. So much for cars. The eyes have been fixed, so I could drive again - but I haven't done anything about it. Fortunately, this area of New Hampshire has an excellent bus service for we "handicapped" people - as long as I call and set up a schedule a day in advance, they pick me up at my door, haul me anywhere I wish within a thirty-mile radius, help me carry packages into my apartment - but yes, I do miss a car on weekends (but not enough to get carried away and buy another one at current prices). I am also quite fortunate in having Shirley J. in an apartment upstairs from mine (via elevator).. She moved to New Hampshire about three and a half years ago (from Florida) - about the same time that I decided I did not like living in Spain (or with my British wife, now deceased), and came to New Hampshire - primarily because the Veterans Administration Hospital in White River Junction, Vermont is, at least in my opinion, the most caring in the country. Shirley is a kindred spirit, and a very bright lady. Actually she is a little older than I am (no more young chicks, please!), and probably a lot smarter. And yes, we are all a little shorter than we might once have been, but she is a very petite 4'10" - she was a red-head a long time ago (I have a picture displayed), but has settled on being a blonde instead of grey. She edits and criticizes what I write, and keeps me pretty well on track and maintaining some sense of reality. Shirley was an educator, taught in Manhattan, then on Long Island, and established some of the progressive New York state programs for children with difficulties. Then, when her husband died (about twenty-five years ago), she moved to Florida, where she taught in colleges, got another PhD degree in psychology, and became a court psychologist. With two PhDs and three Master's, I stand back in awe - but finally found a real lady with whom I can talk for hours and hours. Her husband was OSS in World War II, and apparently became a sort-of-son to Patton. His name is not as well known, but I almost feel of his as a brother. He was a key witness at the Nuremberg trials, but was also a very efficient eliminator of Nazis. There are a lot of strange differences as well - I was raised as a sort-of Protestant, and had to march to church every Sunday as a cadet - but it all ended there, and if I had to identify it now, I would say I believe there is a God, but that the rest is all man-made. Shirley shares a lot of this - but is also an ordained Rabbi. Needless to say, we do have some interesting conversations. I canot even speak Spanish! In fact am no linguist at all - while Shirley speaks Spanish, French, German, Polish, some Russian and some Portuguese. As a cadet I had to study German, and had a fine instructor in (then) LTC Heintges. There were 86 cadets who studied German in our class, and my order of merit was 83 of 86 - which tells you that I am no linguist. Much later, in Vietnam, that old German instructor aws Lt. Gen. Heintges, deputy to Westmoreland. I saw him rather frequently when I was G3 of Task Force Oregon, which became the American Division, and he delighted in asking questions in German - which I could never understand. So much for a cadet education. At the same time, I fear that we all may all never get a chance to really meet. Shirley will be 87 next month, and while an indomitable spirit, was badly hurt in a car accident (in Florida) about six years ago, with multple injuries (concussion, which badly damaged her hearing), spinal injuries (fusion of lowe spine), shattered cup on right shoulder (very painful still). I'm also a little battered (bad paracute jump long ago with a permanent limp (pelvis broken in four pieces and left hip displaced up almost three inches - but winched back pretty close to where it should be; a shallow head wound, white phosphorus burns on right arm, and a nasty left tail and leg wound that added to the somewhat lop-sided look. Still, I will not even be 82 until November, and while I don't run, I can get around very well. Yes, I have a cane - but I like the ones with a nice long blade in them - Shirley does not approve of my weapons. I can get around well enough without the cane, but it does help when I tire out. Alll the above so you both will understand why we will probably never make it to the 60th reunion.- but Shirley would like to meet you, and while you, Larry, and I met long ago, I have never had the pleasure of meeting, you, Lia. In short, we don't travel much - but the scattered children do come here occasionally - in fact, youngest "baby" daughter, Jennifer (who now prefers "Jeni"), age 50, will visit with her daughter, youngest granddaughter (Brianna, age 9) for a week starting next Friday. Brianna is the youngest of 13 grandchildren, and Jeni's only child - it's a long trip from Butte, Montana. Jeni and Shirley have never met, but are already old friends - both educators, both psychologists. I can hardly understand their conversations! Two other daughters, Stephanie and Mary (changed to "Stevie" and "Meri") live in Texas. Stephanie (now 56) is a permanent flower child with two sons (34 and 32); Mary has two daughters