Jerry Hendricks W Bobby

Jerry & grandson W Bobby

Saul Jacobs (nd) W Arlene

Joe Sites W/Lee

Jerry Hendrcks's Update Gerry retired from the United States Air Force after thirty-two years of distinguished service on June 1, 1982 with the rank of Major General. He was awarded a second Distinguished Service Medal when he took his leave. Since retirement, Gerry has affiliated with United Technologies, Norden Systems as Director of Washington Operations. Gerry and his wife Barbara have a daughter, Karen and make their home in Alexandria, Virginia.

On 8-29-11 Gerry writes, "As I turn 84 -- and like my Mother said many years ago -- "I think I feel just like I did when I was 18 - but there are a few differences!"! Bobby and I are really doing quite well - considering our age group and the alternatives. However - Bobby is having memory/dementia problems and I am having some mobility problems - weak and unreliable legs - have to be very careful over rough terrain - and uncovering and getting in and out of our boats here at our 1000 Island Cottage is much more challenging than it used to be. However neither of us have any significant "painful" problems and our only child has given us four terrific grandchildren and three great grandchildren - so far - to keep us very involved and entertained. I am sorry to have missed our 60th Reunion - but the circumstances of Bobby refusing to go and not being able to leave her -- made missing it just one of the things I had to do. I am including a picture below of one of our recent Proud & Happier Moments -- a grandson`s graduation from Infantry Basic at Ft. Benning - and he is just now completing his Combat Medic Training at Ft. Sam and is headed for Special Forces via parachute school and then the 75th Ranger Regiment at Ft. Benning -- with a lot of tough further training & probably deployments ahead. He has his college degree and hopes to eventually become a commissioned Army Physicians Assistant. - Best Wishes to you all Gerry Hendricks Grandson was part of the graduation demo team -- & as you see I was able to still get my uniform on -- per our daughters adamant/demanding request - Gerry

On September 4, 2012 Gerry writes, "Following our class tradition - I am reporting - a little late - the successful passage of my 85th Birthday - my legs are weak and wobbly and Bobby has significant memory problems but we are actually hanging in there pretty well. I am still part of our classes Executive Committee but most of our focus is now on the wonderful family our daughter - the creator and Exec. Director of the FL Crystal Springs Preserve and her husband - retired from Verizon but now working for Met Life - have created for us - four grandchildren and three great grandchildren so far. I try to stay upright by going to our Ft. Belvoir "Body Shop" most days and one of my incentives to keep looking to the future is that one of my friends & gym mates is Army Col. Bob Rosa who was a Lt in the Normandy Landing - is a widower that drives up everyday from the Army Fairfax retirement community and later this month will turn a Cool 98 yrs old!! We were able to attend our Army Ranger Grandson`s wedding in the Big Canoe area of NW Georgia in early July and have spent the rest of the summer here at our Canadian cottage on Hill Island in the 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River. We are on the same Island as Canadian Customs on I-81 into Canada via the 1000 Island Bridge system so do not need a boat to get to our cottage. I only put our jet ski in the water early-on and waited till our Coast Guard Grandson and family visited to put in bigger boat. This years low water, heavy canvas and weak legs make it tough for me to get in and out of and uncover etc. our main boat.. So am now waiting for daughter and husbands arrival for final use and storage of boats and winterizing of cottage this next week. Our four grandkids, so far - have all gone military - the Coasty is now getting his Masters at Harvard, our AF Granddaughter got out after two Mid East deployments and is raising her family with her Naval Aviator husband in a Hawaiian assignment - our Army Ranger & his wife, who is a speech therapist - is finishing his 9 month Special Ops. Combat Medic program at Ft. Bragg and then will be back to the 75th Ranger Regt. for combat deployment and the youngest is a senior - finishing his Army ROTC scholarship at Ol`e Miss - and is expecting to be an Army Lt next spring -- all we need is a Marine!! A recent event: Four days ago we had a real exciting morning. Bobby caught a bee or two up in her hand while we were servicing our humming bird feeders & Wow! - "their stings really hurt!" - so we rushed into the sink and started running cold water on the stings - she said "that feels a lot better - but now I`m feeling dizzy" and then totally collapsed on our kitchen floor. There could not have been more than 2 minutes between the stings and her being essentially unconscious on the floor and it happened so suddenly I was hardly able to prevent her really whacking her head. After calling 911, getting our nurse neighbor - ambulance getting lost on our island - a gurney ride and then a 35 mile ambulance trip to Kingston Canada`s hospital, medication, EKG etc. etc. she is doing okay. She had never shown any allergy to bee stings before? This event also contributed to our not being able to attend my 90 year old brother-in-law`s funeral in Oregon yesterday! Well - if anyone has gotten this far - I know this has been a long report - and I hope all of you classmates, your wives and your and our friends have a good year & that I am still here to make a shorter report to all of you again next summer" Gerry


