NOVEMBER 2009 WEB COLUMN

   “Time Just Seems to Be Getting Much Quicker These Days,” said several sage soothsayers—and, our 50^th Reunion  September 29-October 3, 2010 could come a lot sooner than we might think.

   “The Northwest Falcons gathered at Ivar's Landing in Mukilteo, WA October 28th for great seafood and tales of the past,” wrote George Luck. “O'Keefe was absent, being on ‘special escort duty’ in the Hawaiian Islands. After lunch, I escorted the crew through the Midnight Express, the B-52G I flew while stationed at Castle AFB, now part of Seattle's Museum of Flight collection.” (First photo: George Luck, Nels Delisanti, Chuck Diver, Vic Yoakum, Jim O’Rourke; Second Photo: “B52G and Friends”).

   “Andi and Carole Biancur, Jim and Jeannette Glaza, Bruce and Caryl Mosier, and Jim and Bev O’Rourke stayed with us four days to see the AFA-Minnesota Gophers game in October,” reported CT Douglass, “flying in to see the first-ever football at the new Twin Cities Federal Stadium. O’Rourkes and my wife Brenda, our son Dax and I stayed with the Doc (across the street), while the others took the three bedrooms in our house.” Andi said: “We had a great weekend. Glaza and O'Rourke golfed at the Dellwood Country Club, while Bruce Mosier and I kayaked with CT.  We raced across the widest part of the St. Croix River, the border with Wisconsin, and qualified for ‘Sconnie’ citizenship--I won, followed by Mosier, with Douglass tipping over twice.” 

   “The stadium held 55,000, mostly gorgeous Scandinavian beauties,” said CT. “Air Force lost by a touchdown. Glaza was literally ‘beside himself,’ since he and Jenny were sponsors of our AFA quarterback.” “Brenda organized a tour of Stillwater with a Limo after the game, with cold drinks and specially-made goodies,” wrote Carole Biancur. “On this ‘surprise tour,’ we saw golden horses at the Capital, St. Paul Basilica (larger than Notre Dame),  Mall of America, lunched at The Dock, got a history lesson of Stillwater (oldest city in Minnesota), and viewed the timbered countryside.” (Photo: Bruce, Caryl, Brenda, Christie--Doc’s wife, Jeannette, Bev, Carole, Andi, and CT seated in the middle.

_______________________

   This is an absolutely great photograph and story—from the left, George Van Houten*, USNA(1960); Bill Goodyear*; Norwood Gay*, III, Navy mine sweeper captain; Jim Gifford, Navy carrier pilot; John Lovejoy, III, spine surgeon; John Lovejoy, II,  Navy surgeon; John Roche*, retired chemical distributor (black-shirted man is father-in-law of John Lovejoy, III.)  The asterisk* denotes those who were high school classmates at du Pont High School in Jacksonville, FL.  Van Houten, Gay, and Roche were all members of the football team, while William Goodyear was team manager. Bill explained that “For the past twenty years, these four high school classmates and good friends have attended the Navy-Air Force football game each year. We start Friday night at a nice restaurant for dinner, Saturday the tailgate and the football game, our hotel for pizza and beer, breakfast Sunday morning and departure later that day. When in Colorado Springs for the AFA-Navy match, Denis Walsh joins us and we spend Saturday night at his house in Denver.” (For those keeping score, this year’s game was at Annapolis, and Navy won 16-13 in overtime).    

   “We flew to London for a night with Eve's school friend,” wrote Frank Mayberry, "then La Coruña, Spain and Santiago de Compostela, the major pilgrimage cathedral. Attended my nephew's wedding in La Coruña---the reception lasted until 3 AM!  Across Spain to Biàrritz in France, Pamplona, Leon, Burgos and Lugo; in Pamplona, we were on the course the bulls run--no bull--walking the entire course, and visited the Iruna Cafe where Hemingway usually got drunk. Then, we went to the Pico de Europa National Park in northern Spain, hiking along a precipitous trail. Left Spain for two weeks in the UK, with one week in Cornwall. Eve and I boarded the Celebrity Constellation from Harwich, stopping at La Havre, Cherbourg, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow, Reykjavik, Saint John Newfoundland and Saint John New Brunswick, ending our voyage at Bayonne, New Jersey.”

