March 15th!
The Ides of March! Wow, how times flies when you're having
fun! Happy early St. Paddy's Day !
May those who love us
And those who don't love us
May God turn their hearts,
And if He doesn't turn
their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their
limping.
--Irish Prayer
from
Enoch "Skippy" Cole
in Alexandria, LA
Love the web-site. My sister told me about it,
and I look forward to checking it everyday. Count me in for the reunion.
Can't wait to DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!
Skippy from Robert E. Lee Elem.
from
Sherry Clingan
Armintor in Groves
I had Acute Pancreatitis and Elevated Liver
Enzymes from a Blocked Common Bile Duct ( blocked by gall stones, gall
bladder removed 18 years ago!) and an embedded gallstone around my liver
the size of a golfball! After one week at St. Mary with no help from
them - I transferred to UTMB in Galveston - diagnosed in 3 hours - in
hospital for one more week at UTMB - after they settled the pancreatitis
( which is VERY sick ) the bile duct was widened with a sphincterotomy
and also removed the embedded gallstone - I was so ill, I missed all the
Holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas - I had a big party planned for
early December for 65 people - gumbo, casino gambling, casino
entertainment act, mojitos, lemondrop martinis,daiquiris and margaritas,
large inflatables for the kids, the list goes on and on of all the plans
- had been planning it for 7 months - had to cancel ! Everything was
decorated and in place - boy I was double sick! We re-scheduled the
party for next year! Hopeful optimist that I am! After I got to doing
better physically - I had a mammogram - well, that showed problems -
after a regular mammogram, a digital mammogram, and ultrasound and 5
core biopsies and asperated cyst - ALL reports came back GOOD - I am so
thankful to the Lord for healing and being able to continue to serve
Him! I am doing very well - busy as ever - that is truly what I
wish to be - VERY BUSY! I love the challenge.
(I decided to put Sherry in the MAIL CALL instead of SUPPORT NEEDED
section because her story made me so glad to hear such a happy ending!)
from
Cindy Arisco (wife
of classmate, Jude
Arisco) in Temple
Just letting you know that Jude and I WILL be
attending the reunion and I am sending payment today! Missed you
guys on the cruise..........it was great!
(I'm not thinking of the missed cruise, not thinking of the missed
cruise, not thinking of the missed.....)
from
Jim Andrus
in Jourdanton, TX
We sure did miss you and Murphy on the cruise, but we did have a
terrific time. We hope to make a trip with you both in the
future. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the
reunion in August.
(I'm not thinking of the missed cruise, not thinking of the missed
cruise, not thinking.....)
from
Lynn Eldridge
Gill (somewhere on
MY
cruise)
We will be in
Cozumel in the AM. Miss you two! I'll send
cruise pictures soon.
(ENOUGH about our MISSED CRUISE! I just bet all of you
HOISTED up a toast....with little umbrellas.....just to MURPHY &
I. )
from
Janice Jones Kelly
in
Bridge
City
I taught first grade for 24 years. When my children were in college I
went back to school and got my masters. I am now a diagnostician in Port
Neches-Groves ISD. I have three children ages 27,28, and 29. They all
live in
College Station. Jennifer is a counselor in
Bryan ISD, Michael is an engineer for Weatherford, and Stephanie is a
medical technologist at
St. Joseph
Hospital. Jennifer and Michael went to
A&M. Stephanie went to LSU. Jennifer is getting married next year in
College Station.
Our whole family
took a vacation to
New York City
this past year and had a wonderful time. We went to see
Wicked
and
Phantom of the Opera.
They were wonderful! We have joined the Cowboy Church of Orange
County. We are supposed to build an arena beside the church. They go
on trail rides about once a month. I don't ride, but my husband
does. Some of the teachers that I taught with have taken up golf. We
are having a great time. One of these days we will play 9 holes of
golf. Right now we are good for about 5 or 6 holes. It takes a long
time to play when your ball doesn't go very far. It is really a lot
of fun, and it is relaxing. I can see why people get hooked on it.
We are taking lessons right now and will hopefully get better as
time goes on.
At the moment I
will not be able to attend the reunion. One of my best friend's
daughter is getting married out of town that weekend. Thanks to the
committee for all of the long hours that you have put into it.
(I appreciate Janice for sending in something for MAIL CALL. I
sent out a request to several dozen classmates for news and I
received two responses from that list. Please help out.
We are all busy but I know that the MAIL CALL is your
favorite.)
from
Loretta LaLonde Myers in League City, TX
My family are all doing well. Our daughter,
Nicole, is expecting her second child at the end of July and we just
found out that it's a girl. Thank you so much for keeping up with
eveyone in our class and sending out the newsletter and the website. I
love reading them and I don't always take the time to reply, but I want
you to know that it is greatly appreciated!
(Don't you just love grandbabies?)
from
Darlene Landry
Turner in Port Neches
Thought I'd take a minute and tell you about this week end.....we
went to
Baton Rouge to visit our son and while we where
there, we had dinner with
Norma Gayle Guidry and her husband Ed.
