SUMMER 1997

 

Hi Redtags!

The e-mail has been great. I have gotten some words from classmates whom I haven’t heard from since graduation. Lots of news. Here goes. From Don HALLAGER : Our daughter got married on 25 May; we have the house back. Our son is first mate on a schooner currently in Tahiti (tough duty.) I am still flying for United Airlines- ninth year. Flying 777’s now. Quantum leap from B-47s">

SUMMER 1997

 

Hi Redtags!

The e-mail has been great. I have gotten some words from classmates whom I haven’t heard from since graduation. Lots of news. Here goes. From Don HALLAGER : Our daughter got married on 25 May; we have the house back. Our son is first mate on a schooner currently in Tahiti (tough duty.) I am still flying for United Airlines- ninth year. Flying 777’s now. Quantum leap from B-47s, B-52s and KC-135s. A great retirement job. Be at the 35th. Miss having Chet and EvaLee GRIFFIN as across-the-street neighbors. From George THOMPSON in Pskov, Russia: Just returned from 40th HS reunion. Volny graduates first class in July. Many exams to grade. Need reunion info so I can plan. My son enters Army chopper pilot school in Nov(?) after two years as forest fire fighter and four years as a Marine. Some people never learn. From Bill HAUGEN: Don’t laugh at the e-mail address. It was set up for Sue - our family thinks the address is a good description for Sue and her superb homemaking prowess. One advantage is no one forgets it. I hope we don’t run into the problem of someone using this Redtag E-mail list for commercial purposes. I have heard an account that insurance was pushed by a grad of one school, using graduate address lists. Hopefully we are all above that. From Charlie PRICE: I had a hole in one this month. Mary Jo and I have two each now. Things are busy at Trus Joist MacMillan. Lots of travel and busy at plant. If you come thru this area, don’t forget to give us a call. I promise to leave the burglar alarm off. Have a nice Memorial Day. It seems to have lost most of its meaning, but I will say a special prayer for our fellow RTBs, Johnny Brucher and Jeff Hornaday. From Bob DEBERRY: Didn’t get to see much of the guys that were here(Las Vegas for 50th USAF Anniversary) because my sister was here with son from South Carolina. My brother-in-law, Ken Blank, had been a pilot in the USAF(shot down a MIG in Vietnam- from a Thud- I think those guys are going to be in Ripley’s one day) but was killed in an F-111 flight over Scotland in ‘71. Did get to the cocktail party, Saw a few guys I haven’t seen in 30 years. What a shock! Georgia is doing fine and Kapri, our 15 year old daughter, is in typical teenage trouble as usual. From Bill HARVEY: I have just taken a new retirement job with Krug Life Sciences in Houston. Krug is the support contractor for most of the Medical Sciences Division Lab research and medical work, and my job is deputy manager of the contract, responsible for all the medical stuff. It’s not too taxing and I get to have fun occasionally on the KC-135 or delivering samples to Star City to go up to MIR. I hope I can get down to the Cape for a launch or landing before too long and will call if that’s OK. REPLY: I’ll be glad to have you, Bill.

