ALUMNI NEWS

This page is dedicated to the goings and comings of AHS alumni. Please send news about you, what you're doing, and where you're writing from. They don't have to be big things -- just stuff to pass along. Simply email your comments to Don Swaim and they'll be posted. __________________________ - Rachel Ravey Johnson 6/25/20. Marti Loresch Dear AHS Class of 1955: Very, very sad to report that dear Marti Loresch is gone from us, as of May 15, 2020. Her husband, Sturges Butler, reached me 2 days ago. All Marti's contacts were accidentally erased from her phone, thus the delay. She died as a result of long-standing lung problems, although she was not a smoker. She and her husband lived in Maine in an elegant old home and also ran a lovely Adirondack-type Inn on a nearby lake. Marti suffered the loss of both her brother "Punky", and also the death of her beloved baby sister, Diane. Her mother was ill and sadly abandoned the family many years ago. So Marti faced many issues but remained her dear sweet self. She loved her second husband, Sturges, deeply, and he returned that love. There will be a church funeral August 15th at St Luke's Episcopal Church in Wilton, Maine, at 2: 00. Carl and I will attend. Sturges can be contacted at 111 High Street, Farmington, Maine, 04938-1805. Marti's full name was Martha Ann Loresch Strunk (Butler). She has 2 two sons by Justin Strunk. Good-bye, dear friend. - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 1/6/20. Another year has passed, with little change in our situations at work. Marilyn continues lab research as a volunteer at Salk. I taught applied spectroscopy at the beginning of the year and just finished teaching intro organic to 300 students. An undergraduate left the lab, but a postdoc continues, and each of them was a coauthor on one or another JACS paper. Besides trips to Phoenix and Vancouver to visit the grandsons, we went to Los Angeles for Marilyn's high-school reunion. One big trip was to Cambridge for my 60th college reunion, where there were a few survivors attending, then a weekend with my brother and sister-in-law in Boston. Then we went to Quebec City and the Chateau Frontenac, a magnificent hotel where we had spent our honeymoon. In Quebec we also attended the meeting of the Canadian Society for Chemistry, where we heard David's Bernard Belleau Award talk on his lab's synthesis of amanitin, the poisonous principle of the deathcap mushroom. And because we were traveling so far eastward, we went first to Italy for ten days in May, to Bolzano (museum with 5000-year-old mummy), Florence, and Rome. Then in September we went to Zhenjiang, China, on an exchange program organized by the school of the Phoenix grandsons, who are learning Mandarin. We enjoyed sightseeing and ate very well, especially in Shanghai, where we went afterward for a few days on our own. During the year we lost two Baltimore cousins, the young daughter of a colleague, a peptide chemist at Salk, a biochemist colleague, and Shelby Lyman, the chess maven who was my college roommate. Now we are very concerned about the world situation: global warming, violence, anti-Semitism, the Supreme Court, and Trump's prospects for reelection, but we are hopeful that things will improve. Best wishes for health and success in the New Year, Charles & Marilyn - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 1/4/19. It has been a good year for Marilyn and me As of July 1 I officially retired from UCSD, but I have been recalled to active service, to teach Intro OChem and Applied Spectroscopy. Also I continue research, with an undergraduate and a new postdoc in the lab. Marilyn has also retired, effective December 31, but she continues at Salk as a Volunteer. To celebrate my 80th birthday I took the whole family for a week in Rome, where Marilyn and I went for a week in advance. For each week we rented an apartment in the center of the city, ate very well, walked everywhere, and showed the grandsons (7, 7, and 9) some history, of which they liked the Colosseum and Castel San Angelo best. Also the gelato. Then Marilyn stayed with them for a week in Venice while I went to the IUPAC conference in the south of Portugal. Finally Marilyn joined me for a bit of sightseeing. After the conference we convened the final meeting of the task force to revise the IUPAC Glossary of Physical Organic Chemistry, so that we could resolve remaining disagreements. As Chair I submitted our final document, which came to 50000 words. In December my last graduate student, Andy Chang, was married in Taipei, Taiwan, and he invited us to the wedding. I was asked to be the officiant, which was a great honor, because that is who actually marries them. We enjoyed the banquets, meeting the families and friends, and the sightseeing. - Eugene Consolo 12-13-18. Hi to All, We have recently lost another of our classmates, Mabel Rieger. Also, our classmate, Salli Hamre-Lodge, lost her husband Buzz Lodge, whom many of us knew very well. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but most of you would want to know when we lose classmates. - JOHN THOMAS... From Eugene Consolo: I am sorry to inform you that our Classmate, John G. "Jack" Thomas passed away on November 30, 2018. Jack was a frequent attendee at our annual reunions. Our condolences have been sent to the family by Cari McQuade/Thomas. He will be missed. Jack was born on April 14, 1937 and passed away November 30, 2018, after a recent health set-back. Jack enjoyed a career as an insurance agent with Pulley-White Insurance, where he served as a second generation owner. He was very involved in his community serving on the Bossier City Municipal Civil Service Board and chaired the Benton Fire District. Jack was most known for his passion of collecting antique cars, trucks and tractors, as well as gas globe memorabilia. Jack's most treasured memories include the time spent traveling with his life-long friends and their trials and tribulations along their journeys. - Raymond "Ray" Ebel of Penn Hills died June 8, 2018. Obituary HERE - Milton A. "Sonny" Ertel of Blawnox died June 6, 2018. Obituary HERE - Carolyn (McQuaid) Thomas, Jan 7, 2018. Carol Jane Zoerb King Dear classmates of Aspinwall Grade School, AHS, and the AHS Class of 1955: I've just received the following email, with its sad news. I grieve with Jim and Carol's family; I also celebrate Carol's life and the cessation of her pain. May wonderful and warm memories of Carol sustain Jim and the family. For myself, Carol was one of my earliest friends -- perhaps THE earliest girlfriend I ever had! Her parents and mine lived in the same house on 4th Street, next to the playground, from 1931 to 1933: at (then) #9 Fourth Street, where my brother Bob was born in 1932. My parents had the upstairs apartment; her's the 1st floor apt. Both families attended Aspinwall Lutheran Church at 5th and Center, directly across Center Ave from the Aspinwall Grade School, where both Carol and I attended from kindergarten through 6th Grade, and then onward to Aspinwall High School and graduation in the A. H.S. Class of 1955. So, while Carol and I lived most of our adult lives a continent apart (Cape Cod/Santa Barbara) we re-connected via the 50th Reunion, though Carol and Jim were not able to attend the celebration. However, in July 2013 we did get to revisit early memories when Carol and Jim stopped for an overnight visit on their western jaunt. What a delightful get-together. Carol, you are missed. - Jim King, Jan 7, 2018. As you know, Carol had been suffering with pulmonary fibrosis for some time now. Every day her health would slip a little more until Friday evening. She called me as she fell backwards and looking back she was almost dead when I reached her. I called 911 and they talked me through CPR which I did until the EMTs arrived. A week before she had signed a DNR so there was not too much they could do, besides which I think that she was probably dead before they arrived. Two weeks ago, the Dr. gave her 6 months to live (with the look of 'lottsa luck'). I really thought that I could have her for another month or two, but it was not too be. At least she went quickly and did not suffer. Her wishes were to be cremated and buried with me at that time so there obviously will not be viewing hours or a funeral service as such. All of you were her friends and I know you will miss her as much as I will. Please include her in your prayers, Jim King - NIX, A. LEE Age 79 ...passed away suddenly on Thursday, February 23, 2017, with his wife by his side. Born and raised in Blawnox, he was a longtime resident of Wilkins Twp. He was a devoted husband of 54 years to Sandra (Lovar) Nix. He was a loving father to his daughter, Beth (Jim) Matthews; and his son, Christopher (Dawn) Nix; beloved grandfather to grandsons, Jackson and Cole Matthews. Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Dorothy Nix. Lee served in the Army and was the owner of the "Press Box" in Market Square. He was on the Board of Directors of Pathfinder Federal Credit Union and a member of the Wilkins Elks #577. Lee's wife, children and grandchildren meant everything to him and he spent many days watching the many activities in which they were involved. He loved the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and golfing. Most of all he loved spending time with his family telling story after story, all of which they will remember fondly. Friends are welcome to a memorial visitation Saturday 3-6 p.m., followed by a service at the Jobe Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., corner of (118) Shaw and Triboro Avenues, Turtle Creek. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, One Oxford Center, 301 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219. - Don Swaim, 1/19/17. DOSSIER! How my attempt to read an AMBROSE BIERCE poem at the inaugural of Donald J. Trump failed. Read: HERE - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 1/4/17. It has been a good year, mostly. Again I taught Kinetics & Mechanism and Intro Organic. My only current co-worker is a postdoc from Korea who unfortunately has not accomplished anything in more than a year. A grant renewal is in process to keep my research going. The March ACS meeting was in San Diego, where I presented an invited talk, "Hammett Deserved a Nobel Prize" (which will be a book chapter), and another on the complete mechanism of an aldol condensation, and also saw several former students. A 20-page Perspective on physical-organic chemistry is scheduled for an upcoming cover issue of J. Org. Chem. And we are nearing completion of the revised IUPAC Glossary of Physical Organic Chemistry. In April we went to Boston for Marilyn's Neurosciences meeting and for me to consult at Vertex. My brother Jim got us tickets for the Boston Symphony and we also went to the Gardner and Harvard Art Museums. Other trips took us to Vancouver and Phoenix to visit with sons and grandsons, and to Oregon to visit a college friend, plus the Carmel Bach Festival. The U. S. election has been very discouraging, with the prospects of irreversible damage to climate and to the Supreme Court. An additional worry is that NSF will not be able to renew my grant. Best wishes for the New Year, Charlie & Marilyn - Bob Artzberger. 10/30/16. I was unable to attend the reunion this year. Had open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve. The valve was closing to 0. 5 cm. I am recovered from the operation and now back at the gym and feel fine. The best to everyone. - Rachel Ravey Johnson. 10/25/16. Gosh....I dated Al Slater. Sounds like he lead a good and kindly life. We are mortal, aren't we ?? PS,,,,looking through the names....such wonderful memories of you all. Would LOVE to hear more of YOU. I am still canoeing and kayaking and swimming, but slower! Carl is still a full-time pastor, and we are having fun together. I do dog rescues and drive many hundreds of miles visiting and enjoying life. A few deficits are present, but generally all is well. :) - ALBERT H. SLATER III, 78, of Ligonier, died Wednesday, October 19, 2016, in the Bethlen Home. He was born February 19, 1938 in Aspinwall, a son of the late Albert H. Slater, Jr. and Elizabeth Blackie Slater Steele. Albert earned his law degree from Duquesne University and practiced as an attorney in Ligonier for over 40 years. He had served as president of the Rotary Club of Ligonier and he and his wife had been very active with Ligonier Valley Meals on Wheels. Albert defended our country by serving in the U.S. Army. