TJ Class of '68     NEWSLETTER                                                              06/06/09         

 

Well, it has been a month since the last NEWSLETTER.  Normally, Mike and I write updates every two weeks.  I haven't been receiving news from classmates very often,  so I think that monthly will be the new norm for writing these.  I do hope that you will take some time to contact me so that we can get back into the "old" rhythm.  I know that in the past you have told me that reading classmate NEWS is your favorite.   

MAIL CALL
from Richard "Dick" James in Nacogdoches
 I got a chance to sit down visit with Mom (Helen Jo Owens-TJHS class of 1940) over the mother's day weekend. One of the subjects we talked about was the
Hussars. As you well know, "Once a Hussar, Always a Hussar". Mom talked about Elizabeth Smith and the boots not being available and having to try and get grass stains out of the white slippers and getting their foot measured for the boots. Hazel Dunham was either the first or one of the first drum majors. They started out with bass bugles and tenor bugles, and drums.  The bell lyres were added later. Mom says she could still do the "Here We Come" on a bugle if I had one. I do not.

She also sang the Hussar song....      Red Hussars, Red Hussars
                                                     Our dreams will never die.
                                                      We'll do our best to always keep
                                                      Your colors flying high.
                                                      For our school and for the rule
                                                      da da da da da da.

I figure after 69 years that's pretty good to remember the first verse and the tune. I have only been out of school 40 years and I come to the da da da part a lot sooner than that.
 also said precision and rhythm were primary, and they were expected to be high achievers in grades and moral conduct. I'm not surprised at that. I think we have let a lot of those standards slide. Thanks for bringing the
Hussars up on the website. Mom really did enjoy going back and telling us all about them.  I could practically see her in the red tunic and white skirt and fast stepping out onto the field leading the charge. How did they balance those heavy white hats?
(What a great memory and also having some quality time spent with your mom.  We could all do that if we are so lucky to still have them around.) 

from Beth Anne Sutherlin Coakley in Bedford, TX
Hmmm...let me see...
I am sooo ready for the economy to get better so I can actually see my retirement $$ GROWING instead of shrinking.
I get through with teaching for the year June 5 and then next day off to Denver for my stepson's 40th birthday..and hope to get a scenic drive in to Gunnison while we are there..... 
June 25-29 we are flying to Traverse City, Michigan to drive the Great Lake coast and then go to northern Illinois to visit my husband's mom.
My 79 yr old mom is going to Honduras for a mission trip..She has even started volunteering in the St. Mary's emergency room....whoa!
I just had 3 1/2 hours of heart tests done...to get a baseline....can you believe I don't remember having any of this ever done...EKG...CT, stress test and all that scan stuff, etc....putting dye in your arm that makes you feel like you are on fire....geesh!
July 5 or so..hope to go to Prescott, AZ for a few days
July 16-17-18-19...go camping with my nephew in the Portland area..can't wait
Thank goodness for benefits of retiring from an airline....
Can't you tell I need a break! Oh...my husband may not have a job after July 15..they are closing shop ....too much competition in the DFW area......sad..he is such an expert at doors and windows......good thing is he can go down to PA and help Mom.....

(I'm getting tired just thinking about that crazy summer you will have.  I bet there are a lot of classmates not retired or not physically able that are envious of this schedule.) 

from Debbie Borres Desmond in Nederland
Four of us left Lumberton at 4:45am Mothers's Day for Tenneessee in a motor home.   Monday morning went to Graceland and Loretta Lynn's home outside of Nashville.   Tuesday we were in Kingsport to see Raymond's cousin and his wife.  Wednesday went to the Biltmore in N.C.   On the way down the mountain Thursday a black bear, approximately a year old, ran in front of the motor home and froze.   Glenn Prioux slammed the brakes and missed the bear by ten feet.  The bear then ran up the mountain.   Four motorcycle riders had just passed us on the narrow road.   Raymond looked for them in Gatlinburg to tell them how close a call they had.   The road is winding and narrow with many spots that just drop off.   There is a beautiful spring running most of the way down the mountain.   While in Gatlinburg, we rode a tram part way up the mountain and then rode a ski lift the rest of the way up, and looked down the mountain.    There were some beautiful homes up in the mountain.   The scenery is beautiful with trees, mountains and valleys.   Two nights were spent in a resort suite.    We had purchased the 3 days and two nights and had to listen to a time-share presentation.   The place was the Bluegreen Resorts; we caught them in some untruths and someone else had bought the trial membership and it was a joke.  We saw a couple of dinner shows.  The weather was good, it started out cool and got a little warm later in the week.   Left for home Sunday at 5:45 am and arrived in Nederland at 11 pm.   We didn't have a lot of traffic.    Had a great time and it was fun traveling in the borrowed motor home.     Highly recommend Tennessee.
    

from Janette Light Norton in Cypress, TX
Hello, Dear Friends,

Ten months ago Sharon Lewis Forrest and I planned to have lunch. Last week we did. First, it was Hurricane Ike, then the holidays, her husband's health, and then travel.  Finally, a few weeks ago on my way home from shopping, I decided there could be no more excuses.  

Sharon works at One Shell Plaza so I had an opportunity to reacquaint myself with downtown  Houston's one -way streets and Sharon.  Google has taken the stress out of the steets:  the same one-ways and still under construction.  Sharon, too. Sharon's sort of one-way, too: funny as ever, honest as always, and smart-- She's hardly changed since the day we walked across the stage to receive our diplomas. and yet, like the streets, there have been plenty of improvements made along the way. 

