Divided loyalties threaten class harmony

Stan,
You might want to let the "cub reporter" know that our son, Michael, is a coach at Rocori and although he's not officially coaching football this fall, he does serve as a consultant to the team.
(See story below, celebrating Alex win over Fergus in tournament competition. Apparently Alex will face Rocori in the next bracket in Fargo. No word on that from official sources, however.)
He was heavily involved in Rocori's upset of Sartell on Saturday night and will probably be in Fargo next Friday night. Would the "cub reporter" want to interview him?????
Hope Ruthie enjoys Fargo cause that may be the only enjoyable part.

Go Spartans!

John Herdan
(Cardinal, except when he's a Spartan -- Editor)

Cardinals win big comeback victory over Fergus!

Overtime feat is biggest
in Clair Morrison's memory!

ON TO FARGO!

Read all about mighty Cardinals here!
By Tom Obert
Older person
OK, the cub reporter cannot provide an eyewitness account this time. The game was in Fergus and, as an older couple, we don't travel well at night. And we also have to admit to spending the evening at Cafe Bella in Glenwood, so we didn't even listen to the game on the radio . . . until we finished dining and listened to the OVERTIME on the ride back home.

We win 37-30
Our Cards pulled it out 37 - 30 in OT! Listening to our Clair Morrison (History teacher, A Club boss) on KXRA after the game, it was the greatest Alexandria comeback he could ever remember in his long tenure both coaching and broadcasting the Cards. Apparently the Cards were behind 30 - 7 half way through the 3rd quarter - tied the game with three straight touchdowns, making two-point conversions on the last two, and then blocking a short Fergus field goal on the last play of regulation.
Our fullback, Woody Wagner (whom I have mentioned before), had 298 yards rushing!!

Fargo dome Friday
So now we move on the Fargo Dome for the sectional championship game next Friday night - against either Sartell or Rocori. We'll probably go to that one - after all "Fargo" is our favorite movie and Ruthie has never been there.

(Good work, cubbie. Next assignment: Could you add a pre-game report on the chances we will have against Friday's opponent? We'll double your per diem for a pre-game meal in Ashby. Get the senior special. We're not paying for Cafe Bella for obvious reasons so don't even bother to turn it in. -- Editor)

Gary Schulke's mother dies at age 81

Lorraine Schulke
Lorraine A. Schulke, 81, died Oct. 21, 2005 at Knute Nelson Memorial Home in Alexandria.
Lorraine was born April 18, 1924 in Carlos to Irving and Clara (Yohnke) Wendlandt. She was baptized and confirmed at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Carlos.
She was very proud that she had never missed a day of school and she graduated from Alexandria High School in 1942.
Lorraine married Elmer Schulke on March 25, 1944, at Zion Lutheran Church in Alexandria. They lived with relatives in Carlos before moving to Alexandria where they lived on Park Street. In 1969, they built a home on Lake Brophy where Lorraine lived until 1989.
Lorraine enjoyed selling Avon, making crafts, crocheting afghans and bedspreads. She and Elmer enjoyed fishing and snowmobiling together.
Survivors include her sons, Kenneth of Eden Prairie, Gerald of Big Lake, Gary of Minneapolis (a member of the Alexandria Class of 1965); five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; sisters, Lola Forster of Blackduck and Norma Bishman of Big Fork.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Elmer; a son in infancy; and her parents.
Funeral services were held Oct. 25 at Zion Lutheran Church with the Rev. Terry Finnern and the Rev. William Moeller officiating. Pallbearers were Kenneth Schulke, Gary Schulke, Gerald Schulke, Jason Schulke, Jeffrey Schulke, Jennifer Schulke, Samantha Ferguson and Melanie Legatt. Burial was at Carlos Prairie Cemetery in Carlos.
Services were directed by Petermeier’s Alexandria Funeral Care & Cremation Service.

Raking George's leaves and feeding Knute

George Anderson's former neighbor, Dave Erickson, with granddaughter Malia and daughter-in-law Stacey at home in Washington State.

Stan,
Thanks for highlighting our Junior High principal, George Anderson.
In my adolescent perception, he was a pretty stern principal and I didn’t even think of doing anything at Central that would have landed me in his office.
It seems that being a principal brought out his game face because he wasn’t that way at his home/resort.