and one son - and three grandchildren (a bit startling to think of great grandchildren). The third daughter, Carol, lives in western Canada - married a Canadian - and is seldom seen or heard from, but has two children. Finally, the youngest child was a boy! He almost got named "Victoria" after naming four sisters - but became Clinton Edwin III - but has been "Trey" since a small boy (but I never became "Deuce"). He must have liked the name, for her has a 21-year-old daughter named Victoria, and two sons - Andrew, 15, and Preston, 12 going on 29. As for Shirley, she has a daughter, Beverly, (pretty, very bright, and just turned 60) who heads an educational foundation here in New Hampshire. Her presence ius why Shirley ended up here. Bev made her educational mark at the London School of Economics, but has no children - just a very nice husband who still runs in marathons at age 62. They live about thirty minutes from our complex, which is called "Quail Hollow." It's truly a sheltered hollow in the hills on the New Hamshire side of the Connecticut River, quite literally a long stone's throw from Vermont. Shirley has one son, Jay, now 53, who lives near Albany, New York. He's a nice guy, has a farm near Albany where he has room for horses - but he s the editory of the Albany Times, and the father of Shirley's three grandchildren. The oldest, David, just returned from two and a half years in Malawi, Africa, with the Peace Corps, and goes into Harvard Law this fall on a full scholarship. Next is a grandaughter, Jessica, who is starting her junior year in college, and finally another grandaughter, Vicki, 18, who is finished high school, but does not seem to have the academic end-goal of her grandmother, her parents, or her siblings - still, there's hope - she's absolutely beautiful. That pretty well covers all the family background - I do tend to run on a bit at times - Now, to more mundane things . . . I suppose you are right about Wild Blue. The 16-year-old hero flies an ancient PT-16, and I am very fond of that particular airplane - a large model is on a shelf near my desk. Did I marry "Nancy" from the Wild Blue? Definitel not, but that's another story which had an unfortunate ending, after which I married a British lady, and that too was not the best - but she died a couple of years ago. Now I have Shirley, and hope to hang on to her for a long time, but also accept the fact that we are not really kids anymore - but I did give her a miniature, just to put in a claim. Nothing more, but that's really quite enough. Lia, you are betraying your youth when you comment that the world of our grandparents - World War II and the Korea War - was different. I quite agree, but since (as a cadet) I had a Victory Medal from World War II (I started with the Class of 1950, and we all got the Victory Medal since Congress did not declare the war over until December 31, 1946 - and I thought I didn't need to study, and hence gor "found" - found deficient - in calculus in the Yearling year, and had to repeat that year, and joined with Larry in the Class of 1951). As for the Korean War, I managed to get into lots of trouble with "Granger's Rangers" and then commanded a rifle company - but then, that is pretty ancient stuff. Vietnam - that was two years, and a variety of interesting things, but the best included a battalion task force (2nd Bttalion, 35th Infantry, but reinforced with a tank company, and armored cavalry troop, an air cavalry troop, a battery of 105mm howitzers and all the helicopter support I could use), followed by G3 of the American Division - the largest division the Army has ever had, with 27,000 troops. Enough! Larry, you were smarter, and went on to the law. Back to Wild Blue - yes, (page 11) many young people did go to West Point to get a "free" education. I wasn't so fully aware of that until I found my orders changed from staying at Fort Benning as an instructor at the Infantry School, to going back to West Point when I finished tghe Advanced Corse there in 1957. It has never been publicized, but after the Korea War interest in military careers dropped to such a marked degree that the classes admitted in 1956 and 1957 could not be filled. That created a first-rate panic, and I was the first of seven people assigned to West Point to the newly-created Admissions Division to try to solve that particular problem. We did change things enough so that West Point does indeed get the best and the brightest, and is now the highest ranking college in the country - but that's a whole additional story. Who went to West Point for a "free" education - well, U.S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower for two. As for the "little traffic accident" where the chief terrorist in Wild Blue runs into a phone pole at seventy miles per hour, I had thought of chopping him up in the prop, but Shirley objected. Are terrorists motivated against the US because of our arrogance? Yes, that certainly is one very significant factor - and many Americans do tend to be arrogant, boorish and patronizing when they travel abroad, or when they talk to foreign visitors here. If there is any doubt, think