How many people you know have been to Antarctica, that continent of ice down under, and returned with a boatload of photos?
Sue Bagg-Foreman has done just that, and now she's sharing her color photos of Antarctic scenery.
Check in at web.mac/sueforeman. The slide show changes every day.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Latest News on May Reunion
Class president Woody Reedy Tanner reports that to date (March 7) 80 people have confirmed via payment that they will be at the May class reunion.
In case some of you have forgotten who to make the check out to, here are the details:
Up to March 15: a check for $70, made out to NEHI 58 Reunion. Mail it to Woody Reed Tanner, 3325 Sailview Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112. If you have other questions for Woody, you can phone him at 804-639-2443. (Reunion Tickets at the door will cost you $85.)
More news: Because you expressed so much interest in a bus tour of St. Petersburg, Woody has reserved a bus (36 people maximum) for a tour that will start at the Hampton Inn on Beach Drive at 9 am on Thursday, May 15, and end up at 1 pm with a lunch. The itinerary will be specially designed for those of you who haven't been in the old home town in a number of years.
Our reunion Information Room, located in the Hampton Inn, will let you pre-register, receive your official name tag, a gift bag of souvenir goodies, and check in on whether your friends have hit town or not. The Information Room will be open from 2 pm to 5 pm on Wednesday, May 14 and from 2 pm to 5 pm on Thursday, May 15. When you stop by to check in, you can help yourself to coffee, sodas, and pastries.
Girls Night Out, the Pot Luck dinner, and the picnic are all events that a number of you indicated interest in, but the details for these events are being handled by people other than Woody. If you are one of those coordinators, send details to patful01@msn.com so that we can publicize the events in the blog.
At the May 15 Reunion dinner/dance at the Coliseum, Woody will be the emcee for the program. Bucky Merritt will be in charge of a special memorial recognition for our deceased classmates.
Woody says about six people have signed up for a golf outing on Friday, May 16. Larry Britner is in charge of details for a breakfast on Sunday, May 18.
In case some of you have forgotten who to make the check out to, here are the details:
Up to March 15: a check for $70, made out to NEHI 58 Reunion. Mail it to Woody Reed Tanner, 3325 Sailview Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112. If you have other questions for Woody, you can phone him at 804-639-2443. (Reunion Tickets at the door will cost you $85.)
More news: Because you expressed so much interest in a bus tour of St. Petersburg, Woody has reserved a bus (36 people maximum) for a tour that will start at the Hampton Inn on Beach Drive at 9 am on Thursday, May 15, and end up at 1 pm with a lunch. The itinerary will be specially designed for those of you who haven't been in the old home town in a number of years.
Our reunion Information Room, located in the Hampton Inn, will let you pre-register, receive your official name tag, a gift bag of souvenir goodies, and check in on whether your friends have hit town or not. The Information Room will be open from 2 pm to 5 pm on Wednesday, May 14 and from 2 pm to 5 pm on Thursday, May 15. When you stop by to check in, you can help yourself to coffee, sodas, and pastries.
Girls Night Out, the Pot Luck dinner, and the picnic are all events that a number of you indicated interest in, but the details for these events are being handled by people other than Woody. If you are one of those coordinators, send details to patful01@msn.com so that we can publicize the events in the blog.
At the May 15 Reunion dinner/dance at the Coliseum, Woody will be the emcee for the program. Bucky Merritt will be in charge of a special memorial recognition for our deceased classmates.
Woody says about six people have signed up for a golf outing on Friday, May 16. Larry Britner is in charge of details for a breakfast on Sunday, May 18.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Making Connections
Are you coming to the reunion in May in St. Petersburg?
Would you like other classmates to be able to "find" you?
Here's an offer:
Carolyn Gramling McAleece and I will be staffing an "Information Room" at the Hampton Inn Hotel on Beach Drive. We can picture that some of you will stop by the room to check in and to find out if particular classmates are coming, and if so, when will they get into town and where will they be staying.
If you would like to make this information available, so that we can pass it along, send the following to me at patful01@msn.com:
Your name
Where you will be staying in St. Pete (hotel, friend's house, with relatives, etc.)...You do not have to include the address if you wish to have privacy.
Your cell phone number (if you have one and if you will be bringing it to the reunion)
The date you will arrive in town and the date you will leave.
Again, this is all voluntary information. We will compile a master list of these details and keep it available at the Information Center.
We also hope to have some Chamber of Commerce brochures on sights to see in case you want to make some side trips.
Would you like other classmates to be able to "find" you?