On 9-1-2013 Gerry writes, "Well at 86 - my legs are a little weaker and wobblier but I am still upright! - Bobby is in good shape physically but memory is no better & now includes, quite often - things like challenging who I am and why I am here in HER house that her "Mother and Father built and paid for"? -- Of course they were both dead well before we retired and bought this house.HOWEVER, we both have many things to be thankful for. My inability to really wrestle boats and jet skis and Bobby`s confusion and impatience problems - caused us to shorten our summer 1000 Island cottage visit- but we are blessed with a wonderful family to enjoy and stay in contact with - including our Coast Guard grandson and family that has moved in just 1.5 miles from us for his current HQ CG assignment.I know that most of you have families you are very proud of and I would like to share a recent picture of our four grandsons that are in the service - and would like to call your attention to how much the 3 brothers - even though there is a 12 yr age spread - look alike. Iv`e also included a picture of Bobby & I having lunch by the St. Lawrence River.- Till next year - The Lord willing" Gerry Hendricks

Saul Jacobs's Update Jake's last military assignment was to Headquarters, Department of the Air Force from 1966 to 1970 when he retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel. After his retirement Jake accepted a position as Project Manager with a Consulting Engineering firm and in 1985 became a Partner in the firm. Jake and his wife Arlene make their home in McLean, Virginia. The May 1991 Assembly noted, "T reports that Saul, who had a heart attack in December, is recovering nicely with Arlene's help. He carefully selected his MD, a skier who believes in exercise when recovering from a heart attack. Result: Saul bought a condo in Snowmass, CO, a great ski area, and in February will be there to recover and ski." (The photo shows Saul and Gerry Hendricks pondering what to do for another full day of retirement, cruising, golf, fishing, hunting, etc.

Joe Site's Update Almost every morning when I wake up, I say a short prayer of thanksgiving. Then with deliberation and not much speed I get up, do my ablutions, and have breakfast. After breakfast I tend do slow down by reading the Washington Post. The Post has gotten to be as thin as the Lynchburg News was when I delivered it, 1941-1946. It no longer has a separate daily business section nor does it have the separate weekly book section. Considering the local sports teams, it has adequate sports coverage and if you include the reporting on Capitol Hill, the comics are pretty complete. By the time I finish the paper, the mail, mostly junk arrives. I hope that the volume will help keep the Post Office going. A few comments on the Junk Mail tell our story pretty well. Junk Mail contents: Bulb and seed catalogs-I still have bulbs I didn't plant last Fall; Medical supplies catalog. I have never met Dr. Leonard, but I feel like I know him. I think that he is a lecherous hypochondriac We get most of our medicine and care from Kaiser Permanents- so far- it has been very good.; Cruise catalogs- We haven't taken a cruise in the last couple of years and don't plan to this year, we still use our time shares and visit our son and his family in Richmond; Retirement home adds- Hopefully we can stay in our house for a few more years. I read that our 6 feet of snow since 18 December is a result of Global Warming. I sincerely hope that we don't have a Global Cooling. Lee and I wish you all the best and many happy "My Days." Joe.

On 2-17-2010 Joe wrote, "Lee and I are still hanging in. I know the phrase is probably overused, but it describes us pretty well. The knees and hips restrict mobility a little and a few other aches and pains, but at our age; What can you expect?. I was with Joe Smith the other day and he made the wise comment that you would expect from an engineer: "Look at the Obituary Column- Most of them are younger than we are". We still plan to go to the reunion. I have had a chance to observe our reunion committee at some of their work. If it is not an outstanding event it will not be their fault. They really do deserve a lot of thanks. We belong to three bridge groups (including the class of "50 Bridge Group), a church book group and Lee is still very active with the Tuesday Afternoon Club. In the last year, we have taken a number of courses from The Teaching Company (Foundations of Western Civilization, World's Great Paintings, et al). Right now we are studying Cathedrals. The lecturer who is really good said that the Chartres Cathedral is the greatest church building in the world. That immediately brought to mind the heroic action of Alice Irving's father which saved the cathedral from destruction. The lecturer's comment really put in perspective what a great thing Alice's father did. All the best to everyone." Joe

On July 10, 2011 Joe writes, "On the fourth of July we had a big celebration. This was an appropriate preparation for Andy Remson's birthday on the fifth. I hesitate to write this but I don't think that Andy is sending out a MY Day and Since we have been working together for the last 32 years ( not counting some previous episodes when I worked for him with him and in between) I thought that I would write something since I know that he is extremely busy. In addition to being the new class president. Andy is still working full time at BRTRC. He continues to provide the Army great assistance in doing Life-Cycle Cost Estimates on major systems. In this work he is particularly well qualified because of his Oxford Economics education and his Masters including a P.E. in Civil Engineering. Andy also is a valuable resource in BRTRC's Countermine work. Andy's son continues to travel around the world providing support for State Department Installations, checking and improving security. Andy doesn't know that I wrote the above and may not approve of it but I thought that the class should know. All the best to all, and Andy if you object please remember you threatened to transfer one of your employees to me." Joe