of the rather offensive attitude against Spanish-speaking people, who may be treated as Mexican peons because of an accent - and peons are only different people who were not so fortunate. There are lots of other reasons for terrorist attitudes, and I have an entire bookcase on Islam to try to figure that out - but so much just seems totally irrational. Even the Koran does ot justify the suicide bomber! The length and time is catching up, so I had better close - but yes, I have contracted for another book with the tentative title of Colombia which would definitely attack both the FARC and Chavez - a nice 5,56mm slug right between the eyes would be very satisfactory way to end such a book - but I must admit that Shirley is pushing for something else in the Middle East, like elimination of Hamas or something similar - if only I could make it all come true! In the meantime, I'm happily on Chapter 20 of High Asia, where I can vent my anger at Afghans and Pakistanis to solme degree, and have introduced a lady West Point graduate named "Julie" (my fourth daughter's middle name), who is deadly with a pistol, as Dave Jackson's nominal boss. That is undergoing some changes as Shirley insists that I made her too bossy and a trifle arrogant, but she's a good strong character. I'm saving "Lia" as a heroine for Colombia. Must go! Shirley called for dinner! Best ever," Clint

On 11-16-10 Clint writes, "Dear Classmates and Ladies: Another birthday! They do seem to arrive more frequently, but I just ignore the whole business, and hope they will go away. It’s been another relatively quiet year, perched on the New Hampshire side of the river that is the boundary with Vermont, in a pleasant little settlement for us ancients called “Quail Hollow.” Of course I have yet to see any quails, but do have deer visible from my windows. Good fortune continues, with reasonable health and better spirits, and children and grandchildren - and even three great-grandchildren - all doing well. Unfortunately, none are in New England, but they are scattered in Western Canada, Montana and Texas - not an easy commute from New Hampshire. In addition, there is a very serious shortage of classmates in New Hampshire - the only other member of Black ‘51 is Lenny Shapiro, who lives in Nashua. And that’s a bit too far away for more than an occasional visit. However, if you should get lost and find yourself in the wilds of New Hampshire, the door is always open here. Most of my efforts are still directed at writing, and it’s still a very satisfying effort - and keeps me out of trouble. In the three and a half years here at Quail Hollow I am pleased to report that, after all the years of writing rather serious military articles, I am having much more fun with books. In that relatively short time I have published Falcon 6 (autobiographical for children and grandchildren), The Wild Blue (written for grandchildren with the hero and heroine both age 16 and fighting terrorists in the Midwest), and a series of adventure novels with the main charter a graduate of the Air Force Academy. The first was Kurdistan, and that was so much fun that I went on to a sequel, Cathay, and you will see the next in the series, High Asia before the end of the year. In High Asia I’ve listened to classmates and my daughters, and agreed that we need a West Point touch . I needed a pilot for Kurdistan, and after our era at USMA the young pilots seem to come from Colorado Springs, so that was a good start. Now, I have added a lady West Point graduate, as my Air Force hero’s boss. Naturally she’s a very remarkable lady soldier who is equally adept at eliminating the opposition and looking beautiful. The next book in the series is still unnamed, and has been a competition between Colombia and Venezuela (suggested by Larry and Lia Mintz) and the Middle East (suggested by my lady Shirley) - I’ll get both in due time, but right now I think I’ll send Dave Jackson to the Middle East, and team him up with an Israeli lady agent of the Mossad - another crack shot and beautiful, of course. My travels did take me to the Middle East several times, so at least I have a reasonable feel for the terrain - and like places like Petra and the old Crusader castles, and can have all sorts of troubles with Hamas, Hezbollah and other associated problem people. Once Dave Jackson sorts out all of the Middle East, then I guess it will be time to send him to Latin America to settle Hugo Chavez’s hash and eliminate as he nastys in Colombia. All this armchair traveling is probably going to be as far as the old body is going to travel. Unfortunately, the plans to join you all at the 60th are probably going to be denied by Shirley’s health, and much as I would love to see everyone, I’ll not leave Shirley. I had better explain. While I have given Shirley a miniature, we are not married, and live in separate apartments here at Quail Hollow - but are rather firmly attached for the rest of our lives. Shirley is just right for someone from M-1 (you may remember that the minimum height for a cadet is five feet and six inches - I measured five feet, five and one-half inches and the Surgeon General waived the half an inch with the comment “he’ll grow.” He didn’t grow taller, only a little fatter - and Shirley, who was once a trifle taller, is now just right at four foot ten. Absolutely perfect! She is also the brightest lady I have ever known, and edits my scribbling. I am still the most fortunate of males! So, I will be thinking of you at the 60th, and will be with you in spirit. Best ever, Clint

