Dunseith Alumni – Seattle Reunion – July 24, 2009

Folks,  With today’s message there are several questions asking about a reunion in the Seattle area to be coordinated with those of us going on the cruise this next July.  Karen Loeb Mhyre (65) from Bellevue, is checking a few place in the Puget Sound area where we could possible hold this event.  We would like to hold this event on Friday, July 24, 2009.  This is the  day before our Cruise.  We are not sure how many of you folks going on the cruise would be interested in this. I think we will be boarding the ship around noon on Saturday the 25th. For those of you flying into Seattle on Friday and would like, I think we will be making arrangements with a hotel near the Airport for our group.  We will be addressing the hotel and transportation to the ship with a separate message to those of you going on the cruise.

I have gone through and sorted out all of you folks living in the Washington/Oregon area. There are 79 of you living in that area that I have on my list with 49 in the Puget sound area alone.  I have pasted that list at the very bottom of this message sorted by areas (Puget sound, Washington out side of Puget sound and Oregon) Please note that this list includes only the folks from the class lists that I have put together so far.  Those are the classes from 1930 through 1977.  Our Seattle reunion will be inclusive of everyone and not just for those from those class years.

We are asking for suggestions, from any of you, where we could hold this event. For planning purposes, I think we should plan for about 150 folks.  We may have less, but we need to be prepared in case we have more.  My suggestion is to locate a restaurant, with banquet room facilities, that could handle this many folks for a meal. That would eliminate the renting of a facility. For those interested in participating, we would ask them to make reservations with us, so the facility would know the number of folks to plan for.

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest. we are wide open for any suggestion of where to have this reunion. To accommodate those of us going on the cruise, some place near SeaTac would probably work the best, if at all possible.  SeaTac is centrally located in the Puget sound area too.  Locating a facility to handle a group of our size will be challenging and that is where we need your help. Gary

Reply from Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59): 

All correct Gary. I worked at the Everett Surgery Center on Rucker/Pacific 4 years when first in WA. I am a CRNA by profession and practiced anesthesia for 35 years. Love retirement. Love to attend the Dunseith Picnic held in this area 2009. Are you in the know? Sharron

Reply from Francie Gottbreht Dutra (63): 

First and foremost, thanks for doing all the work for this great website…..I do not log in daily but do play “catch-up”.  I wanted to  add some info on the class of  ’51 and my brother Gene’s info.  He was born on October 5, 1932 and passed away on 1-16-91 in Olympia Wa.  Prior to his death  he worked for the Olympia brewery.  We in the northwest had a great fall with sun and temps in the 80′s thru Sept. and now fall has arrived with rain and cold.  We were in Dunseith  the first week of August and as always had a great time.  Also had the great thunderstorms and rain ( 5 inches in a couple of hours) and then the 95+ degree weather later in the day in Washburn , and then more storms in Bismarck later in the evening!!   Washington just does not get those great thunderstorms  like ND.  (Thank goodness)!!!!  I would be interested in the get-together for the Dunseith folks coming in to  Seattle for the cruise…..we will not be joining the cruise (I am not a fan of water) but we may be able to get together with some of you in Seattle before you leave.  Sounds like so much fun but ……….I’m a land lover.  Francie

Reply from Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59):

Gene [Thomas Eugene] Gottbreht, b Oct 5 1932 – d Jan 15 1991 Olympia, WA

Reply from Lynn Halvorson Otto (75):

Hello Gary

We just wanted to add Clyde Satrang’s address

5417 Park Drive
Mountain Iron, Mn. 55768

We really enjoy your news Gary!!  Thanks!  Marge and Clyde
Satrang

Paulette LaCroix Chisholm’s (68) reply to Gary:

Folks, Dick Johnson and I pass a few jokes back and forth.  Dick forwarded a joke I had sent him to Paulette as an attachment. Paulette replied thinking she was replying to Dick, but instead she was replying to me.  With that mistake, Paulette and I exchanged several messages to include the one posted below.  Paulette, this event has enabled us to enjoy the nice letter you have provided.  Gary

PS – Paulette, in answer to your question below, I have DSL for my internet connection.

Gary,

Dick Johnson is something else.  I loved the story about him buying that instrument for the Lorraine Metcalfe, who thought it too expensive.  It brought tears to both my husband and I.  After the reunion, they invited us to their lake home and Ken played guitar while I sang with them.  He’s a special classmate that has been telling stories and jokes since as early as the 4^th grade, with his, “look down your shirt and spell attic.”  Who knew he was going to collect all these stories and information on the area and people?  I’m not surprised you receive lots of email from him.  With all he does, when does he have the time?

Bill Grimme and Alan Boguslawski, on occasion, (they must’ve been very bored) used to sit in some old car with us and entertain.  They were quite the comedians and gave us lots of laughs before they went on their ways.

Is it true?  Are you using still having to use dial up?  We got the FIOS package for TV, phone and internet and the speed is great.  Getting this together everyday must be quite a feat.

My father’s family came from Quebec as did so many of the French families in the Dunseith and Rolette area.  When we visited the cemetery of the little town where my grandparents were born, Contrecoer, Quebec, we read on the tombstones names like Lamourex, Dionne, Mongeon, Vivier,  Boucher, Cote, LaFountaine, Fontaine, and many others.  It was clear these families moved together to our surrounding area.   Looks like we are all related.  Ha!  I asked some French speaking people where I could find the old cemetery.  They took the time to find the  historian of the town so he could tell me.  I know but a few essential words in French, so it was a fun challenge to communicate.  The historian, who spoke English told me about a great split of these families.  It seems for some reason (I assumed was poor soil or poverty) they all moved.  Half the families went to the East Coast to work in factories and the other half went to ND, SD, and Iowa areas to farm.   When we lived in New Hampshire years ago, I made friends with a woman who was French and still had a heavy accent.  These many years later, we find that we are distantly related.  Her family, also from Quebec, were amongst those who moved to work the factories.  Our families names were also on the stones and had married one another over the years.  We laugh because she had little mannerisms that reminded me of my father’s family and I’d suggest she was a cousin.  It is definitely a small world.

Ken and I love to travel and have been going to Europe just about every year for the past ten.  We love the South of France with it friendly people, great inexpensive wine, and savory food.   This year we went to the Languedoc Rousillion  area which is less touristed.  The people were playful and even knew who was winning the debate between Clinton and Obama.  At a colorful street market, I was asked to buy some very expensive sausage.  I pulled out my empty pockets and replied “George Bush.”  A number of people laughed, touched my back and said “Sarcozy, even worse!”  I have tons of pictures of this beautiful area.  The castles of the Cathars were interesting too.  History, which used to be my least liked subject, is now one of my favorites.  To read about Richard the Lionheart is interesting, but to see his castle and look out of the tower towards the ones he tried to capture is just a lot more exciting.

Well, I do go on.  Right now I’m more focused on this economy and the election, but a European trip would sure be a great distraction.

I’d love to see the Phillipines.  Cultures fascinate me.  Is it hot and humid all year round?  Sounds like your wife is a very good cook, yet,  you both look pretty slim.  It’s hard to portion those helpings when its good right?  Ha.

It was nice to hear from you.

Paulette Chisholm
Dunseith Alumni Folks living in the Washington/Oregon areas (Classes 1930-1977)