Folks,
With kind of a busy schedule I was unable get a blog posted the last four days.
Our Cebu Expat monthly dinner group has grown tremendously in the past few months. With a maximum capacity of a hundred at the Marco Polo, we had to schedule 3 dinners for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. We had nearly a hundred folks for Monday and Tuesday’s dinners and 25 for Wednesday. Coordinating and attending these dinners kind of kept me busy. With the popularity of the Marco Polo, our dinners are well attended there.
Bernadette has not been well either. She was only able to attend Monday’s dinner at the Marco Polo and she was dragging too. She has not snapped out of it yet either. We are so fortunate to have the help of her 3 nieces.
Gary
Replies to Class of 73 unidentified picture
Provided by Trish Larson Claybough (’73): Portola Valley, CA
Reply to class of 73 picture
From Dick Johnson (‘’68): Dunseith, ND
Gary and Friends,
The picture of the gal with the scarf leaning on the ’50 Chevy also looks like Trish Larson to me. It was taken on the driveway in front of Campbell’s garage and the slope roof building in the distance is Mellmer’s garage. My guess is that is was the day after the prom–big hairdo makes me think so. I sure would like to know where the car went?
Dick
Unidentified picture posted yesterday
Class of ‘73
Anyone recognize this guy or the building?
Joke of the day
Posted by Trish Larson (’73): Portola Valley, CA
One dark night outside a small town in Minnesota, a fire started inside the local chemical plant and in a blink of an eye it exploded into massive flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around.
When the volunteer fire fighters appeared on the scene, the chemical company president rushed to the fire chief and said, “All our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved. I will give $50,000 to the fire department that brings them out intact.”
But the roaring flames held the firefighters off.
Soon more fire departments had to be called in as the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out that the offer was now $100,000 to the fire department who could bring out the company’s secret files.
From the distance, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was the nearby Norwegian rural township volunteer fire company composed mainly of Norwegians over the age of 65. To everyone’s amazement, that little run-down fire engine roared right past all the newer sleek engines that were parked outside the plant.
Without even slowing down it drove straight into the middle of the inferno. Outside, the other firemen watched as the Norwegian old timers jumped off right in the middle of the fire fought it back on all sides. It was a performance and effort never seen before.
Within a short time, the Norske old timers had extinguished the fire and had saved the secret formulas. The grateful chemical company president announced that for such a superhuman feat he was upping the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave fire fighters.
The local TV news reporter rushed in to capture the event on film, asking their chief, “What are you going to do with all that money?”
“Vell,” said Ole Larsen, the 70-year-old fire chief, “Da first thing ve gonna do is fix da brakes on dat truck!
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Blog (272) posted on November 4, 2008
From Vickie Metcalfe (70):
EVELYN PLADSON, 80, Dunseith, died Sunday in a Minot hospital. (Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau)
Gary,
Several teachers including LeaRae (Parrill) Espe and myself went
to Minot yesterday to see Letaine Brandt who had heart attacks again
on Saturday remains in very critical condition.
While in the intensive care waiting room we also visited the Pladson
and Landsverk families. Evelyn (Landsverk) Pladson passed away
surrounded by family on Sunday.
Evelyn is the mom of Alan, Wally, and Almo, who all attended Dunseith School.
I am certain many folks have fond remembrances of Evelyn as a
quiet, kind, hardworking lady.
Vickie
—
Vickie L. Metcalfe
Vickie, Almo is on our Distribution list.
Almo, Our condolences are with you and your family with the loss of your mother. It’s tough loosing a parent. We will post her Obituary when it is published. Gary
Reply from Bob Lykins (Teacher):
That’s very funny, Margaret. Yes, Gary, I do remember, very well, those days of teaching typing at Dunseith HS. Ah, the sound of those bells ringing the end of the line and returning carriages. It is true what you say about spell check. I also remember tearing apart one of the old manuals to see how they worked. The repair man only came around once or twice a year and the students needed to have their machines repaired now and not later. So I went out and bought small screw drivers and sharp-nose plyers. Along with key chains, itty-bitty screws, rubber bands, and light-weight sewing machine oil I managed to keep most of the machines up and running. I remember we had this old Underwood that had to have been manufactured in the 1930s. It had no casing and was open all the way around. It was the best machine we had for durability but was hard to type on because the key pressure could not be adjusted. I believe one of the Cassavant boys had that machine. I wonder if he still has fat fingers from pounding on that thing every day.
