Karilyn Sorenson: is cruising to Belize, Honduras, and Mexico with her granddaughter. She has returned to Eau Claire after many years with Lockheed in CA and enjoys being back. If she returns in time, she will join us tonight.
 

Paul Anderson: is retired but is in Europe filling in for vacationing Delta pilots right now. He became a commercial pilot after his years in the Navy.
 

Lynne Nelson and Roger Beede: traveling the U.S. in their 35-foot Winnebago; goal is to visit every state in the U.S.
 

Jane Close: is also traveling in their 35 foot Winnebago. She was an Air Force Nurse – which is where she met her husband.
 

Dave Hoffe: is in CA. He claims his wife “dragged” him to a wedding there. This is his first miss.
 

Joanie Clark: She’s in Alaska right now! Do you know she typed her letter on a 1950’s typewriter she earned with her 25 cents per hour wage in high school?
 

Steve Stolp: has retired and just moved to Arkansas. Steve’s letter describes his memory of a quartet at church: Darlene Stevens, Steve Stolp, Jim Klawiter, and Carol Milward.

Ah…. Must have been a good one.
 

Mark Hanson: retired from the Madison school system, and now he and his wife operate a trout farm near Oregon, WI. You can check him out at www.wistrout.com.

By the way, Steve Stolp and Mark Hanson are both at the same wedding on Washington Island. It seems these two classmates will be in-laws after this weekend.
 

Don Brown: spent his career as a pilot for NW Airlines and, although he retired in 2001, he is a test pilot for transport aircraft and is currently working in Singapore.
 

Joan Brown: relocated last year to AZ and is working at a golf tournament this weekend.
 

Paul Marcus: is an attorney in Miami and is traveling out of the country. He recalls wonderful memories of growing up in E.C. and wrote about the wooden track overlooking the basketball court at the old junior high school and the red and white band uniforms with the capes –

we thought they were so cool. Remember?
 

Barb Preston and Dave Rude: this Harley pair is on a Posse Ride with the Harley group.
 

John Burmeister: absent because of work. He lives and works in Michigan and still has a passion for cars.
 

And Mark Atkinson, still interested in cars, arranged for tonight’s show place for vintage cars.
 

Pat Drabant: works at and lives near Disney World. She guarantees that she will attend the 50th if she is “still in an earthly form.”
 

Jim Rude: left a position in the investment world and retired to Minocqua – we’re all invited to visit him.
 

Nancy Bunch: her husband is ill but she sends her best to everyone. Wishes she were here.
 

Vic Rebeck: lives on the big island of Hawaii and says “aloha” to everyone.
 

Barb Harmon: also says “hi.” She recently retired from U.S.C. Bakersfield – she also spent time in the military.
 

Donna Bjerke: lives on Fireside Lake summers and is a “Winter Texan.” She said the first time she snorkeled she felt like she was on the Discovery Channel.
 

Joan Gunderson: lives in Birchwood summers and FL winters.
 

Sherry Nicolai: retired to AZ and spends summers in Hudson, WI.
 

Lynn Loken: still lives in Colorado, although it looks like he will be spending more time in Wisconsin now that his daughter has joined the medical staff at the Wausau Hospital.
 

Arlette Borens: taught dance throughout Wisconsin – even to several classmates who, she says, shall remain nameless. They winter in Naples, FL and summer at Sand Lake.
 

Bill Anderson: left E.C. in 1964, but recently returned and is glad to be back. Welcome back, Bill.
 

Julia Patton: Cruised the Mediterranean for 35th anniversary and winters in Yuma, AZ.
 

Marjorie Lee: spent their 25th anniversary in Hawaii as a gift from their children.
 

Bob Tarbox: would you believe, celebrated his 35th wedding anniversary at the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas – Elvis sang four songs. Bob says in his letter “I bet you ladies never took me for such a romantic devil.” Bob also served in the Navy.
 

Dave Gibson: Reno, NV after living in many places and working for UPS for 31 years.
 

Karen Thompson: travels west for the fall and south for the winter. Her most exciting trip was to Australia for the birth of her grandson.
 

Sonja Johnson: winters at South Padre Island, TX, and since retirement has started a new career in crafts.
 

Jim Hagen: lives near Houston and says he is having almost as much fun watching Packer games in TX bars as he did attending Packer games in Green Bay.
 

Joy Borum: lives in Scottsdale, AZ, and is a lawyer/mediator – perfect skill match!
 

Karen Garton: lives in Kansas and is a tour guide – Hawaii in February and Alaska in September – sounds wonderful. WOW!
 

Barb Bair: has lived in beautiful, sunny San Diego for 40 years. She’s almost a native.
 

Bill Sparley: lives in the foothills of the Sierras near Lake Tahoe and has been retired for three years.
 

Janet Quigg and Eric Luttrell: spend winters in San Antonio, TX, and summers in Portland, Oregon. We understand Eric loves to garden and Jan loves to golf.
 

Speaking of gardening, we understand Vern Schellfeffer has the biggest perennial garden on the upper west side of Eau Claire. He and Eric Luttrell should compare notes.
 

