NEWSLETTER

from Ann Hefley Boriskie in Alpharetta , GA
I am not working, but I am doing lots of volunteer work. I am the PROGRAM COORDINATOR for The Brain Injury Peer Visitor Program of Georgia
(BIAG) which is part of The Brain Injury Association of Georgia. I am also VSA arts of Georgia Program Coordinator for BIAG.
(Yes, you ARE working! Thanks for volunteering your time with others. Makes up TJ proud.)

from Sarah Flynn Hancock in Spring, TX
Charlie and I are doing well. He retired in 2005 after a career in engineering/project management. We lived in Saudi Arabia for 10 1/2 years, then returned to the States so our two sons could enjoy their high school years here. After they graduated from their universities, (Paul, our oldest went to U.T. and Jeff our youngest did his undergrad at Cornell and his Masters at U.T.) Charlie and I began living in various places for work reasons. We
were in CA for one year, London , England for 2 1/2 years and Newcastle , England for 2 1/2 years. We were very fortunate to be able to travel the
world. Now, we are seeing the U.S. We spent the month of May traveling the East Coast from Florida to Maine . We are leaving next week to spend
six weeks at Lake Tahoe . We really enjoy the adventures but miss our two grandbabies while we are gone. We have a 2 1/2 year old granddaughter
and an 11 month old grandson. Since they live about eight blocks away we get to spend alot of time with them. They are the greatest!! Paul has just started Hancock Realtors (www.HancockRealtors.com) in Houston . Jeff just started a fast food business in downtown Dallas called 'Kuai' (kuaidumplings.com). He and his two partners are hoping to open a second location soon.
(Enjoy your "vacation" get-away.)

from Cathy Jones Kasper in Houston
We are busy as we are blessed with four living parents (my mom is the youngest at 84). This past year we had three broken hips, so they kept us
busy. We are almost finished with our beach house at Crystal Beach. We just got back from two weeks in Alaska with Mike and classmate Joye (Jefferson) Roll, so it is certainly not all work and no play.
(THREE (3) broken HIPS out of 4. Wow, go to Vegas.)

from David Salter in Okalahoma City , OK
It is really a blessing to be able to keep up with those who still have such a special place in my heart, though I have not seen most of you for many
years. How special to have those memories of growing up in P.A. and hanging out, having classes and being involved in T.J. activities with neat
friends like you, Sara, Gayle, Peggy, Janette, Gail, Leonard, Fred, Bill, Richard, George, Bill &Tillman, Mike and so many more. I am thankful to
have shared the friendship and positive influence of the parents of some of them as well as the parents of the classmates in our neighborhood and our church...the Guidrys, Pontiffs, Richeys, Hammonds and Hankins to name a few.

The website is so well organized and informative. In addition to catching up on the personal events in the lives classmates and their families, I have
particularly enjoyed the additions of the '68 Annual and the '67-'68 Pilot. Since our family moved away in the summer of '67, I have been able to read
about what I missed from the Senior year at T.J. It's been nice to reconnect this year via email with T.J. classmates Fred McCarty and Richard Daniels
because of the website.

Lana and I have been in OKC for 26+ years. I have worked with the same independent oil company here for almost 25 years now after oilpatch career
stops in Midland , TX and Wichita , KS . following graduation at Texas Tech. Our son and daughter and spouses are also back living in the OKC area again. We enjoy their being less than 15 minutes away.

This week we leave for Guatemala on a 10 day trip in which we'll get to see our first grandchild, Alejandro for the very first time. Our daughter and son-in-law, Erica and Dan, are adopting Alejandro who was born April 22. Unfortunately the trip is only part of a long process, so they won't get to bring him home this trip...hopefully by Christmas. (I'm sure our prayers for acceleration of the process will greatly intensify after seeing him.)
(We knew you never REALLY turned into a YANKEE when your Dad took you away from US!)

from Pat Trahan Knox in Beaumont , TX
My husband, Ray, had to have rotator cuff surgery. He is doing better, but still waiting an unbelievable amount of time to take something to help him
with the pain. So many people I've talked to said this is an unbelievably painful surgery. On another topic, I spent part of my vacation taking care of my two grandsons. They were so fun, except when I took them to a water park and it was so hot that I had to bring them home, as I was so hot!! I guess the 2:00 p.m. hour is not the ideal time for an older person go to a water park!! I forgot I'm not 18 anymore. We had such fun. My husband and I are
going to Vegas with Snap-On. I love playing the slots, but I HATE to fly!! Everyone wish me luck. I love hearing everyone's news, and my husband
came up behind me and said I was a real goose for sharing my story with you all. What does he know??!! I'm looking so forward to our 40th reunion (could it be already??!!). Maybe I won't be the only one with gray hair (won't some of you out there help me?) My sons never fail to tell me they can't believe I can remember everything from my school years, but can't remember what I ate yesterday. I guess it's because we had such an awesome
class and some wonderful memories. Please, everyone, let us hear from you.
(We hope Ray is up to snuff real soon.)