On 11-05-11 Clint writes, "Dear Fellow Survivors, Guys and Dolls Alike: Half the class is gone to the Happy Hunting Grounds? That doe not seem possible, since this will only be my thirty-ninth birthday - again. Actually, I think we are all blessed, and still stand together against all comers. Of course I stand straighter with my cane, since I seem to need propping up on occasion - like all of the time. But we continue to progress. I regret that I did not make the 60th, as it would have been great to see everyone - but even the relatively short trip from the New Hampshire-Vermont border was too much for Shirley, who has spent the last ten weeks in a nursing home - butt hopefully will be back for my birthday. Like everyone else, I have a few aches and pains, but we runts don't carry the same bulk around, hence gravity is kinder. Still scribbling, with the new book due out about now. This will be the fourth, and next to last with Dave Jackson as the sort-of hero. This one will be SHALOM - PEACE, which - like the other scribbling - is anything but peaceful. As you have guessed, this tale is mostly in Israel. I started in the fifth (and final in the Dave Jackson series), titled CRUCIBLE IN ASIA, but switched - temporarily - to another effort, titled THE SECOND THIRTY YEARS WAR - sort-of writing on two different manuscripts at the same time, according to the mood of the moment. SECOND THIRTY YEARS WAR is a new twist - set a century in the future. At the same time, I have not forgotten my promise to Larry and Lia Mintz to write something about Colombia. Come visit!! The only classmate in New Hampshire is Lenny Shapiro, over in Manchester - but I guess two from '51 is about all little New Hampshire can take, especially since both are from M-1 Grip hands!! Best ever," Clint Granger

Update by Ed on 6-2-2007 It's my day and what do I have to report? Not much of any-thing I'm afraid. Elaine and I are in good health. We have all of our teeth. no plugs in our ears and we walk without assistance from man or engineering marvels, though I must admit that single malt scotch does cloud my vision at times. She has taught this old dog a new trick... I am now quilting. We have, between us, 24 grandchildren and she has undertaken the project of making a quilt for each. We are now working on number six. Being an engineer I can see no solution except to keep working. Maybe that's what keeps us young? Our collective ten children and 24 grandchildren are all doing well, and what more can we want? One of our neighbors, three houses down, (I considered to be the oldest member of this part of our community), died two weeks ago. He was younger than I am! Maybe the 51 mystique holds unknown riches for some of us, though I am not looking for the oldest grad mantle. Life is good. It rained yesterday. In that one day we have had more rain than in all of Apr and May. You could almost hear the grass and trees saying "thank you Lord". And so life goes on. We are thankful for each morning that we awaken on the topside of the grass, and I am especially thankful for the having been accepted into this band of 51'ers. It's been a great ride so far. Let's see how long we can make it last. Much love to you all. I wish you peace. Ed

Update by Jim ... Since retirement Jim served as Project Leader with the PRC from 1985 to 1988 and as an engineer with SAIC from 1992 to 1993. Jim makes his home in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Update by Len ... . Lenny resigned his Captain's commission in 1958. In 1968 Lenny earned a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University and has been in the practice of law since. Lenny and his wife Charlotte make their home in Nashua, New Hampshire. (Len adds on 9-23-2004) TO THE CLASS OF '51 , their wives( the ones they've married as well as their old roommates) heir children, grandchildren, and if not now, soon, their great-grandchildren-GREETINGS from Len Shapiro, formerly of M-1, now and always of New Hampshire - which was formerly the home of the "Old Man of the Mountain" (Imagine that, we've outlived him!). For those of you unfamiliar with New Hampshire, the symbol of our state, the Great Stone Face (which is emblazoned on our license plates and all highway markers) came crashing down to earth this past year. For those of you who may remember me as one of the runts from M-1, I'm pleased to tell you that I am now six feet tall, at least in the eyes of my four grandchildren. Well, at least in the eyes of Michael, the youngest one of them. Charlotte and I have three grown (finally) daughters who have blessed us with four grandchildren. Two of our daughters, Marjorie and Barbara, live within two miles of us so we get to see them and their children almost on a