Neighbors on Lake Louise
My family was neighbors on Lake Louise with his family near the Darling Dude Ranch and so I grew up raking his huge lawn (that later became the part of the ninth hole fairway and green at the par three golf course) each year in the spring and feeding his Shetland pony named Knute when the family would be away.
The last time I talked with him was in 1972 when I was home from college at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. As a pastor, I talked with him at length about his involvement at Calvary Lutheran Church where I was confirmed and his mission trips to Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. He didn’t have his game face on then either and I cherish those memories of a man who helped shape some of the things I value.
David Erickson
Class of ‘63

Cardinals win in start of football AAAA playoffs

On a beautiful night for football, our Alexandria Cardinals opened the Section 8, Class 4A, playoffs with a 20 - 0 win over the Sauk Rapids Storm last night.
We continued our season of sterling defensive play - afterall Sauk Rapids scored 26 points in a loss to St. Cloud Tech, an undefeated class 5A team.
Our fullback, Woody Wagner went over 1,000 yards rushing for the year. So Saturday night we will travel to Fergus to play the Otters in the semi-finals. We beat the Otters earlier this year, also at Fergus, 12 - 6, so it should be a good game. Fergus gets home field because of a 7 - 2 record v. Alex's 6 - 3, but Alex was undefeated against Class 4A schools.
Eyewitness account by Cub Reporter Tom Obert.

George Anderson -- the alias that stuck

Paul Strandberg writes:
Stan,
While I didn't have too many memories of our former principal other than the service club outing at Darling Dude Ranch (I seem to remember one of our classmates shoplifting candy, but that's another story), I do remember the story of Neil Anderson, known as George by almost everyone.

Harassing inmates
Neil, who passed on at far too early an age, told me the story of how he acquired the name at our 25th class reunion. He related the story that at an away basketball game at Wheaton or somewhere like that, he and his friends skipped the game and spent their time harassing the inmates at the local jail.
When the local cops demanded to know his name, in this time before IDs, Neil knew he had to lie and come up with a name quickly, and all he could think of was "George Anderson."
The name stuck. Getting to know Neil/George better at that reunion was a highlight of the reunion for me. While he had already had a heart attack, he was still living his life fully. I was truly sad to hear of his death.
Paul

'Uncle George' and the St. Patrick's Day caper

Claudia Johnson Brown (George Anderson's niece) with her chum, Sandi Pennar Bonesteel

He played no favorites
By Sandi Pennar Bonesteel
It may be of interest to our class that our dear departed Junior High principal, George Anderson, was the uncle of a fellow classmate, and one of my best friends, Claudia Johnson Brown.
However, Uncle George proved to be unbiased by this association, as I was busted at least three times by him. He may have gotten Claudia on at least one of those occasions, as the three of us (with Paula Widstrom Hanson) were usually in some sort of trouble together during our 8th grade year at Central.

Squirt guns
I am pretty sure it was all three of us who, on two separate occasions, had squirt guns and cowbells confiscated from our possession in the hallway. Wonder how he knew we had them? Possibly because he knew Claudia quite well?

Food coloring
The most memorable confrontation was on St. Patrick’s Day --- I was on my own on this one. To celebrate the occasion, I had decided to dye my hair with green food coloring. I looked like I could have been part of the cast of Darby O’Gill and the Little People, and I stood out in a crowd. (kinda like the sunlamp burn I had later at the Senior prom) Uncle George saw me in the hall on my way to my next class, and called me over. He informed me that I must go rinse it out immediately (I was in violation of a dress code or something).

Rinse, repeat
I proceeded obediently to the bathroom, and tried to rinse it out in the sink, and dry it with paper towels. The situation worsened, as I was wearing a white blouse, which could have passed for tie-dyed by the time I came out of the bathroom. My hair was dripping all over, and still quite green. (It later proved to take several washings with shampoo to totally remove the food coloring).

Irish temper
Mr. Anderson decided that I needed to go home, missing the rest of my classes, which would require a note to return to school. I was afraid my dad would kill me, so I called my aunt to come pick me up. Fearing my dad would find out eventually, I confessed to him that evening. To my surprise, Dad (the parent with the Irish heritage) had liked my green hair, and in fact, was quite upset, and began ranting about Scandinavian holidays (my maternal grandmother was full Norwegian, so he knew what he was talking about--I think Uncle George was Swedish, though). This is one of the best memories I have of my dad’s "Irish temper", and it was hilarious.