Here's an offer:
Carolyn Gramling McAleece and I will be staffing an "Information Room" at the Hampton Inn Hotel on Beach Drive. We can picture that some of you will stop by the room to check in and to find out if particular classmates are coming, and if so, when will they get into town and where will they be staying.
If you would like to make this information available, so that we can pass it along, send the following to me at patful01@msn.com:
Your name
Where you will be staying in St. Pete (hotel, friend's house, with relatives, etc.)...You do not have to include the address if you wish to have privacy.
Your cell phone number (if you have one and if you will be bringing it to the reunion)
The date you will arrive in town and the date you will leave.
Again, this is all voluntary information. We will compile a master list of these details and keep it available at the Information Center.
We also hope to have some Chamber of Commerce brochures on sights to see in case you want to make some side trips.
Nothing "Senior" Here!
Joan (Moody) Vetter and husband Ted do not fit the stereotype of retired people in rocking chairs. Joan sent this photo of the couple at a church sock hop. Note the Viking emblem on Joan's sweater and the motorcycle behind them. They fit right in with the rest of our 1958 class, just loaded with people who are active, involved, and "where it's happening" (to use a well-worked phrase).
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A Bargain at $10
Someone asked me the other day how much I paid for my 1958 Viking Log. I couldn't remember.
Well, the Oct. 11, 1957 edition of the Nor'easter has the answer: $10. An article in that issue mentions a $10 package fee for seniors. The fee covered rental of cap and gown, the tassel, a diploma cover, a Viking Log and class dues. Imagine what that would cost us today?
Also in the Oct. 11 edition: The annual Homecoming celebration would be on Nov. 1, with a football game played against Tampa's Chamberlain High School. A parade of cars and floats would feature the Homecoming Queen and eight attendants. Here are some of the people heading up various committees for Homecoming: Martha Heath, prizes; Kathy Hutchins, dance; Sharon Thompson, general chair; Jan Duggar, general co-chair; Ralph Buxton, parade; Judy Williams, election of queen; and Trudy Andringa, coronation.
Students who had received "bids" to join a service club attended a evening session for "Get To Know Your Clubs". Among those representing the various clubs were Ann Leedy, Rojans; Ralph Spaulding, Junior Exchange; Ann Taylor, Anchor Club; Ralph Buxton, Key Club; Carol Rupert, Civinettes; and Trudy Andringa, Keyettes.
Another article in that newspaper issue profiled the Northeast majorettes. The seniors in the group were Rose Cruz and Carol Rupert.
In October of 1957, we were sharing quarters with students from Meadowlawn Middle School while they waited for the construction of their new school to be completed. Several students from Northeast were asked their opinion of this arrangement. Their responses were priceless.
Bob Vannatta: Lovely. Jan Wilfong: I like the short periods because you have more time to do your homework and still have time for fun. Mike Reed: I love it!
Well, the Oct. 11, 1957 edition of the Nor'easter has the answer: $10. An article in that issue mentions a $10 package fee for seniors. The fee covered rental of cap and gown, the tassel, a diploma cover, a Viking Log and class dues. Imagine what that would cost us today?
Also in the Oct. 11 edition: The annual Homecoming celebration would be on Nov. 1, with a football game played against Tampa's Chamberlain High School. A parade of cars and floats would feature the Homecoming Queen and eight attendants. Here are some of the people heading up various committees for Homecoming: Martha Heath, prizes; Kathy Hutchins, dance; Sharon Thompson, general chair; Jan Duggar, general co-chair; Ralph Buxton, parade; Judy Williams, election of queen; and Trudy Andringa, coronation.
Students who had received "bids" to join a service club attended a evening session for "Get To Know Your Clubs". Among those representing the various clubs were Ann Leedy, Rojans; Ralph Spaulding, Junior Exchange; Ann Taylor, Anchor Club; Ralph Buxton, Key Club; Carol Rupert, Civinettes; and Trudy Andringa, Keyettes.
Another article in that newspaper issue profiled the Northeast majorettes. The seniors in the group were Rose Cruz and Carol Rupert.
In October of 1957, we were sharing quarters with students from Meadowlawn Middle School while they waited for the construction of their new school to be completed. Several students from Northeast were asked their opinion of this arrangement. Their responses were priceless.
Bob Vannatta: Lovely. Jan Wilfong: I like the short periods because you have more time to do your homework and still have time for fun. Mike Reed: I love it!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Three Views of Cuba
When I was in Mrs. Shrum's Spanish classes at Northeast (I think I had her for Spanish I and II), one of the annual events was a field trip (usually during the spring) to Cuba. My family was never able to afford the ticket, but I remember hearing the students and Mrs. Shrum talk about the fun they had visiting Havana, Veradero Beach, a cigar factory, and other places on the island.