daily basis. Marjorie is an Engineer and Barbara is in the process of completing her master's degree. Our other daughter, Laurie, lives in Sierra Vista, Arizona, which is outside of Ft. Huachuca where she was stationed when she was in the army. Two of our grandsons, Benjamin (age 20) and Matthew(age 17) (Marjorie's sons) are in the Marine reserves, having recently completed boot camp. Needless to say, they neglected to tell grandpa until after they made their commitments. Benjamin is in his sophomore year in the University of Maine, and we're afraid they will pull him out and send him to "you know where". Our only granddaughter, Rebecca (age 15), who plays hockey on two separate girl hockey teams, is about to start taking flying lessons, a bug she caught from her grandfather, a former Army Aviator. I left the army in 1958, worked as a mechanical engineer for about seven years and then decided to go to law school. I have been practicing Law since 1968 here in Nashua, NH where I grew up. About ten years ago I convinced my wife, partner, and best friend, Charlotte (a Physical Therapist by profession) to work with me as a paralegal in my Law Office, which she does with almost as much enthusiasm as she has shown in her preferred avocation as an antique dealer/collector. Although we are still working on a daily basis, we now find it's ok to spontaneously close the door, take the afternoon off, and go for a walk in the woods with Keisha, our nine year old Boxer ( who, incidently, also thinks I'm six feet tall). Good health and happiness to you all, and GO DEMOCRATS - BEAT REPUBLICANS

On 7-31-10 Len writes, " Good morning or afternoon, whichever it may be where ever you are. Even though another year has passed I am still younger and shorter than most of you. If you think I was short in 1951, you ought to see me now! Even though my arms are now about 2 inches closer to the ground than they were then, I feel like I’ve grown to six feet tall when I try to tie my shoes. – and forget getting back up- once I’m down there to tie them I generally think it’s a good idea to stay down there and rest a while. Here’s whats new since last we spoke!

My No. 2 grandson (Matt), who is the son of my No. 1 daughter (Marj), and who recently returned from Iraq where he served as a corporal in the marines, and is now living is a two room apartment in downtown Boston with his cat and dog (which he adopted while he was in Iraq) all while attending school and holding a full time job, recently learned that that there was a blind 9 year old dog In Tennessee, named Beebles, that needed a home. The people who had raised Beebles apparently could no longer care for it because it was suffering from glaucoma and they dropped it off at a shelter which in turn contacted a veterinarian who had to remove its eyes, leaving it completely blind. Now, I also have two other daughters, and my No. 2 daughter (Barb), who has always been called Beebles by daughter No. 1 (Marj), already has a blind Poodle which she has been raising since its birth along with her other two other dogs, two birds and an unknown number of cats. Apparently, either because of the similarity in the names between the dog and his aunt, or because her blind dog is a black toy poodle and Beebles is a white Bichon Frise, (a breed I had never heard of but have recently discovered looks very much like the negative of a picture of his aunt’s black poodle), Matt volunteered to rescue the dog and a week ago last Saturday picked up the dog which arrived in New Hampshire along with a van full of other dogs shipped north from our southern neighbors. It wasn’t until the day after taking the dog to his apartment that he realized maybe he had made an error in judgment. You see, where he lives in downtown Boston, there’s no place to park, never mind Pee. Also there are steps from his apartment to the outside world, and when a blind dog with 6 inch legs steps off of a 7 inch step, she’s really not sure whether the drop is 7 inches or 7 feet. However, my lovely wife, Charlotte, came to the rescue (what else would you expect a grandmother to do) and she is now the “seeing-eye grandma ” with a ranch type home complete with a back yard suitable for her new geriatric 13 pound blind dog with half a mouthful of teeth which she tells me may qualify us for handicap plates. So far this appears to be OK with my other dog and cat but I have been told that I have to be careful where I walk (for a couple of reasons) and I am not supposed to move my chair from where it sits, even if it’s to get closer to see the TV. It appears that I’ll will have to enjoy just listening to the TV, just like Beebles until our seeing-eye grandma and her charge complete their on-the-job training. On another note, now that I am approaching 81 (not until tomorrow) I have decided to reduce the amount of time I spend in the office and have limited my law practice to Estate Planning. Along with that I just started a Blog dealing primarily with New Hampshire law. In it, I intend to pose various legal fact situations and let the readers (if any) attempt to reason out appropriate legal resolutions. If you are interested it can be found at (Left Click to follow link) Regards and best wishes to all." Len Shapiro