She hasn't changed much at all....she still looks pretty much like
she did 40 years ago...the nerve of her! We had a wonderful
visit.....it was great. It was like we were 16 again.....we made a
promise not to wait 40 years again.
(I love a good story!)
from
Ms. Jayne Smith
(english teacher) in Pt. Arthur
Dorothy Day
(TJ teacher) is still in P.A.
(In the last NEWSLETTER, Paula Iles '69 asked if anyone knew Ms.
Day's whereabouts )
from
Linda Blanton Murski
(on an island somewhere
far, far away
I think living with
Shrek...:-)
I love to read about all of our classmates. I am hoping to be able
to come to the reunion in August. I don't think I will be able to
get my check there by the deadline though. We have to send mail
with someone traveling to the States if we expect it to get there in any
sort of reasonable time frame. I will get that check sent out as
soon as I can.
Thanks to the
committee for all of their work and great ideas for the reunion.
It sounds like lots of fun.
(We always love to see your smiling face at the reunions!)
from
Cherlyn Hebert in Houston
Such fun remembering the good ol' days. Had
an e-mail from Diane Richmond Miller yesterday talking about some of
the experiences we shared since we met in kindergarten. It truly
was a great time to be grow up. We could play outside without
worry of being kidnapped; in the summertime, as long as you were
home for supper, your mom never worried about you. We went to
school without worry of being shot. No metal detectors to get into
football games . . . or school itself, for that matter. Our
parents backed up the teachers , so if you got in trouble at school, you
knew you'd get it at home, too. (Not that that ever happened to
me, of course!!) Oh well, we have to live in the here-and-now; but I
wouldn't trade anything for growing up in
Port Arthur in the 50s and 60s, would you?
(Check out Cherlyn's contribution to the I REMEMBER WHEN section listed
on the website. I know that others could send in their memories as
well.)
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
MOTEL INFORMATION FOR
THE
REUNION
Many of you OUT OF
TOWNERS might not realize the
lack of vacancies
in the many NEW motels in our area. It is due to the expansion of
the area refineries and the influx of construction workers. So,
IF you
THINK you
might be able to come to the reunion, then please make your reservations
ASAP. You can always cancel them at a later date. Mike has a
partial list posted on the front page of the website listed under
REUNION
NEWS/SCHEDULE. Some farther away
in Beaumont might give you a
lesser price, but you will need to consider gasoline costs going back
and forth if you plan to tour the PA area while you are in town.
Just a thought.
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
TJ FACULTY MEMBERS
WANTED
I am hoping that classmates and faculty members on my mailing list will
help with this request. We would like to invite as many faculty
members as possible to our class reunion. Please look over the
faculty section listed on the front page of the website. They will
be listed under CLASS PHOTOS and then ADMIN/FACULTY. I'm sure the
photos will jog your memory. I do know that several faculty
members have passed away. I will need to know those names also so
that we may make a list available to view at the reunion. Maybe
some of the faculty still in the area have a list of former educators
with available addresses.
PLEASE HELP.
The committee feels that this would be a great addition to helping make
our reunion even
MORE SPECIAL!
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
VOTING ISSUE
(I received this request from classmate,
Arleen Lang Hulin,
to pass on to you. I also received it from
Marilyn Theriot Greene
'66).
Hello all,
Please read email below. There will be a Texas state election in May. Please
consider voting
YES for the
proposed amendment.
Thanks, Arleen
Very important for
seniors and disabled.
Remember to vote AND look for this on the ballot. You must vote in May
to keep the
Homestead tax cap for 65 and over, even
if you are not 65 yet. If you are a
Texas homeowner then this is important to you.
If not, it is important to your friends who are.
If you agree, please pass along to all on your email lists. This is to
make sure you are aware of a constitutional amendment that will be on
the ballot at the May election. It is an amendment to correct an error
made by the lawmakers when they voted for a reduction in school property
taxes in 2005. When the lawmakers voted for a one-third reduction in
school property taxes beginning in 2006 and to be completed this year,
they forgot about the homestead exemption for senior citizens and people
with disabilities.
The state constitution caps school property taxes for homeowners 65
years and older and those who are disabled. However, they DID NOT get
the same reduction when the property tax cut for schools was voted on
two years ago. So an amendment is on the May ballot to correct this
error. The problem is that most voters who are younger than 65 or not
disabled probably won't even notice the amendment or care. PLEASE get
out and vote for this amendment if not for yourself, then for your
parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. We would really
appreciate your getting the word out to all your friends and families to
vote for this amendment. The fear is that with a low voter turnout, the
amendment could very well not pass. So, please, please pass the
word and VOTE for the constitutional amendment. Early voting will take
place April 30 - May 5 from 7 am to 7 pm; May 6 from noon to 6 pm and
May 7 - May 8 from 7 am to 7 pm. Election day is May 12 from 7
am to 7 pm.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
TJ '68 CLASSMATE MAKES
US PROUD!
Be sure to read about
Butch
McWilliams' accomplishment and honor on the
front page of the website. Heck, I thought all he could do was
play BASKETBALL. (He didn't look too shabby in that team uniform,
either!)