Two hours was barely enough time to say hello but we managed to hit the high spots of forty  years-- just enough information to process and prepare follow-up questions and stories for our next lunch date in a few weeks.  Yes, it's a standing date until she moves to Boerne- even then, we'll still be close. 

Context provides our perception--especially of ourselves.  Since our last and wonderful class reunion, difficult and awesome things have altered our reality.  Old friends can't make us young but they surely can make us feel that way. Children, grandchildren, even spouses remind us of the long road of life; old friends are the true Fountain of Youth because they see us as 17--before we had aching joints and drooping whatzits. 

I'd like to challenge each of you reading this message to take the time to contact at least one person from our class that you keep thinking about but never do anything about. NOW!  Don't wait until you have time or the...whatever you think is stopping you.   After you call or write that person, share what happens:  how you feel, what you did, what your afraid of, why you waited so long---whatever seems important to your story.   

Remember: this is a challenge to contact someone old but NEW.  Sharon and I laughed about some people we had tried to contact yet for a variety of reasons couldn't get responses from.  "Would they consider us stalkers if we kept on trying?" we wondered.  If you take my challenge, please share your stories with the rest of the class but if you are uncomfortable with that, please share it with me.  Stories are the heart of a culture and the TJ culture could quickly disappear if we don't save it. Let's breathe the breath of life back into the website, and more importantly, to ourselves.

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NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT

Well, it finally happened.  I moved my parents into the Carriage Park Apartments right smack dab next door to classmate Dennis O'Quinn's parents.  My mom and Mrs. O'Quinn have been friends since high school and life-long family friends.  I can't say it was an easy move, BUT it is over!  I CAN say that my parents, (Mom in particular), is so much happier being in a larger space.  You all will agree if "Mom ain't happy, nobody's happy"!  This is the 5th move since November of '07 when I moved them from Lakeview to my home in Bridge City 

We are heading to Friendswood for the June 6th wedding of my brother's middle child, my god child.  He lives and works in Shreveport at the hospital there.  I don't get to see him near as much since he moved from Friendswood.  By the way, today is my mom's 87th birthday.  A grandson's wedding....what a nice way to celebrate her special day. 

Murphy and I are heading to Wimberly, TX to attend classmate Jim Andrus' son's wedding on June 20.  Also attending will be classmates Lynn Eldridge Gill, Paul Colletti, and David Williams.  It will be fun to be with them for the weekend.   

(Speaking of weddings....Diane Richmond Miller just got back from her only child's wedding held in Austin.  Maybe she will write and tell us some exciting things that happened and also send a photo of the celebration.)   

UPDATE:  Ernie Castaneda Bullion sold her home in a week's time.  They are patiently waiting to move to their newly acquired home in Lumberton (3 minutes away from me!  Yeah)

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CABRERA'S JEWELERS in Port Neches

Remember my list of "Bad things that happened in 2008"?  One of those listed was having my tennis bracelet "stolen" from a jewelry shop.  Mom gave me my "inheritance" of her diamond tennis bracelet (a 50th anniversary gift from Dad) for a Christmas gift December, 2007.  I only wore it once and the safety chain caught on my granddaughter's tights and pulled off the loop.  I brought it to Cabrera's Jewelers on Nall Avenue in Pt. Neches thinking the owner (Luis Cabrera), would repair it while I waited.  Wrong~ He gave me a story about needing to order a safety chain from Houston.  I left it there, (MY MISTAKE!), and that is the LAST TIME I HAVE SEEN IT!  Several phone calls, visits, stories he gave me, then contacting POLICE, hiring a lawyer, court date set, "settling out of court for 6 months of equal payments that NEVER CAME THROUGH, lawyer filing ABSTRUCT OF JUDGEMENT (blah, blah, blah) THEN lo and behold.....TA DAH.....an article in the PA NEWS telling of an INVESTIGATION of other "missing jewelry" and closing of his store due to not paying his lease.  Even a FACEBOOK posting from a woman that had her wedding ring pawned from there!  The  police told us that anyone else that this happened to should contact Judge Burnett by the airport.  Shame that this probably went on since Feb. '08 (and maybe before my incident).  I'm sure everyone thought their occurrence was the "only one".  Not only did I lose a $4000.00 bracelet, I lost something PRICELESS.  He will probably never have to own up to any of these items.  What a travesty.

 

 Published May 28, 2009 06:24 pm -
PN’s Cabrera’s Jewelers under investigation


The Port Arthur News

PORT NECHES —

A longtime local business is under investigation for the possible theft of jewelry.

Port Neches Police Sgt. Jesse Fournet said the department has received calls from customers of Cabrera’s Jewelers complaining they were having problems getting their jewelry back from the business.

The case has been under investigation for about two weeks.

Cabrera’s closed its doors to business at about the same time, Fournet said.

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SUPPORT
I haven't received any requests lately.  Feel free to send any names to me so that we can support and raise our prayers for classmates, family members, or anyone else you would like to mention. 

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CONDOLENCES
Beth Hobbs
(death of her father)  
300 Wall St.  Unit #104
St. Paul, MN 55101
beth.hobbs@att.net

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I hope you take to heart the words of Janette Light.  Our class is already pretty special and tend to "keep in touch" through our unique website.  Wouldn't it be even better if we didn't wait until it's TOO LATE to connect with someone special from our "youth"?  You can find their e-mail address posted on the website under the heading CLASS LISTING.  Don't wait until they or in the MEMORIAL section~

                                        Keep in touch and stay safe,
                                        Linda DeCuir McFadden
                                        lindasuemcfadden@sbcglobal.net
                                        
www.tjhs1968.com

 
 
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