    Tony & Carol Bilello joined Dick & Sally Sexton cruising to Catalina and Ensenada, Mexico, for Dick's 55th High School reunion from Downey (CA) High School--four days, and the photo was taken just before boarding the ship. There were the regular shore excursions and shows on the ship.

 

   Pete King wrote: “In mid-June, Linda and I and our 15 year old granddaughter from nearby Pace (FL) drove to the DC area for a few days with my son and Linda’s son and family; we then flew to Rome for a couple of days, took the train to Florence, where Linda was enrolled in a four-week sculpturing course. After a week in Florence we were joined by our daughter-in-law and her two children. Florence is full of museums, sculptures, churches, and historical sights. We then went to Athens for a great four days before returning to DC for the drive home to Valparaiso, FL. It was a great trip, and Linda gained a lot from the school.” 

 

   Syd Gurley left home in Orlando, FL for Colorado Springs to attend his USAF Helicopter Pilots’ Reunion on September 16, 2009, held every two years in a different location. “Rosie, the visit to C-Springs was great. Weather was perfect, except for the snow on Pikes Peak that prevented me from driving to the top (2 miles short). I spent a lot of time at the Academy. We had a tour of school and lunched with cadets--they were very personable and interesting to talk to, and just a great generation of kids—and, I visited my roommate Bob Sapp's gravesite. (“In the photo, these are helicopter pilots from my first tour in Germany, 1962 to 1965. The lady on the right is a helicopter pilot widow, the older gentleman is now her husband—he retired from United Technology Corporation (my company for 20 years); and, the 4^th Class female cadet guide was from my home town of Jupiter, Florida”).

 

 

   “Just home from the motorcycle trip to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia,” wrote JT Smith. “Riding buddy Fred came to my place in Clarksville, Tennessee, from his home near Ft. Worth, TX. We launched 10 August, and stopped to visit friends in southern New Hampshire before proceeding to Canada.”

   The first week of November, JT and wife Diane were in St. Petersburg, FL attending the Tampa Bay Classic, a "West Coast Swing" dance competition held at the Tradewinds Island Grand Resort Hotel on St. Pete Beach. They don't compete at such events, but they enjoy taking workshops, the social dancing, and watching the best dancers do their thing. While in the area, they also visited their son and family in Brandon, FL.

   “This has been quite a week--three banquets and a class luncheon in four days,” wrote Ken Alnwick. “The night of Thursday, October 8^th was the AF History Symposium and Awards Banquet, General Norton A. ‘Norty’ Schwartz (‘73) speaking, and I chatted with him. The subject was The Balkans Air Campaigns in the 1990s and Their Influence Since 2001, held at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA. I also renewed acquaintance with our old history professor, Captain (BG-Retired) Al Hurley. Then on Saturday, October 10^th, Bill Gillis and son Sebastian joined Judy and me at the Air Commando Reunion Banquet at Hurlburt Field in Ft Walton Beach, FL. ‘Norty’ spoke there as well, and paid homage to General John Allison, one of the founders of the 1st Air Commando Group (ACG) in Burma 65 years ago, and Jimmy Doolittle's copilot, LtCol Dick Cole. Sebastian collected signatures from the dignitaries and had a heartwarming chat with General Allison (This was, sadly, the last reunion for the original ACG).

   “On Sunday, Judy and I were joined for brunch in FWB by Bill and wife Kath and their children, Sebastian and Cecelia--plus Pete and Linda King, Mike (J) and Emma Clarke, and Dick and Marilynn Meyer.  Pete's wife, Linda, gave us a preview of her marvelous two-foot statue of a USAFA Cadet Falconer and his gyrfalcon (see photo). Mike had just attended his 43d Ranch Hand reunion and made all of us jealous with the pictures of his red and white Skybolt biplane. Dick and Marilynn both attended Choctawhatchee High School in FWB, and came together again at a band reunion a few years ago; they married in the summer of ’08, and have enjoyed playing together in a local swing band ever since. My last banquet came that evening when the Air Commando A/B/RB-26 drivers and spouses gathered to throw rolls at each other and tell off-color stories. (First photo, left to right: Dick and Marilynn Meyer, Pete and Linda King, Bill and Kath Gillis, Mike and Emma Clarke, Ken and Judy Alnwick; second photo is Linda and Pete King with Falconer statue).

