It’s that reminder time of
the year again. When did you have your last physical exam and PSA test?
It’s important...and gets more so every year. Don’t put it off!
The Court will take a short recess while you schedule an appointment.
The Court will come to order. I’m still waiting on the continuing saga of
KEN COFFLAND’s Alaska to Texas move, but he did report around with the story
behind his need for a change. “Hey Y'all! Just practicing the
language down here. Time for a change. After nearly 5 years of
flying small fixed wing aircraft into remote villages in bush Alaska...I've
moved on. I loved the work overall...the views from my 'office' were often
spectacular on the good days. When the weather got bad...didn't need take
up hobbies in search of adrenaline. I'll miss the people I was privileged
to carry to & from the villages. Flashes...proud parents bringing
newborn home from the hospital...taking city kids to live with grandparents in
the bush...hauling dogs & food & mail & snow-go parts & soda
pop & the injured & the dead...working to give...no...working to show respect for a lifetime of courage &
dignity...carrying a beloved elder home for burial. When I was wearing
the air ambulance director hat...sometimes flying as a line pilot...sometimes flying
as medic. The emotional roller coaster of being part of the early delivery of a
baby girl 150 miles from the nearest hospital. All that coaching...breath
control...panting...working through the contractions...even trying to get mom to
do that stuff too. Mom grabbing me....saying that the baby's coming...my
most calm & persuasive 'you're doing great...we'll be at the hospital in
under an hour' elicits a more intense 'THE BABY IS COMING NOW!!!!' How
can you argue with one who KNOWS? The other medic did a great catch of a
very slippery, beautiful baby girl as we bounced through the turbulent arctic
sky in a much too small aluminum cocoon. Airway cleared carefully with the
little bulb syringe...breathing (crying) after stimulation, cord clamped, baby
dried, wrapped, mom gets to see & hold baby...keep adjusting position &
oxygen as we bounce along...color better...movements....breathing better.
Placenta delivered....bleeding under control. In radio range for
pilot to call for ambulance with additional medics to meet us...and change the
flight plan to add one more soul on board. Just another day's work...of
course not. Humbled...lucky...blessed...you bet. Over
time...changes...the one thing you can count on in this life. Too many
long days of flying out...crouched over unloading & reloading hundreds of
pounds of heavy 'stuff'...realizing that most of my peers who have done this
for years have back problems. Not enough time spent with the ones I
love...a week on/week off starts to sound like a fantasy. Woke up one morning
knowing that it was time for a change. Headed South looking for a place
to work...to get recent experience. Discovered a place...a company where
safe, professional, positive are common...encouraged...friendly people.
Every outfit has problems & drawbacks...looked for a place to feel at
home with the culture & attitudes...a place that fits. We'll see what
happens over time. Now I’m working 'oil patch' -- flying PHI helos to
offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Occasional trips to floating
ship, crane barge, deepwater floating platform or jackup drill rig but mostly
to fixed platforms. I got on a 14/14 schedule to make the Fairbanks
commute better. Returned to Fairbanks last break...we headed south in the
motorhome...moved to College Station, TEXAS!”
Time for an update from the Pine Tree State: “Ahoy from the north country.
The TURLO's still have daughter Dee living with us along with the three
grand-kids ages 8, 5 and 3. Needless to say, gray hair is getting whiter
by the minute. Has anyone else had the septic service rep tell them they
have too many wipies in the system? To quote the T-Shirt ad for the
latest Star Wars movie: "Sith Happens." The FCC threatened to
remove ODD ROCK from the airwaves at Colby College radio, WMHB 89.7 FM, citing
unprofessional conduct by the DJ, yours truly – CAP’N BARNEY. But
the FCC realized that it IS college radio and amateurism 'R' us. Case
dismissed. I'm still crankin' out two radio shows a week including a
couple of pre-recorded 80's shows featuring - among others - AC/DC, Rick
Springfield, Wang Chung and Tom Jones' version of Prince's "Kiss."