Jim Aeby: lives in AZ and has seen Elvis in Las Vegas and much more recently Celine Dion.
 

Ron Lorge: Air Force for 20 years including 10 years in England. He tells us he has been a “bum” ever since.
 

Dave Rasmussen: was in the Marines and now lives near Fort Worth, TX, golfs every morning and was married on the Marine Corps b-day so he wouldn’t forget his anniversary.
 

Jon Paulson: is a Navy man - sailed the Mediterranean, toured Europe and has attended a ton of concerts – including Barry Manilow and Alabama.
 

Larry Bradford: U.S Navy and has been active in the Telephone Pioneers. He is also a Honda Cycle person. He served in the military with Peter Werth.
 

Peter Werth: who spent 21 years in the Navy - many of those years were overseas. Peter is now living in New York State.
 

Don Larson: served in the Army, lives in Vail, and has remained a loyal rock n roll and Buddy Holly fan!
 

Smokie Sorenson: served 10 years in the Air Force, was stationed in England during part of that time. With the 2004 Olympic Games in full swing, it is interesting to note that Smokie attended the 1988 Olympic Games in Korea. By the way, he is also a successful entrepreneur in “aftermarket” ag parts.
 

Dave Shafer: another Air Force man has been in Fairbault, MN for 42 years and is very active in his community.
 

Donna Walker’s daughter Stephanie had the pleasure of giving the opening invocation at a dinner for astronauts Neil Armstrong and James Lovel, and Donna was there.
 

Paul Blom: is the Bishop of the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the ELCA. Paul has met the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church and Pope John Paul.
 

Linda Golle: was honored with an invitation to the White House for her work in Florida Science with intermediate age students. Teaching at that level is a challenge in itself.
 

Darlene Stevens: had a once in a lifetime experience when she shot a “hole in one” while golfing in the Ozarks.
 

Ruth Taylor: and her husband spent many years as a missionaries in Uganda, East Africa.
 

John Schaaf: was the Executive Director of the Eau Claire YMCA for many years and is still putting his energy into the YMCA Kids program which enables needy kids and families to participate. He is also the treasurer of our class

– and we are still solvent.
 

Jean White: is a lay chaplain/Pastor partner to the elderly in area nursing homes. When we reach that point, look for a familiar face.
 

Leah LaPage: spends many hours at her church – including a lot of cooking for the Ladies’ Aid.
 

Lonnie Peterson and Bill Perry: have spent more than 39 years doing foster and respite care for, mainly, special needs children.

- Their son Michael is also the best selling author of the book Population 485 – a look at New Auburn, WI.
- It’s a wonderful book. He was featured in last Sunday’s Leader-Telegram.
 

Sandi Wickham: was involved in missionary work in Africa; raised enough money to buy a water-drilling rig and ship it to Tanzania. Sandy says that she and her husband “need to retire from retirement.”
 

Darlene Kosmosky: retired from 3M and now volunteers with her church and Meals on Wheels.
 

Kathy Turney: is the Director for Meals on Wheels here in Eau Claire.
 

Greg Larson: a successful Madison entrepreneur now donates his time to the McFarland Food Pantry.
 

Betty Ziehlsdorff: pursued a career in Nursing for 7 years and since then has been an active volunteer in church, schools, and community.
 

Karen Zutter: worked for HospiceCare in the Madison area for 11 years and is currently a busy volunteer in Eau Claire.
 

Lois Freeman: has been a caregiver for individuals 60 – 95 for over 30 years and loves it. It takes a special kind of person.
 

Karen Sletner: yet another caregiver, worked for the state of Wisconsin for 21 years.
 

Pat Glenz: worked at the Buffington Home for 33 years two days a week – until it closed. She is still working at Stucky Chiropractic.
 

Liz Lane: a Certified Nursing Assistant in Iowa City and a volunteer at Camp Courageous.
 

Marilyn Johnson: visits the elderly for her church and volunteers for the Telephone Pioneers.
 

Barbara Back: also enjoys the caregiver atmosphere and has worked in homes for the mentally disabled and the American Lutheran Home in the Mondovi area.
 

Bette Mencel: continues to contribute each and every day through her work with the Eau Claire Police Department Special Services Bureau and has been Project Coordinator for the Eau Claire Coalition for Youth for 10 years. Thank you Bette.
 

Bob Turk: who has been playing world championship ball for over 50 years, is the power behind the Reunion Committee – he quietly makes sure things are done right. Bob and Curt Tweith organized this morning’s golf outing. Thanks guys.
 

And also thanks to Judy Bonnin, Rose Sosnouski and Denny Steinke for the great name tags for both nights.
 

Robert Paulson Pratt: received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II in October 2003 in honor of his work with HIV patients worldwide. Bob, professor of nursing and director of the Richard Wells Research Center at London’s Thames Valley Hospital University, has been among the world’s foremost leaders in developing programs to halt the spread of AIDS.
 

We need to be impressed with the number of caregivers the class of 59 produced!
 

Prudy Larson: works for the State of Wisconsin Bureau of Child Support and plans to retire in the next three years. She recently traveled to Churchill to see the polar bears.
 