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
There were these two
robins high up in a tree.
One looks down at the ground and sees a whole lot of worms.
He says, " Say, let's go down there and pig out on those worms."
The other one say, "Yes! Let's do that."
And so they fly down and eat the worms. They eat so many worms that they
can't fly.
One of the robins says, "Well, it's such a nice warm spring day, let's just
rest here and bask in the sunshine."
The other says, "Yes. Let's do that, bask in the sun."
A cat, who has been watching the whole scene, rushes in and gobbles up the
two robins.
"Man," thinks the cat, "Nothing beats basking robins."
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
"I believe this is the
first time since 1818 that St. Patrick's Day and Good Friday fall in the
same week. Easter was on March 22 that year. It will
be over 200 years before it occurs again."
(written by Mark Dunn in the Penny Record...our weekly
Bridge
City newspaper)
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
WEBSITE $$$$
CONTRIBUTION
Helen Rethke
had previously sent a check that was misplaced during my parents' move
into our house. She was sweet enough to reissue the "lost" check.
Thank you for being so understanding.
Anyone wanting to make
a contribution can make out a check and send it to:
Linda DeCuir McFadden
112 Woodsong
Bridge City,
TX
77611
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
NEWS FROM THE
HOMEFRONT
Okay, I thought we were making a breakthrough until Murphy came down
sick with fever and cough caused by a bacterial infection. Before
that happened though, we RAN AWAY from a Friday - Sunday to the
Austin area. Murphy's cousin's daughter
had a wedding there and we had sitters around the clock to stay with my
parents. My parents are better each day. Some days are rougher on Mom
than others. The appointments are killing us, though.
Doctor's appointments between the 4 of us this week included six
visits in five days. No wonder we stay sick. We spend
all our waking hours in waiting rooms with other SICK patients!!!
Maybe with the spring weather, we can try to sit out on the patio more.
Ahhhh, fresh air.
Please keep my
sister's husband in your prayers. He suffered a stroke on Feb. 11,
was misdiagnosed, and ended back up in the hospital on Valentine's day,
the same day as Mom's fall that caused her compression fracture.
Since the stroke, he has been in three hospitals. So far, he has
spent a total of 31days in a hospital bed somewhere.
My daughter and her
husband started building a home on their 7 acres in Lumberton. It is fun listening to her
complain about the delays, etc that go along with building. It
sure brings back memories of those days when we built our present home
30 years ago. I guess since my NEST is not EMPTY anymore, I
will just live vicariously through their experiences. I'll just
save my money and watch them go through theirs. I just hope that I
don't save my money TOO LONG, not enjoy it, and it becomes
her inheritance.
Maybe on second thought, I'll plan a trip around the world.....of
course AFTER the 40th reunion this AUGUST. :-).
(Hey, maybe a
CRUISE!!!)
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
SUPPORT NEEDED
Kent Koerth '66
(husband of classmate,
Jane Lippincott)
Diagnosed with colon cancer. He is to have surgery April 1 at
Methodist
Hospital in
Houston.
2707 Miller
Pt.
Neches,
TX
77651
(409)727-6023
kkoerth@gt.rr.com
jlkoerth@gt.rr.com
Linda Messer '66
(wife of
Walter Jones '67)
Well, its pretty late. The infusion started late and will end at 10 PM.
We just got the CA 125 report at 9 PM. it is <7. Essentially at the
lower limit of MD Anderson's test equipment. Terrific. If that is not a
Praise the Lord, nothing is. Thank you all for your continued love and
prayer support. I can't tell you how much that means to us. The plan now
is for a CAT scan on March 31 and review of the results with the doctor
on the following Wednesday, April 2. A wonderful gift would be "No
Evidence of Disease."
I received
this message from Loretta LaLonde Myers concerning the death of Linda
Clause's husband, Michael Glenn, whose death was mentioned in the last
NEWSLETTER:
I am in shock about hearing that
Linda Clause's
husband died! Linda and I grew up as close friends. We lived near each
other and our families did a lot together. We went to elementary school
and high school together. We even went to cosmotology school together,
but I am sorry to say that over the years we lost touch. I use to hear
about her through her mother, because she and my mother were best
friends, but I have not talked to her since my mother died in Dec. of
2006.
(Sounds like this would be a wonderful time to reconnect and lend your
love and support as we ALL should be doing.)
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
I have not seen any
death
notices in the obituaries and have not
been notified by any of our classmates of any known deaths!!!!
Praise the LORD!
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Well,
I think that this NEWSLETTER is just packed with information, ideas, and
requests. Do what you do best and get back in touch with me and
the REST of your classmates who could use your input, support, and help
in their aforementioned causes. (Aren't you glad you can contact
classmates by e-mail instead of having to pay for GASOLINE for your
vehicle to drive to go see them?) Remember, try not to just skim the
website and forget about it. Check back out later when you have
more time and reread it. It'll still be here.
Jesus was a
carpenter who built a bridge with three nails and two boards.
(I saw this on a church sign this week.)