5/27/2012 (1496)

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Happy belated  birthday wishes to Susie  Millang!!
From Connie Zorn Landsverk:  Bottineau, ND
 
 
Frank Coons Memories
From Allen Richard (’65):  Midland, MI
 

0 years ago this weekend my best friend, Frank Coons was killed in a motorcycle crash on the Lake Metigoshe road.  He was test riding a cycle he was going to buy so we could go on a motorcycle camping trip into Canada.  According to O. D (Dallas) Herbel, Frank was the best teacher he ever hired, and he hired Frank over the phone.  Frank was barely 25. I’ve not yet ridden into Canada.  Not sure why.  I probably should.
 
So to you bikers on the blog.  Be careful this weekend–don’t become somebody’s memory.
 
God bless everyone on the blog.
Allen, the name Frank Coons is very familiar. Was he a Bottineau Teacher? I think a number got dropped in the number of years in your message. Gary
 
 
  
 
 Thank you Neola for this picture of my dad. I have this same picture, but with no year. Now we know. Dad was the Legion Commander for the Bottineau Post about the time this picture was taken too, so that was probably the reason for the picture.
 
Dad was all over the Pacific for 31 months straight during WW II. He and my son Bernie were both on Okinawa with their service tours.  Bernie was in the Marines. While he was stationed at Okinawa, he was deployed to many of the SE Asian Countries. He was also on many missions to Somalia during that conflict. Dad, Bernie and myself were all overseas in the Pacific theater in our service days.
 
Bernie lives in Bellevue, WA. He was worked for Microsoft for a dozen or more years now. His job has been mainly to take on contracts to work out all of the bugs in software before it is released to the public.  
 
Gary  
 
 
Bill Fassett: WW II photo
Posted by Susan Fassett (’65):  Spearfish SD
 
Just wanted to send a remembrance of my Dad for Memorial Day.   I have an album on Facebook of family veterans from my family if anyone wants to take a look.  Dad was a radio operator in the Army Air Force and was stationed at Espiritos Santos in the New Hebrides.   The quonset in the background was their radio station.   Happy Memorial Day to all and prayers to all the families of vets.    Susan
 
 
 
Copied from Susan Fassett Martin’s (’65) Face Book wall
 
 
 
Mark LaCroix, son of Jerry (’73) & Arlene LaCroix
 
Mark LaCroix was also named the Region 5 Baseball Athlete of the year.
 
Mark’s grandparents were Henry & Gladys LaCroix. His uncles and aunts are Jan LaCroix Kester (’59), Charlotte LaCroix (’62), Greg LaCroix (’66) & Paulette LaCroix Chisholm (’68).

Jamestown-bound: LaCroix’s bat, arm leads Braves to Region 5 title

May 25, 2012
By DANIEL ALLAR – Staff Writer (dallar@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News

Mark LaCroix was a different pitcher beginning in the third inning of the Region 5 tournament championship game Thursday at Surrey.

After giving up two runs and two hits through the first two innings, the Bottineau senior held Bishop Ryan hitless the rest of the way as the Braves won 7-2 and earned a second straight trip to the Class B state tournament.

LaCroix left a pitch up in the strike zone to Ryan cleanup hitter Mason Kramer in the bottom of the first and Kramer took advantage with a towering two-run home run to center.

LaCroix responded with his own two-run blast in the third inning. That success carried over to the hill, where LaCroix showed command of his curveball in striking out nine Ryan hitters.

“Because we were able to tie it up at two, it took a lot (of pressure) of me on the mound knowing we weren’t fighting back anymore,” LaCroix said. “It made me a lot more relaxed.”

The Lions (22-6) put just two runners on base after the second inning, both on walks.

With the exception of the first time through the batting order, Bottineau (18-3) stung Ryan senior pitcher Jay Mittlieder each time the lineup turned over. The Braves’ first three batters – sophomore Andrew Hill, senior Justin McCloud and LaCroix – accounted for all seven Bottineau runs.

Hill went 3-for-4 with two doubles and scored three runs. He said the Braves weren’t phased by the Lions’ early lead.

“We just kept goin’, (innings) two through seven, we just kept getting hits,” Hill said. “We knew we could come back, and we did.”

After one of Hill’s doubles in the fifth inning, McCloud homered down the left-field line to give the Braves a 4-2 lead. LaCroix added a two-RBI double in the seventh to give Bottineau a comfortable cushion.

“We expect those seniors to step up for us, and did they ever,” Simpson said. “Mark had a huge game today at the plate and pitching, with the exception of one pitch. Justin had an unbelievable tournament, so we expect that and I’m not surprised at all with what they did today.”

After the Braves accepted their region championship trophy Ryan coach Brent Nelson met with his six seniors – Mittlieder, Sheldon Marmon, Josh Dahly, Sam Ebert, Cole VerBruggen and Ian Howard. The class was part of a state championship team its freshman season, a state runner-up team its sophomore season and lost in the region final to Bottineau the last two seasons.

“They’ve had a great career and a lot of wins,” Nelson said. “I’m just proud of ’em. I had a meeting with them and said how happy I was with the year and good luck to whatever you do in the future.”

The Lions forced a deciding game with a 6-3 win over Bottineau on Tuesday, but Nelson knew winning back-to-back games against the Braves would be a challenge.

“We were fortunate to beat ’em once, but to try to beat that team twice – with all those hitters and two good pitchers that throw hard and have good off-speed pitches – it’s tough to do,” Nelson said. “We had to do things right and we got the early lead, but 2-0 is not gonna hold up against them.”

The Braves face Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton in the first round of the Class B state tournament, which begins on Thursday in Jamestown.