from Kenny Bragg in Sheridan , AR
We just got back from a mission trip to Guerrero , Mexico . We completely rebuilt the kitchen of the pastor's house with new cabinets and painted the interior. We also completed an addition to another house - all in four long, hot days. There were a lot of other activities for kids, youth, women and men. This was the fifth year our church has been to this community and we are beginning to make good friends there. It is a very rewarding experience. Too much of a story for a short note.
(Kenny and I were two of Mr. Lionel Rowland's "mafia gang" members in homeroom.)

from Christi Kirkland Havens in Port Arthur
I love reading your updates and finding out what's new with everyone and their families. Grandchildren seem to be a favorite subject with many of us at this stage of our lives. In fact, I will be keeping 2 of mine (granddaughter, 14 & grandson, 11) all next week while my son & his wife take a brief, well-deserved vacation. My other granddaughter is turning 16 and is excited about taking her driver's test. My days as "taxi-driver" are numbered! It's hard to believe the 3 of them are so big. Why couldn't they have stayed babies longer? Oh, that sounded like MY mother talking about MY kids! lol I guess some things never change. My husband, Louis, is planning on retiring from Afton (previously, Texaco Chemical) on March 1st of next year
after 40 years of service. Can't wait. We hope to build a new house, maybe in Lumberton , in the near future. I look foward to this next "phase" of our life.
(Christi is married to classmate, Jeanette Havens', brother).

Ifrom Paul Martin in Cypress , TX
My son, Travis, is a Mortgage Broker in College Station and lives in Lexington . My daughter, Jenny, is a kindergarten teacher in Richmond , TX . I am retired from ARCO and have been at Rock Properties Manager for Core Lab since 1999 (we test rock core samples for Oil and Gas Companies). Ain't retirement fun? Our family ties to PA disappeared in 03 when my in-laws moved to Jersey Village , Texas . Debbie and I look forward to returning for upcoming reunions.
(Debbie Horton Martin is a TJ class of '70 graduate.)

from Judy Jones Sandifer in Groves
I got your postcard and thought I better send you some info before I was cursed! LOL. Anyway, I've been married twice, had three kids with first and one with second. I was married four years and then thirty-three. I have a son in Florida working for H.P.Zachery and a daughter that works at Port Arthur Police Dept. as dispatcher. I have a daughter in Houston that owns her own management company, and a son that used to learn things the hard way. He's been in prison, but came out a totally changed person..I'm very proud of him now. I have eight grandkids and they really are a joy to be around.
Judy "approved" all of what I wrote here. Please read more in the SUPPORT section about this REMARKABLE classmate.)

from Leonard Hilliard in San Antonio/Fredericksburg
Another great edition of the web page. It's kinda addicting. And...Pat Trahan's hubby must be a SAINT. Don't you think? Just for the record, I am a
neonatologist, which is a pediatrician that specializes in caring for sick newborn infants. Most problems are dealing with premature babies, but we take
care of big babies too. Sorry, but this means I can't help you out with the surgeries/ lobotomies !!??!!
(Well, I was a 4 pound PREMIE myself and just look at me now! On second thought, DON'T! And, yes...Ray is a SAINT.)

from Linda Blanton Murski on the island of Guanaja
I heard from two long lost friends, just in the last week-Debbie Machalek, class of '67 and Gayle Hatfield whom we all know and love from our very own
class. I can't wait to hear more details about the reunion next summer.
(Well, you will just HAVE to wait for the news of the reunion since I really don't know much yet!)

from Shirley Moreau Betar in Nederland
I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed the new home page, loved the music, and the NEWSLETTER. Thanks for all the work and do take care.
(You're welcome. Glad you are liking what your classmates have done.)

from Donnie DeLee in Sacramento, CA
I got your postcard about the website. I just haven't had time to check it out yet. I'll look at it later this weekend. If there is a place to add photos, I'll have to upload my pic from a few years ago. It's a little out of date, but it's close to what I look like now. If there is a reunion next year, I am going to be there somehow.
(Donnie and I were band buddies, together in Mr. Rowland's homeroom, AND plain-ole "running" buddies. More in another NEWSLETTER about us.)

from Ike Landry in San Antonio
(This is his response to me when I joked about dropping in on him)
Sounds good, but what day of the week is it and I will tell you where I will be? San Antonio this Saturday and Sunday Houston Monday and 1/2 Tuesday and Woodville 1/2 Tuesday throw Thursday to Houston and then San Antonio and then Houston then Woodville? Do you really want to work on Bank Equipment and install ATM's? Lot's of fun and driving! It keeps the husband out of the house alot! But my lovely bride of 26 years misses me a little bit!
(I am going stand on the side of the interstate and wave as he goes by.)

