Greetings once again from Chicago! Hope all is well at your end of the Long Gray Line! You should have received by now, a copy of the 5th revision of the Class History either by mail or in person at Ric's retirement ceremony in DC.  If you have not received a copy, please email me with your complete mailing address and I will get one off to you.

The planning for the Mini Reunion continues to go well. Just to review: 

1)Yes, you can still sign up. You can do so up through October and also cancel up
through September with no financial risk. So, if you haven't signed up, email me and I will send you the RSVP package. The cost is $250 per couple ($125 for you single people) plus the cost of your room at La Fonda, personal meals and shopping, etc. and transportation. We will have one scheduled dinner and a cocktail party as it stands now. 

2) This is NOT a golf outing for the boys.  We will have an organized golf outing one afternoon during the long weekend at one of the finest courses in New Mexico (go to www.paako.com and look for the Paako Ridge Golf Course south of Santa Fe).  '58 had a golf outing there and loved it! 

3) Free and unstructured time will dominate the weekend, so you can do as much or as little as your heart desires. 

4) Lots and lots of things to do: shopping, several hundred art stores along famous Canyon Road, the Georgia O'Keefe museum, great restaurants, functioning Pueblos (small villages inhabited by Native Americans) and Indian jewelry, art, etc. and much, much more. 

5) Taos is an easy trip one hour north for a day long visit and shopping tour. So, give it some thought if you haven't already signed up!

The update on Ric & Patty's retirement parade and Class function will be in the next issue, since this one is being written in early May. I have received several comments from classmates visiting the Academy that our Class gift area, just outside the Cadet Library, is getting alot of use by the cadets, officers and visitors (see attached picture). One visitor was Lee Hewitt who sent this picture. Lee is working at  Boeing Army Future Combat systems and shares an office with his roomie of 38 years ago - Bill Hecker. Rick Bunn is looking for Ron ("Chops") Walter, who's address as listed in our 35th Roster is no longer valid. Ron?? Interesting article in the April 21st edition of Business Week concerning Chuck Shaw and his new wine dubbed "Two Buck Chuck" wine. Good to see that Chuck's back in the swing of things.

I have mentioned in a previous Notes that Don Kurtz is fighting Altzeimer's.  The next picture shows our guy taking his story to Congress, where he testiified with the coach of the St. Louis Rams (seated three to Don's left).

Roger Griffin wrote from his home south of Richmond that he had called Randy
Guenther after reading of Randy's illness in one of our Class emails. He was delighted to talk to his Firstie roomie and even learned that the DC contingent hosts luncheons, coordinated by Bob Harter. Roger attended one and was delighted to see many old classmates. On his way home, Roger visited Tim Vogel at the nursing home. He met Tim's "mother hen" Hilga and they had a good time laughing at old cadet stories, especially ones about Chuck Pfeifer, who was Roger's Plebe roomie in M-1. Tim really enjoys these visits, so if you have the time, stop by and brighten his day!

John & Linda Concannon have returned, in one piece, from their tour in Ireland in 2001 where our white-haired solon served an internship with the Irish Parliament. No sooner had he returned to his post at the DoD Partnership for Peace then he was appointed Eurasia Regional officer and was off to CENTCOM Hqs where he will be working with Tom Barnett (or is it Jay Gardner) one of whom will be in charge of the Iraqi reconstruction.

Last time around, I reported that Jim Seaborn was looking for Larry Isakson and Carl Gentine. Well, Larry is still in uniform as a USAF COL stationed at Hill AFB in Utah. Still looking for Gentine. As you will see in the newest version of the Class History, Larry will be one of the last two still in uniform with the retirement of Ric and the pending 2004 retirement of  Dick Coleman. Any guess who the other one is? See page 30 of the History for the answer. Speaking of the History, it now contains an index by classmate and an index by all other names as well as a glossary for the spouses and offspring who may not be up to speed on all of the cadet slang! The complete History will also be available at the Class website (www.aogusma.org/class/1965).

Jim Webb just retired from his school district job in Phoenix. In response to our query on grandchildren, Bob White reports that he and Ceil have been married for about 25 years (2nd marriage for both) and have 16 grandkids ranging from 2 to 19 between them. He is an environmental engineer for the State of NH working in air pollution. John & Mary Johnson are retired and living in Winnsboro, SC and report that their two daughters are married with one grandson apiece and their son is in Florida. John also sent the following pictures, one of which was a Super Bowl party that shows: Matt Seymour ex '89-John's son), Ray Paske, Denny Lewis (who organized the affair), John Seymour, John, Bill Zadel, Don Parcells, Rollie Stichweh, Bob Bedell, Bob Jones, Cammy Lewis ('63), Chuck Shaw and Matt Jones ('99, Bob's son). Tom Abraham was also there but missed the picture.The second picture shows the '64 Army backfield of Johnson, Parcells, Seymour and Stichweh.

Following in Locurcio's Gulf War I Kuwait footsteps, John Pickler is off to Iraq with the Bechtel advance team to begin the reconstruction of Iraq. Stay safe, John. So, instead of commuting from TN to DC, the trip is a bit longer.  Wes & Linda Taylor are alive and well in South Bend, where he has been trying to resurrect the not-for-profit that he took over two years ago. "Overextended and underfunded" was how Wes described the operation. He is making good progress and is in it for the long haul, which will, unfortunately, prohibit his attendance at Class functions for some time.

Tom & Marilyn Kovach attended the wedding of Hank & Ann Sterbenz's daughter Kristin to Nate Engel in Fairfax, VA. Dave & Stash Vann also attended. Tom also
attended a Special Forces graduation in NC for a relative and on his way back
through Raleigh-Durham, visited Bob & Judy Mace, his old Ranger buddy, along with their daughter Katherine and Granddaughter Caroline.Preston Hughes reported that he saw former Tac Ashby Foote and Joe Fant (English) at a Jackson, MS Founder's Day dinner in March. At another function in Brevard City, FL, our own dentist John Bell listened to a "riveting" presentation by fellow dentist Don Erbes (President of Central District of FL Dental Assn) wherein Don talked about WP, RVN, the Army etc. and how his military background related to denistry. I wonder if you guys have any idea how many dentists we have in the Class? Send me names if you do. Thanx!

Fred Grates reports that Jon King was doing well in late March with his new heart and that they expected him to go home shortly. Bob & Barb Anderson just returned from almost 4 years of healthcare missionary work in Camaroon, West Africa, where they worked among a largely Muslim population in the French speaking area just north of the equator. They are now in San Francisco. A friend of Tony Borrego is looking for Marshall Schwartz, who wrote the Memorial Article.  Anyone know where Marshall is?? The AOG is looking for Richard Chapman.  Anyone know??

Well folks, that's it for now. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Denny Coll