Strawberry blonde daughter
I’m afraid I didn’t learn my lesson---one year at Halloween, I dyed my tow-headed daughter’s hair with red food coloring so she could be Raggedy Ann, and she was a strawberry blonde for weeks.

Van Eastlund gets good checkup from Herdan

John Herdan writes:
I just got off the phone with Van Eastlund. That's correct, I was talking to him on the phone. His speech is again dramatically improved. His wife, Jeannie, says he struggles with some words and thoughts but he was great with me.

Van went home from the hospital on Oct. 5, which explains my missing him, as I was out celebrating my twins 16th birthday. He started out doing rehab at Douglas County Hospital three days a week but is now down to two days. They are mainly working on his speech and his right arm. The doctors tell him that recovery comes from the top down. His shoulder now has a full range of motion but he still struggles with fine motor skills in his hand. But, things continue to improve greatly. I was very impressed with his speech and we talked for a couple of minutes. I understood everything he said. Yahoo!

Van and Jeannie do not have e-mail so if you want to contact him now you will have to use the phone or snail mail (that's the US Postal Service for you non-techy people but then if you're reading this, you're probably not one of them). Their address is:

VAN S EASTLUND
10555 COUNTY ROAD 73 NE
NELSON, MN
(320) 762-0197

Van and Jeannie say there are not enough words to express the gratitude they feel to the members of the Class of '65 and the other people who thought enough to send their best wishes. They are very grateful and wish they could contact each and every one of you to say thanks. We helped them get through a very tough time and they will never forget it.

That's what it's all about folks. Good Job!

John

Moving day for Lynn Dietz

Lynn Dietz didn't make the Roundup, but here she is (front) moving from her longtime Plymouth zipcode to her new Chanhassen digs. Would this be a move up, her pal Kathy Sherry wonders? Pictured are her little brother Scott, 49, Lynn's #3 daughter Katie, her #4 daughter Julie, Robin Movold Niedenfeuhr and Kathy (the other two Golden Girls.)

Our junior high principal, George Anderson, dies

(Our junior high principal died recently. If you have a particular memory or anecdote from our time with him at Central, please jot it and send it. Any contribution, especially from those who may have gotten to know him "too well," will honor his memory. As always, send it to trailboss@swpub.com or mail it to Stan Rolfsrud, 2355 Abbey Point, Shakopee, MN 55379)

George Anderson
George Barney Anderson, 90, Alexandria, died October 7, 2005 at Knute Nelson Home.
George was born March 9, 1915 in Lanyon, Iowa to the Rev. Adolph and Annette (Grothen) Anderson. In 1921 his family moved to Roseau and in 1929 to Minneapolis, where George graduated from Edison High School in 1932 and the University of Minnesota in 1936. He taught school in Evansville, 1936-1937; Benson, 1938-1940; and Rochester, 1940-1941.
He was drafted in 1941 and served with the Air Force Flying Training Command until 1946. George married Margaret Johnson of Nelson in 1950.

Malaysia
George was a dedicated educator with the Alexandria school system from 1946 to 1977, serving as science teacher and principal. George and his family spent 1968 in Sabah, Malaysia, where George was an educational missionary serving as principal of a secondary school.
They spent two years as support workers for the Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea from 1981 through 1983.
George and his brother, Paul, owned and operated Darling Ranch Resort on Lake Darling in Alexandria from 1946 to 1971 when the resort became Arrowwood Lodge.

Calvary Lutheran Church
George was a longtime member of Calvary Lutheran Church, serving on the local and national boards of Lutheran Church of America and Board of World Missions. In 1989, he received the SERTOMA “Service to Mankind Award.” George was a member of the Golden K Kiwanis Club, Retired Teachers Association, local and state resort associations, several other organizations, spent many years volunteering at Bethany Home in Alexandria, and was instrumental in establishing a community tennis program and served as chief organizer and director of the Golden-K Kiwanis Annual Tennis Clinic for 18 years.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret; sons, Mark of Basalt, Colorado and Craig (Janann) of White Bear Lake; daughters, Linnea (Phillip) Olson of Kennewick, Washington and Nan (Bruce) Wagner of Maple Grove; grandchildren, Tim Olson, Brian (Laura) Olson, Sharon Olson, Taryn Anderson and Tova Anderson; special family friends, David, Tracy, Kevin, Spencer and Eugene Chiu of Sabah, Malaysia; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.
George was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Martha, Eva and Marie; and brother, Paul.
A memorial service was held October 13 at Calvary Lutheran Church with the Rev. Keith Forrester officiating. Becky Worley was organist and Bruce and Audrey Aga provided special music. American Legion Post 87 was in charge of military rites.
Arrangements were with Anderson Funeral Home of Alexandria; www.andersonfuneral.net.