from Joe Gongora (really his wife, Belinda, TJ '71) in Port Arthur
Joe and I love the website, Keep up the good work. We do have two step grandchildren. And our baby turned 21 on the 27 of June. Are we
getting old or are they getting old?
(Joe is one of my Travis Elementary buddies from WAAAAYYYY back. Happy Birthday, Belinda.)

from Billy Jordan in Decatur, AL
Just got back from a week of vacation at Panama City Beach. Had a great time although very hot. Ate enough seafood that I do not want to see a shrimp, oyster or fish for a while. Just had my second PSA check a couple of weeks ago and it was undetectable, which is what was expected
given the post op path report. Next one is in six months. The address I'm sending is good for about six months. We are finalizing drawings for
our new home now and hope to be starting construction by the end of the summer. The grandson is growing rapidly and gets into everything. He will start toddler pre-school in September. I will be coming to PA around the first week in August as we will be placing my older sister with Alzheimer's in Lucas House in Beaumont. She does not want to go, so it will be a battle and my niece cannot handle it herself. We will be going to the Smokey Mountains in the fall for several days. We are talking about planning a European vacation. I have been there a couple of times on business but it was always in the winter. Denise has never been. Both our daughters went on 10 day People-to-People Student Ambassadors trips. I assume that we will be having a reunion next year.
(Sorry you are coming to PA for a seemingly stressful visit. Next summer's REUNION visit will be better. Congratulations on your good dr. report.)

Don't forget to also check the messages that classmates have posted in the GUEST BOOK section of the WEBSITE.

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REMEMBER THIS ITEM FROM LAST NEWSLETTER (7/20/07)?

I DID IT!!!
I have more than DOUBLED my goal of getting 20 NEW e-mail addresses! I now have 56 new ones!!!!! I am beyond HAPPY!!! Maybe if I get more, I can become ECSTATIC. Mike has upped my goal to 70!!

As of 8/3/07, I'VE GOTTEN 131 NEW E-MAIL ADDRESSES!!! Even I'm IMPRESSED! We now have contact with 379 classmates via the internet!!

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40th REUNION NEWS

The REUNION committee had their first meeting and we just hashed around ideas. We sent several members on a hunt for a place and date. We know it will be next summer, (hopefully July), but that is all we know. The committee members will be calling or e-mailing you to confirm your mailing
addresses, so please be nice......733 names are on our list. Many of you have already been contacted. Be sure to contact me if your e-mail address is changing over to comcast.net Many classmates are having to do this. Our list is also quite long of "MISSING" classmates and it will be updated soon. Remember that "missing" means that we don't have an address, phone #, and/or e-mail address to contact this classmate. Stay tuned and be ready to help in our search when we get the list updated.

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(sent in by Carmen Babin Hardy)

You know you're from Southeast Texas if...

1.. Your church congregation is divided on Sunday, PN-G vs. Nederland .

2.. You have had pictures taken by Leo Weeks.

3.. Your idea of a romantic evening is 10 lbs. Of crawfish at Larry's French Market.

4.. You are still waiting for Lamar to put together a football team.

5.. You have used your windshield wipers because of the humidity.

6... You always make fun of someone in the car when you pass the sulphur smell on Highway 69.

7.. You have transferred college hours from Lamar, Port Arthur to Lamar, Beaumont .

8.. You have driven down Sarah Jane Road at night with your lights off.

9.. You have been to the Museum of the Gulf Coast for five consecutive field trips.

10.. You refuse to call Memorial High School anything but TJ.

11.. Snow is considered a phenomenon and everything shuts down.

12.. You have driven down the street behind the mosquito truck and never been fazed.

13.. You intentionally pass up Doctors Hospital on the way to the emergency room.

14.. You have had intense arguments over which Casa Ole' is better -- the one at Central Mall or on Twin City Hwy.

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POLYGAMY

No, my "husband" and I DO NOT write and update the CLASS WEBSITE. I have been MARRIED to Murphy McFadden (class of '67) for
34 years. For the record....Mike Lawson (a '68 classmate...look him up in the GRADUATES section of our WEBSITE) and I run the class
website together. My husband's input is to sit in the den and watch television while saying, "Aren't you EVER going to get off the COMPUTER?"
Okay, he does look at the updated information every two weeks, just like all of you, and also reads my NEWSLETTER when I print it out and put it into his hands while he is sitting in his favorite recliner.)

This is part of an e-mail from me to Sherry Clingan Armentor explaining that Mike Lawson is NOT my husband:

"Mike is a fellow classmate. He lives in West Columbia, TX. He does the website posting. He is the one on the front page of the website at the bottom. We work together and communicate via phone , US MAIL, and e-mail to publish the information in the class website.

