MAIL CALL
from Harold Erixon in Liberty Hill
We are alive and doing fine out in Liberty Hill. Our son is based at Ft Worth joint military reserve base and now married to a young lady that will make Deborah and I grandparents.
harolderixon@hotmail.com
from Jan Russell in Spring
I just saw a commercial that reminded me of my Daddy. "There are no medals for earning a living. It's just what you do for your family." This is what Daddy did. He loved the Lord. He loved my Mother. He loved me. He took care of us. He went to all my recitals and concerts. He buried our dogs Pozo, Bullett, Aggie, and Starsky. Using his walker, he went to the hospital every day and stayed with Mother when she had terminal cancer. He took the trash out for me at my house (using his walker) and did odd jobs at my house until I made him stop. A hero? YES! ❤
jlrussell49@comcast.net
from Charlie Fontenot in League City
Well, I just had to mention this. Tonight as I was starting to think of my trip home from San Diego we face-timed with my daughter and her family. Then, my oldest granddaughter tells me, "PaPaw, you are not coming home Friday. You are going to Craig Biggio's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown!” Wow, that made an old Baseball Fan tear up. So, off I go. Retirement is not too bad so far. Love to all my wonderful family!
cajunfont@aol.com
from David Salter in Brownwood, TX
Things are fine here in the Brownwood area as Lana and I are getting some routines established after being here continuously now for 2 1/2 months in this stage called retirement. We had a great time when the grandkids stayed with us a few weeks ago and will see them again soon when we return to OKC to celebrate our youngest grandson's 7th birthday. Since we are now 5 hours (rather than < 5 minutes) from the kids/grandkids, thankfully FaceTime has helped make the transition easier.
REQUEST
I do have a request for you. Could you please ask any of our classmates who were friends of Craig Stoker (TJ '69) to email me (desalter1949@yahoo.com) of their memories of Craig? I would like to compile the info and provide it to Craig's son, Trent, who was very young when Craig lost his life in an auto accident while on a business trip. Quite coincidently (or providentially) I met Trent at a business meeting in OKC shortly before retiring and just happened to casually ask if he was related to Craig, as his was the only family I'd known with that surname. Wow...was I surprised to learn Craig was Trent's dad but then so saddened upon hearing of his early death. In a follow up lunch, Trent shared his family story with me and was quite eager to know what I remembered about his dad. My fellow Aldersgate Methodist MYF group members will recall that Craig's wonderful parents, Bill and Barbara, were some of our adult leaders/sponsors whom I greatly enjoyed. Anyway, I would love to be able to give Trent and his brother memories of their dad's life from the perspective of his TJ classmates. (Also, I learned that Bill, who is now remarried after losing Barbara years ago, has a farm within 25 miles of us. I look forward to scheduling a reunion with him when he is in the area. Small, wonderful world!!)
Again, thanks to you and Mike for helping us continue to add new memories to the TJ legacy....in addition to the fond ones created in our years there.
(Knock on your noggin and see if you can recall anything about Craig Stoker
and send to David. I'm sure you can bring some smiles with your memories of him and his family.)
desalter1949@yahoo.com
from Ernie Castaneda Bullion in Lumberton
I had a great 65 th birthday! My husband Ron surprised me with a 7-day Caribbean cruise from June 7-14 th. We stopped at Cozumel, Belize & Honduras!! We had the best time ever!! I have the best & most thoughtful husband. On June 11 th they decorated our room with birthday decorations & delivered a delicious birthday cake!! Great trip!!
tbull50@sbcglobal.net
from Carole Oubre Reeves
Carol Olivier Nunez, Cla Simon Weishaar and I met in Austin. It was a great reunion. We just picked up where we left off. And yes, we can still do tricks.