On August 1, 2012 Len writes, "Here I am for my day again. I missed last year so I’ll cut this short to make up for it. I just turned 83 on August 1, and to celebrate the event I have notified all of my faithful clients (probably a half dozen or so, most of whom are relatives) that I have decided to take early retirement and close my law office effective September 1, 2012. You wouldn’t believe how many of them (well my wife, Charlotte, anyway) were opposed to the idea and have encouraged me to stay on, if for no other reason than to stay out of the kitchen. It’s not like I don’t have anything better to do. I’m still solely responsible for the major issues our family faces such as to decide what should be our collective stand on America’s foreign policy, how to improve our nation’s economy, and what position our country should take on the issues of gay marriage and abortion. I have left it up to Charlotte to determine when I should take my pills, when and where I should walk the dogs, and whether or not I’m hungry enough to eat, and if so, what. Two of our three daughters and their families live within two miles of our house, which is the starter home we bought 54 years ago. They visit us often to make sure we haven’t hurt ourselves since their last visit, haven’t fallen prey to some financial scam, and to remind us to put the car in reverse when backing out of the garage. Seems like yesterday we were checking my grandparents for the same things. Anyway, it’s been a great trip. We are really both very happy and healthy, have three wonderful daughters, three grandsons, one granddaughter and one great-grandson. Our two oldest grandsons have both served as Marine sergeants in Iraq and Afghanistan, our granddaughter works for the State Department in Washington and our youngest grandson just started his sophomore year as a Cadet at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. The great grandson hasn’t done much of anything to brag about other than being born in March of this year. Regards to all from Len & Charlotte Shapiro- M-1 Here I am for my day again. I missed last year so I’ll cut this short to make up for it. I just turned 83 on August 1, and to celebrate the event I have notified all of my faithful clients (probably a half dozen or so, most of whom are relatives) that I have decided to take early retirement and close my law office effective September 1, 2012. You wouldn’t believe how many of them (well my wife, Charlotte, anyway) were opposed to the idea and have encouraged me to stay on, if for no other reason than to stay out of the kitchen. It’s not like I don’t have anything better to do. I’m still solely responsible for the major issues our family faces such as to decide what should be our collective stand on America’s foreign policy, how to improve our nation’s economy, and what position our country should take on the issues of gay marriage and abortion. I have left it up to Charlotte to determine when I should take my pills, when and where I should walk the dogs, and whether or not I’m hungry enough to eat, and if so, what. Two of our three daughters and their families live within two miles of our house, which is the starter home we bought 54 years ago. They visit us often to make sure we haven’t hurt ourselves since their last visit, haven’t fallen prey to some financial scam, and to remind us to put the car in reverse when backing out of the garage. Seems like yesterday we were checking my grandparents for the same things. Anyway, it’s been a great trip. We are really both very happy and healthy, have three wonderful daughters, three grandsons, one granddaughter and one great-grandson. Our two oldest grandsons have both served as Marine sergeants in Iraq and Afghanistan, our granddaughter works for the State Department in Washington and our youngest grandson just started his sophomore year as a Cadet at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. The great grandson hasn’t done much of anything to brag about other than being born in March of this year. Regards to all from Len & Charlotte Shapiro- M-1

Update by Sherm ... . In 1957 Arlie obtained an MBA degree from Marquette University and the following year he resigned his Captain's commission in the Regular Army but kept a Reserve status. Arlie then became associated with the Tr Usem Chevrolet Company and was named President in 1972. In 1978 Arlie was named President of the Austin Finance Company a position he still holds. Arlie and his wife Paula make their home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Arlie has served on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Graduates and on numerous fund raising committees for the class. The Assembly noted; "Arlie & Paula Sherman are very happy in their new surroundings. Arlie has bounced back completely from his quadruple bypass of last year. Last spring, they traveled to Minnesota to visit their son Tom. In May, Arlie traveled to USMA for the last time as an active AOG Trustee after many productive years on the board. Congratulations Arlie."