We all graduated in 1958; in 1959 the trips came to an eternal end because Fidel Castro (at first viewed as a "savior" from the harsh rule of Fulgencio Batista) came into power and complete control of Cuba. It was no longer a "friendly" place for American students to visit on a holiday.
Fast-forward to the 1970s, when I was living in the Panama Canal Zone, married to a Canal Zone policeman. Through Panamanian friends of ours, we became aware that Cuba had special agents working in Panama, influencing the school system, the formation of agricultural co-ops for the farmers, and the interrogation and torture of people who opposed Gen. Omar Torrijos' dictatorship. The Cubans worked closely with Manuel Noriega, then in charge of what was known as "the G-2", the secret police.
Although I can speak Spanish, I do not have the ability to detect one country's Spanish accent from another. But our Panamanian friends knew a Cuban accent when they heard it. And some who underwent torture at the hands of the G-2 recognized Cuban voices in the room.
Fast-forward to 2001 and onward: I now live in Miami, FL, where Fidel Castro is a well-known but unseen presence among those in the community. A warning to "Anglos" (non-Hispanic): If you come to Miami, and you hear a discussion about Cuba and Castro, do more listening than talking. The subject of Cuba is a very touchy, highly electric topic for the Cubans here--who are capable of taking all sorts of points-of-views. (The older generation probably thinks about returning to Cuba if Castro dies. Second generation Cubans may see Cuba as a place to visit, but no longer a place to make a home and pursue a career. The tricky part is, when you are in a group of Cubans, you never know just what their views are, and if you as an Anglo are outspoken in what they think is the WRONG direction, you could get yourself in a lot of trouble.)
Cubans here keep in touch with their friends and relatives in Cuba through phone calls, people who visit and bring news, etc. When there was a rumor that Castro had died (unfortunately, untrue) people went out into Calle Ocho (8th St.) and began banging pots and pans in celebration. More recently, when Raul Castro took over power because Fidel said "I want to step down", the Cubans have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
The Manuel Noriega who terrorized Panama while I was there is sitting in a jail here in Miami, trying to avoid extradition to France for trial on other charges, once his prison sentence here is finished.
I first became aware of Cuba through my Northeast High Spanish classes. Now I live in a place where Cuba is an intricate part of the culture and conversation and community awareness.
I have included these comments on Cuba (and they're just my own observations and opinions) because US newspapers don't give much coverage to Latin America unless there is a government overthrow, a volcano eruption, a bloodbath in the streets, or the death of a leader. I realized when I moved to Panama that many Americans viewed Spanish-speakers as those who wear serapes, sombreros, and eat tacos all day. There is so much more to Latin America than that.
We all graduated in 1958; in 1959 the trips came to an eternal end because Fidel Castro (at first viewed as a "savior" from the harsh rule of Fulgencio Batista) came into power and complete control of Cuba. It was no longer a "friendly" place for American students to visit on a holiday.
Fast-forward to the 1970s, when I was living in the Panama Canal Zone, married to a Canal Zone policeman. Through Panamanian friends of ours, we became aware that Cuba had special agents working in Panama, influencing the school system, the formation of agricultural co-ops for the farmers, and the interrogation and torture of people who opposed Gen. Omar Torrijos' dictatorship. The Cubans worked closely with Manuel Noriega, then in charge of what was known as "the G-2", the secret police.
Although I can speak Spanish, I do not have the ability to detect one country's Spanish accent from another. But our Panamanian friends knew a Cuban accent when they heard it. And some who underwent torture at the hands of the G-2 recognized Cuban voices in the room.
Fast-forward to 2001 and onward: I now live in Miami, FL, where Fidel Castro is a well-known but unseen presence among those in the community. A warning to "Anglos" (non-Hispanic): If you come to Miami, and you hear a discussion about Cuba and Castro, do more listening than talking. The subject of Cuba is a very touchy, highly electric topic for the Cubans here--who are capable of taking all sorts of points-of-views. (The older generation probably thinks about returning to Cuba if Castro dies. Second generation Cubans may see Cuba as a place to visit, but no longer a place to make a home and pursue a career. The tricky part is, when you are in a group of Cubans, you never know just what their views are, and if you as an Anglo are outspoken in what they think is the WRONG direction, you could get yourself in a lot of trouble.)
