No. 6

Your classmates Lynn Dietz Evans, Kathy Sherry Skadsberg, Robin Movald Niedenfuer. With eight girls between the three of them, this is wedding picture number six. (Photo supplied by T. Obert)

Tom Obert: Log cabin retiree

Someone asked Tom Obert to get to work and organize a class reunion, now that he's retired and living in Alex. He's so grateful to the Trailboss for taking him off the hook he quickly complied with requests to supply some info for the roundup web site. His story follows. Enjoy. -- Trailboss

I'm retired. For three years now - after thirty years in the Federal bureaucracy (D.C. government, army, Department of Labor). We retired back to Alex because after having visited all 50 states (a nebulous achievement to be sure, but it was on the list) it seemed to be as good a place as any. Besides, it was home.

We always wanted to build a log home on a lake (well, actually on the shoreline of a lake) - so we did, on Lake Darling. I did the whole residence thing backasswards - spent my working career living in apartments and condominiums, and then retired to a big house with a big yard with big maintenance. It remains to be seen how long I will be willing to mow grass and shovel snow.

I have no kids but am considering cloning. My wife, Ruth, has two children, Jami and Rob, but they were both young adults at the time we met so I was able to avoid those messy diaper and hormonal stages of child rearing. Jami has a ten-year old son, Tommy, who comes up from Indiana every summer to visit his grandma and grandpa.

We have yet to become snowbirds. In winter, we shovel snow, ice skate at the hockey arena, go to plays at AAAA and concerts at the JHS gym (would all alumni please help push for a new high school?), and go to high school basketball and hockey games (the girls team went to the state tournament last year and had a little 8-grader who was so spectacular you couldn't take your eyes off her when she was on the ice). In summer, we mow grass, golf, host family and old friends from "out East," and pontoon (weather permitting, which has been seldom).

Golf has re-introduced me to some of our teachers, with whom I play in various "old man" leagues (which must make them feel good) - Dick Greengo, Bob Rader, and Gary Woodward. I try to visit Dave Dziuk in Knute Nelson whenever I can - he still loves to discuss politics. Speaking of politics, Ruthie, though a native Hoosier, has already become secretary for the Douglas County DFL party. And through party politics, we have become friends with Bill and Anne Riggs - Anne, for reasons inexplicable to me, runs marathons.

Ruth and I met while skinny dipping - in a condominium pool at two in the morning after an appropriately named "get to know your neighbors" wine (which explains the subsequent activities) and cheese party. True story. I would not, however, recommend scaling 8-foot high chain-link fences in the middle of the night when you are over 40. It was shortly thereafter that we were "adopted" by a wee kitty who found us on a late evening walk - 16 years later Woody remains a steadfast member of the household. Ruth and I married on Valentines Day, 2001 - I lasted until I was 53 (I better be careful here, Ruth is proofreading). Ruth retired from the Air Force in May, 2001 and moved to Alex (she lived with my mom who moved back to Alex in 1988) to oversee house construction; I retired and moved back in August - on 9/11 the plane hit the Pentagon, one wing over from where Ruth worked.

We have maintained contact over the years with classmates Kathy (Sherry) Skadsberg, Greg Johnson, and Tom Kiehne. And recently with Russ (and Jean (Alberg)) Bey, who has a new home on the other side of Lake Darling from us. I ran into Mike Geiser on the golf course this summer (we both survived the collision). I look forward to seeing the rest of the class next summer - are we required to diet until then?

Tom Obert

Is this how Abe Lincoln got his start?

Three guys from the Alexandria Class of 1965 relax outside the Oberts' Log Cabin on Lake Darling. From left, Tom Obert, Russ Bey and Tom Kiehne. (Photo by Ruth Obert)

Greg Johnson trots into the corral

Holy Blazing Saddles! The Trailboss just received the following from Classmate Greg Johnson in Burnsville. He first fingered Tom Kiehne and Tom Obert for the posse and then posted this note in reponse to the question, "Whatever have you been doing, Greg?":

Me, shucks. I'm jus sittin' 'round the campfire fartin'.
But seriously folkes. I've been working for mother Honeywell for the last 33 years. Primarily as a data architect - data modeling and database design. If you need a database, pardner, I can design and build it.
I've been married for 25 years to my wife Linda, who is from Pine Island, Minnesota. She grew up on a farm so I spect she'll find The Corral a comfy place to shuck her boots for an afternoon.
We have one chile, honey. Her name is Alexandra, and was adopted from India when she was 3 years old. She will be 14 years old in about a week. She attends Valley Middle School in Apple Valley, MN, in the 8th grade.
For the last eight years I've been going to Guatemala for two weeks to do project work for a Mission in the small town of San Lucas Toliman. Things like building houses, digging ditches for water lines, sorting coffee beans, planting cyprus trees, building cement stoves. It's become a large part of my life, and have found it very rewarding.
Well, that's about it for now. I think I'll tend to that campfire.
Adios, amigo.