This is Sherry's response:
"Via telephone! - you two ARE good! Not being married, that is probably how you two can do it without looking for a divorce lawyer all the time."

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VOTING CONTINUED (No scheduled deadline for receiving votes. I actually just like to keep rubbing this in. "-)
(Vote to continue/discontinue "heads-up" notices)
"Please keep the e-mail notice coming if you can. I know that I appreciate it."
"I like the reminder for the updated website each time. I wouldn't always remember to look."
By my count of the votes so far.....looks like a DEMOCRATIC landslide in the making.

(New readers will have to go back to the NEWSLETTER of 7/20/07 for details. Remember....all comments are anonymous due to possible action by you-know-who (husband #2)! "-)

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WEBSITE CONTRIBUTIONS

Linda Gothia and Debbie Borres Desmond have sent in checks to add to the website account. Thanks to you both.

Make checks out to:
Linda DeCuir McFadden
112 Woodsong
Bridge City, TX 77611

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(Click on link)
I think it's over
(Sound....save this for later if you don't have time to enjoy it now.)

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SUPPORT NEEDED

Minneapolis classmate
Let's remember our classmate who must be profoundly stricken by the tragic BRIDGE COLLAPSE

Beth Hobbs Lunde
4612 43rd Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612)721-8543
(I do not know personally IF any member or friend of Beth's was involved in the tragedy. But, our hearts go out to her at this time.)

Joe Pinell
(heart valve surgery in Houston)
620 S. 8th St.
Nederland, TX 77627
(409)722-2795
bellsdad05@yahoo.com

Deployed in the MIDDLE EAST
Major Ross Felker
(Gail Wilson's husband)
CAOC/STRAT, APO AE 09309

Yolanda Reyes Bourque
6070 Inez Ave.
Orange, TX 77630
(409)735-8465

In April, I reported the following in my SUPPORT section:

Yolanda Reyes Bourque suffered a staph infection and complications and was hospitalized for 71 days in Houston! She is trying to recover.
Well, I just talked with her and she has just come back from having another surgery here in PA due to more complications from her Houston ordeal.
She will be on the mend for at least 6 more weeks.

Judy Jones Sandifer
6330 Washington
Groves, TX 77619
(US Mail & e-mails welcome, but PLEASE no visitors)
judytia@sbcglobal.net

As old age does when it creeps up on you, I have diabetes and COPD with bronchitus and I'm on oxygen 24/7. I'm a sickly old woman, but
having the time of my life! I get out in my electric wheelchair every now and then , and pretty much do what I want. Right now, I have problems
talking and enjoying guests, but I have no trouble with the computer. Not only do I get very out of breath talking, but I am taking prednisone, too.
I don't know if you know the effects of this terrible drug, but I call it "the Jerry Lewis Drug". I have swollen up terribly. I look like a pumpkin!! I probably always will, since the drug is vital to my breathing. I'm sorry everything leads back to my illness, and I don't mean it to, because I don't feel sorry for myself. There is a reason I'm like I am. I just gotta wait and see what it is. My illness has made me enjoy and count every day I have, and enjoy it
to the fullest. Maybe I can inspire others. Believe it or not, I really do have fun in my life, and look forward to the next day.

Mr. Lionel Rowland
2430 11th Street
Port Neches, TX 77651
llrowland@sbcglobal.net

The last two weeks have been most interesting. It began when I was unable to eat or drink anything. After undergoing tests, I was diagnosed
with cancer of the esophagus. I always wondered how I would react to such news. It was amazing. There was no fear. The doctor apparently
thought we did not understand because he told us three times. After he left, Shaaron and I prayed and praised God that He was with us and
would bring us through this. The words of the 91st Psalm have taken on special meaning to us because for the past two weeks, we have been
living in the presence of the Lord, in perfect peace.

Ps 91:1-2
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the secret place of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."
NKJV

We are going to MD Anderson in Houston, Monday, August 6, to find out what the next step will be. We are in good spirits and are excited about what God is doing in all this. Our God is so much greater than cancer that it's not even a fair fight.

For those of you that would like to read more about Mr. Rowland, please check back to the I REMEMBER WHEN story I wrote on 2/3/07 and Mr. Rowland's own message in MAIL CALL for 2/3/07.

After compiling the SUPPORT SECTION above, the following seemed to come at "just the right time."
(contributed by Jody Hopkins Barbin in Waco)

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken back, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know. Growing older, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body ... the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the cellulite. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those
things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.

As I've aged I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to be messy, to be extravagant, to smell the flowers. I have seen so many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m and then sleep until -- ? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's & 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But then again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never
know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

I can say "no," and mean it. I can say "yes," and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being older. It has set me free. I like the person I have become.

I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day... ( if I want).

Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.

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