Thanks to John Herdan for forwarding this item from the EchoPress. Classmates with memories of or comments about George Anderson should email them to trailboss@swpub.com

Cub Reporter Tom Obert writes: George's lasting legacy will undoubtedly be Arrowwood - Alex's first, and still only, attempt to provide a vacation destination of national appeal. Now with the new water park and a reported plan to build a championship golf course with "condos" (time shares? detached lodging facilities?), it will become a real live player in the "let's compete with Brainerd" market.

We finally roped in Dave Overly, thanks to Karen

Stan:
Imagine my surprise when I found out I was being hunted and never found! And I didn't know I was lost. Thanks to an email from my sister, Karen (class of '64), I read the article about Lorlee in the EchoPress and then found the link to the blog!
What fun! And funnier yet, as I was writing this email to you, I got one from Sara Sevey at Classmates.com telling about the reunion and blog, etc. Ha.
At any rate, I sure am sorry to have missed the 40th reunion, and would have come, had I known.
Thanks for the great job on the blogsite. Let's keep it going. I just spent several enjoyable hours going through my yearbooks, including Junior Hilites dating back to 1960-61. (Are we really that old?)
I'll send a bio soon. Meantime I would be glad to hear from any classmates at overly@unitelc.com
Oh the memories....
Any update on Van?
David

Jeanne Pearson sends picture of Katrina

A friend of Jeanne Pearson made this photo of Hurricane Katrina as it made its way through Alabama. There are a dozen more if you'd like to see them. Also in today's mailbag: Dave Overly is found. No information other than he was not the Tin Man in the class play... he was the scarecrow. You can't find the Scarecrow if you're looking for the Tin Man. Dave has promised to send a bio which we await with bated breath.

The Geisers drop in at the winery

Spending a Saturday afternoon at the Carlos Creek Winery were, from left, Mike Geiser, Mike's mother-in-law, Cub Reporter Tom Obert, Dr. Geiser, his great grandchild and Linda (Holt) Geiser. (Note to Cub Reporter: Swapping places with Linda might have produced a more engaging photo. Ruthie's doing fine on the digital camera, but geez, that sun. Oh, and try the Cabernet Sauvignon American.)

Lorlee makes the Alexandria Echo Press Page 1

Lorlee Bartos' experience with President Bush's Supreme Court nominee got her a mention today on the front page of the Alexandria Echo Press, Tom Obert reports. See original story below. The Echo piece also mentioned the web address of the Jefferson Hi blog (www.65roundup.blogspot.com) so we can expect some new visitors to the site. If you've got some news or a photo to share, we'd love to have it. Send it to Trailboss@swpub.com If you don't have a digital camera, mail your vacation, family or special event paper photo to Stan Rolfsrud, 2355 Abbey Point, Shakopee, MN 55379. And Welcome! We're the Class of '65 but we're not exclusive. Send us a note.

Still crazy after all these years. . .

Rick Beresford visited Karl Tegland recently in Seattle, 45 years after their band made the phones jingle way past midnight at the annual Christmas charity fundraiser in Alexandria. See note from Rick below.

Rick Beresford writes:
Stan, -- I was at my mom's last night cleaning out some old stuff and couldn't believe she still had the Park Region Echo from December 21, 1961, just a few days after the Jaycee Jingle Bells Christmas benefit program. Jerry Van Kempen and Chuck Bundy were the hosts, and the show aired from 10:45 pm and was due to close at 12:30 am. The article states that at 12:30 the phone lines were jammed with more contribution calls coming in than the 5 people could handle! So the show went until 2:45 a.m. and brought in $1,635.35. The caption reads that the Silver Tones were a trio made up of Bill Davis, KB Tegland, Bruce Phelps and me....is that Swedish math?I had lunch in Seattle recently and Karl is still the best guitar player around.

Hurricane Stan hit Greg Johnson's friends

When the powers that be named Hurricane Stan, we had no idea that classmate Greg Johnson would have a personal stake in the outcome of the storm. Read on.

