Yes, we are moving again. Virginia has been wonderful, but it's time to
get back to where we belong--West of the Mississippi and South of the Red
River--TEXAS!!!! We're a little undecided right now other than deciding we are
moving back to Texas. Therefore, we must put our belongings in storage in
Dallas, use my mom's address as our temporary address, and I guess we'll be
at the mercy of our friends. As I've told some of you on the phone, when I
ring the door bell, invite me in and show me to my room. My wife and I both
are actually looking for jobs; will be looking for a house on the lake when we
get back there; and will be doing a lot of ballooning in the months to come.
We'll see how it all plays out. Perhaps it's our second childhood; we're
trying to find ourselves.
BISHOP BYRNE/TJ ALUMNI CRUISE
April 16, 2007
more info can be found at
(type this website in if it doesn't work when you click on it)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR
Okay class listen up.....
Pt. Arthur has celebrated more than 100 years as a Gulf Coast city, but the
shores of the Sabine Lake have been occupied more than 1,500 years, with the
Atakapas tribe of Native Americans as the first known settlers. The earliest
attempt at permanently settling the area was the community of Aurora, located at
what is now historic Pt. Arthur. Some lots were sold around 1840, but the
project failed to take off. Railroad Pioneer Arthur E. Stilwell began
establishing Pt. Arthur as the southern terminus for his new Kansas City
Southern Railroad. The city's official incorporation is dated 1898.
In 1899, Stillwell invited his friend, John W. Gates, to visit Pt. Arthur.
Gates quickly decided he, too, wanted an interest in the development of this
promising town. Aided by the effects of the Spindletop Gusher in 1901, he
built the Mary Gates Hospital, now known as Christus St. Mary, in 1909 and
founded the Pt. Arthur Business College, now Lamar State College, the same year.
The eruption of the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop in 1901 changed the fate of Pt.
Arthur. The Port quickly began to serve the needs of the new petrochemical
industry and companies such as Gulf Oil Corp. in 1901 and the Texas Company
(Texaco) in 1902 set up refining facilities in the city. By 1957, Pt.
Arthur was known as the center of the world's prosperous oil refining
facilities.
CURRENT INFORMATION (FYI)
Population:57,756
Ethnic breakdown: Caucacian 39%, African-American 43%, Native American .5%,
Asian 5.9%, Hispanic 17.5%, other or mixed 11%
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A SAD FAREWELL
Last month, the PAISD voted to close Woodrow Wilson Jr. High.
The school facility was in very sad shape and HURRICANE RITA just
fast-forwarded the inevitable. The repairs were going to cost way
more than the district could afford. As a former VERY PROUD alumni of
Woody, I am disheartened to see it close, but also know it isn't fair to the
students trying to learn in such an environment. So, our memories of the
Black and Gold Bears will continue to make us smile!!! Tri-Hi Y dances,
High 9 check day, and of course the rivalry with Edison Jr. High (THE EDDY/WOODY
GAME at the Thomas Jefferson High School football field!!!) and the homecoming
dance. The corsages were just ONE MUM with streamers. They were beautiful,
weren't they? Go, Woody! I'll miss you. (I have a photo of the High 9
dance with 39 classmates pictured. I will send it by request).
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
CLIFFORD ANTONE FUNERAL SERVICE in Pt. Arthur
I attended the funeral service for Clifford at Grammier Oberle Funeral Home in
late May. Several classmates attended while I was there. I talked with Jack
Catalina, Randy Hutchins, Carol Olivier Nunez, Carole Oubre Reeves, David
Elliott, Janice Jones Kelly, Robert McClintock, Susan Hatfield Miguez, Shelley
Dettman, Jack Etheredge, Alan "AJ" Hebert, and Rosendo Lopez.
He also had a public memorial service in Austin, June 3. Susan
Antone, class of '67, said to convey her heartfelt thanks for all the
messages and support given to her from his classmates.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CONDOLENCES
Betty Bernauer Waedemon Danny
Phares
(loss of her mom)
(loss of his mom)
1818 Cheyenne River Circle
1635 Thomas Rd
Sugarland, TX 77478
Beaumont, TX 77706
(281)980-5368
(409)898-2482
Sally Fitch Strunk
Roy Dale Birklebach
(loss of her dad) (loss
of his brother, Bobby, class of '65)
2918 Acorn Wood Way
812 Marlin
Houston, TX 77059
Hitchcock, TX 77563
(409)938-1615
Randy Monte Susan
Antone (class of '67)
(loss of his mom in Dec.,05)
(loss of her brother, Clifford, class of '68
1370 H Industrial
c/o Antone's
Petaluma, CA 94952 213
W. 5th St.
(707)778-6320 Austin,
TX 78701
Please contact the above classmates with your comforting words and
support. We all know how important they can be at a time
of sorrow. It is never too late to send them.
MEMORIAL DVD's are still available:
This is a 45 minute presentation of 52 of our deceased classmates that was
prepared last summer by another classmate, Mike Lawson. The
cost is $9.00. Contact:
Mike Lawson
2119 Twin Lakes Blvd.
West Columbia, TX 77486
(979)345-5901
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
E-MAIL ADDRESS LIST & SPREADSHEET LIST
I sent out an e-mail address list on June 5 (BEFORE THE INFAMOUS COMPUTER CRASH)
and also sent it in spreadsheet format to those
who requested it. Since then, I have had many changes. They are
listed below:
CHANGES:
ADDITIONS
Diane Barker Kay
King
Bart Darby
Linda Langhoff
Willis "Billy" Fowler Jimmy
Simmons
Norma Guidry
Joe Gongora
Susan Hatfield
Diana de la Rosa
Jenny Rhodes Nancy
Jowell
John Wilson
Danny Licatino
Please ask your friends, patients, clients, customers, and co-workers that were
also classmates if they are receiving the UPDATE. They might not know
about it.
A big THANK YOU to Beverly Copeland Gaspard for updating the
spreadsheet for me. I'm hoping she just "sighs" when she
receives the changes!
Be sure to send me additional e-mail changes, deletions, or new e-mail addresses
of other classmates not previously listed. You may contact me if you would
like for me to send the list again.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OUR OWN "PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR"
Glynn Myers, Loretta LaLonde's husband, has been helping to
find addresses on our "MISSING CLASSMATES". He sends info to me
and I follow up. We hope to have a much better updated list of the
classmates that we have lost contact of (in some cases) for YEARS!!! Thank
you, Glynn, and a big THANK YOU, Loretta, for loaning him out to us!!! We
will be updating addresses often in the next two years before our FORTIETH (40)
class reunion in 2008~~ Don't groan. We had several classmates that came
to the 35th reunion and it was the FIRST reunion that they had attended.
All of those said they were coming back! Good for them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, this has been a long afternoon of compiling info into this UPDATE. I
didn't include "SIGHTINGS" this time around. I lost a lot of
those names in the "computer crash". Contact me with any news and
I will include it in the next UPDATE. That is what it is all about.
Take care and keep in touch,
Linda DeCuir McFadden