MAIL CALL
from James Leland Hebert in Waldorf, MD
I am glad I started getting the updates again. Somehow I missed some. I did not graduate from TJ but I attended PA schools through the 11th grade. I played football with Larry Speake, Gary Hammond, Ron Waedemon, and the Hollier twins for years. I remember fondly the years at TJ and the many people I knew there.
My 4 kids have all graduated from college, two with masters degree and one pursuing a PhD. With the empty nest, I went back to George Washington University pursing a PhD in System Engineering. I've finished my class work and now I am doing research for the dissertation.
I was sorry to see that Mona Hatch died. It seems we are getting to be a smaller group all the time. I wonder why we get nostalgic as we get older? I remember my classmate so vividly. It was a wonderful time.
I am looking forward to when I can get back to the PA area. I hope someday to get together with everyone at one of the reunions. I really enjoy the job you and Mike are doing. Thanks!
from Bill Horton in Austin
I've been retired for a couple of months and just realized that I have not seen the TJ newsletter and updates in that time because it was being sent to my work e-mail address!
Once retired, offers for adventure came in and this year is going to be a lot of fun. At the end of March, I'll go with Gary Jones and 9 others rafting through the Grand Canyon. We will cover 280 miles of river over 19 days, carrying all of our camping gear and food on 5 rafts. This will be Gary's 6th trip through the canyon so he and the others have all of the logistics worked out, which makes it easy for me. I also got invited to climb Mt. Rainier in June with some climbing friends. That will be quite a thrill AND a challenge. The climb covers about 9,000 feet of elevation on snow and ice to the 14,411 ft. summit. Then in late August, I'll be canoeing the Missouri River in Montana.
Take care and a thanks to you and Mike for all you do.
(I am proud of Bill for contacting us with his NEW e-mail address AND for making us feel wanted by "MISSING" our updates. Check out Bill's entry in the SUPPORT section, also!)
from Billy Jordan in Decatur, AL
I do a lot of tutoring in elementary schools here in Decatur with kindergarten and first grade students. I have been working with a kindergartner since the first of the year who struggled learing her letters and phonics. I have been spending a couple of hours a week with her and today she achieved knowing ALL of her letters and sounds. It was a great day! I also tutor first graders in the elementary school with a large Hispanic enrollment. Those kids get so excited to work with me, it is a blessing. In most cases with no English spoken at home, these kids have a tough time learning to read but they really try hard. MY kindergartner grandson scored very high on the Metropolitan Readiness Test given by our school system. This test is one of the hurdles for the Magnet School program. I think he has a good chance of getting an invitation.
Here in North Alabama the weather has been terrific for the last week. It is more like May weather. Thanks to you, Mike and Linda, for your work. I really enjoy the web site. Without you two, our classmates would be missing out on a lot of nostalgia and what is going on for a lot of us today.
from Felicia Hiatt Petit in Texas City, TX
(taken off of Face Book March 21st)
I had a great retirement party yesterday at school. Family, friends, good food and lots of memories. It will be sad to say goodbye to my Thompson Intermediate family. We have been together for 20 years. Thanks to all my friends fo all the good wishes.
from Jeanette Constantine Morgan in Groves
Thanks so much for posting about my sister Ellen's Memorial Scholarship needing donations. I just got through reading our website and I think it gets better and better. You two are so informative. I really enjoy reading about what is going on with everyone.
SAGA OF THE LOST TJ '68 CLASS RING
November 23, 2009
To Ramona Lee, Principal of Memorial High School (PAISD)
Dear Ms. Lee,
I live outside of Austin, Texas and found this Thomas Jefferson High School class ring from 1968 belonging to "DJT". Since I have been unable to find the owner in this area, I thought I should send it to you in hope that you can find its rightful owner. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Michelle S. Zoeller
December, 2011
The PAISD administration office received the ring from Memorial High School in hopes of someone there might be able to locate the owner. An employee looked through files and annuals hoping to find the owner.
JANUARY 20, 2012
My sister-in-law, an employee at the administration office, overheard the conversation about the ring and the year. She knew I helped to run the class website. I was contacted in hopes that my ties to the class would help to eventually find the owner. I looked in my papers, directories, annuals, and graduation program to no avail!
JANUARY 27, 2012
I posted the information on the NEWSLETTER on the website for the FIRST time. No response.
FEBRUARY 10, 2012
I posted the information on the NEWSLETTER on the website for the SECOND time. After this, classmate Mike Soileau sent a response suggesting it might be DAVID THERIOT.
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
After putting Mike Soileau's suggestion on the NEWSLETTER, classmate Fred McCarty and Glynn Myers (Loretta LaLonde's husband) starting checking out info on their data bases. They both found that David DID live in Austin and we tried calling and writing to his last known address. No response. We even sent messages to him on Face Book.
March 9, 2012
Fred McCarty researched and found David's brother, Jeff, listed in Nederland. I called him and found out that his brother, David Joseph Theriot, passed away in JANUARY in Austin! The same day I called him, I received a call from classmate, Sheridan Jones Thornell, wanting to relay the same information about David's passing.
March 12, 2012
I mailed David's class ring to his brother, Jeff.
It took a village to find the owner. Sadly, it was too late.
RIP DAVID!
(You can find David listed in our MEMORIAL section of our website. To see his sophomore photo, you need to click on his name. No obituary was available.)
NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT
My sister is doing kinda "okay". She is really having a hard time KNOWING that her memory is slipping so much. The day I visited her this week was pretty traumatic. She tried to cook bacon in the microwave but OBVIOUSLY put the timer on WAY TOO LONG. She not only burnt the bacon but also melted a large plastic cover. It took me all morning to calm her down and try to get her smiling.
My granddaughters did well in the GUSHER 5 K run. The 9 year old placed 3rd and the 7 year old placed 11th out of 64 participants in the 14 AND UNDER class. I rewarded their efforts with some $$$$ to go to the STATE FAIR in Beaumont this week. I don't do rides!
We are going to cancel our plans for the trip to the Arlington area in July. I was hoping to see the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers series. Well, an opportunity for an HAWAII cruise trip came up in January, so we are saving our money for that trip instead. It is from January 10-19, 2013 if anyone else is interested. It is on the Norwegian, Pride of America. It flies out of Houston to Honolulu. Two days will be there before boarding the cruise ship. Contact me if you would like to see an itinerary and the tour guide's e-mail address.
We are celebrating our 40th year of marriage in 2013 by beginning the year with the Hawaiian cruise and ending it the Thanksgiving week with a Disney cruise with my daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters! Fun times (I hope)!!!!
SPREADSHEET UPDATE BEGINS
I have spent several hours updating the information on classmates that we had for the last reunion. So far,I have finished 7 of 14 pages! All of the updates were downloaded on a CD that was lost in Hurricane IKE! I will soon be contacting you so that you can update me on the info that I have. Anyone that would like to save me some time, could drop me a note via e-mail and tell me the following info:
NAME (including maiden and married names)
SPOUSE"S name (husband's proper name and nickname)
HOME ADDRESS
CITY AND ZIP
HOME PHONE
MOBILE PHONE (this is VERY important since many of you will have retired and may be relocating in the future)
E-MAIL ADDRESS (one you want us to use when notified of updates)
You could also use this opportunity to drop me a little news for me to add to the MAIL CALL! I would appreciate any help you can give me.
SUPPORT
from Bill Horton in Austin
The last few years have been pretty rough but 2012 is looking better. During a six-week period in late 2010, I had three terrible events! First, my brother Paul (TJ '71) had a bicycle wreck and broke his back. Then, my wife Eileen, passed away after fighting cancer for 19 months. A week later, I found out I had prostate cancer, which was the least of the three! The surgery went well and I'm healthy now. My mother moved to Austin to help Paul and I and she now lives in an assisted living facility. So, my recent retirement allows me more time to spend with the both of them.
from Janette Light Norton in Cypress, TX
I have been quite ill, in and out of the hospital, with an unexplained loss of blood, requiring blood transfusions and severe anemia. Finally, the results are in: NO CANCER and have treatable symptoms. So, let the party begin!
from Jan Russell in Spring, TX
(taken off of Face Book)
I need your prayers. The mammogram I just had on March 12th revealed something in my left breast. I'm going for a stereotactic biopsy on March 28th. Please pray that whatever is there is NOT cancer, and if it is cancer that it can be handled with a lumpectomy and radiation with no chemo involved. Also, please pray that I will have peace throughout all of this. I KNOW that the Lord is in control no matter what, and I am trusting in Him.
(a note from Jeanette Constantine Morgan about classmate, Georgette Licatino Stepan)
I wanted to let you know that Georgette was diagnosed with Melanoma on her face and has been going back and forth to MD Anderson for months now. She is doing good and hopefully they got it all. They believe they did. But, she learned it can come back anywhere at any time. She will be going back every 6 months for the next 2 years. Please put her on the SUPPORT list. Thanks.
Georgette Licatino Stepan
110 Greenwood Dr.
Taylor Landing, TX 77705
CONDOLENCES
(a note from Gail Wilson Felker at Barksdale AFB, LA)
I wanted to let you know that classmate, Pamela Elaine Clary Wiser, passed away Dec. 10, 2006. I'm not sure of the cause of death. She was residing in Oklahoma City, OK. I used ancestry.com to find her because I wanted to get back in touch with my sweet friend. I hadn't heard from her in years, but I just thought she was too busy to write.
(I also had tried to contact her when I would hear about terrible weather passing through Oklahoma. I was never successful and no one ever returned my calls.)
We are saddened to learn of THREE CLASSMATES that have passed away.
May they Rest in Peace!
PAM CLARY WISER
1949-December 10, 2006
DAVID JOSEPH THERIOT
September 18, 1949-January ?, 2012
MONA HATCH RASH
August 23, 1950-March 12, 2012
Leah Connor Shields
(death of her husband, Dr. RJ Shields)
901 Funf Kinder
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Webb Draughon
(death of his mother, Lorene Draughon)
4306 MEADOWBROOK
Seabrook, TX 77586
Susan Hardcastle Beaty
(death of her sister, Judy Hardcastle)
13406 Blythenia Rd
Phoenix, MD 21131
Thanks to Beverly Copeland Gaspard, Gloria Faye Burks Scott, & Gail Wilson Felker for sending me the notice of some of these death notices.
These obituaries may be found on the front page of the website.
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This edition was especially hard to write. I am saddened by so many deaths. I know we are getting "up in age" but it still is tough. Please write your sentiments to those listed on the SUPPORT and CONDOLENCE list. Until we meet again........
Stay in touch and contact a classmate,
Linda DeCuir McFadden