The FCC is considering a new citation for bogus and abusive use of the
airwaves. I ceased part-timing at the Benton Town Office and have instead
fleeted up to a full-time, 30-hours-per-week position as Deputy Town Clerk,
Deputy Registrar, Deputy Treasurer, Park Committee member, Budget Committee
member and - as of this week - fluorescent light changer. So I've reverted from a semi-retiree to a semi-non-retiree status.
Reverter 'r' me. And due to rising gas prices and to save
wear-and-tear on the '95 Neon, I'm bicycling to work - weather permitting.
I can actually make better time on the bike than with the Neon.
That's a statement about the condition of the Neon, not the biker.
LINDA paid up my insurance premium because there's a certain danger
factor on one stretch of road (Neck Road) that has a lot of dump trucks and
logging trucks. I may end up having one of those bulldog-shaped truck hood
ornaments colonoscopize me yet. LINDA and I did manage to escape recently
for a long weekend of traveling the Maine coast. We got to see BLIND
ALBERT in concert at the Time-Out Pub in Rockland. Acadia National Park
was beautiful and completely tourist-less. We also dined at our favorite
watering hole in Portland - Margarita's. The circus was in town at the
Civic Center across the street and I asked the waiter if it was discount night
for circus clowns. The waiter said I didn't look like a clown. LINDA
said wait'll the third beer. Entertainment 'r' us. Looking forward
to kayaking as soon the rivers get below flood stage. Wipies in the
septic? Who cares. I have lived to see the Red Sox win the World
Series. Life is good.”
BRYANT NODINE is the Planning and Zoning Administrator for the Town of Oro
Valley, Arizona. “Thanks for checking on me and for years of very
complete class notes. I've been tracking the class for a while courtesy
of Bill Jansen ('61). He just retired as the Town Engineer and I'm the Planning
Director in a suburb of Tucson--we had the Town pretty well covered with a CGA
point of view. Now that he's retired, I'll have to get my own
Bulletin--dang, that's probably going to cost me a brick. Never thought
when I roomed with the Thadmiral that I'd end up in his home town (Tucson), but
that taco he made me must have done it. JANET and I have been here 22
years, having decided that one more winter in Montana wouldn't cut it.
Which leads to a cryptic update: independence day on 7/4/76, ski bum
(Taos), married in '80, carpenter, certified ski bum (Aspen/Canyon's), MS
Planning (U of A) in '87, school planner (Tucson Unified), city planner (Oro
Valley).”
BILL GAMBLE’s son Evan graduated in June from the University of Washington with
a degree in Accounting and will be entering the Master of Accounting Program in
Taxation this fall. Bill was networking, looking for a summer internship
for Evan and I coerced an update: “My last 7 years in the Coast Guard were
rather strange since I got passed over for Commander. I just said the
hell with it and basically did the job I loved. I served as the Senior
Marine Investigating officer in San Francisco for the first 5 of those years
and the Senior Marine Investigating officer in Portland for the last 2. Believe
it or not, I wore Birkenstocks my last two years while in uniform. I
caught a fungus on my big toe. When I was El Presidente's roommate, I
remember him saying there is a fungus amongst us. His prophecy came true,
and it landed on my big toe. My job as senior investigating officer was
basically a detective/prosecutor on the water. It was a blast.
After I got out in '91, I went to work for Clark County, Washington.
After huge amount of overtime fixing problems with the system, the IT
department said thank you for all your good work, but we don't need you
anymore. I left in the spring of '92. After my local government
experience, I taught at Portland Community College for the summer of '92.
I was qualified to teach computer courses with my Masters degree in
Operations Research from NPGS. During that same summer, I also taught
computer courses for a company called Microware. I eventually parlayed my
previous local government experience into a job working for a great local
government, Washington County, Oregon. Washington County local government
is a top of the line outfit. My boss is a former Marine. I have
been here since the Fall of '92. My job title is senior management
analyst. I basically do budget work, supervise some very talented accounting
staff and have fun. Life is good. My wife, HALLIE, also works
for Washington County Government in the Land Use and Planning Area. So we
do the commute thing. There are pros and cons to commuting with your
wife. What if you and the boys want to go out for a drink after work?