Sue Gorham Tegland checks in

This post from Sue Gorham arrived in the last mailbag.
She's living now in Bothell, Washington

Dear Trailboss,
I really want to come to the reunion. I was in Alex just after Christmas for a reunion with my brother Scotty, and had a neat time. But I am in grad school year-round, going for my MA in Psych, and I am pretty sure I will be in class on 8/6/05. If I live that long. I'm getting my arteries cleaned out soon; they need it. Just like the house needs cleaning. But I don't plan on kicking any buckets.
We have NO grandchildren and are still wrangling with teenagers, the fools we be. They are Tom, age 18, and Bob, age 17.
I could recognize Paul (Strandberg), Karen (Schjei), and Mark (Benson), in the blog photo, but no one else; what a trip it would be to stare in each others' faces after 40 years, and not having been to one previous reunion!! I did see Sara (Smith) about 5 years ago; she looked great. Have no idea if anyone would recognize me. The best I can say is I don't have much grey hair yet--it's still mostly brown.
The web site looks great. I’m feeling wistful and will try to envision a way I can get there for a period of time, Antioch (my school) willing.

A Note from the Trailboss

How it got started
We were at Jim and Sara (Smith) Sevey's annual golf event at Lake Geneva August 15. The likes of Jim McPhee, Bobby Watson (no relation whatsoever to the professional golfer), Byron Peterson, Tom Tessmer, Mark Benson, Karen Schjei, Brian Berglund, spouses and friends had just finished 18 holes and were downing refreshments in the new clubhouse. The highly-anticipated Jim Clifford had been a no-show.

That's when talk turned to the 40th Reunion of the Jefferson High School Class of 1965. I was sitting next to our Class President at the time. In case you can't remember, that's the somewhat brainy, if not diminutive, Paul Strandberg. I think he was This Close to being Valedictorian, but in some twist of grading fate, was denied the top spot. Let him tell you the details. I'm tired of the story. Anyway, his greatest skill, he claims, is delegation. He proved it that afternoon by putting me in charge of our next reunion.

I need your help.

I went ahead and reserved the Corral at Nelson for August 6, 2005. That's where the Class of 1964 had its reunion this summer and by all accounts they had a lot of fun there. To get the best attendance we needed a venue that was convenient, inexpensive and casual. We also thought the week of the Resorter's Tournament in Alex (first week in August) might draw the most out-of-towners.

The capacity of the Corral's back room is 280. (More if you count the smoking patio out back) It would be great to pack the place with 58 and 59-year-olds and their friends. That's where you come in. We need to track down all our class members and make sure they know they've been invited and that they feel encouraged, welcome and comfortable with showing up for their own class reunion.

Get started by checking in with the Trailboss at Trailboss@swpub.com.

We'll keep your particulars (address, phone, email) on a little recipe card. We won't post that info on the web site, but we'll have it in case someone wants to get in touch with you. Later, when you decide you can come to the reunion, you can send your money to our Paymaster Karen Schjei over in Wisconsin.

Now, the important part. You've probably kept in touch with some classmates. Get in contact with them now and tell them to check out this web site. You can just click on the little envelope at the bottom of this article to get started doing that.

We hope to contact everyone, so if a classmate doesn't have email, please printout a copy of this web site so they can join us.

Thanks for your help. This can be a lot of fun.

The Trailboss

Tell us about your grandchildren, yourself

How have your grandchildren changed your life? How many do you have? Ages? How are they different from each other? Do they favor you or a spouse? Do you spoil them? How so? Your classmates want to know. Tell the Trailboss@swpub.com If you will, please include some news about yourself. Residence, occupation, vacation, significant event, etc.

Persons wishing to memorialize classmates who have passed on are welcome to do so as well.

What class did you take at Jefferson High School that proved to be the most useful during the past 40 years? Who taught it?

You get the idea, now get busy and check in with the Trailboss.

Tegland consents

Karl Tegland --- he of the Silvertones, who brought the house down at the Central Junior High Talent Show -- has just agreed to see that there will be music in The Corral back room Aug. 6. That's all he'll promise for now. If you want to make some suggestions to him or just jazz him a little, click here on Trailboss@swpub.com and we'll put you in direct contact with the aging rock 'n roller himself.

Also, we'll be needing an emcee.

Trivia question: Name a song the Silvertones played.

JHS 40th Reunion Pop Quiz

Guess who are the members of the JHS Class of 65 Reunion Steering Committee

1. Paul Strandberg, Byron Peterson, Ruth Ann Ryding, Darrell Williams, Karen Schjei
2. Paul Strandberg, Tom Obert, Stan Rolfsrud, Sue Gorham, Bev Roers
3. Sara Smith, Judy Seppanen, Donovan Trousil, Sandy Pennar, Jeanne Pearson
4. None of the above, there is no committee, this flight is on auto-pilot, baby.

Why is the reunion being held in Nelson?

1. Political patronage at its worst. Class President Paul Strandberg is from Nelson.
2. Alexandria wasn't big enough. Besides, some class members have warrants there.
3. Sealed bids were submitted by all venues around Alexandria. The Corral won.
4. We just copied the Class of 1964, figuring they had done good research.

Fill in the blanks

1. A JHS English teacher's car had the same name as a cartoon character. He drove a _______.
2. The nickname for a legendary cop in Osakis was ____________.
3. They stopped showing lunch hour movies at Central because _________.
4. It wasn't a McDonald's, it was _______________.
5. According to school administrators in 1965, our class was the (smartest, brightest, slowest, meanest, kindest, best looking, biggest) ever.

Submit your answers, along with a nice note telling about where you are and what you've been doing for 40 years (not really- a summary will do nicely) to Trailboss@swpub.com