 

 

   “I went to Jack Brush's fall party on Monday, Labor Day, September 7, 2009. 60 folks in attendance, including Jim and Jennie Glaza, Andi and Carole Biancur, Wayne and Barb Kendall,” wrote Denis Walsh. “The party seemed to be inclusive of Jack’s most interesting neighbors, with few others like myself. The house on the hill is just made for parties and was spectacular in the evening light. The chow was great. Dr. Wayne Kendall is still ‘full time’ but says he is going to unload about half his patients soon for a semi- retirement.”

   “The group pictures were taken September 2^nd on Camden Harbor's public landing here in Maine” wrote Al Johnson, adding that “more of our classmates are discovering the wonders of Maine, while the past 50 years seem to ‘melt away’ when we gather. The Stevens—Don & Joannie, of Destin, Florida --spend the summers at their beach club at Lake Lucerne and their home in Rockland, ME, with a great view of Penobscot Bay and the open ocean. Billy & Gayle Delony (Ocala, FL) have their summer home just minutes from Camden in picturesque Thomaston, ME, and  Billy is ‘disgustingly fit’ as a result of his intensive bicycling. The Chamberlins (Jim & Lynne) live in Bass Harbor, where Jim devotes time to the Maine Oceanographic Museum. Jim has sixteen grandchildren! (Jim, who left in November1957, said that: “I’m really happy to be in touch with you guys. I treasure my time at the USAFA, and am so happy to be included in the Reunion!”) Greg Boyington and June Colgan stayed with us three days.  (Photo: Jim Chamberlin, Billy Delony, Greg Boyington, Al Johnson, Don Stevens).

 

   Al and Gale Johnson bide their time between Maine and Alexandria, VA. “The cottage Gale built is really nifty and attracts a lot of tourist and local attention. Seems like Gale is conducting a guided tour of the place every few days--visitors come from around the world,” said Al. “We still have the Virginia house up for sale, but, the market’s very slow. September’s weather in Maine is magnificent, with nights high 40s, days in the mid 60s.” (Photo of the ladies: Joannie, Gayle, Gale, June).

 

    Al’s family: “Our son, Mike, has a retina surgeon private practice associated with Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor; our daughter, Dana, lives in Alexandria, VA, where she manages a search and rescue cadaver dog (for some reason, the dog always ‘points’ on me.) Mike has a second home in Camden, across the street from our cottage, and a place in Hampden, MA, near Bangor.” Al added that “The air quality in Maine is superb, and it has to be one of the greatest places in the country when the snow is not blowing horizontally and the cold winds from Yellowknife and Manitoba stay below 50 knots!” (Photo: Gale and Camden neighbors on the Johnson deck)

 

   Those high-climbing members of our Class who vaulted themselves to highly-elevated heights of the lofty peaks throughout colorful Colorado as members of the Mountaineering Club at the Academy included Jack Brush (3,2), Bert Croft (4,3,2), Brian Deem (3,2), Jerry Girard (3,2,1), Bill Gillis (3,2,1), Ace Holman (4,3,2), Al Johnson (2), Hardy Lebel (1-Material Officer), Jon McClure (3,2,1), Dick Shepard (3,2,1), Dale Thompson (3,2), and Howie Whitfield (3,2,1, President 1).

   Now, over 50 years later, two fearsome souls—Gregory Boyington, Jr., and Kenneth Hubert Biehle—have joined the exalted ranks of Sir Edmund Percival Hillary by reaching to the heavens with their climbing exploits, all done as a 50-year tribute to their Mountaineering Club cohorts. Shown in the photo are Greg Boyington and June Colgan, reportedly made after these two intrepid climbers had conquered Maine’s Mt. Battie in September ’09. “Mt. Battie is a ‘towering’ 780 feet, straight up from the coastal sea level, and Greg made the ascent without the help of oxygen and climbing gear, at great personal danger,” stated a report by one local observer. Later, however: “We (actually) drove both climbers to the top of that mountain,” reported the extremely honest host Al Johnson, at whose home Mr. Boyington was residing during the climb (Mr. Boyington was not available for comment).