Plus you are a captive audience going to and coming from work.
Fortunately, we've managed to survive 32 years of marriage, so something
must be right. Our son and only child graduated from Lake Oswego High
School in Oregon. It is one of those highly rated college prep suburban
high schools in Oregon where every kid goes to college, except Evan. He
decided to just goof off. He spent 3 years traveling around the West
Coast in work/party mode. He finally settled down in Seattle and got
serious. He graduated from Shoreline Community College on the honor roll
and then went to University of Washington. He majored in accounting and
is graduating this June. He is entering the Master of Taxation program
this fall. Evan met the girl of his dreams a few years back and got
married. As the proud father-in-law, I can honestly say I could not have
picked a person more suitable for him. She is a 6' 4" female body
wrestler. Her name is Diana The Valkyrie. Just kidding.
Actually, Charlotte is a fellow student at the U. He met her while
working at the Outback restaurant at Kirkland. She is a political science
major and will graduate in June 2006. If you carefully observe the
picture you might notice something in her backpack. That little fellow
isn't a leprechaun; he is our grandson. We are so very proud of him.
His name is Jacob William Gamble. He was born on the 1st of April,
2004. He was born exactly 21 years almost to the day in the same hospital
in which my Dad died, the University of Washington Hospital. By the way,
21 is a Fibonacci number that reflects the natural rhythm of life. He had
a knot in his umbilical cord. It had to be a signal from my Dad. My
Dad was a 31-year Navy veteran and he loved tying knots. He used to make
rope lions out of knots. He died shortly after my son was born so he
never got to experience the full wonder of being a grandparent. I guess
he didn't want me to miss out.”
RON SILVA’s back from Azerbaijan: “I'm back from my almost 10 month assignment
in Azerbaijan where we started a project to improve the Azerbaijan Maritime
Border Guard ... soon to be reorganized and renamed the Azerbaijan "Coast
Guard". It was a lot of hard work, but very rewarding and learned
lots! The Azeri people on our staff and those that we worked with in the
Maritime Border Guard were a pleasure to work with. I'm now starting up
doing Business Development for Homeland Security work in the WGI Crystal City
office. This should be interesting as well. Bottom line is that it is
great to be back home in Arlington, VA with Bev.”
Time to do a little braggin’ ... not me, PANCHO. “I just feel like bragging
about one of my little girls. It was a joy to get back to one of the
coasts briefly May 28-29 to attend graduation at Brown University in
Providence, RI. where daughter Laura received a Master’s degree in Geology.
Sorry the schedule did not permit me to check in with the Connecticut
chapter of the ’71 Alumni Association (you know who you are) but there will be
plenty of next times. Laura will be on leave of absence for six months to
teach in Italy then return to Brown to continue work on her PhD. Other
daughters Ann and Fay are also scattered on the West and North coasts
respectively (former Ninth District sailors will understand the term “North
Coast”). The parents are still happily hiding out in Omaha but we have a
great airport and travel to the congested coastal population centers (cities
with more people than the whole state of Nebraska) when the mood strikes.”
A quick binnacle report from TOMMY CLARKE: “I had surgery on my right knee a
couple of weeks ago. Tore cartilage in it while playing tennis.
Like I always say --- exercise is hazardous to your health! Anyway,
everything went well - didn't even have to use the pain medication they gave
me. Nevertheless, knee is still sore, especially if I overdo it.
Hope to be more or less recovered by the time we leave for our trip
although doc says I can expect intermittent pain/swelling over the next 6
months.” As I prepare these notes, TOMMY, SUSI and daughter Katie are
beginning a vacation in the Southwest. Going to start out in Colorado Springs
then do a circuit thru Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Zion/Bryce, Las Vegas, San
Simeon (Hearst Castle), Samuel Taylor state park (just north of San Fran),
Dinosaur National Park, and back to Denver. Sure hope the knee holds up...and
send some photos!
