Folks, You’ve heard the old saying “The check is in the mail”. Well, my check is in the mail to Bill Grimme for two chicken breast dinners. We love chicken breast, so that is what we ordered for the Dunseith Alumni reunion being held in Seattle. I also mailed 30 letters to those that don’t have email, informing them of the Reunion in Seattle, that live in the Puget Sound/Washington/Oregon areas.
Another concern: Because of the volume of email I’ve sent, the last two days I’ve had to use my local email provider, globelines, for sending the daily blog. Often times all messages do not get delivered when using globelines. Please let me know if you did not receive messages 293 & 294.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Today is the day. Bernadette and I are going to a buffet dinner at the Marco Polo hotel with some American and English friends this evening. Then on Tuesday, we are headed to Hong Kong for a few days. We will be celebrating 30 years of marriage on December 3rd. Gary
From Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59):
My dad, Dale Gottbreht, thought Louis Armstrong was the best; called Louis “top drawer”. Hope this attachment from my brother-in-law can be shared. Dad would have graduated with the class of ’36 but his dad had more pressing need and Dale left DHS his sophomore year, incomplete. Happened to many back then. He cooked a “mean” turkey! My very best Thanksgiving was cooking for my son Ivan and his friends in NYC 2001; the smell of burnt metal still present a mile from ground zero. Bought the groceries near his apt on LaGuardia Place. Although the turkey I selected was not the listed special, the register clerk held up the line so the manager could march up and give the lady, me, a free turkey because I had spent $75.00. New Yorkers, not famous for cordiality, were patient to a fault. Cashier was having a great time and brought home the importance of savoring the moment of everyday, everywhere for everyone. I am so touched and thankful for the numerous mailings from Dunseith folks, Gary. Happy Thanksgiving. Sharron
Sharron, The attachment you sent me “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong is a beautiful video. Being a little over 4,000KB, may be a bit large for group mailing. I’m not sure how many folks have PowerPoint either.
Folks, For those of you that would like this wonderful video, please zap Sharron a message. I know she will gladly forward it to you. Gary
Email address change from Don & Colleen Conroy (58) Martel:
We have switched email providers. Our new email address is: marteldc@, please disregard all others. This switch is affective 11/26/08.
Don & Colleen Martel
From Bob Hosmer (56):
Hi Gary and all Dunseithers,
I’ve enjoyed the comments about my brother Bill–and his comments as well. I’m his youngest brother. I’d like to add my comments that most of you don’t know about but adds to his out-standing character that you all do know about.
When I was still something of a brat, just entering my teens, Bill was at West Point. I wrote him a letter asking a very ridiculous question: “Why don’t we harness the electricity lightning produces to provide cheep power?”
To my surprise and glee, in the midst of a heavy study schedule and other time-consuming demands, he wrote me a very serious response to that question. I have never forgotten that incident. He considered me important enough in his life to take precious time to write not just a note but a letter of more than a few pages–a very treasured memory.
Also, in 1962 while he was still flying left wing in the Thunderbird Diamond. He came to Seattle area and did a show at Payne Field. I was engaged to my wife at the time and we invited him to Katrine’s home for a dinner and to bring a friend. He and one of the solo pilots came. Jerry, I think was his name. He and Jerry honored us with their presence, when they could have been part of something bigger and more important than being in a private setting. Then next day at the show he took Katrine’s nine year old nephew, Philip and put him in the cockpit of his plane prior to the show. Philip is running his own business today, but has never forgotten the privilege Bill gave him.
Just one more incident, A few years ago he and Pat came to our home for a visit on their way back from Metigoshe to Tuscan. The visit covered the time when he would have a birthday. My kids and their spouses planned and put together a surprise birthday bash for him. Pat knew what was going on but Bill didn’t.
When the day arrived, he had a shirt on that was striking. Katrine and I commented on it. He said something like, “Well, it’s my birthday today” in something like a mock offence. Like nobody noticed so I’m going to celebrate this way.
Was he ever surprised when we went to our oldest daughter’s home and he encountered a lively group wishing him a happy birthday.
What fun for me to have a brother so open, generous, thoughtful and fun to be with and even tease a bit.