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Ralph Slater. Albert is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Elizabeth Coates Slater; two children, Susan Slater (and her husband Jake Finkler) of San Diego, CA and Andrew H. (Meredith) Slater of Louisville, KY, and two grandchildren; Avery H. and Holland Slater. Friends and family will gather together Sunday from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the J. PAUL MCCRACKEN FUNERAL CHAPEL, INC., 144 East Main Street, Ligonier, where Albert's life will be celebrated Monday at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Dr. J. Paul McCracken officiating. Interment will follow in the Ligonier Valley Cemetery. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Bethlen Home Benevolent Fund, 66 Carey School Road, Ligonier or to the Ligonier Valley Meals on Wheels, P.O. Box 203, Ligonier, PA 15658. To leave a condolence or tribute for Albert, please visit: jpaulmccrackenfuneralchapel.com. Published in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct. 21, 2016 THE BIG 60th -- Sep. 4-5, 2015, Aspinwall read all about it HERE - Betty Gertner. 9/2/16. Hi Don. My email address is bettygertner37 @ gmail.com and my new phone number is 715 -563 -7398. This has been a tough year for me having lost my best friend, companion and husband Will last June 2015. I an trying to reinvent myself, but after 55 years of marriage it is not easy. It was a wonderful life together and we almost completed our "bucket list". What more could one ask for except for more of the same. Trips to Pgh will not be too feasible any more. My brother still lives in Aspinwall, and he turned 86 this year. Both Will and I enjoyed the reunions we were able to share over the years with you all. The memories will live on. I am in good health for as old as I am! Family surrounds me and takes good care of me along with many friends having lived here in Eau Claire for 52 years. I plan to spend 6 months this winter with my daughter and her family in Frisco, TX. Enough of these WI winters, but it is a beautiful place to live for the other 6 months of the year. My best to all of you because of many good memories. Betty - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 1/10/16. It's been a good year. I wound up teaching all three quarters, returning to Structure & Properties of Organic Molecules when two colleagues had other obligations, Applied Spectroscopy again, and finishing with Intro OChem to 350 students in fall. Now I have a quarter off and can send this message. My last two PhD students, who stayed on briefly for postdoctoral research, have left, along with an MS student. Now I have a new postdoc and an undergraduate in the lab. Travels took us again to Vancouver and to Phoenix, to visit David and Edward and their families. Edward and his family came to Denver in March for the ACS meeting, where I received the James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry. David was one of the speakers at the symposium, along with two former students and a former colleague. I dug out my tuxedo for the formal banquet celebrating all ACS awardees. In December David and his family also joined us at Pacifichem, the international conference held every five years in Honolulu. In June I went to New Hampshire for the Gordon Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry, and in November I participated in a symposium in Tijuana, where I was permitted to speak in English. Revelle College has been celebrating its 50th year, so there were festivities. In honor of Marilyn's 40 years at Salk, she received an armchair inscribed with the Salk logo. We had solar electric panels installed, which required a new roof and new solar panels for pool heating, to go along with a resurfacing of the pool plaster. Benefits are a pool that stays at 30 ēC until November, and an electric bill of $5 per month. For our wedding anniversary David and Edward bought us a beautiful lithograph by Dale Chihuly, which now hangs in the dining room They also bought Marilyn an iPhone6 and an AppleWatch, which we are learning to use. Best wishes for the New Year, Charlie & Marilyn - Don Swaim. MY NEW NOVEL NOW OUT. Published by Hippocampus Press, New York, and available at Amazon.com and other booksellers Edited with an introduction by S. T. Joshi Book design by David E. Schultz Cover Art by Jared Boggess PREVIEW: S.T. Joshi's Introduction to The Assassination of Ambrose Bierce: A Love Story HERE ____________ - Marjorie Morcom. 8/15/15. SHIRLEY NEWCAMP. I just learned yesterday that Shirley Newcamp Pantano died suddenly the day before. We will be seeing her husband, Tim, tomorrow at church. She seemed to be doing so well after having a stroke not too long ago. I had just told her howgood she looked. Her obituary may be in tomorrow's paper.  - Barry Montgomery. 7/10/15. Dear class of '55. Unfortunately, I will not be able to celebrate with all of you. I am still actively trying lawsuits in Chicago and around the country. My oldest child is 51 and my youngest 17. So you understand why I am still practicing law, but I still love what I do. I have 7 grandkids also, Gene, I hope you get info from all of our classmates as I would love to hear about each of you. I send my greetings and regards to you all. I cherish those wonderful memories of all of you and our days at dear old AHS. All the best to you, Barry - Gene Consolo, 7/10/15. I have been informed by Betty Erwin/Gertner that her husband, Will Gertner passed away. I offered my condolences for our Class of '55. Betty's email address is bettygertner@ aol.com and phone number is 715-832-1291. Also, Sally Bollinger/Greulich lost her husband Tom Greulich from an auto accident. Again I offered my condolences for our Class of '55. Sally's email address is sallybgreulich@ comcast.net and phone number is 412-828-2545. Gene - Joy Barth. 6/1/15. I hope you enjoy this trip back in time as much as I did: Lost in the Fifties, Another Time, Another Place - Don Swaim. 4/1/15. Hippocampus, an independent press in New York, which focuses on the weird tale both in scholarly works and fiction, plans to release my novel, The Assassination of Ambrose Bierce: A Love Story, in 2016. Scholar and editor S. T. Joshi, who will contribute a foreword to the book, writes in part: "...it is a splendid and vivid work of fiction. Swaim, who runs a leading website devoted to Bierce, has chosen the most provocative aspect of Bierce's life -- his mysterious disappearance in late 1913 -- as the springboard for a searching reflection on the entirety of this dynamic and enigmatic writer's life." The novel traces in fictional form the exploits of the famous author, his adventures with Pancho Villa, his pursuit by The Damned Thing, and how, well into his 70s, he at last finds love. - Rachel Ravey Johnson. 1/23/15. Hi from Rachel Ravey Johnson. :). :). Would love to attend [the 60th class reunion] .... hasn't ten years rushed past us?? We still seem to be having adventures, which is neat. They are just harder to manage!!! Going to Costa Rica in April for a nephew's "non-wedding" ........ intriguing! Our 17 yr old grandson is DATING a girl who resides in Germany....... huh?! We just purchased a new home.... up in the trees! Seriously.... have to climb to get into it; we may call it "Treetops". It's such a new world. :). Hugs! - Charles Kramb Jr. 1/17/15. Don - Hey, Thanks for all the time, work and effort you do in keeping it all together. You are right and I am very guilty of having a less than stellar record in accessing the website. Always something else to do, somewhere to go or some other feeble excuse for not doing one thing or another. I have finally fully retired and am paying the price for not doing the things I should have done before retirement. Now it's just sitting back and attempting to dodge the Honey-dos Lois is continually throwing at me. I will endeavor to access the web site at least once a week or so to check for new postings. Skip Kramb - Rachel Ravey Johnson. 1/15/15. Super!!!! And we knew him [Charlie] when he was in grade school!!! - Barry Montgomery. 1/14/15. Thanks, Don, for keeping us posted on our aging classmates.. And yes I do access the website. Keep up your good work and stay healthy. - Bob Grimes. 1/14/15. It is great to hear what Charlie is doing. I had a gallbladder removal yesterday, so I am not doing any thing strenuous today. (3/4 inch gallstone) My mouth tastes like some farm animal slept there, but there is little pain. I do look like I've been in a knife fight - four small incisions. The surgeon was good - got in and out quickly. I believe that she said that she or her staff do about 100 such operations a year. I understand your frustration about the empathy of the class in contributing anything to the web site. I was the local chair of the IEEE Life Member chapter here for about 5 years. I could never find anyone that would take interest in running the chapter. A few fellows would suggest speakers for the meetings, but I would have to make the arrangements, etc. We could get a good turnout with a free lunch and a speaker of interest to the group. I would think that there would be interest in doing something for the 60th. Wishing you and Elizabeth a prosperous new year. - Joseph W. Gibbs III. 1/13/15. Way to go, Charlie! I've been singing your praise for 50 years, not knowing what you had done for science, but I always knew you were going to be very successful contributing to the world's betterment. You have, and I am not alone in saying so. I am an unashamed admirer of people who excel in whatever they set out to do. You were always an unknown to me except for my faith in your abilities that periodically flashed back into my mind. We never hung around together, but I'd see you occasionally at Irwin's where I served Cokes and ice cream - a lost skill and occupation now. My life is good and I have absolutely no complaints, but I love to see individual effort that sets one's or the world's bar. I recall one time when you and your brother had just come out of Irwin's one warm evening as I was about to go in. A few tough guys were hanging around. (I don't think they were familiar to me?) In any case one smart butt made some kind of wise crack designed to upset or embarrass the two of you. Your brother looked at you and said loudly enough for the bully-boy to hear (paraphrased as best I can recall) "fun for the feeble minded." (I want you to know that had they tried anything physical, I was ready to assist you. WE all probably would have been bloodied, but would have had a good laugh later.) In my profession the number of smart mouths exist with near equality with brilliant leaders. So, I have heard many quips since 1955, but none have ever meant as much to me as that one from your brother. It stung and was as good as Churchill's any day. Congratulations Charlie. You did not let my hopes for you down. March is a heavy snow month in Western Colorado where I live. But I hope I can get to Denver that month to shake your hand. - Joy Helbling Barth. 1/13/15 Congratulations, Don... what an exciting year you have had...congratulations on your many accomplishments and thank you for sending it out to all of us..i hope it inspires others to share what they have been doing like it did me. ... below is a brief submission for the newsletter. I needed a reminder...happy new year. Joy After a 3 week Xmas stay in San Jose,CA, celebrating the holiday season with my son Greg, I return to NJ and look back on an especially creative year. It was a year that not only was challenging but I was offered more opportunities to exhibit my work in exciting venues in 2014 than ususal. Of course I continue to exhibit my paintings at CG Gallery , in Princeton New Jersey , but in addition this year I was especially excited to have been accepted into the juried invitational at the New Jersey State Museum entitled "Looking at America Through artists eyes" Looking at America Through Artists Eyes". Each artist was challenged to enter several works which looked at how we perceived and experienced America. The works varied from controversial to celebratory. My accepted work, "The Beckoning," was inspired by the words on the Base of the Statue of Liberty and how these words inspire and call across the globe. Then of course there was my solo show in Novemeber at the Chapin Gallery in Princeton where I showed my new work, some of it dedicated to my daughter Becky who passed away early last year. Since I have worked in an art therapy environment for over 25 years, I used that experience for my own exploration through loss and a celebration of the self. Now the studio is cleared of mess, new canvases are waiting as I await new inspriation and challenges in the new year... - Carolyn Cari Thomas. 