Summer has arrived here with a vengeance and it’s hot and humid in Virginia.
How are the CORNELLs holding up? “First off, Cate graduated in April with
her Masters in Molecular-biology and biochemistry and has a job (Hooray) with
Vertex Pharmaceutical Co. in Boston. She just started last week and seems to
like it. But with her having the month of May off, Sarah thought it would be a
great time for a Family Fun Adventure and since they are a two income family
with no "little responsibilities" right now they all decided the
place to go was China. Since it was his girls making the request, TOPPER fell
into the plan and we took off for Beijing in early May for a 10 day visit. We
stayed in Beijing and saw the Forbidden City (see picture of all of us there ),
The Summer Palace, The Great Wall (see picture of Topper and me) and the Sacred
Way of the Ming Dynasty. We had a very interesting Peking Duck Dinner and all
learned how to use chop sticks and how to bargain!!! What deals we thought we
got until we heard what someone else paid for the damn thing. But hey,
sometimes we got the lowest price so I guess it all evened out. We moved on then
to Xiam and saw the Terra cotta Army which was really a highlight of the visit.
It is amazing with each one of the 8000 figures having a unique face.
Unbelievable and the museum was very nicely done as well. We boarded our river
cruise at Chongqing and had a three day cruise up the Yangtze River, the Qutang
and Wu Gorgres and a the lesser three Gorges. Right now the new dam has brought
the river up 150 feet and the next stage which will be completed in 2009 with
raise it another 150 so we were seeing places and things that will be lost
under water in the next couple of years. We visited the 9 story Red Pagoda and
did some more bargaining which was a hoot. After touring the new Dam site, we
headed to Shanghai where we saw the Bund, Old Shanghai and the Chinese acrobats
in a great show. Of course we hit the Shanghai market where the girls found
great bargains in all manner of knock offs and thought we were pretty good with
our bargaining techniques, especially when we walked away with the venders
insults ringing in our ears. Having Sarah and Eric and Cate and her boyfriend
Jason with us really made the trip...and us old folk kept up and at times were
up later than the kids. The Great Wall was really a challenge - the climbing
and stairs something I didn't really expect but we made it up and down without
collapsing! Probably the hardest thing was the long flight from the East coast
to San Francisco where we all meet up then the 12 hours on to Beijing (think of
TOPPER with no cigs for all that time) and we all had some trouble getting back
on schedule once we made it home. But it was worth the jet lag and we all had a
ball and everyone came home speaking to each other so that was great too.
Another Family Fun adventure successfully completed.”
RALPH LEWIS forwarded a photo of DEB arriving for her Change of Command. “DEB
assumed command of the Coast Guard Element, Joint Transportation Reserve Unit
on June 4th. This is her new reserve assignment, which will be concurrent with
her present active duty assignment as Deputy Director Joint Reserve Directorate
(and soon to be appointed Vice-commander of the JTRU) until the end of
September. The outgoing CO of the CG Element, Capt. Ron Davis, retired after
over 36 years of military service immediately following the change of command
ceremony.” I mentioned RALPH’s impressive wood carvings last edition and
his piece “Orca Romance” received honorable mention for wood sculpture against
some very formidable competition at Kerr Arts & Cultural Center juried art
show.
Good news... the rivers got below flood stage. “Summer arrived late in
Maine, but we're just glad it arrived. The entire month of May was wet
and cold. But we finally got to check out the cup-holders in the kayaks.
After a couple of hours of testing, Linda suggested we actually take the
kayaks out of the garage and down to the water. We've been on the water several
times now. Linda actually went IN the water once.... but those
things are tippy (kayaks AND wives). But even if we only have a few hours on a
"work" day, there are lots of places to 'put in' within 20 minutes of
the homestead here in Benton. "CAP’N BARNEY" - ODD ROCK - is
still airing Mondays and Fridays, 6:00 am to 8:00 am, on WMHB 89.7 FM ... and
on the web accessible from <http://www.colby.edu/wmhb> .