Bob
Additional comments from Mr. Lykins:
Gary,
I read with great interest your comments on All Saints Day in the PI. It brought back memories of when I was TDY to Subic Bay during that time of the year. In the evening we took a boat out into the Bay just off the main Olongapo/Subic City cemetary. The cemetery stretched from the highway alongside the bay up the side of a large hill. That night the people flocked to the cemetary and the only light one could see from the bay were the thousands of candles dotting the hillside. It was very spectacular. We docked the boat and went up into the cemetery. It was all very festive with bands playing and roaming vendors selling all kinds of food and wares. I stopped to chat with more than one interesting family group. The families had gathered around their family burial plots which were, more often than not, marked by a large stone grave marker or alter with the family name on it. Everyone in a family of about 30 or so people, including the little ones, wore ball caps with the name of their dead ancestor stitched on the front. As I recall it was not a name one would normally associate with a family from the Philippines but rather a good Irish name like O’Neill. So I asked one of the older people about it. It seems an American sailor, not long after the Subic Bay Naval Station had been established, decided to stay and start his own family there. O’Neills now number well into the thousands in the PI. As I meandered through the cemetery I noticed more than a few “foreign” names on the grave stones. They were and are a lasting testament to the American presence in that part of the world. When I left the Pacific area in 1979 for Germany we had over 9,000 American military and civilian retirees who were living around Clark Air Base. I don’t know how many retirees there were around Subic and other installations but I am sure it was/is well into the thousands. No doubt that has fallen of f since our closing of the bases in the PI. It is a beautiful country and an American can live like a king on a small pension. I must confess that the thought of retiring there did cross my mind more than once.
Take care and my best to Bernadette.
Bob Lykins
Mr. Lykins, What you said about the cemeteries is so true. We live in Cebu, located about 400 miles south of Manila and Subic Bay. The cost of living here is somewhat less than back in the states, but overall with the extra’s that we have and living to American standard’s, it averages out about the same. The average Filipino family lives very sub to our standards. A family of 5 can live comfortably, in their society, on less than $200 per month. Bernadette and I have gotten spoiled with the very inexpensive domestic help. Several months ago we took a few of the local children down to McDonald’s. We ordered happy meal chicken nuggets for all of them. The one little by would not eat any of his food, including the fries, because this food was new to him and he did not like it. He wanted his dried fish and rice. For price comparison, a McDonald’s quarter Pound deal, with cheese, costs $2.50. Ice cream sundae’s cost $.60.
Rod Hiatt’s (69) Reply to Gary:
Please see my question to Rod below. Gary
Hello Gary
The email address is right and the year is 73 for Little Chip
Rick and Chip are married to Fairweather sisters. There Dad, Renolds, is
from North of Souris, but while in the service he married a gal from
Georgia and thats where the kids were raised until probably into junior
high, when they moved up here and he worked for the elevator.
I have my coffee every morning enjoying the stories and memories of
everyone around Dunseith. You made my Mom’s day when you called her a
while back. Thanks and keep up all the good work.
Rod
Rod, I too enjoyed visiting with your mother, Vida. I have known her my entire life and your dad too. I had a really nice visit with your folks, at the bowling alley, in Bottineau, the summer before your dad, Howard, passed on. They are great folks. Gary
Gary Stokes wrote:
Rod,
I have a Mike Johnson listed in the class of 63 and one in the class
of 73 each with the same email address
Which one is correct? I’m thinking the one I have listed for 73 is
correct. I only have an email address for both listings with no
mailing address or phone.
What is Rick and Mike’s wife’s maiden name? Are they from the
Rolette/Bottineau county areas?
Sounds like you guys had a whirl wind of a trip, but fun.
I’ll post this tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
Gary
From Dick Johnson (68):
Gary and Friends,
Reading the stories from Marshall Awalt and others about traveling
through blizzards, reminded me of a similar story Dad told me. He said
the boys basketball team was riding with Glen Shelver and others on the
way to Bisbee or Cando for a game, when they came upon a Model A Ford
that had gone off the road into the ditch full of snow. Glen had the
boys push the light car back up on the road as no one was around. Dad
said they had only gone on a short distance when they met a team of
horses and a sleigh with the owner of the car riding with the farmer.
Glen Shelver laughed out loud, when they went met the team, and said, “I
wonder how that poor guy is going to explain to the farmer why his car
is sitting on the road and not in the ditch”? Thanks Gary!
Dick
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Reply from Sharon Longie Dana (73): Reply to Dick Johnson: I hope my cousin Ronnie can help with that I honestly don’t remember, I know I was young when they moved to Spokane Wa. and I have lots of cousins older than me so I don’t know who it would be. Sharon Longie Dana(73) |
From Cecile Gouin Craig (61):
As November 11, will be here soon, thought this maybe of interest to the
Dunseith folks. Wilmer Dion was Floyd and Derald’s Father All five of these
brave men were uncles to the Morinvilles, my Mother Jean, brother Morris,
and my self. Father and four uncles to Floyd and Derald. Joe Morinville’s
Mother Eva Dion, Morrinville, Peat and my Grandmother Rena Dion, Daoust were
sisters this pictures is of their brothers.
As always thanks Gary for all you do. Cecile
Picture provided by LaRose Ketterling (46):