1/13/15. Thanks, Don, for the push! I enjoyed Chuck's letter and also enjoyed using your link to review the other 2014 alumni news. Discovered I'd seen some of the earlier submissions, but not all of them. I am, however, encouraged by how relatively often I DO access the website, for one reason or another. It's a great source of info on our days at AHS and also the class events since then. The best part is I don't have to first locate my hard-copy memorabilia (now where IS that?) but can quickly use my bookmark....or even google to the website If, for instance, I'm on a different computer. As my update (from our 2014 Christmas letter), I've kept myself busy and having fun through the past year: organized volunteers to staff our genealogical society's table at the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo in April; at that same time, submitted 2 genealogy entries (both dealing with antique family photos) and a family-history-oriented table setting; received blue ribbons on all three. Great fun (and work) in April and May taught my adult education German Genealogy course for the 9th straight Spring session. successfully renewed my driver's license in june; hurrah! this says much for the both-eyes injections i receive ~ 9 times a year, which hold my relatively early-stage macular degeneration at bay. may it be ever so! as Patriotic Instructor for my Daughters of Union Veterans tent, I gave a .ppt program on Flag Etiquette and started a tent project to complete mini-bios for all veteran ancestors on our website. Mine are W.L. McQuaid and C.T. Richmond: click on names in left hand column. We now have 60 mini-bios on-line, with 45 more soldier-ancestors' bios yet to be written and/or posted. had a super wonderful time as Grandmother of the Groom at the beautiful 3 October Zuniga-Lundin wedding! lent a hand (well, all of me) to Kathy and Marc as they moved into their new townhouse apt in the same complex where they've been living. Some 200 feet away from the old, but stairs on both ends, and much to be carried/dollied, in a long October weekend! No, I didn't help move the heavy furniture! this Fall I taught a beginning class on Vital Records at our gen library, and a class on Finding Germanic Origins in US Records. My life keeps on keeping on, with husband, home, family and friends. Thank heavens. Happy 2015 to all, especially to Don and Gene, who keep '55 alive! - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 1/13/15. Thanks for sending us Charlie Perrin's wonderful news. Congratulations Charlie on your many achievements. We do appreciate your keeping up our website & I do go to it fairly often. It's fun to see how it has grown since you originally set it up. Maybe those who write Christmas letters could share at least part of them for the website. Congratulations to you too, Don, on the books you have been publishing through the years. Thanks for sharing your news. Wishing you good health & happiness in 2015! Margie Hartsock - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 1/8/15. 2014 was good to us. The big news is that I won the American Chemical Society's James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry, to be presented at the March ACS meeting in Denver. Trips included several to Phoenix or to Vancouver, to visit the grandsons. For our 50th wedding anniversary we went to Ashland to see three plays at the Oregon Shakespeare festival and visited Chuck and Edie Weiss near Salem. We recently returned from their daughter's wedding in Minneapolis, where the temperature one evening was 4 below F. Fortunately I still have an overcoat from student days. In February I went to the Isotopes Gordon Research Conference in Galveston, but this was the last one, after 50 years. I also went to Ottawa for the IUPAC Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry. In October my brother Jim gave the Presidential Address to the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in San Diego, so all his family and also Edward's family came to hear him and also Hillary Clinton, whom Jim had the honor of introducing. We had 16 for a family dinner at the house. This week I return after seven years to the advanced course on Structure and Properties of Organic Molecules, because the usual instructors have other plans. In return I was relieved of the large organic course in fall, which was taught instead by my former grad student, who continues as a postdoc. The paper that he and I wrote on the reactivity of naked aryl anions was published in JACS and highlighted in C&ENews. Also my personal account of 50 years of research, teaching, and service was published online in J. Phys. Org. Chem. Workmen finally finished installing solar panels on the roof, to generate electricity, after a long delay because the entire roof had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. We hope this finds you and your family well. Thanks for keeping the AHS website up. Best wishes for the New Year, Charlie & Marilyn - Gene Consolo, 12/10/14. Hi to All, I am sorry to report that I received a call from Bob Artzberger informing me that Donna Royston/Valley passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2014. Her funeral was on December 12, 2014. My last documented address for Donna was 6902 Catarina Circle, Houston, TX 77084. Obituary HERE - Don Swaim, 10/27/14. Oldstyle Tales Press has published its first anthology of original weird tales: The Yellow Booke. My short story, "The Barrier," about a posse of nits crossing the no man's land between two human eyebrows to rescue a kidnapped female nit, is part of the collection. And you guys thought I was weird back in high school! Trade paperback at: Amazon.com. It can be read for free online at the Oldstyle Tales Press website. - Gene Consolo, 8/14/14. Hi to all, Yesterday I was informed that Sue Cook Pryor passed away on July 26, 2014. I don't have an obit on her but if I receive one I will pass it along - Gene Consolo, 8/14/14. Hi to the Class of '55 and all our friends. This is your reminder that the class picnic is again at Squaw Valley on August 30, 2014. Also, next year is our 60th Anniversary and we will begin planning for it soon. Please put the date on your calendar while it is fresh in your mind. More to come on this. I look forward to seeing a lot of fresh faces that we haven't seen in a while. The Baja Grill River Room is the planned place for our Friday night (August 29th between 6:00 and 6:30) gathering of the Class of '55. All our other AHS friends that would like to attend are also welcomed with open arms. Please let me know if you plan to attend Friday night so we can provide a count to ensure adequate space and service. I need to know before the 25th. Here's the name & phone # of Baja in the old Fox Chapel Yacht Club by the Allegheny River. Baja Bar & Grill 1366 Old Freeport Road Fox Chapel, PA 15238 412-963-0640 www.bajabargrill.com Third piece of news. Due to a busy summer and some computer issues, it took me until now to finally ship the March 2014 Florida Gathering pictures to Don Swaim. He now has them posted to the AHS website. So make sure you take a look at the website. I think we have about seven or so years of reunion pictures (maybe more). Just click on the website below for your viewing pleasure. Aspinwall High School: http://donswaim.com/aspinwall55.html OK! I have done my duty. Now it is up to you to get to simply ?ATTEND? See you soon. Gene [ecc8176@comcast.net] - Robert Artzberger, 3/24/14. Hi Don, My brother, Jim, died last night (March 23) of a heart attack in Aurora, CO. Jim was a 1952 graduate of Aspinwall High. - JOHN A. HATTON, JR. DIES, 1/1/14. John A. Hatton Jr. Beloved husband of 54 years to Suzanne (nee Leiser). Dear father of John (Shirley), Steve (Sybil) and Dick (Michele). Proud grandfather of Casey, Emily and Olivia Hatton, Meshell Howell, Scot Hounshell and Kyle and Karissa Deptula. Great grandfather of Michael Hounshell, Gabrielle Howell, Hailey Hounshell and Cayden Hatton. Brother of Jeannie Deininger (William) and Suzanne Stoehr. Uncle to many nieces and nephews. Passed away December 18, 2013 at the age of 76. He lived at 6635 Barberry Lane Apt B, Middletown, Ohio 45044. - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 12/30/13. It has been a gratifying year. In honor of my 50 years at UCSD, my department presented a Symposium featuring lectures by former students, collaborators, and colleagues. It was wonderful to see so many former students again. A fund has been endowed in my name to support summer undergraduate research, and donations have exceeded $60K. The 50-year mark was publicized on the UCSD website and in the San Diego Union. Also, I have been appointed as the first Murray Goodman Chair in Chemistry & Biochemistry. Travels have taken us to Phoenix and Vancouver for various holidays with the grandchildren, to San Francisco for the meeting of the Endocrine Society and an elegant 49th anniversary dinner, to Chapel Hill for a family Bar Mitzvah, to Boston on the way to a Gordon Conference and again for the memorial service of a college classmate. It was an opportunity to see my brother Jim, who has been named President-Elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also, we returned to Berkeley, where I presented the Andrew Streitwieser Lecture in Chemistry. Our tennis has been curtailed since Marilyn ran backwards to reach a lob, fell, and fractured her wrist, requiring surgery. We have enjoyed the cultural scene in San Diego, including a Piranesi exhibit at the art museum, a remarkable production of "L'Incoronazione di Poppea", and opera from New York on HDTV. In December my last two Ph.D. students defended their theses. They will continue briefly as post-docs, but I won't commit to more Ph.D. students. Instead I have taken on one MS student and I plan for a new post-doc. Fortunately my grant support continues, thanks perhaps to not being retired. - Joy Helbling Barth 9/9/13. Once again I hear the AHS picnic was once again, a big success. Adrienne Soost Rodewald sent me some images that her brother Jack took this year and they are wonderful. As for me I am retired after 25 plus years of teaching Art to emotionally and behaviorally challenged students. Although I still teach one day a week, I now have the artists ultimate luxury.. time to work in my own studio. Currently I am represented by CG Gallery LTD, in Princeton NJ, however much of the exhibiting in this very active art community is centered along the Bucks County Arts Community which spans the Delaware River in NJ and PA. At the present time I am excited to be showing work in several shows there too. I fondly remember when when I made regular trips to a great gallery in downtown Pittsburgh.. it was called Gallery G.. cannot remember the street it was on.. unfortunately it closed years ago and I have not found another gallery that carries abstract work to fill the void which brings it to mind that classmates might know of such a venue.. Do feel free to contact me in any case at jhbarth@verizon.net. Enjoy the end of summer and I hope to see you all in person next year. http://www.joybarth.artspan.com and http://www.princetonartists.org - Don Swaim, 6/27/13. I recently published an illustrated 11,000-word ebook, Steampunk Electroblaster Romance on Amazon.com. It's a parody of the recent Steampunk genre. Miss Lovett, my art teacher at AHS, may not have been proud of my illustrations, but at least I did it. As an introductory price for AHS grads, it's 99-cents. Yes, 99-cents. Access it HERE. Amazon.com permits reviews and comments, which I welcome (in the hope they might be positive). - Gene Consolo, 6/26/13. Hi to All, The AHS Picnic date has be set for Saturday, September 1, 2013. This is my second reminder regarding the AHS (Cavalier) picnic planned for August 31, 2013. The Classes of '55 and '54 are planning a get together the night before (Friday, August 30, 2013) at the Baja restaurant. This Friday night event was very successful last year and we hope to improve upon it this year. I will be sending this message to the BOTH the Pittsburgh contingent and the Florida contingent just in case some of you in Florida will be in the area in August. Following is the registration from distributed by Joe Lodge. Details & Registration Form HERE - CLINT WILHELM, 5/31/13. BEULAH FREY. Hello, AHS Alumni, I'm a freelance writer from O'Hara Township writing a narrative nonfiction story about Beulah Frey's career in environmental education. I know for some of you "...she was one of those mentor teachers," as Carolyn Cari Thomas wrote on the class Alumni News board in 2006. If any of you have any stories or remembrances about Beulah from school, on field trips, or even from the local community that you'd like to share, I'd like to hear them. Or, if you know any alums who might like to share information but aren't connected to the Internet, please pass my telephone number on to them. As many of you probably know, Beulah went on to help write and implement the environmental education curriculum for Fox Chapel Schools beginning in 1969. It was the first of its kind in the state and one of very few programs like it in the country at the time. She held the administrator's post for the program until her retirement early in 1983. You can reach me by e-mail at clintwilhelm@hotmail.com or by phone at 412-477-4785. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. Clint Wilhelm &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& - Gene Consolo, 3/27/13. GEORGE SHEEHAN. Hi to Hi to all, Regretably, our classmate, George Sheehan, passed away Saturday, March 23 and his funeral was Monday, March 25. George and Beverly are currently living in Hudson, Florida. George will have a final ceremony when he is buried in the National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL, with full military honors. - Gene Consolo, 2/22/13, FLORIDA HERE WE COME!. Hi to All of the Class of 1955. I thought I would provide you an update of an event that will take place at The Villages in Florida on March 9, 2013. We worked to locate as many AHS alumni as we could who were located in Florida or generally relocated here each winter to see if there was an interest in doing this. Currently, we have 37 alumni and guests who plan to attend. Rich and Sonja Moline "56" Bill Humes and Guest "54" John and Sandy Viszlay "56NC" Bruce Buchanan and Guest "58" Tom and Lisa Hartman "57" Dee "Hauser" Smith "56" Judith "Languasco" Zeske "60" James "53" and Patricia "56" Grant Shirley Brusco "55" Evelyn "Giles" Briggs "61" Carmen and Winnie Violi "53" James Schlager "61" Bill and Terri Campbell "61" Regis "55" and Mary Ellen "Viszlay" Kane "57" James and Candace Eisengart - no year given Fred and Patricia Miller "58 and 75" Tom Giles and Dottie Fleming "48 and guest" John and Jane Languasco "58" Robert Ferris 55 Gene Consolo 55 Edward and Ann Vogel 48 Judy Pistorius 59 Julie Siefried Dillenburg "59" Should be fun! If any of you will be in the area and would like to attend, please let me know. Gene Consolo - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 12/28/12. I am fully recovered from last year's surgery, and have regained 10 pounds. My doctor recommends that I get more exercise, so now I often walk to work rather than bicycle leisurely. Unfortunately Marilyn's boss, Wylie Vale, died suddenly on Jan 4 at age 70. Funds remain to continue the research for 2-3 more years, so she still has a job, but his advice is sorely missed. My NSF grant was renewed for another 3 years, so I do not need to retire, although my lab space contracted and moved down the corridor to accommodate a new senior hire. I again taught Kinetics and Mechanism, and just finished teaching 320 students in introductory organic chemistry, where 3 students were caught cheating. Travels included frequent trips to see the grandsons in Phoenix and once in Vancouver. I delivered the Wawzonek Memorial Lecture at University of Iowa and participated in another International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry, this time in Durham, England, with a few extra days in London for museums and theater. We returned to the Carmel Bach Festival, which we had last attended in 1965. Closer to home were the ACS national meeting, which was held in San Diego and where I get free registration as a 50-year member, plus an excursion for an excellent dinner and the museums of the Centro Cultural in Tijuana, which is safe for tourists despite the fearsome publicity. The cultural scene in San Diego has been rewarding, with the Early Music Society, the University's chamber music series, a Mahler 5th at the San Diego Symphony, and the HDTV broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. The garden delivered good crops of figs, persimmons, passion fruit, quince, guavas, and raspberries, shared with visiting friends and family, including my brother Jim, who has been elected President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The results of the November elections were a great relief, especially here in California. - Carolyn Cari Thomas 9/24/12. MINI-REUNIONS IN CALIFORNIA. Thought I'd tell you about two mini-AHS-reunions out here in CA. Last Saturday I was assisting a new-member-orientation at our Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society's Sahyun Library . When introduced to the newcomers, I mentioned PGH/Allegheny County as one of my main ancestral research areas, and toward the end of the afternoon, a man approached me. He told me his name was Colin Jones, and he was from a small Pgh-area town which I "probably never heard of. " Yep, "Aspinwall", to which I responded I was actually born in Aspinwall. I discovered he graduated from Aspinwall High School in 1959 (although it was part of the new union district even then.) We reminisced about teachers (Frey, McCrum, Berkheimer, and others), and people we both knew (Diz-1955 and Max-1959 Brown). Turns out Colin lived on Windsor Drive at the top of Valley Dr. He has now lived in the Santa Barbara area since 1981 and less than a half-mile from my house! I've been here since 1973. Another coincidence was when he mentioned his brother Donald (8 yrs older) also graduated from AHS; I well remember Don Jones, since he and my eldest brother Bob were in the same class (1950) and very good buddies. It was a delightful conversation and all because of family history. Wonder whether we'd have ever met, otherwise. Along with that, I will meet with Marlene Sams Woodling and Gene Consolo tomorrow (25 Sep) in Oxnard for lunch, an AHS 55 mini-reunion. This will be our 2nd "annual" mini-reunion together. Any other AHS classmates out here who'd like to get in on a summer West Coast class reunion...... next year? Carolyn "Cari" McQuaid Thomas - Gene Consolo, 9/8/12, AHS DINNER & PICNIC. This year's attendance turned out to be somewhat better than the last few years. We had 13 Class of '55 classmates at our casual Friday evening dinner: Sally Bollinger/Greulich & Tom, Shirley Brusco, Gene Consolo, Milt Ertel, Bob Ferris, Bob Grimes & Marlene, Salli Hamre Lodge & Buzz, Rege Kane & Mary, Joe Lamperski, John McRandal & Julie Mikus, Marge Morcom/Hartsock & Bob, Shirley Newcamp/Pantano & Tim, and Bob Racki & Norma. In addition, classmates from the Class of '54 and '53 joined us: Jan Bailey/McQuaid & Roger, Jack Handyside, Dick Hudic, Mary Lou Kier/Cochran, Jim McRoberts & Janet, Connie Manifesto/Valenti & Jerry, Wanda Walmsley/Eibel, and Jerry Zaleski. Along with spouses, we had 32 attendees. It was a very, very nice evening. The picnic was another success. We had a great crowd representing the spectrum of 1939 to 196? MANY, MANY THANKS go out to Joe & Sally Lodge, Buzz & Salli Lodge, and Chuck and Helen Lodge for all the picnic arrangements - from reservations, set-up, refreshments, lunch, clean-up and much more. Sincerely, if it wasn't for the Lodge clan, I don't see how we would ever have had 13 consecutive successful AHS School Picnics. Thanks, again to the Lodge Clan. The weather treated us right, and it didn't rain until after we finished lunch, so most departed around 4pm. Well, Class of '55, put on you calendar the 2013 picnic which will probably be around Labor Day weekend, just like it has been for so many years. - Carolyn Cari Thomas 7/23/12. IN MEMORIAM PAGE. As always, thanks for your excellent handling of the class info that gets sent your way. You are appreciated by this-here classmate!!! While I agree with your discouragement re: (seeing our inexorable and inevitable deaths), [NOTE: The In Memoriam page was removed from the AHS site] I personally enjoyed the ease on the class website of seeing the yearbook photos of those no longer with us, and being reminded of them back-in-the-day when AHS was the greater part of my life. However, that is simply my take on the In Memoriam page, and it's always possible the majority of the remaining members feel as you do. Anyhow, you're the person in charge of the class site, and the one with the tech power as well. I do have my own yearbook near and anytime I want to, my fingers and eyes can roam over all of the members of our class. - Robert Ferris 7/20/12. ABOUT PATTY ROBERTS. So very sad to learn of Patty Roberts' passing. She was the first girl I ever kissed. Bob Ferris. Sent from my iPad -Don Swaim 7/21/12. Bob,Thank you for your deceptively simple eight word-acknowledgment about the death of Patty Roberts (Zelk). It says it all. Your words might mean more to her family and to us than you'll ever have thought. -Nancy Gunther [Hubbell] 7/21/12. Don, You are right. Bob's words were truly touching. Nancy -Rachel Ravey [Johnson] 7/23/12.We remember her from the runion, having a hurt leg. I knew her fairly well in AHS and she was always sweet and gentle. It is sad to think about our missing classmates. I wish I could talk to some of them and "make up" for some of my actions/lack there-to, from the H. S. years. Blessings to her and her family. - Carolyn Cari Thomas 7/15/12. YET ANOTHER ONE GONE. Was back in PA for 2 weeks -- Pgh for one - and just arrived back in CA. Lovely temps in the 70s here in SB. Thank heavens! Rog and Jan still subscribe to the Herald and I happened to pick up the 12 July edition. Page 26 has the obits and there I read this one: Patricia M. Zeik [Roberts] -- O'Hara Township Patricia M. Zeik, 75, of O'Hara Township, died Wednesday, July 4, 2012. She was the beloved wife of the late Carl; sister of the late William Roberts, Mary Jane Welsh, John L., Dale C., James and Elizabeth Roberts; cousin of Noreen Udell and Jack Roberts; and many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews. Visitation was Friday at the Thomas M Smith Funeral Home and Crematory LTD., 930 Center Ave., Blawnox. Funeral Mass was Saturday at St. Pio Parish, St. Edward Church. I didn't know Patty [Roberts] very well, but I can picture her and her warm eyes and sunny smile. - Gene Consolo, 5/15/12. Hi to All, The AHS Picnic date has be set for Saturday, September 1, 2012. Attached is the registration form. If you have any trouble printing it, let me know, and I'll try another option. The Class of '55 is also planning a get together the night before (Friday, August 31) and would hope you and yours would attend. We are planning an informal dinner at Baja's where the old Yacht Club used to be. More to come on the details later. Please plan to attend. Each year we have one opportunity to rekindle a wonderful time in our lives. Don't miss this one opportunity. Let me know if you plan to attend the Picnic and/or the informal dinner. Details & Registration Form HERE - Nancy Davis Komatz, ex-AHS, 4/11/12. I attended Aspinwall Elementary School from 1955 - 1958, then AHS from 1958 - 1962. Of course in 1962, my sophomore year, we were at the new Fox Chapel High School. I lived on First Street and walked to school every day. It was a very big deal when we had to take the bus to Fox Chapel! I am taking two of my boys to Pittsburgh this weekend to show them some of my old neighborhoods and stumbled across your AHS web site as well as Cari McQuaid Thomas's excellent article about the schools. I really smiled when she mentioned Miss McCrum and the AHS rifle team! Ms McCrum was my algebra teacher. I remember she also was the sponsor of the junior and senior cheerleaders and she drove a yellow convertible and had a basset hound whose name was "Rector"! She was the kind of teacher everyone remembers. I can remember being sent to the blackboard in Algebra class to solve an equation. As I struggled with it, she would have taken a seat at the last desk in the row, and would be saying "Tsk, tsk, pretty poor, pretty poor." She was always dressed very stylishly in her straight skirt, nylons and heels. What I wouldn't give to see her today. We moved to Dormont after my sophmore year and since I graduated from Dormont High, I lost touch with my friends from Aspinwall and Fox Chapel. Glad to think about those days again! Thanks for the memories! Nancy Davis Komatz - Gene Consolo 2/28/12. Hi to All, Well, the time is fast coming for the reunion of 2012. Joe Lodge states it will be Saturday, September 1, 2012. Do we have any suggested changes on last year's itinerary? Any ideas on how we might increase attendance? On a more somber note, I think that 2012, on average, is the 75th birthday