But I've also picked up the 8:00 am to 10:00 am slot on Fridays -- FOUR
hours of punishment in a row for Friday listeners versus the usual two!
Last but not least - today is the thirty-fourth anniversary for me and
the bride. She still gets asked "how do you stand it?"
But rather than 'exercising' the trapeze in the bedroom, Linda will be
assisting at our grand-daughter Ally's birthday party today. Ally is 5
and a half (?) years old. I don't pretend to understand. I may be
assisting as well by keeping Jake (the 3-year old) entertained. Leah -
the 8-year old - will be on her own. Life with live-in grand-kids...what
would the approach to the "golden years" be like without Bear in the
Big Blue House and wipies in the septic? But Linda and I will be
celebrating "later" at Margarita's in Augusta. Quiet time with
a little salt around the rim. Maine... the way life should be.”
More braggin’ ... not PANCHO, but CHUCK BECK: “For the second straight year,
multiple student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. And for the second
straight year, one of those is UConn senior defenseman Lisa Beck (Tolland, CT).
Now a two-time Top Scholar-Athlete, Beck shares this year’s honor with Maine’s
Emily Stevens (Hamilton, ON) and Northeastern’s Chrissy Sands (Los Gatos, CA).
All three recorded a perfect 4.0 during the 2004-05 season.”
On June 4th, just 5 days before the 34th Anniversary of another graduation
ceremony, STAN NORMAN did it again! I was very pleased to attend his
graduation from the Fuller Theological Seminary Northwest at the John Knox
Presbyterian Church in Seattle. STAN received his Master of Divinity
degree and noted in the program that “While at Fuller, SUE and I lost three of
our four parents and we became grandparents of David Jayson. We have
served Sunrise United Methodist Church, our home church, and Elma United
Methodist Church. True Christian communities, every one. Our future
plans include serving the Willipa United Methodist Church in southwest Washington
beginning July 1st.”
PAUL LIBUDA sent in a lead on BILL PHILLPS. “I read the Alumni Bulletin
last night and thought I would pass you a lead on our non-reporting classmate
BILL (W. R.) PHILLIPS. BILL was chief of the IT division at D11 Long Beach
CA when I retired in 1991. I recall that he retired not too long
thereafter and hired on with either Maricopa County AZ or City of Phoenix to
head up their IT/Communications
program (a job that I also applied for). I contacted him at his office
phone a few years after that while on a short layover at Phoenix airport.
I recollect he said he was living in Scottsdale.” I’m pursue the
lead, but in the meantime, got PAUL to do a little updating: “If I give you an
update on JA LING and myself, I'm probably at risk of you asking for photos.
Since my last update, JA LING's daughter, Madilean, made us grandparents
of an adorable boy, Theo, now 18 months old. We'll be visiting them in NYC in
July, photos to follow. Our daughter Diana graduated UCLA two years ago
and is beginning her third year at Harvard, working on a PhD in microcellular
biology. Thankfully, an NSF fellowship that she earned and other
scholarship awards cover tuition and expenses. JA LING keeps busy with
exercise classes five days a week and during visits to help with Theo. My
Dad lives nearby and is doing very well. A Massachusetts transplant, he
enjoyed the fifth World Series championship by the Red Sox in his lifetime;
he's now 93 and makes daily trips to visit a lady friend at an assisted living
facility. I'm staying occupied at the Port of San Diego with our ever
growing cruise ship and cargo business. I'm about two years away from
joining the Port's check of the month club and accompanying JA LING to her
daily exercise classes.” We don’t want a photo of you in that exercise
class, but will hold you to the “promise” of one of Theo! And I just
checked the Directory...SWABO Dean Harder ‘72 or Steve Ziomek ‘72 who both live
in Scottsdale. How ‘bout tracking down BILL PHILLIPS for us?
Heard back on that physical appointment yet? What? You didn’t call
for an appointment. WELL DO IT RIGHT NOW! The Court is adjourned!