(I HOPE Carole meant cheerleader tricks! Ha Ha See the photo in MOST RECENT on our website front page of the three former TJ '68 cheerleaders.)
carole.reeves@att.net
'70 Class Reunion
Murphy and I attended the Saturday night event for the 45th year reunion for the class of '70. We saw lots of faces and read LOTS of name tags. It is harder when they weren't your classmates. It was a wonderful night and the decorations were done beautifully. A group of HUSSARS came to entertain. They weren't able to perform for our class because of a previous engagement. We hope to have them at our 50th reunion in 2018. The Friday night social was held at the Pompano Club and the Saturday night event was held at the Holiday Inn in Port Arthur. Being a member of our reunion committee since the beginning, I can tell you what an undertaking it is to put on a reunion. Job well done, class of '70 reunion committee. (By the way, our classmate, Bill Richey, was on the winning foursome in their GOLF TOURNAMENT.)
CLASS LUNCHEON...add to your calendar
August 5, 2015
11:30 am
Schooners Restaurant in Nederland
(Men and women are invited)
RSVP:
lindadmcfadden@yahoo.com
As of July 31st, we have 31 that have sent me their responses.
PHOTO HUT
During college and even into my first year of teaching elementary school after graduating from Lamar, I had a job at the FILM AND PHOTO in the Jefferson City parking lot. It was a great job because 
I could sit down, it was air conditioned, my friends could drop by, I met many new people that were return customers and I got a discount on pictures I took with my instamatic camera. One funny incident was when the Jefferson City association was having SADIE HAWKINS DAY. We all could decorate our stores. Since I was a first grade teacher, I had all these cute ideas to use crepe paper, construction paper, etc. I decorated the photo hut up to look like a shack. I even brought a ladder to get up on the roof to put a “smoke stack”! OOPS. After climbing up as far as the ladder would hold me, I scooted up just a little more to position the stack. When I completed that and had it where I thought it would stay, I tried to start scooting down inch by inch. Somehow the ladder seemed a lot lower than I thought it should be. I was stuck! Legs dangling, I turned to try to get someone to help. Not everyone passing by on 32nd St. helped, but somehow thought it was funny! Finally, someone stopped and got me down. By the way, I WON third place!
PS I actually had two jobs at the same time. I worked for Gem Jewelry across from the Photo Hut where I wrapped gifts and delivered them in my red VW beetle. My best buddy, Joe Breaux '69, got me the job when he had to leave for the CORPS at A&M. I got 25 cents a package. Wow.
NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT
Hot, hot and hot! I don't feel much like going out because of the heat. At least the car is air conditioned when I am running the granddaughters around. The grass is turning brown so it seems like Murphy is cutting hay.
We headed out on a 6 day road trip to Palo Dura Canyon and Santa Fe the second week of July. Spent 12 hours driving, visited the canyon the next day, spent 6 hours driving to Santa Fe, saw the town the next day, spent 2 full days trying to get back home. Hmmm Might have to think the next vacation out a little better. We went to the canyon and found out that ALL the trails were closed. What???? Then, that night we went to see the play TEXAS in the amphitheatre and we had to leave during intermission because the lightning was so bad! We did have a couple of highlights during this trip. We ran into Danny Landry's son and family while in a museum/gift shop in Canyon. We haven't seen him in years. We caught up on the news about Danny and wife, Phyllis. We also ate supper in Santa Fe with Murphy's lifelong friend, Jerry Dubuisson '69 who was camping out in their motor home. We haven't seen Jerry since college! That was definitely a treat. We also met his beautiful wife, Dixie for the first time.
(By the way, don't always BELIEVE your GPS!)
Murphy and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary this week. Actually, we “found” out it was our anniversary when Murphy's sister woke us up at 7:00 am when she texted us a message with her congratulations. We had both forgotten. It wasn't that we FORGOT that we got married on July 28th, we just forgot that Tuesday was July 28th!!! Since we went to an ASTROS game on our honeymoon, maybe we can plan another trip to see them play while the granddaughters are on their beach vacation. Yes, I think we might! Murphy is quite and doesn't talk much, (I guess he can't get a word in edgewise), but has been such a great husband all these years. He has put up with a lot and often doesn't complain. We each do our own thing and in the middle we meet. It has been a bumpy ride with several years of health problems in the 80's and a bout of cancer here and there for both of us. We have had family issues come up that still pop their heads up every once in awhile. Hurricane Ike was also a biggie! Murf always says that I am the one that has held him up in the bad times but really he is my SOFT PLACE TO LAND. We also have the greatest daughter and two granddaughters in the world that bring us so much joy and keep us young. I think I'll hang around to see what the rest of our lives together will be like. I'm sure it will be another adventure or as a notecard that Murphy wrote me one anniversary, “Well, it has been different.” I love you, Murf and so glad I FOUND you at the Neumann Center at Lamar in 1970!