of the Class of '55. (Good Grief!!!!!) Gene - Charles Perrin. La Jolla, CA, 12/30/11. It has been an eventful year. Major event was emergency surgery at the end of October to remove three liver cysts. They were benign, but the largest measured 20 cm across. I lost 15 pounds and am still fatigued, but am continuing to recover well. The flood in September 2010 was an excuse to recarpet the house and install travertine tile in the bathrooms and laminate flooring in the dining room, both with embedded electrical heating coils to keep those floors warm. It took a year though to rearrange all the furniture, books, and art. Besides trips to Vancouver/Whistler (entire family), Phoenix (to visit Edward, Allison, Samuel, and Alexander Zane), Monterey/Carmel, and Willamette Valley wineries we had two enjoyable weeks of July living with David, Christie, and Alexander Isaac in an apartment in Paris. He had two months of sabbatical at the lab where he had been a postdoc. My own sabbatical was a stimulating month of September in Gothenburg, Sweden, where we had lived in 1972-3. Unfortunately, Marilyn could not join me because her grant renewal was due. My former postdoc, Mate Erdelyi, arranged for me to give a series of lectures and seminars at the University. I also gave a seminar in Oslo and attended a weeklong conference in Tartu, Estonia, which is a fascinating country with a university founded in 1632 (Harvard, for comparison, was 1636). It is fortunate that I didn't need emergency surgery while I was out of the country. The sabbatical allowed me to escape teaching Intro Organic. I did teach Applied Spectroscopy, and I served on a committee that revised the Bylaws governing the operations of our Department. With a student I published a nice article in Angewandte Chemie, which finally, after 50 years, disposed of an inductive contribution to secondary isotope effects. Besides a steady stream of chamber music, highlights of the cultural life were an exhibit of Japanese woodblock prints at the SDMA, SD Opera's Rosenkavalier, Gustavo Dudamel conducting Mahler in Gothenburg, and the Gothenburg Opera's avant-garde Salome, with an happy ending tacked on. - Gene Consolo, 12/22/11. Hi to All. It is my sad duty to advise you of the loss of our classmate, Joe Thomas. His obituary follows. I called Tillie as soon as I learned of Joe's passing and offered condolences from our Class of 1955. If you wish to call Tillie the number is 412-828-8633. Gene THOMAS JOSEPH C. Age 74, of Blawnox, on Monday Dec. 12, 2011. Beloved husband of Tillie Janoski; loving father of Joe, Dan and Gary (Sharon) Thomas; loving grandfather of Russell, Kelli, James, Taylor and Jennica; loving great-grandfather of Michael, Makayla and Gavin; son of the late Nicholas and Frances Thomas; brother of the late Marge Bubash, Frances Salsbery and Catherine Connolly. Joe will be greatly missed by all who loved him. Visitation at the THOMAS M. SMITH FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY LTD,. 930 Center Ave., Blawnox. Wed. and Thursday 2-4 and 6-8. Funeral Mass St. Pio Parish, St. Edward Church, Friday 10:30 a.m. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb. Age 74, of Blawnox, on Monday Dec. 12, 2011. Beloved husband of Tillie Janoski; loving father of Joe, Dan and Gary (Sharon) Thomas; loving grandfather of Russell, Kelli, James, Taylor and Jennica; loving great-grandfather of Michael, Makayla and Gavin; son of the late Nicholas and Frances Thomas; brother of the late Marge Bubash, Frances Salsbery and Catherine Connolly. Joe will be greatly missed by all who loved him. Visitation at the THOMAS M. SMITH FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY LTD,. 930 Center Ave., Blawnox. Wed. and Thursday 2-4 and 6-8. Funeral Mass St. Pio Parish, St. Edward Church, Friday 10:30 a.m. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 8/30/11. Hi to all, For our 56th year after graduation from dear old AHS, we will meet again for dinner at the Baja Grille on Friday, September 2nd. Most of you know where the Baja is, but in case you are not sure, here are the directions: It is located in the building of the Yacht Club at 1366 Old Freeport Road, Pittsburgh Pa 15238 (for your GPS). At the intersection of the Get-Go station on Fox Chapel Rd and the Fox Chapel Plaza head towards the river on Old Freeport Rd. behind the Baskins & Robbins Ice Cream and down a slight hill where you take a right under the railroad tracks, then a left and continue to the stop sign. Turn right and the Baja Grille and the Yacht Club are straight ahead. The past couple of years we have set up our tables down next to the bar. There will be a DJ starting at 8:00, but no band this year, so we don't have to worry about a cover charge. We'll plan to meet between 6:00 and 6:30 and all are welcome even if you decide at the last minute to come. It's strictly informal. Bring a sweater as some were a little too cool last year. It's always pretty next to the river and we've enjoyed catching up on everyone's news. The picnic is always fun too! Looking forward to seeing you, Margie (Morcom) Hartsock. - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 8/20/11. Hi Gene & all, I am sending this to those that I feel are most likely to plan to attend our dinner [Sep. 2] the night before the all school picnic [Sep. 3]. We will stick with the Baja Grill located in the Yacht Club as it is informal and has worked out well the past couple of years. Gene, unfortunately several of the couples who have always attended can't make it this year, but we hope to have a fair number and a beautiful evening "down by the riverside." If any of you know of anyone who is planning to come to the picnic, please encourage them to come on Friday to our dinner and let me know if you plan to come to dinner with our group. I'm counting on you, Gene, to forward this to the rest of our class and I will call Shirley Brusco and Mabel Rieger since they don't have email. Gene, I'm not sure of Milton Ertel's address or phone number, but I think you have it. To those of you who have already replied to Gene's earlier reminder, thanks for letting us know your plans. We wish you could be here with us. I look forward to hearing from all those who plan fo meet us for dinner at the Baja Grill and will send more specific directions for its location closer to the date. Best regards to all. - Velma Hoffner, 5/2/11. Dear Don, It's with a sad heart that I report the death of my very dear friend, Pat McGahan Thompson this past Friday, April 29th [2011] at age 73. Pat had been in ill health for some time, but was not expected to pass away so quickly. I spoke with her daughter, Robyn this evening and she said Pat was surrounded by her family and was not in any distress at the time. If anyone would like to send condolences to the family, they could send them to Robyn Beaton, 100 Berea Avenue, Keystone Heights FL 32656. Pat and I have been friends since 7th grade and I will miss her very much. Velma - AHS ALUM WINS PEARL S. BUCK NATIONAL FICTION AWARD, 4/11/11. Don Swaim won the top prize for his short story, "Dearest Friend, Annie," which focuses on the relationship between Walt Whitman and Anne Gilchrist. Buck, author of The Good Earth, was a winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. Pearl S. Buck International. 2011 AHS ALUMNI PICNIC Saturday, Sep. 3, 2011 Squaw Valley Park, Fox Chapel Rd. For details click on the reservation form [left] and download - Eugene Consolo 2/10/11. Hi to All, This is just a short note to advise you that this year's picnic will be on September 3, 2011. I will provide more details as they become available. Please reserve this date on your calendar. I hope to see you in September. BOOKS BY AHS ALUM BACK IN PRINT! Don Swaim's H.L. Mencken Murder Case, originally published by St. Martin's Press, returns to print as a trade paperback through the Authors Guild Backinprint program. Available at amazon.com. $12.95. Swaim is the founder of the Ambrose Bierce Site. "...there's a dusty-attic charm to Mr. Swaim's fond evocation of bookshops past, and he couldn't have enticed a livelier ghost than Mencken to haunt them." --The New York Times Sunday Book Review DOWNLOAD THIS EBOOK Satirical and literary, Bright Sun Extinguished: Ode to Norman Mailer by Don Swaim is an original pastiche of dark fantasy and horror. The free software to read it can easily be downloaded to Macs, PCs, iPads, Kindles, or any digital device from amazon.com. $5.99. Swaim is the editor of the Book Beat Site. A literary gem filled with subtleties re pop culture and events leading up to and beyond a literary apocalypse. -- C.G. Bauer - Don Swaim 11/8/10. Independent filmmaker Alexander Roman is working on a documentary about Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train, the Ripley novels). His demos include a montage -- showing Matt Damon and Jude Law -- of questions I put to Highsmith in an interview at CBS some years ago. Go to: YouTube. To hear my actual broadcast(s) with Highsmith: listen. And for the raw, unedited interview: listen - Joe Gibbs 10/27/10. Dear Eugene, I regret to inform you, our class president, that Jack Otte passed away on September 14, 2010. Nancy, his wife, told me that Jack died of lung cancer initially diagnosed 27 months previously. Jack was a close high school friend of mine and of Jim King, John Hatton and Dave Hastings. The five of us did "high school stuff" together; we were close. Jack lived across from me on Fifth Street near the football field, and we each slept on the third floor/attic of our respective homes. Jack was always tinkering with things electronic and radios. Possibly, our greatest combined achievement was the tin-can string communication system we had from third floor to third floor across 5th Street, although I can't recall one time that we had good comm. Without me, he did wondrous things. His bedroom was full of radio parts, radio tubes, open books on radio construction and Popular Electronics, soldering irons, solder and wire along with empty bottles of Pepsi. He had a self-made radio that received a country western station out of Texas clearer than I could get KDKA on my GE. It's really not surprising that he had a gift for inventing. He is a descendant (on his mother's side) of Samuel S. Slater who immigrated to the new country of USA from Debershire, England in about 1789 - yes 1789. Great, great etc grandfather was a very intellectual man, an inventor. Seems that Sam intricately studied the mechanical parts and their operations to each other in the thread making mills of England's textile factories. During those times England prohibited access to these very specific details by any foreign country. Sam in his early twenties memorized every detail, then secretly sailed to the new country called America arriving in 1789 - yes, 1789. He eventually opened his own mill, founded a town named appropriately Slatersville, Rhode Island, and is called the Father of America's Textile Industry. SO LONG JACK - Nancy Otte 9/28/10. Don, This is a note to tell you that Jack Otte passed away on Sept. 14, in St. Petersburg, Fl. He died surrounded by our children and I. Nancy - Rachel Ravey Johnson 9/24/10. Dear friends and family, My bionic right hip is (loosely) in place and I am out of Union Memorial in Baltimore and into rehab at a lovely place called Keswick, nearby. I am already walking with a cane, but it feels shakey.... not suitable for a camping trip at all. The family has been wonderful; Leah flew up from Florida, Carl was there for many days, and Zib was a constant support. Beth is in Social Work school and I was somehow able to delay her visit until a more suitable time. I have heard from many extended family, friends and neighbors and we all thank you. Many people helped make this a super experience and I won't forget. I am NOT back on e-mail, but wished to communicate with you. Thank you a thousand times for being such good friends. Hugs from Rachel/Chaychie - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 9/12/10. Hi AHS class of '5. Our class of '55 celebrated our 55th reunion on Saturday, Sept. 4th "close beside the Allegheny" at the Baja Grille of the Yacht Club. It was unexpectedly cool after all the 90 degree weather we had been having and slightly windy, but our hearty group decided to stay outside for dinner. It was wonderful to see our old buddies again, but a smaller attendance than we had hoped for our 55th. FULL DETAILS HERE - Gene Consolo 8/28/10. Hi to All, This is just a friendly reminder that our AHS 55/55 Casual Dinner and Picnic will occur this coming Saturday, Sep 4 and Sunday, Sep 5. Dinner will be at Baja's on Saturday. Try to arrive around 5:30 to avoid cover charges that begin at 6:00. This is a casual affair where we will be ordering off the menu and will be individually billed to avoid confusion. Sunday the crowd generally starts to grow around 10:00 am. We are expecting around 22 classmates with an additional 15 that were unable to confirm their attendance. So it is possible that we could have a notable turnout from the class of 55/55. Please talk it up with any classmate you have contact with to further improve our attendance. I look forward to seeing each of you this coming Saturday and Sunday. If you need further information please call me at 248-321-2204. [Details & Registration Form HERE) - Carolyn Cari Thomas 7/13/10. Hi Gene, and Don, too, since here's another death report: RE: Ida Mae...... found this on ARCHIVED OBITUARY ACTIVATION ORDER. You have selected the following obituary from: Bosilovich, Ida M. - BOSILOVICH IDA M. 71, of Hightstown, NJ, formerly of Blawnox, Canonsburg and Connellsville, on Saturday, February 14, 2009, in Princeton, NJ. Beloved mother of... Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on 2/17/2009 150 total words. - Carolyn Cari Thomas 7/7/10. Here's the obit from the P-G. The 50th Directory affirms our classmate was James H. Richardson. Sorry to hear that the class has lost another: JAMES H. RICHARDSON. Age 72, on Sunday July 4, 2010 of Brooklyn, NY, formerly of Aspinwall; brother of Jack Richardson and the late Jean Smith; also survived by nieces and nephews. No Visitation. Mass of Christian burial St. Scholastica Church, Aspinwall, Friday 10-am. EVERYONE PLEASE MEET AT THE CHURCH. Arrangements by WOLFE MEMORIAL INC., Forest Hills Chapel, 412-731-5001. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb. Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from July 7 to July 8, 2010 - Gene Consolo 5/4/10. Well, this is a rare year. Fifty-Five years for the AHS Class of 1955. That makes this a very special reunion and we would really like to celebrate it with a record turn-out for our class. I will be forwarding to you, following this email, Joe Lodge's email containing all the pertinent data regarding this AHS picnic. [Details & Registration Form HERE) - Gene Consolo 2/14/10. Hi to All, Joe Lodge has informed me that this year's AHS Reunion will be on Sunday, September 5, 2010. Hopefully, you can reserve that date so that we can have a great turnout and, once again, rejuvenate our long standing friendships. More to come later. Gene - Don Swaim 2/6/10. See my audio entry on the late author J.D. Salinger at: Book Beat: The Podcast - Rachel Ravey Johnson 2/4/10. Dear Don, You are such a luminary !!!!! Thank you. Say, did I tell you that I went for my first sky-dive this Fall ????!!!!! You can put THAT on the Alumni News page !!!!! Hugs from Raquel - Carolyn Cari Thomas 1/25/10. As a native (though expatriate) Aspinwall-er, perhaps I can clear up some of the history of AHS/AJHS/AGS-AES. The first "Aspinwall High School" was in the building on Center Avenue (eastern side, between 5th and 6th) which was built in 1892. READ MORE... - Bob Diehm 1/20/10.I found this website very cool... I too attended Aspinwall High school however, it was the Aspinwall Elementary school 1966. Is there a connection with the HS and elementary years? What I mean is there a site that represents the elementary school too? It was just a thought and a question. - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 1/18/10. It is with great sadness that I must let all of you know that our dear friend, Gene Consolo, just lost his wife, Katie. Katie's funeral will be on Wednesday, January 20th [2010]. Katie had a 5 year battle with cancer and was extremely brave and uncomplaining throughout. 2010 would have been Gene and Katie's 50th anniversary. READ MORE... - Charles Perrin 1/4/10. 2009 was a good year. I was promoted to the UC rank of Above-Scale, which permits me to designate myself as Distinguished Professor. That came with an 8% pay reduction, owing to the state's financial difficulties, and next year may be worse, with an increased teaching load. READ MORE... - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 9/19/09. Once again this year members of the class of '55 got together for dinner on the Friday evening [September 4, 2009] before the annual AHS Saturday picnic. We had a smaller group than we had hoped--only 14 this year--but it was a beautiful evening to get together right beside the Allegheny River & we definitely were "where the action was. " READ MORE... - Rachel Ravey Johnson 8/25/09. Dear Don, Thank you for helping the computer illiterate!! I do have some news to pass on..... I went for my first sky-dive two weeks ago, up in Maine. I jumped at 14,000 feet, and the rate of free-fall was 120 mph. It is cold up there, and hard to breath for the first minute !! I would like to do it again.... get certified. Carl and I also did some canoe trips in Canada. - Carolyn Cari Thomas 8/16/09. Just a word about the website on which Ben Freudenreich's Memories are posted and to which you've created a link. Norm's a local now living on Lexington Ave Ext., but actually native to Pleasant Valley in O'Hara Twp. READ MORE... - Ben Freudenreich [class of '57] 8/16/09. I recently made contact with Norman Meinert. Norm has been gathering and posting genealogical and historical stuff of interest to people from the Aspinwall general area. I sent him a few things, and he put them out on Rootsweb. Today, I've been searching for information about the stores on Commercial Avenue. I remember dealing with Mary Conner/Connor, but Carolyn McQuaid doesn't remember that store. I think it might have been in the space formerly occupied by the Chinese laundry. Anyway, I pulled up the Class of '55 website. Your class did a really nice job on that. I wish that someone in my class had the skill, inclination, and time to do the same for us. I take it that the work isn't finished and that you keep adding to it. I was saddened to see that so many of my friends and acquaintences in your class already have died. Cliff Borland and I played on the first Aspinwall Midgets baseball team. Joanne Zuccaro lived next door to my good friend Tom Kanhofer. Ben - Gene Consolo 4/29/09. The Class of '55 always has good attendance at the Annual Picnic. I hope we grow our numbers this year. If those of you who plan to attend would let me know via email, I'll arrange something with our Team in Residence for the Friday evening of September 4, 2009. (The Picnic is Saturday, Sept 5, 2009) READ MORE - Eugene Consolo 3/16/09. Hi to the Class of 55 and all of our friends. It has been quite a while since I last sent out an email. Katie and I have been pretty busy since August of last year but the results were very worth while. Katie and I are now in California visiting our daughter and our newest (#13) grandchild/Ashley Elizabeth. I wanted to advise you of the anticipated date of the AHS Picnic for 2009. It will most likely be on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend which is September 5, 2009. I will confirm this when I am informed. If any of you have any updates that you would like me to pass along to the rest of the Class, please send me an email. And don't forget to check out our AHS website. Just click here: Aspinwall High School 1955. Hope to hear from you. Gene - JOANN ZUCCARO/CIARLONE DIES. Augusta Chronicle, August 7, 2007. AUGUSTA, Ga. - Mrs. JoAnn "Jody" Nina Zuccaro Ciarlone, 69, died peacefully Friday, August 3, 2007 at the home of her daughter. Jody was an avid dog lover and cook. She was a voracious collector of cookbooks and family keeper and trainer of the Italian cookery which was so much a part of our family. Jody was an RN who worked at both Doctor's Hospital of Augusta and the Medical College of Georgia. She was the beloved wife of Dr. Alfred Ciarlone, who died in August of 2005. She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Boatman and her husband John of Augusta, Ga.; and her son, Major Mark Ciarlone and his wife Dawn of Choctaw, Okla. She is also survived by her three wonderful grandchildren, Ian Boatman of Augusta, Ga., and Max and Gina Ciarlone. She also leaves behind her beloved Yorkshire Terriers, Zoey and Chloe. Per Jody's wishes, there will be no services except a private cremation. Special thanks to the group. The family appreciated your support for Jody and for us. God bless you all. She is finally at peace with the love of her life. - Bob Grimes 9/4/08. I was not able to be there [at the mini-reunion and picnic].We were on our way back from SC. Our daughter, Chris, had a baby girl, Alyssa, on July 21st. She was 6 weeks early, but is doing fine, and the baby has caught up to her expected weight, etc. It has been a busy summer as we were out in CO for 6 weeks after our other daughter, Ingrid, had a baby boy, Lucas, on May 3rd. He was 2 weeks early and is quite a bruiser now. We had given up on grandchildren. I thought it was a safe thing to say that, "the next time I'd go to Disney would be with our grandchildren." - Gene Consolo 9/4/08. Hi to All Classmates. Just a short note to update you on this year's Picnic. Read all HERE - Bob Grimes 5/22/08. I am writing this from our daughter's in Longmont, CO. (just north-east of Boulder) It's been hectic the last few weeks. Our daughter, Ingrid, was expecting her first at age 38 and 8 years of marriage. We wanted to be with her for a couple of weeks before her delivery. She was schedule for a c-section on 5/14, so we left Pittsburgh on Wed. 4/30 and missed the bad weather in the plains by making Thursday a very long driving day. READ MORE - Gene Consolo 3/28/08. Hello to the AHS Class of 1955 (Plus other AHS Alumni). It's time to block out the day and date of Saturday, August 30, 2008. That's the date of the next AHS Reunion Picnic. Last year we had a turnout of 13 Classmates and their spouses, etc. READ MORE - Robert McCutcheon 3/20/08. I went to Aspinwall Junior High School (formerly the high school; I went on the Fox Chapel High School [69]. I in my turn attended the Guyasuta boy scout camp.) I set a short story in that building; you may remember my favorite room: #14, I think, the terraced one. I had French there, though I guess it was an old lab of some kind. You probably know that apartments now occupy the site. READ MORE... - Eugene Consolo 2/11/08. Hi to All, It's been a while. Katie and I are on Marco Island. We have been here since the 1st of the year. I thought it was about time I started an awareness campaign for this year's picnic. I don't believe I have received a specific date from anyone. Joe Lodge, are you coordinating the picnic this year along with your duties for your 50th Reunion? Hope all is well with all of you. Please let me know if there is any news that I haven't caught up to, yet. Look forward to hearing from you. Gene - Sally "Bollinger" Greulich 1/25/08. This is really cool. Hope you enjoy it. Subject: The Allegheny River: http://www.pittsburghquarterly.com/pages/winter2008/large.html - Charles Perrin 1/3/08. The past year has been a productive and enjoyable one. Travels took us to my conference on the Spanish coast between Barcelona and Valencia, and then to Marilyn's in Toronto... READ MORE... - Lowie Frauenholz 10/5/07. Hello to everyone - I really appreciate the website and the info Gene passes on to those of us not able to be there. And special thanks to Bob Grimes for the work he does on the website. For those of you that went to Kerr School, there is a reunion next year. Nancy Humes is coordinating. I hope to be there and and hope to see some of you there. With much affection, Lowie Frauenholz - Gene Consolo 9/30/07. Hi to All, Saturday, September 1, 2007, some of the AHS Class of 55 attended the AHS Annual Picnic, preceded by a dinner the night before at Silky's in Sharpsburg. We had a great evening at Silky's. READ MORE... - Gene Consolo 5/7/07. Hi to All, I hope that Spring has finally arrived in your corner of the world. In my last email to you in the middle of April, I had promised to send out the following [details about the Sep. 1, 2007, picnic and mini-reunion]: READ MORE... - GENE CONSOLO ELECTED CLASS PRESIDENT. April 19, 2007. Alumni have taken the first step in creating an official structure for the AHS Class of 1955 by electing Gene Consolo Class President. At the same time, the late Cliff Borland was named Class President Emeritus. READ MORE... - Gene Consolo 4/16/07. This short note is a refresher regarding the AHS Annual Picnic for 2007 [on September 1, 2007]. This is the one time in the year that we all have an opportunity to reenergize old friendships and catch up