From Dick ELLSWORTH: Received my sign-up packet for the reunion. My address was incorrect; will update the Bio form. Wish I had some real exciting news. I’m just doing what I’ve been doing for the last 30 years. Flying for TWA and reading your column. REPLY: Hope I keep writing after you quit flying. From Harry PADDON: Have been e-mailing with Jack HAUSER who works for McD-Douglas in St Louis. Am spending Memorial Day weekend watching youth soccer league. After organizing this tournament and running it for 12 years, I retired from it. No more soccer referee work either. Pat and I have married off all our children. Karen is AF wife in Texas; Angie is teacher in Ohio; Steve is computer analyst in Ohio. From Al SIGMAN: Still selling real estate in Denver area - mostly residential. Gerri and I have two grown and married children and three grandchildren. Attended the last reunion comm mtg at Bob & Mary HOPKINS’ house. If rest of RTBs are as excited about the reunion as we were, it will be great. See you then. From Bob FELTS: I’m recovering slowly but surely from my heart surgery. Doc said 6 months to full recovery. Half way there. Still trying to decide if it was a new lease on life or a death sentence- is the glass half full or half empty? Our class is reaching the point where we are finally facing our mortality: a repugnant prospect but obviously unavoidable. I’m sure each succeeding reunion will unfortunately mark the loss of classmates and their family members. The 50th reunion may be sparsely populated. My deepest condolences to those who have suffered losses. REPLY: I plan to see you at the 50th, Bob. From Tom HUTCHISON: Am currently working for SAIC in Sierra Vista. Doing whatever I can to help DISA with the new DISN. Lisette and I just celebrated the safe arrival of our 7th grandchild (a girl).Getting together with HOLBROWS this summer. Will keep you informed. From Tom YOUNG: My wife, Debbie, and I are down in Tampa in the real estate business and loving paradise all the way. If any of you get close, we have a nice 33Ft Wellcraft that’s fully rigged for fishing just waiting for a crew of AFA grads to strike terror in the hearts of people in the Gulf area. Jack Jamba, Fritz HENDRYX and I christened her in an unwanted way (for all of us) but they lived thru it. Hope to see you down this way if the fates allow. REPLY: The water has to be glassy next time, Tom, or I’ll follow your progress with binoculars. From Gail PECK: I never understood how I could have been such an outstanding fighter pilot and still get puking sick on a deep sea fishing boat. How I envy you. REPLY: I wasn’t even a pilot and it didn’t help me. I bent over in the lower compartment to pick up something and I guess the devil bit me. By the way, Gail coordinated a mini-reunion in Las Vegas during the 50th USAF Anniversary party. Used Vietnam frag talk to arrange times and rendezvous. Nice job, Gail. You or someone in that group owes me a picture. From Tom RAUSCH: My wife, Renate , and I have been in Germany since 1983 when I retired. Daughter, Susie, finished undergrad work in Paris and law school at the German University in Hamburg. I worked for Logicon for about 6.5 years and MITRE since then. Do engineering and tech work for USAFE Intelligence at Ramstein. We have room for guests and space-A hops are plentiful.

Got the word from the AOG that Morris Smith had been killed in a hit and run accident in Tallahassee last February. No other details were available. Tim GILMARTIN e-mailed me that he had seen a death notice in an airline pilot’s newsletter about a M.Smith, Pan Am pilot, being deceased. Then I got the AOG letter. Then I got e-mail from EC NEWMAN: I’ve heard that one or our classmates was recently killed by a hit-and-run driver, but my source did not know a name. I’d appreciate any news. Things are OK in Denver and we’re looking forward to the 35th. From Bob and Pat CONNOLLY: Pat and I received the news of Morris Smith’s death with great sadness. We have frequently remembered the richness of his voice when he sang the hymns, solo, at our wedding 35 years ago. We thank you for putting out the word . It was better for us to get the news from another RTB than to read it in Checkpoints. REPLY: I agree. From Bob STAIB: The timing of your e-mail struck me because I just finished preparing a homily for 0900 Memorial Day Mass. The combination of my fond memories of fallen friends (especially roommates SVITENKO, HORNADAY AND BRINKMAN) and the spiritual preparation process has been a poignant time for me. MD’s news just adds to the impact of this special day on all of us who prepared to go to war. I first got to know "MD" or "Doc" Smith on the European trip. He seemed to epitomize the "see-Europe-thru-a-lens" segment of our class. .. I’ll bet Doc had some of our great memories captured on film. Later, we saw each other at Wheelus when we were in Libya for periodic training. My wife, Marianne (who knew Doc at both Webb and Luke) and I are leaving for a European vacation tomorrow. Although the times are log ago, Doc’s memories in my life are strongly connected through Europe, so I will delay my last prayer in his memory for a beautiful place there- somewhere I’m sure he would have photographed. REPLY: Well put, Bob. From George HARRISON: Will retire from AF on 23 June, eff 1 July. Erv ROKKE has same eff date. That leaves Don SHEPPERD representing RTBs on active duty. I will go to Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta as director of their Electronic Systems Lab. Considering the rotten job I did in EE, this may be a real challenge. Pennie and I extend an open invitation to all RTBs when we get an address. From Rip BLAISDELL: I’m Lockheed Martin Director for Fighter Program activities in Seoul, Korea. Just got on line here. From Pete BOBKO: Son, Ryan, who graduated from Johns Hopkins in Computer Science, was named a NCAA Div III High Jump All- American. From Ralph SPORY: Am back at Arkansas Attorney General’s Office as an asst AG in consumer utility law. Interesting. Visited C Springs recently. Want to move back. Will visit Germany in July.

I’m almost out of space. Have news from ALTMAN, FLANAGAN, , KEIGHERY, MERKEL, SCHAMBERGER, VICCELLIO, FELTS, JACKSON, RICHARDSON, AND LIGHTSEY which I will print next time. Strongly recommend getting on line and giving me your e-mail address. Great way to keep up. Some of the news you are reading now is almost six months old. Be heard; be a nerd. Go REDTAGS!!