Cubans here keep in touch with their friends and relatives in Cuba through phone calls, people who visit and bring news, etc. When there was a rumor that Castro had died (unfortunately, untrue) people went out into Calle Ocho (8th St.) and began banging pots and pans in celebration. More recently, when Raul Castro took over power because Fidel said "I want to step down", the Cubans have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
The Manuel Noriega who terrorized Panama while I was there is sitting in a jail here in Miami, trying to avoid extradition to France for trial on other charges, once his prison sentence here is finished.
I first became aware of Cuba through my Northeast High Spanish classes. Now I live in a place where Cuba is an intricate part of the culture and conversation and community awareness.
I have included these comments on Cuba (and they're just my own observations and opinions) because US newspapers don't give much coverage to Latin America unless there is a government overthrow, a volcano eruption, a bloodbath in the streets, or the death of a leader. I realized when I moved to Panama that many Americans viewed Spanish-speakers as those who wear serapes, sombreros, and eat tacos all day. There is so much more to Latin America than that.
James Willson, 1940-2008
Jim Willson has died March 2 after a battle with cancer. Here are the details of the obituary, sent in by his wife Linda Matthews Willson.
Jim was born in St. Petersburg, graduated with honors from Northeast High School, and earned a B.S. degree in business from Florida State University in 1962. He was a Founder member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, president of Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, and a member of Phi Theta Kappa honorary society.
In 1963 he graduated from FSU with an MBA degree and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma national honorary society.
He had a long career in retailing, including Bonwit Teller in New York City; divisional merchandise manager at Ivey's in Charlotte, NC, and at Yeilding in Birmingham, AL. After retirement, he moved to Fairhope, AL, where he was an active member of St. James Episcopal Church, the Nix Center and an avid bridge player and traveler.
He is survived by his wife Linda M. Willson of Fairhope; a son, Marine Lt. Col. Brent S. Willson and wife Radka, Newport, RI; a daughter, Laura Schweitzer and husband Dane; granddaughter Olivia Schweitzer and grandson Ian Schweitzer, all of Folsom, CA; and a sister Jane Lee Bullock and family, of Columbus, GA.
A memorial service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church March 8 at 8 am.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I knew Jim (he was "Jimmy" then) since kindergarten at North Ward Elementary, and I believe we both attended Sunday school at First Methodist Church. He always had a head of thick black curls and a big smile. He was always one of the better students in our class, very polite, very conscientious.
His father was CEO of the old Willson-Chase Department Store on Central Ave and 5th St. His mother was a very warm and gracious lady who was the room mother for a number of our classes at North Ward. At one point, the Willsons lived in that beautiful stone house at the corner of 9th St. N. and 38th Ave.
His wife Linda was also one of my North Ward classmates from the very beginning--kindergarten through 6th grade, although she went to St. Pete High while Jim went to Northeast.
Jim was born in St. Petersburg, graduated with honors from Northeast High School, and earned a B.S. degree in business from Florida State University in 1962. He was a Founder member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, president of Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, and a member of Phi Theta Kappa honorary society.
In 1963 he graduated from FSU with an MBA degree and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma national honorary society.
He had a long career in retailing, including Bonwit Teller in New York City; divisional merchandise manager at Ivey's in Charlotte, NC, and at Yeilding in Birmingham, AL. After retirement, he moved to Fairhope, AL, where he was an active member of St. James Episcopal Church, the Nix Center and an avid bridge player and traveler.
He is survived by his wife Linda M. Willson of Fairhope; a son, Marine Lt. Col. Brent S. Willson and wife Radka, Newport, RI; a daughter, Laura Schweitzer and husband Dane; granddaughter Olivia Schweitzer and grandson Ian Schweitzer, all of Folsom, CA; and a sister Jane Lee Bullock and family, of Columbus, GA.
A memorial service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church March 8 at 8 am.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I knew Jim (he was "Jimmy" then) since kindergarten at North Ward Elementary, and I believe we both attended Sunday school at First Methodist Church. He always had a head of thick black curls and a big smile. He was always one of the better students in our class, very polite, very conscientious.
His father was CEO of the old Willson-Chase Department Store on Central Ave and 5th St. His mother was a very warm and gracious lady who was the room mother for a number of our classes at North Ward. At one point, the Willsons lived in that beautiful stone house at the corner of 9th St. N. and 38th Ave.
His wife Linda was also one of my North Ward classmates from the very beginning--kindergarten through 6th grade, although she went to St. Pete High while Jim went to Northeast.
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