VERACRUZ, Mexico - Hurricane Stan barreled into Mexico's Gulf coast Tuesday, pummeling this major port city with heavy rain and punishing waves, and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and several offshore oil platforms.
Stan packed maximum sustained winds near 80 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. It was centered just inland about 85 miles southeast of the city of 425,000 people and was moving southwest at about 7 mph.
Forecasters said wind and rain from the Category 1 hurricane were also reaching Central America, causing floods and landslides and leaving at least 38 people dead in
El Salvador. Rain was still falling Tuesday in much of Central America, driving thousands from their homes in El Salvador and Guatemala.
Veracruz's busy port was closed, schools canceled classes and officials at a nearby nuclear power plant prepared the facility for the hurricane's arrival. Thousands of residents abandoned their homes and stayed in dozens of shelters set up all along the coast.
It was unclear how the oil platform evacuations would affect production at Pemex, the world's third-biggest oil producer and a major supplier to the United States. The company pumps about 3.4 million barrels a day of crude, just over half of which it exports.
Forecasters said the storm could dump up to 10 inches of rain in some areas, and warned residents that flooding and landslides were possible.
It raced across the Yucatan peninsula on Sunday, buffeting the region with and rain. No major damage was reported.

Local connection
Classmate Greg Johnson, it turns out, has a personal connection to Hurricane Stan. Here's some background: Greg has been going to the village of San Lucas, Guatemala for the last 9 years, via mission trips through his church, Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, in Bloomington.
It’s a town of about 15,000 people, sitting in a spectacularly beautiful setting – right on Lake Atitlan, which is surrounded by three inactive volcanoes.
Dennis Evans runs a program in San Lucas whereby needy junior and senior high students can attend school. Greg sponsors one of the kids from Colonia Pampojila (a small village about 10 minutes from San Lucas), which is mentioned below. Greg knows Dennis very well, and gets periodic e-mails from him about the sponsored kids and other events occurring in San Lucas.
Here is one of those Emails and let the record show that Hurricane Stan would like to apologize for the ruin he has wrought.

From: Dennis Evans
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 3:29

Greetings from San Lucas.

Electricity has just come back to San Lucas - we are without water or regular phones. We had been without water for nine days, due to electrical problems - three transformers burnt out and replacements had to be brought from Costa Rica. The problem was just about fixed when tropical storm Stan hit us, on Tuesday.

Main points.
San Lucas is at the moment completely cut off - the three roads leading from San Lucas are all blocked by landslips, bridges out, and so on.

Regular telephones are out. I am sending this using my emergency email address, from an internet cafe with a satellite connection (please continue to use my regular email address brdennis@itelgua.com to contact me)

A local evangelical church is looking after two hundred people evacuated from their homes - others are being looked after in a local school and in the town hall. Several homes have been flooded, although the main preoccupation of the people is landslips.

There are three hundred evacuees in the Colonia Pampojila. There are reports of problems in the Nueva Providencia - news from other villages is scanty and confused.

Some houses have been destroyed, and many filled with two or three feet of mud, in the nearby Pampojila plantation, which has been evacuated. The road in front of the finca is filled with boulders and a thick layer of mud

The Mayor has reacted rapidly and very well, and the people have responded magnificently, collecting supplies, groceries, blankets etc for the evacuees. We had power for a while last night, and in response to an appeal by the Mayor, hundreds of people were on the road this morning, taking groceries, corn, etc to those affected.

We are better off than many other towns around Lake Atitlan. In Panajachel, the river burst its banks, taking several houses and a bridge - deaths are reported.
San Antonio Polopo (a lakeside village nestling in the cliffs before you get to Panajachel) is reported to have been badly affected. There are reports of major landslips from the volcano Santiago, and there are reports of 15 - 50 deaths in three villages near Santiago Atitlan. People came from Santiago yesterday by boat, to get medical supplies for the injured.

I'll send more information as soon as the phone lines are operational. I wanted you to know that in San Lucas, so far, there has been damage, but there are no reports of injuries or deaths.

Please pass on this information to anyone who might be interested.

Dennis

(Classmates wanting to lend a hand to Greg's village can do so by contacting Trailboss@swpub.com. We'll put you in touch with Greg.)