on the happenings of our classmate friends. READ MORE... - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 3/23/07. I agree that Gene is an excellent choice to serve as our president and I feel Cliff would approve this transition. Now that we are all able to keep in touch due to Gene and Cari finding everyone and having emails available, I know Gene will be great at keeping our class spirit going as he did for our 50th! Bob and I are looking forward to seeing all of you at the dinner and picnic at the beginning of September. It would be great if we would have a better turnout than last year. Regards, Margie - Joe Swab 3/22/07. Thanks for your message concerning the Election of Officers. I think it's great that Gene Consolo will be the new President. - Robert Artzberger 3/22/07. Good deal--go for it. Gene Consolo is doing one great job. Bob Artzberger - Charles Kramb 3/22/07. Great choice! I concur completely with the nominating committee's selection of Gene Consolo for our new Class of 1955 President. Not that everyone on the committee, including yourself have not done a remarkable job of keeping everyone together. I feel Gene is an excellent representative of you and everyone else who have worked so hard at keeping the Class of 55 together and informed. You guys have been awesome and thanks so much for all you have done. Chuck Kramb - Joe Gibbs 3/22/07. I believe the decisions made regarding both Cliff and Eugene are appropriate and concur. Of equal importance though are Barry's words regarding his late, close friend Cliff while nominating Eugene, my good friend, to represent us. The rationale expressed by the members of this committee demonstrate great affection and wisdom and cloaked it with the spirit of what made our class memorable. I am always proud to be a graduate of Class 1955, Aspinwall High School, truly a special group, and this example of caring leadership reinforces it. My very best wishes, Joe - Arlene Reitz 3/22/07. Gene has done a great job and I am in total agreement. Am really busy ministering here in Guatemala as things seem to have accelerated this year. I don't think I will make it in time for any reunion with our class this year - but if there is any change in my itineration time in the States I will be in touch. Please keep me informed. Thank You and God Bless, AR in Guatemala - Barry Montgomery 3/15/07. I would like to nominate posthumously our dear friend and classmate Cliff Borland as President Emeritus of the AHS Class of 1955. As Gene [Consolo] so aptly said: "Cliff will always be the 'Class President'. And so it should be. Second, with great pride and thanks for all he has done to keep our Class together all these years, I nominate Eugene Consolo as our new AHS Class of 1955 President. While many of you and others have given their time and energy for the benefit of our Class, Gene has demonstrated time and again that he is the "heart and sole of our Class". I therefore move that Gene's name be submitted to our Class members for approval as our new President of the AHS Class of 1955. C. Barry Montgomery - Salli Hamre Lodge 3/9/07. The all A-Wall picnic has been booked for Sat. Sept. 1st. - Carolyn Cari Thomas 2/27/07. It surely seems strange to see Cliff on that [In Memoriam] page; but then again, it's strange to see any of the other 25 there, too! Had an email from Marlene Sams Woodling the other day. She wondered why our classmates were all dying off so soon. My response is that while 22% (incl Cliff) have gone on ahead of us, that still leaves 78% of us still kicking our heels and enjoying life (hopefully!) 78%'s not bad, I think! - Barry Montgomery 2/27/07. Dear Classmates, I, like all of you, was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of our classmate and dear friend, Cliff Borland. Cliff was a close friend of mine during our years at AHS. WE were buddies from seventh grade until we both graduated. I recall Cliff as a serious student, a good athlete and a great friend. It is interesting that in his life and career after AHS ClifF displayed those same high qualities that we saw in him during high school: leadership, strong work ethic, dedication to friends and family, his wit and humor, and his unwavering commitment to be a success in all that he under took to accomplish. We will all miss Cliff as our class president and dear friend. Barry Montgomery - Lynne Morison Young 2/27/07. Very well put! The only thing I can add is that I remember Cliff's lead in the Senior Class play (I think he played my grandson) - how good he was and also his great sense of humor throughout all the practices! Lynne Morison Young - FORMER AHS CLASS PRESIDENT CLIFF BORLAND DEAD AT 69 - 2/19/07. Detailed obituary in the Cincinnati Post - Charles Perrin 12/30/06. The past year has been a busy one for us. Travel was less adventurous. Marilyn's conferences were in Pittsburgh and Boston and at the University of San Diego. My big job was to organize and run the Gordon Conference on Isotopes.... READ MORE... - Carolyn Cari Thomas 12/23/06. Beulah Frey's Obit .... READ MORE... - Carolyn Cari Thomas 12/21/06. Hi all.... VERY sad news! [about Beulah Frey] She was a gem of a person, and gave so much to/for her students and our environment. I was disappointed when she was unable to come to our 50th. Miss Frey was one of those mentor teachers for me, as mentioned by Mr. Koronich, below. LOADS of memories, both in school, on field trips, and as near neighbors in Aspinwall. I've just tried searching the Pgh, Kittanning, and Butler papers online for an obituary, which would be nice to post on the class web site, but did not find one. I'll try checking every day or so, until one shows up. If anyone else finds the obituary, either in hard copy or online, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know, too. Thanks, Cari - Ron Korenich, Fox Chapel Area School District 12/20/06. Beulah Frey has passed away, As you may or may not know, Beulah was responsible for starting the Environmental Education program in the district. Her dedication left its mark on countless students, and on the programs that she started. Many graduates of the school district trace their interest in nature and the outdoors to their experiences with Beulah when they were young. Beulah Frey was truly passionate about teaching and about nurturing in both children and adults, an understanding of the critical relationship between humans and their environments. No details have been given about memorial services at this time. Ron Korenich Coordinator of Elementary Education Fox Chapel Area School District 611 Field Club Road Pittsburgh, PA 15238 412-967-2411 ron_korenich@fcasd.edu - Marjorie Morcom Hartsock 10/27/06. This is very hard for me to write because Babs [Barbara McLAUGHLIN Monahan] and I were best friends from kindergarten, but by now you know that her bone marrow transplant did not succeed and she died on October 18th. READ MORE... - Joe Gibbs 10/24/06. Hey Gene, Hope all is well with you and thank you for staying awake while things happen around you. I sent a card to Bill Monahan today. I do not know him, but fondly remember Babs. Ironically, I can not recall one time talking with her or sharing anything at school, not even a class. Yet, when I read her name, I smile as if she were my good friend I knew many years ago. Strange, but that is how her passing effected me. Babs McLauglin, a fellow student of the Class of 1955. Bye Babs. - Velma Keller Hoffner 10/24/06. Hello Gene. I am so sorry to hear about Babs. Thank you for sharing this information. I will pass it on to Pat McGahan Thompson. Pat and I continue to correspond every few weeks. Velma - Rachel Ravey Johnson 10/21/06. I am sorry. She seemed fine, and I was unaware of her illness. - Nancy Humes Hannigan 10/20/06. Hi Eugene. So sorry to hear this news. I'm glad Babs was with us at the last gathering. Nancy - Lynne Morison Young 10/20/06. I remember Babs as being one of the most fun loving and cheerful people in our class. I am truly sorry that she went thru such ill health. She deserved much better. Lynne Morison Young - Adrienne Soost Rosewald 10/19/06. Yes Gene, Babs will be missed. What a spirit for life she showed us. Adrienne - Gene Consolo 10/19/06. Hello to the Class of 1955. Another of our very fine classmates, Barbara McLAUGHLIN Monahan, has passed on. Babs passed away last evening, October 18, 2006. She fought a very long and courageous battle, but now she is at rest. One of Babs' very last pictures is included in our Class Reunion for this year. You can view it on our AHS Website by just clicking on this website: http://donswaim.com/aspinwall55.html. Babs is fourth from the right side. We will miss Babs. Gene Consolo - Rachel Ravey Johnson 10/2/06. Sort of an up-date...I am still working FT but will be stopping fairly soon so I can have a life again. My daughter is slowly recovering and that is a great blessing. Please pray it continues. Carl and I went to England and Wales this summer, and also celebrated 20 years together at a very old-fashioned "resort" in the mountains. I flew to Salt Lake City for my dear cousin Nina's Memorial service in July. I will be happy to get messages back from you all. Hugs from Rachel - Gene Consolo 9/23/06. Just a brief note to let you know that the AHS Picnic is currently planned for September 1, 2007. SO PUT IT ON YOU CALENDAR NOW. We plan to have dinner the night before, which is August 31 (Friday). READ MORE... - Don Swaim 9/20/06. DaRK PaRTY ReVIEW, a Boston-based online literary magazine, queries AHS Site and Ambrose Bierce Site webmaster Don Swaim about the life and disappearance of the legendary curmudgeon. Go to: FIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT: AMBROSE BIERCE. - Sally "Bollinger" Greulich 9/5/06. I just attended the dinner and picnic for AHS Alums on Friday and Saturday. It was great fun and we enjoyed seeing everyone who attended. Hope that more "55"ers can make it next year. READ MORE... - Carolyn Cari Thomas 8/26/06. In 1967, Rachel L. Cook wrote a wonderful 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee History book of the Aspinwall borough. Sadly it had no index and was a labor intensive read. READ MORE... - Gene Consolo 7/22/06. I just received an email from Jan McQuaid and thought it was time to remind everyone of upcoming events. Our plan is to have dinner (from the menu and paid individually) on September 1. That is the night before the All Class Picnic on September 2 at Squaw Valley Park. READ MORE... - Don Swaim 6/13/06. An online version of the 2005 Class of 1955 Reunion Book is now on the website as a pdf file. Bob Grimes wants everyone to know that he's made a CD version of, not only the Reunion Book with an updated alumni directory, but additional photos from the reunion and picnic plus many of the files that are currently on the AHS web site. Bob says he'll be happy to distribute the CD at the dinner or picnic in September or by mail to anyone interested. The CD ROM requires a computer, a browser, and Adobe Reader. Contact Bob Grimes - Rachel Ravey Johnson 6/11/06. Carl and I are going to a wedding at an old Abbey in Wales, in July. Then we plan to hike and explore pre-historic stones/sites around Wales. We will do some hitch-hiking and lead the hippie cheese-bread-wine route.......hitching and eating road-side are cool ways to meet folks and have adventures. - Don Swaim 1/17/06. Ann Wilkison and I both commuted to AHS. She lived a quarter of a mile up Fox Chapel Road from me at Shadyside Academy, where her father was, I think, the grounds keeper, and where her family lived in a house on the site. READ MORE... - Gene Consolo 1/15/06. Sad news for our Class of 1955. Annie Wilkison died from lung cancer on January 9, 2006. I'm glad that we had contact with her and that she had received our Reunion Book, [Ann Wilkison died in Saluda NC, from lung cancer, on January 9th, 2006. David Wilkison, brother.] - Gene Consolo 1/14/06. Hi Everyone, I hope this email finds you all in good spirits after the Christmas (or Holiday) Season. This is an early warning that the AHS Picnic this year is scheduled for Saturday, Sept 2, 2006. If you plan or hope to come please give me a bounce-back and we'll see if we can arrange something for Friday night. Gene - Charles Perrin 1/6/06. The past year has been a busy one for us. In July Marilyn's mother died after progressive declines in heart function. We organized a memorial service for all her friends at her apartment complex, with the cantor from Beth Israel officiating and singing beautifully. READ MORE... - Gene Consolo 1/2/06. I just read the newsletter and it inspired me to write a little recap of