 

   Ken Biehle  tells us of his own mountain-climbing exploit: “On 1 September, 2007, my friend Jerry Mohlenbrok (Captain, USCG retired; USCG Academy, '58) and I completed a ‘quest’  to backpack near the base of, and then climb, the nine named peaks in the Sierras that we can see from our respective houses here in California. We got the ‘peak-bagging bug’ while TDY to Yokota in 1995 with Southern Air Transport and climbed Mount Fuji. After retiring from Southern, we did Mount Whitney in 1997; then in '99 we began the quest, climbing the nine peaks, all at just under 10,000 feet, which was a tough slog for a couple of 73-year olds!”

 

   Baseball purist Bill Carnegie wrote that “My son Tom came back to D.C. for a short stay and we went to a Nats’ game (Washington Nationals), my first in that stadium (Nationals Park). Tom's cousin had made arrangements to go to the game, since his wife's company has a luxury box. Tom, Tom's brother-in-law, and I, drove close to the stadium and parked on the street at 6:30pm when parking is allowed after the rush hour. We took a cab over to the stadium--this worked O.K., since it was $18 for the trip over and back as opposed to $24 for stadium parking. Tickets were easy to get for $20 in the right field stands. Alas, that is my one major league experience of the summer.”
   High big league ticket prices nudged Norm Haller, Bob Badger, and Bill Carnegie to watch the Winchester Royals play Front Royal’s (VA) Cardinals in the Valley League (www.valleyleaguebaseball). “College players play for the summer, staying with local families,” said Norm. “They’re observed by scouts, and at least one local player got pulled up to a major-league farm team in mid-season this year.” Fans get low ticket prices, like at the Golden Baseball League in California ($5) and other Western States, Cape Cod Summer League, various Rookie Leagues, Southwest Florida’s FSL Class A ($1-$2) and the Gulf Coast Summer League (Free); also, you can visit minor league teams at www.MiLB.com).

  “I had a pain, doctor’s visit, CAT scan, and biopsy followed by a visit to my Hematologist/Oncologist today (11/04/09), all in the last eight days,” wrote Bill Carnegie. “ I have been diagnosed with a common form of lymphoma which has a good cure rate, and we have decided to ‘stomp it out;’ the chemotherapy will be liberally applied, causing temporary loss of hair. However, Anne and I fully intend to arrive at our 50^th Reunion in September 2010 with hair, whether it’s in style or not (the doctor also said that our three week schedule will let us go to Palm Springs, CA to beat the January (2010) chill for several weeks, as our plane tickets are already bought). I am quite willing to talk about the details of my illness and treatment.”  E-mail: William.carnegie@gmail.com, phone (540) 869-2871.

   Pictured is Bill and Kath Gillis’ son Glen, who’s in the Navy Reserve, resides in Phoenix where he works as an Engineer for Honeywell, and deployed mid-October to Bagram AFB in Afghanistan. “He is so upbeat and positive: ‘Mom, I'm an American fighting for freedom!’” wrote Kath. Glen worked at a BMW garage many years ago and raced the owner’s BMW, and considers this HumVee a challenging kick, especially off-roading it while in Survival Training at Camp McCoy, WI. “While driving the HumVee with night goggles, Glen said that the 50-caliber ‘turret guy’ above him had to keep him straight, as it was so very different, and when the gun fired it was especially tricky!” (Note: the vehicle pictured is the MRAP--Mine Resistant Ambush Protected).

 

 

   Sometimes you just have too much fun. As was the case when some ’60 out-of-towners dined with Jim and Jenny Glaza the weekend over the AFA-Army game on November 7th, and these two photos show the group at dinner on Sunday night regaled and regaling with laughter over “Now it can be told” stories from the 25^th reunion.  Attending were George and Becke Fries, Les and Marty Querry, Vic Yoakum and Suzanne Forselius along with locals Andi and Carol Biancur and Bruce Mosier.

 

 

   Les and Marty Querry’s sixth annual Falcon Roosting was held at their home in Bluemont, VA on 3-4 October, 2009—for the story and photographs, click HERE.