Betty's backyard Bobcats

Betty Pederson Putzka writes from her home in Palmdale, California:
Just wanted to let you see some of the wildlife that we have attracted to our back yard. Apparently it is a good spot for raising bobcat kittens. For two years now, we have had a mom and three kittens stay in our back yard for about a month. Needless to say, we don't do much in the backyard when they are there. We live in a housing tract, but behind our house is another house with acreage. It appears that our area is much preferred over the desert by Mrs. Bobcat.

Thanks for the photo, Betty. As I recall, you've got three house cats. They probably stay inside, right? -- Stan

Want to talk to Lorlee Bartos? Take a number

By Stan Rolfsrud
Sixteen years ago Lorlee Bartos directed the Dallas City Council campaign for Harriet Miers. She won. Now Miers is President Bush's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court -- and everyone wants to talk to Lorlee.
Little is known about Bush's selection, she's never been a judge anywhere. She's an attorney whose most recent work has been advising the president himself. Conservatives don't think she's conservative enough; liberals fear a con job.
Reporters are digging into her past and that's why Lorlee Bartos had 19 phone messages waiting for her Tuesday evening.
"I keep telling them that what I know is 16 years old," the 1965 graduate of Jefferson Senior High pleads. That won't keep them away, of course.
Leaving messages for Bartos were ABC News, the Associated Press, LA Times, The Nation, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and others that she couldn't remember in her brief note to the Jefferson Hi blog.

It's the New York Times, Lorlee
The New York Times and CBS News have already interviewed her. They were aggresive enough to find her at work Tuesday. She appeared that night on the CBS Evening News for about 15 seconds, long enough to tell a reporter that 16 years ago Ms. Miers told Bartos that she had changed her position on abortion and that she would not seek support from pro-choice groups. (Abortion is not an issue in city council elections.)
Today, Lorlee considers Miers to have a very strong anti-choice position. Bartos also has opinions on Miers' position on Gay Rights.
Information like that is important because activists, pundits and lawmakers would like to predict how Miers might vote on future questions, including the abortion decision dividing the nation.
Bartos was also quoted by CNN's John King in the Situation Room on Tuesday. He referred to an article about her in the Dallas newspaper.

Competent and professional
As a political consultant, Bartos has run a number of succesful political campaigns. She's been a Democrat since birth. In her appearance on CBS News she looked competent and professional, wearing a stylish dress and sporting fashionable eyewear. She spoke in confident tones, evoking a sense of credibility. All that in 15 seconds. Makes classmates proud.
Keep an eye on the news. The hearings on Miers will soon begin and Lorlee may be a stone that will be turned over and over.


Bonita writes:
Stan -- I had the CBS Evening News on last night while making dinner at about 5:35 p.m. when I heard the name "Lorlee Bartos." That got my attention! There she was, looking great, AND wearing her signature earrings. Good job, Lorlee. Isn't the class of '65 something? Even national TV stars.
Bonita Gilbertson

David Serie wants to be Kathy Sherry's partner

Still stinging from the challenge laid down by Jim McPhee and Tom Obert last August, David Serie has mounted a serious proposal of his own: He wants a match and he wants Kathy Sherry. See the note below. Incidentally, it is unknown if McPhee and Obert ever did get in their practice round this summer, given McPhee's reluctance to drive his clean pickup down Obert's dirt driveway. Whatever the case, here is Serie's dispatch:
This is in regards to Jim McPhee's item dated 19 August. Jim, in response to your observation about me having my arm around all the good-looking '65 classmatates, I may not be all that bright, but I am not stupid! And furthermore, most of the women I was with are good golfers as well, which leads me to the challenge you and Obert put out.
Consider the challenge taken and I get to pick my partner. Kathy Sherry and I can beat you two! She's a great golfer and carried our team during the reunion tourney. So how about it Kathy?
We will do this round either at your place in Alexandria, Tom, or my place at Edinburgh -- just let me know. We may have to wait until spring now unless we use those orange balls!
Edinburgh lost 300 trees, many were beautiful spruce, in the recent storm. Our nearby house was fine, however, with just minor roof damage.
I'm still having "withdrawal" symptoms since the reunion. It was such fun seeing everyone that it would be nice to do something every couple of years!
Keep those pictures and articles coming folks and thanks again for the postings Stan!
Best Regards,
Dave Serie

Thanks for the note, Dave. In the photo above are, top left, McPhee; top right, Serie with his arm around Kathy Sherry; lower left, Obert; and, lower right, the best golfer Alexandria has ever produced whom everyone claims to know personally.