Dad is hanging in there. Holland Place sent me a video of him “dancing” to some Zydeco music with another resident. She kept leaning over and kissing him on the head and his face would get beet red. With him being about 5 ft. 4 in. and her about 5 ft. 9 in. it was easy to kiss him on top of the head! I had tears streaming down my face from memories of his dancing days with Mom at the Rodair Club!
My sister, Gerry, is doing much better at her assisted living in Humble. The resident that kept her in a turmoil (and the rest of the place) has moved on. Once school starts and I don't have the kids everyday I plan on visiting her and picking her up to go out. I miss seeing her.
SUPPORT
Bobby Williamson had a heart attack and a stint and the next week had to have another stint put in going to his leg
bob_williamson@yahoo.com
from Felicia Hiatt Petit
I'm heading in to get another injection in my back and have the cyst drained again. My back has been doing better, but with our trip planned I don't want to have any more issues. Hope it all goes smoothly.
texteach@yahoo.com
from Cindy Duplantis Roberts in Horseshoe Bay
Carcinoid cancer was discovered 11 years ago in small intestine and metastasized to liver. Incurable, but have had great success with managing an arresting it for 10 years. Tumors began growing again a little over a year ago and showed continued growth every 3 months until now. I'm feeling good and retired to help me manage energy and stress... Already doing better!
My visit to M D Anderson went very well and we came back encouraged and feeling resilient. Everyone there was amazing, patient and so kind to us the entire week. The tests and extensive scans showed no new growth over the last 3 months, after a year + of growth. Basically, they want me to continue what I'm doing and go back for labs and scan updates in October.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers, chants and good thoughts on my behalf. Please keep them going and know I am doing the same for you guys.
Special thanks to my girls, Amy, Lea and Jenn, who took shifts to all be there with me throughout it all. And of course my friend Judie Plumlee who opened her house and hospitality to us for our stay. I am so very blessed my cup overflows! Love and blessings to all!
ckdroberts@gmail.com
from Cindy Quebedeaux Winfrey (Mike Quebedeaux's little sister)
For all of you who have been praying, please continue because now I have a fight ahead. The CT scan revealed a minimal amount of nodules in the omentum, the fatty pad on top of intestines. No major organs are involved, thank you Jesus! Will have laparoscopic surgery next Thursday at MD Anderson, chemo to follow. I can do this, been there, done that. Lol!
(This is Cindy's 4th bout with cancer.)
CONDOLENCES
another classmate gone too soon
MARILYN HARRIMAN CRIBBS
September 2, 1949 - July 29, 2015
May she rest in peace
A memorial will be held at Broussard's Mortuary in Beaumont on Major Dr. from 5 – 7 pm on Wednesday, August 5th.
Condolences and support may be sent to her sister:
Jane Harriman Taylor
4030 Hwy 12
Vidor, TX 77662
handtaylr@gt.rr.com
A note from Paula Daigle Sheppard in Groves
I would like to thank all of my classmates for their love and support through Glenn's short battle to his passing. I feel so blessed to have so many friends and I loved seeing the ones who could come for his services and all who have contacted me. God bless you all.
shepppms@att.net
August is upon us already. Just 4 months until I can start listening to Christmas music! Well, I can think of Christmas....Hobby Lobby has had Thanksgiving up since they took down the 4th of July decorations! Stay cool and take it easy.
Stay in touch and contact a classmate,
Linda DeCuir McFadden
lindadmcfadden@yahoo.com
www.tjhs1968.com