Bob Hosmer (56)
Thunderbird reply from Dick Johnson (68):
Gary and Bill Hosmer and Friends, Hey Bill, I have a question. Someone said you guys flew over Dunseith in the summer of ’62 and I thought it was in ’61. It really isn’t an issue, I just want to keep the years right. Wasn’t it about the same time as the Cuban Missile Crisis? I was at the farm and remember how you guys pulled up to clear the hills and then rolled over to head back south. Bill, as an eleven year old kid and worried about nuclear war etc., those birds scared the devil out of me! I still remember thinking, “Here we go”! I didn’t get to see the maneuvers over main street but the low altitude turns were fantastic. Had I known it wasn’t strategic action, I might not have been shaking so badly!! When you are a kid, the world seems small and anything that wild and low just has to be bad! I still remember how the ground shook under my feet! Years later when I stood close to the runway at an air show, an F-15 did a low level flyover and then pulled vertical and added power until he was out of sight. It brought back thoughts of that day back at the farm and nearly brought tears to my eyes. I’m sure glad we had you guys on our side! Looking back, it certainly was a day to remember, no matter whether it was ’61 or ’62! Thanks Bill! Dick
Reply from Bill Grimme (65):
Gary,
Reply to Dick Johnson’s note below:
Dick,
I remember the shooters you mentioned. Made many of them. Shot bb’s in those, though, if I remember right. The peashooters I was talking about were like little blowguns-plastic tubes just slightly bigger than a regular drinking straw and a little sturdier. You actually shot dried peas. After a little practice, you could load up peas in your mouth next to your cheek and you had a semi-auto blowgun. Now, about the tapioca. It was relatively round, not quite as big as a dry pea, but, it looked suitable. So, I loaded up my mouth and looked for a victim. Unfortunately, tapioca, although it starts out hard, dissolves and turns into a starchy, kind of tasteless mush after it has been in your mouth a little while.
So, who remembers the pea shooters?
Thinking about the tapioca reminded me of another prank. I think Myron Zorn may have pulled this on me, but, I might be wrong. Remember the old “Open your mouth and close your eyes and I’ll give you a big surprise”? Well, Myron (or whoever it may have been) finally convinced me to do that. What he gave me was a big spoon full of powdered milk-the old kind that didn’t dissolve well-not the Carnation with the instant crystals. Well, that stuff sets up like concrete on all the moist areas of your mouth and is nearly impossible to get out for several agonizing minutes. Great games we played! I saw a similar effect years later when I gave my dog a spoon full of peanut butter. It stuck to the roof of her mouth and she spent a good half hour trying to lick it completely out! It was actually hilarious. I am not usually so cruel to animals, but, I had spent a lifetime trying to figure out how to get even on that powdered milk trick. The dog was the best I could do. No one else had ever been dumb enough for me to trick. The dog liked the peanut butter, though. Every time I made a sandwich, she begged for peanut butter.
Bill
Reply from Allen Richard (65):
I never got into pea shooters that much, but spit wads through a straw were pretty common.
Then there were the squirt guns– remember the “Wee Gee?” It was the kids version of the old west Derringer — tiny, easy to conceal and had great range. Hitting somebody in the ear from two rows away was pretty common. I carried mine where a strip search would be required for discovery. Only time I ever got on confiscated was the time I was dared to shoot Hepper as he wrote on the board ( The dare probably came from John Awalt or Kenny. ) –I didn’t do it, but he didn’t find the wet spots on the board next to either shoulder very amusing. Lost my very best WEE GEE that day! Think it cost me 5,000 words too.
Then there were the rubber bands and the paper wads. Did a few of those, but quit when a few hard core types switched from paper to paper clips——————
Well— speaking of rubber bands—— there was the memorable incident when Earl Hiatt, Myron Zorn and I came up with an eraser launcher from a bicycle inner tube. We tested it in Jury’s study hall. Our success was registered on Andy Patenaude’s forehead. The red mark was there for a couple days as I recall
My penmanship should really be better than it is–considering the practice I got —————————————
And then there was the forward rolls through the open window in POD class when Hep was at track meets–and we had a sub. That would be John Awalt and me – with his 55 Chevy strategically parked. Jerstad found that amusing— but I think I had to work on my penmanship again. L.J. (our term of endearment for Mr. Jerstad ) explained that it would be a cold day in —- before i graduated if I maintained my level of goofing off. He was right — as I recalled there was about 2 inches of snow on the hood of my care when I left graduation. Then off to the graduation party —- I’ll let Kenny, John A. and Rene fill in the blanks here — but it all ended up cooling in the creek by the slaughter house the next morning —————- Error! Filename not specified.
I’ll stop now– Kenny has already expressed concerns about the details registered in my memory——-