last year. As you know, the Volunteers spent a lot a time making ready for our 50th Reunion. Although there was much to do, I enjoyed every minute of participating in that activity. Last April, my wife, Katie, was diagnosed with cancer of the left breast. READ MORE... - Rachel Ravey Johnson 12/30/05. Dear Friends and Family, Each year, I send out personal Christmas card to tell what's happening, and hope to hear from you, too. This year, Christmas was a bit altered. I crashed my little green BMW convertible into an oak tree, and am still recovering. The Beamer didn't survive, but I did. This event, plus some family challenges, have prevented the card-writing. Carl has been a huge help, and so have family, friends and neighbors. I'll soon be fine. So Merry Christmas and Happy New year and know that I thought of each of you as I wrote this greeting. Hugs from Chaychie/Rachel - Carolyn McQuaid Thomas 12/29/05. Dear Don, I've just been enjoying the website yet once more during our Golden Reunion year: 2005. The Newsletter seems to be picking up momentum, and it's fun to read classmates' entries. Back in September, I had sent an email to Ray Rickley, who was recuperating and unable to attend the reunion; I included my own reprise of much of the reunion, and had cc'ed it to Margie. Margie responded by saying she thought my reprise might be a good addition to the webpage, but I didn't follow through at that time. Perhaps now is the time? Here it is...IF you'd like to use it. If you feel it's past its "interest" time, that's ok too. So... READ MORE... - Pat Wysocki Lenosky 12/29/05. Don, I would like to wish the most remarkable class of aspinwall55 a continued bright future. I felt the job of getting this reunion together was done perfectly. Which meant that everyone had their heart in it. I was so very proud of all of it. I just can't believe that we are all of a certain age. We all look so very beautiful and bright and accomplished. My only regret was that I wasn't feeling well and I had to leave way too early. My prayer is that we can do this again for our 75th reunion. Love to each and everyone of you, Pat Wysocki Lenosky - Salli Hamre Lodge 12/27/05. Hi Don, I received a e-mail from my cousin Anders Lefdal from Selje, Norway who picked up our website on his computer. All my relatives who were at his home on Christmas Day enjoyed seeing Buzz & I and all the other pictures of A-wall & our reunion pictures. So, thanks for making that possible. Happy New Year. Salli - Velma Hoffner 12/7/05. Hello Don, It's so great for you to keep this site going. Just finished reading the notes from classmates. As everyone has stated, the reunion was a great time and everything was just perfect. Thanks again to everyone that was involved. Nothing too exciting on our front. Orde and I visited with some of his family in Pitcairn before we headed back home after the reunion. We spent what was left of our good weather camping and taking small trips. I am still involved in volunteering and keep busy at that two days a week at present. Still keeping in touch with Pat McGahan Thompson. Pat is not on the internet so I let her know anything new that I see. She is doing better and out of the cast for her foot and back to her part time job. Also had a letter from Arlene Reitz and that was great. Thanks again for all your hard work keeping this site going. Merry Christmas (I am not politically correct!) and God's blessings in the new year to all. Vel - Arlene Reitz 12/6/05. Hi Don - Just checking in from Guatemala. I returned the middle of November. I checked out the web site and I think it is great. I will return when I have more time. We lose our electric over here a lot and today was one of those days. READ MORE... - Marjorie Hartsock 12/5/05. Don, Thanks for taking the time to post those snaps of mine. It was fun to enlarge them and see how young and pretty or handsome everyone was. I felt nostalgic studying the different faces. I'm still hoping to see Lowie Frauenholtz and Salli Lodge's pictures from the week-end if they would send them to Bob, as well as anyone else who took pictures. I certainly haven't lost interest. I've spent a lot of time looking at the ones you have posted. Unfortunately, some people didn't make it into any of the pictures and they may well be in either Lowie's or Salli's. Cari worked hard on the reunion and so far didn't appear in the ones we have. I think the website has been wonderful and I've enjoyed many of your other websites as well. Very entertaining! - Joe Gibbs 12/5/05. Dear Don, Thank you for all the work you do for our benefit. I am one who greatly appreciates it. To Marjorie, Bob, Gene and you I owe a debt of gratitude. Thank you. Best wishes, Joe Gibbs - Barry Montgomery 12/5/05. Don - You are the Best!!! Thanks for a second trip down Memory Lane at the Reunion. I will log on from time to time and keep everyone posted on major events. So keep up the good work. Barry - Rachel Ravey Johnson 11/27/05. Dear Don, You surely are a stupendous writer, even when your goal is strict communication! You have indeed put in a great deal of time, and I am one of the people who has meant to log onto the great website, and has not. It is special to me, I have wanted totally uninterrupted time to peruse it...I guess I have been too picky about it.I am very eager to see photos, especially of me and one of my old flames...You! You did a remarkable job and all of us should continue to send accolades. - Nancy Yoder Althouse 10/19/05. Sally - You may remove my note from the website re: Judy Hartman. It was nice of Jim to reply to me - I had thought of her so many times. Hope all is well with you - think this site is great for your class and thanks for including us "others" as well. We are still sort of dazed from Hurricane Katrina - it will never be the same here. Our home is fine but our daughter must re-build and our son will possibly lose his business. Luckily, we are on the north shore, so didn't have the water damage - just wind - lots of trees through roofs, etc. You and Salli, Betty, Babs and Margie look great in the pictures - looks like your committee went to a lot of hard work but had a great time. My best, Nancy Yoder Althouse - Pat Wysocki Lenosky 10/16/05. Arlene Reitz asked me to pass this letter to our classmates........the huricanne in Guatemala is very bad. Many villages are lost, and roads are impassible. Apparently Arlene is still in this country,because of the destruction of the roads. Food and water supplies are being taken by helicopter. Total villages have been lost to landslides. Many from her church have lost homes and businesses, and of course many people have been lost. She did get word that her house is okay,and a few of her dear friends are okay. She is asking for our prayers...........Pat Wysocki Lenosky - Don Swaim 10/14/05. One of the good things about no longer having to do battle in New York City every day is the opportunity to write and create in relative serenity here in Bucks County. For many years I wanted to share my grandfather's experience in World War One in his own words and pictures, and now the Internet has given me that opportunity. Please visit my new web site, "Fighting the Hun in World War One." Dramatic pictures and my handsome grandfather's own narrative after some 87 years. Go to: FIGHTING THE HUN IN WW ONE. This site is brand new -- so if anything's off whack on your screen please let me know so I can try to fix it. Don - Thelma Long Bishop 10/3/05. Hi there, Just a few lines to let you know that the reunion and picnic was just wonderful. It was so good to see everyone. My husband and I even enjoyed the rain, being from the desert we don't see a lot at that magnetude. The food was great and the company enjoyable. The good Lord willing,we will see you at the picnic next year. God bless you all. Thelma. - James C. Woomer 10/9/05. Nancy, Judy and I lived in Biloxi in 1957 for around 6 months. I was in the Navy and stationed there. If you saw the [50th reunion] book, you will see that we traveled around the US and finally wound up in California which was our goal. Although we divorced after 20+ years, with our 5 kids and 10 grandkids, we still had contact over the years. She remarried and remained in California. In 1995 she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away that year. Hope all is well with you and Hurricane Katrina did not force you out of your home. Jim Woomer - Nancy Yoder Althouse 10/2/05. I think your site is great and hope you keep it up with news, etc. Wondering whatever/wherever is Judy Hartman? Does anyone know? Eons ago, I heard she was around Biloxi and, since I am on the North shore of New Orleans, would like to know if she is still in the area. Thanks for sharing your site. Nancy Yoder Althouse '54 - Charles Perrin 9/27/05. After the wonderful weekend AHS reunion, we flew off for three weeks traveling around France by train and car. A highlight was the Disneyesque medieval walled city of Carcassonne. Marilyn had been invited to present her research at an international conference in Rouen, the historic city of Joan of Arc and with the Gothic cathedral of Monet's paintings. We ended with a week visiting friends in Paris, still one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I gained two pounds from all the great food. Charlie Perrin, La Jolla, CA Cathedral at Rouen -- by Charlie Perrin. - Don Swaim 9/12/05. I was part of this project. A new two-DVD package of THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (starring David Bowie) has JUST been released. You might recall this 1976 film, which was based on the novel by Walter Tevis, who also wrote THE HUSTLER (starring Paul Newman) and it's sequel THE COLOR OF MONEY (also with Paul Newman). The package by Criterion includes a reissue of the book (published by Ballantine/Del Ray) plus: a re-mastered DVD of the film AND a second DVD with many extras including a composite of two radio interviews (running close to an hour) I did with Walter Tevis at CBS shortly before his death.My interviews with Tevis explore his development as a writer, his dissent into alcoholism, and how he emerged creatively only to die prematurely of cancer. You can hear my original interviews with Tevis online at WIRED FOR BOOKS. The new Criterion Collection DVD package can be ordered online at CRITERION.This is NOT an ad. The only thing I received from my contribution were two copies of the DVD package, but I'm happy to have been part of this film/novel restoration. I wanted everyone to know I'm still in there kickin'. Don. Bucks County, PA - Robert Artzberger 9/6/05. Hi Classmates, It was a great [reunion] weekend for me - one of the best!! I enjoyed seeing and visiting with everyone after 50 years. I'll always remember the reunion, picnic and brunch, and especially singing the Alma Mater at Silky's. We really did have a remarkable class. Thanks to all who made it possible. I hope we will keep in touch until the next one. Robert Artzberger, Houston, TX - Sally Bollinger Greulich 9/3/05. Dear Classmates, After having such a successful class reunion this August, we would like to stay in touch with all of you by ongoing newsletters. I will periodically send a request for any changes in you stats and/or interesting info which you would like to share with your fellow classmates. I will send the requests by e-mail to those who are on line, and to others by US Mail. Don has generously offered to set the newsletter up on our website. You may send your replies to him or to me. We will work together to make this a successful tool in keeping in touch. After Gene, Cari and the others did such a super job of tracking down each and everyone of you, we don't want to lose you again. So, please reply, if you have any news when the requests are sent to you. We will keep your comments on the website until we hear from you again. Your new info will replace the old comments so the news will be current. It will be easy to access the website and keep in touch with all of our classmates. Fondly, Sally Bollinger Greulich - Sally Bollinger Greulich 9/3/05. How are you? Hope that your world is good. What is going on? Please, comment on anything that is happening in your lives that you would like to share with us, such as any changes in status and any interesting things that have happened to you in the last few months. All of us are anxious to hear about any new grandchildren, trips that you have taken, classmates that you have seen, or any of the unusual things that happen in the course of our lives. We would love to hear from you. Don't forget to visit the website occasionally to keep up to date with everyone.