Here's to 25 Years!

Stan and Kathleen Rolfsrud returned yesterday from New York City where they celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary with a week in Manhattan. Above, they toasted each other at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Kathleen hadn't been to NYC before and it has been a long time for Stan, so they had to hit all the tourist highlights from the Statue of Liberty to the U.N., and Harlem to Greenwich Village. Best time for Kathleen was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the only day it rained. The couple took an Amtrak sleeper, arriving and departing from Penn Station under Madison Square Garden. "It was a great adventure," Stan said, "but we're glad to be back to take care of the dog and the blog." Persons wishing more details on the couple's vacation along with a free sample of the 345 digital photos taken may inquire at trailboss@swpub.com

The Men of Manhattan
While clicking through his vacation pictures, Stan noticed a recurring theme -- his wife standing around with men. From top, that's Officer Krupke on 38th Street; then on the observation deck of the Empire State Building they met an Aussie, left, and a New Zealander, right; then there's the honest-to-goodness New York Firefighter and below right is Ayman (pronounced Eyeman) The Doorman at their hotel. There's a bunch more if space permitted: a street vendor, pullman porter, a husky tour guide, etc. -- but you get the idea. Now, wanna see their pictures of the Statue of Liberty? The Brooklyn Bridge? Donald Trump?

News on Van so good it can't wait. . .

(Just got back from a week in New York. Found this report on my computer and am posting it immediately.-- Stan)

John Herdan writes:
I just came from visiting Van Eastlund and the news is so good I thought I’d better get in touch with you right away. First of all, he’s moved to the inpatient rehab area of the hospital (directions later). In his own words, he moved there last “Thursday.”
When I came into the room he was napping. He was wearing sweats and a flannel shirt, (he's pictured at right Aug. 6) his favorite clothes, and one leg was hanging out of the bed. I had a feeling something was up but I didn’t want to wake him. I went over to the window and started looking through the many cards and e-mails (more on that later) when the nurses came in to do the stuff nurses do.
When they woke him up he grabbed hold of the side rail and pulled himself right up. The nurses were as shocked as I was. A few minutes later when asked if he wanted to sit in a wheel chair for a while he stood right up, walked to the wheel chair, turned around and sat down. The nurse said that she had taken care of him the first day down there, last Thursday, and that she was totally shocked by the progress he had made. “Boy, you don’t want to hang around here long do you?” was her quote.

Fed through a tube
Since I quoted him earlier you can probably tell that the speech is better. It’s still tough and sometimes frustrating but he was able to tell me that tomorrow is a big day. Right now he is being fed through a tube. Tomorrow he gets to try to swallow for the first time. Being able to feed himself is probably going to be the biggest factor in determining when he can go home. Soon we’ll know. The best part about the speech though was when I was getting ready to leave. Van very clearly said, “Take it easy!” That really fired me up!

Van is in Room 15
The rehab unit is in a building behind the hospital. There are two ways to get there and neither one is easy. First of all, if you come in through door D in the front, you go to the elevators and go down to level A. As you stand in the elevator lobby there is a long hallway straight ahead. Go all the way to the end and find elevator G. Go down to level B and follow the signs. Van is in room 15. The second way in is from the North parking lot. You have to go onto the employee parking ramp and across the bridge to the elevator. Go down to level C, go through the tunnel to elevator G and go up to level B. If you think that’s hard, try finding your way out. It’s worse!

Greatest idea ever
Greg Johnson, you came up with one of the greatest ideas ever. That stack of cards and e-mails looked like a who’s who of the reunion. Great stuff and inspiring messages. When the latest one was delivered I got the impression from the two kids that delivered it that no one has ever gotten that many e-messages. Keep sending messages gang, they are greatly appreciated. A couple minutes of your time can make Van’s day! And trust me, his days are long. I think the last one was probably one of the most touching as Van and I read it together.

Bonnie Klimp Hinton

It was from Bonnie Klimp Hinton who was only with the class of '65 for our senior year. She wasn’t able to make the reunion because of a family reunion but sent Van an inspiring message. The power of the web is amazing when it’s used right. Thanks Greg, thanks Stan, and thanks to everyone who is helping Van to get through the toughest battle of his life. You do make a difference!

John Herdan