On Febuary 17, 2012 Joe writes, "Sixty years ago today, I was in the pipeline to Korea. When I got to Japan I was diverted and sent to the CBR school at Gifu. One morning while at the sinks shaving I noticed that the man next to me had a Virginia Driver's license showing in his wallet. I asked and learned that he (Denny Fringer) was from Lynchburg, VA which is about 20 miles up the James River from my home village, Gladstone. During the following weeks we saw each other every day and had many conversations. When we finished the school, we said that when we got back to Virginia we would arrange to see each other. He stayed in Japan. After a few hitches, including a clerk transposing numbers in my MOS, I became an Observation Battalion Platoon Leader instead of being an Armored Field Artillery Battery Officer. My platoon was in the Chorwon Valley and frequently moved wherever Chinese Artillery was the most active. Since I had never even heard of an Observation Battalion I was very lucky to have a good sergeant who taught me what I needed to know. One good feature of the job was that it was a four point assignment with no going in reserve. This meant that I had a short tour and nine months after I left Gifu I had finished my tour in Korea and was in Virginia on leave. One day while on leave, I went with my Dad to a Masonic meeting in Lynchburg. Denny was sitting across the lodge hall and we immediately saw each other and met outside. He said that we should go on a double date. I told him I didn't know any young ladies in Lynchburg. He called his wife and she called one of her colleagues in the Engineering Department of the Lynchburg Foundry. That is how I met Elizabeth Lee Rucker. Eleven months later we were married and stretching the facts a little I have been able to say that I met my wife in a latrine in Japan. Lee has been my loving supportive wife now for 58 years. She had to move 18 times, traveled in 49 states and 53 countries. We have one wonderful son ,53, who, as an archaeologist has filled in a few blanks of Virginia History. Our special Grandson Sam ,14, is a highly competitive swimmer. Our talented Daughter-in-law, Caroline Kettlewell,(she is very very young, indeed) is a published author, assistant editor of "Virginia Living" and instructor at Randolph Macon College in addition to being a deep water swimmer. Lee and I are doing as well as cam be expected and wish all of you the very best." Joe


On Feb. 17, 2013, Joe writes, "During the recent cold weather I noticed Lee at the front windows looking for the paddy wagon to take aged citizens to Florida. There has been no wagon and we are still in the City of Fairfax house which we bought fifty years ago when we came to Washington for our first assignment at the Pentagon. The house is much the same but I notice that the stairs seem steeper and the distance from where I am to where I need to be keeps getting longer. Lee is not playing bridge as often and has had fewer activities with the Tuesday Afternoon Club, but is reading vociferously. We are still taking the Teaching Company's Great Courses and had we taken them for credit, I suspect that we would by now have PhDs in Art History, Music Appreciation and World History. I recently completed reading the New Testament in the Gullah Language. This language created by slaves and ex-slaves along the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia really expresses the New Testament in direct meaning- ful ways. It was worth the effort. We send our best wishes to everyone." Joe


On Jun 14, 2013, Andy Remson wrote: "Dear Classmates, Wives, and Widows, As many of you will recall, Joe Sites grew up in Gladstone, which is in Nelson County, Virginia, not far from Appomattox. He delivered newspapers, served as the RFD mail carrier, and worked on the railroad. He knew everyone. Last weekend he was invited back to give a presentation on the history of Gladstone. Joe's presentation was a great success. There were more than 100 people in the audience – actually more than the current population of the village. Congratulations, Joe!" Andy Remson

On Monday, February 17, 2014 3:58 PM, Joseph Sites wrote: "Lee and I are still in the house we bought in 1963 (50 years and counting). As I may have said last year the house is the same but the steps seem steeper and the distances from where we are and where we need to go seem longer. December marked our 60th wedding anniversary. Considering age, wear and tear etc. we are doing fairly well. We don't play as much bridge or travel as much but I believe that we are reading more and are extremely conscientious about our Great Courses. If they offered credit and if we had passed the courses, we would probably have PhDs in Art, Music and History. In my last MY Day message I mentioned the great courses I received e-mail from Al Akers and Fred Irving that they too are taking the courses. In fact, I believe I saw Al in the introduction of one of the courses. I also saw on a TV show that Bill Gates had a book case full of the courses. All of this assures me that Lee and I are keeping good company. All the best to all of you," Lee and Joe