Oscar Peterson: (Possibly our best traveled classmate) has been many places in the world for General Telephone and Sprint. Includes such places as India, Korea, Kazakhstan, South Africa, a nickel mine in the Artic Circle, and Nigeria during the Biafran War.
 

Julie Krause: has sung in her church choir for 58 years. Wow!
 

Sharon Vorce: survived the 1999 Canoe Boundary Waters area Storm – and lives in beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
 

Jane Panzer: is in the process of selling the farm to their oldest son but still milks cows every day. She says maybe they will retire some day.
 

Marlene Felton: retired from SBC, lives in a 55+ complex and loves it!
 

Tom German: has lived in the Madison area for a number of years where he teaches at the University.
 

Louie Arnold: lives in Ohio. His academic research career helped us locate some of our “unknown” classmates.
 

Jim Wold: works for the city of EC. If you have questions/concerns about E.C., see him.
 

Darlene Kelly: completed nearly 200 years of genealogy research on the Kelly family; winters in Bonita Springs, FL.
 

Sally Goss: was the first one to send in her reservation – the very day she received her letter.
 

Gary Jackson: spent 34 years in the aerospace industry, lives in the Rockford area and is active in antique engines clubs in Rockford and also in the Chippewa Valley.
 

Janet Poling: has lived in Rice Lake for 32 years and has a home on the Red Cedar River.
 

George Long: is currently a CPA in private practice. He formerly worked for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in the organized crime unit.
 

And Judy Johnson: worked for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue for 22 years. Gosh – we should have known all this before. We all had questions, Judy and George.
 

Betty Patrow: met Roy Rogers. She told him that when she was a child, she wouldn’t play cowboys unless she could be Roy Rogers – he really enjoyed that.
 

Shirley Smith: has lived in MN since 1962 and has (Can you believe it?) become a Viking, Twins, and Timberwolves fan. Shirley!
 

Sharon Leskinen: attended NW School of Nursing with Marcia Olson, Betty Ziehlsdorff, Barb Preston, and Lynne Nelson. What a group that must have been! She is still in the field as Director of Nursing at the Care Center in Menomonie.
 

Ginny Lippin: still enjoys nursing after 30 years and says, “I am much too young to retire.”
 

Donn Anderson: was the first person to offer material for our web site and it has grown from there.
 

Dave Hulett: has also contributed a lot of material for the website.

We hope you have visited it! www.ecmemorial59.com. Just enter it on the address line.
 

Bonnie Bolier: retired after 25 years at the Eau Claire Public Library. She won a trip to Europe. See!!! - it pays to sign up for everything.
 

Carolyn Books: has a wonderful teacher-related story. Many years ago she and her husband Jack Hoard saw Ms Berg, their Latin teacher, in a grocery store. Ms Berg said, “I always knew you two would be together.”
 

Mary Catlin: started a new career in real estate (she was our agent) and is very successful competing with the “younger” set.
 

Pat Severson: do you know she is a professional cake baker? Up to 900 servings at a time. WOW!
 

Bill Jensen: Pat’s husband should be a happy camper – he is her cake tester.
 

Steve Johnson: sounds like he is having a good time playing – he loves to golf, fish, travel, and restore old Cushman motor scooters.
 

Sharon Markle: is working at Picture Perfect Art and Frame in Wausau and hopes to retire some time soon.
 

Jean Hanson: worked at Mega Foods for 30 years and is still an avid, rabid Packer fan.
 

Jeff Smith: is another one of our successful entrepreneurs. He has worked for Menards since 1960 (was that the beginning of that empire?) and also has a firewood business.
 

Betty Pendergast: after working for 20 years at Sacred Heart Hospital, she trained to become a flight attendant. What fun!
 

John Coggins: lives in Eau Claire and has been one of the principal contributors to this reunion organizing signs, the tour of Memorial and the Deca sale.
 

Clara Harper: lives in beautiful Denver, Colorado, and brought a door prize for tonight. Thanks Clara!
 

Kay L. Furrer: her theme is love, lust, light, and laughter. She says she is NOT growing old gracefully.
 

Linda Miles: at 56 learned to drive a forklift. Atta girl Linda.
 

Jerry Neibauer: is still working at Electric Machinery – 40 years worth.
 

Dave Webster: Our Lutheran minister, who just returned from a trip to 5 baseball stadiums in 5 days in 5 cities, is still looking for a rich widow with a bad cough. Does any one here qualify?
 

Mercedes Thompson: has been a dental hygienist for many years. We understand that she has guaranteed bad breath remedies for humans and animals with her now - in the trunk of her car – for sale. See her after the event!!
 

Priscilla Gram: would you believe she is a big game hunter and has bagged an antelope and a caribou? Do you remember Fournier’s Ballroom? We understand the old Fournier’s bar is in Priscilla’s house. Perhaps we should adjourn to her house.
 

Nancy Olsen: loves to travel and recently joined Curves and the Red Hat Club. Bet there are some of you who have those groups in common.
 

Janet Quick: after retiring from a long and successful nursing career she aptly says: “Each of us has a youthful spirit in an aging shell. Enjoy the moment.”