Update 1-19-10

Hi,

I didn't think this was going out tonight, and I'm still not necessarily sure it is.  It's been an atypical, rainy, windy day in Los Angeles and, mid-afternoon, a tree came down a couple of blocks away, knocking out power to maybe a hundred homes in this area.  When the lights still didn't come on by mid-evening, I figured, because of the city's present finances, and because it's a holiday, the power would stay off till morning.  Then, a couple of minutes ago, while I was reading by candlelight, my answering machine suddenly clicked and the DVD clock started blinking, so I tried the lights.  They don't seem particularly confident, but they're holding, so let me see what I can do here.

Not a lot of mail this week.  It's sometimes seasonal, and I think a lot of people's focus is on the devastation in Haiti.  You know how to support causes, and I think everyone has their reputable favorites.

Happier news, from Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  Just a "happy" note to let you know that my husband, Les, is feeling great.  November 17th was the 4th anniversary of his bone marrow transplant at MD Anderson.  Truly a miracle.  The man who saved his life -- his bone marrow donor -- lives in Woodmere.  He is a wonderful person, and we feel like he is now part of our family.

[Rich -- As I wrote Peggy, that's great news.]

From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Just a quick note.  Barbara Endy Ianello commented on my pet note from the 12/29 update via Facebook.  I had no idea what she was talking about, but I remembered that you had asked me if you could use the story I sent to you.  So I asked Barbara to send me her copy, as I did not receive the update for that date from you.
    This has happened a few times in the past, so you might want to check with other people or remind them that the update is weekly, unless advised otherwise, and see if anyone has missed issues. 

[Rich -- Thanks, Barbara.  And, yep, if you don't get an update Tuesday morning, and you don't, presciently, think there's been a power outage in my neighborhood, please send me a note, and I'll resend the update.  I'd changed the mailing list recently, slowly working toward updating the address blog, and I think the change caused a little trouble.]

From Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  Thanks for the notice, but the January meeting of the Alumni Association. was canceled.  The next one will be on February 11th.
    Also, I'm working on the next Association "Bulletin."  How about sending me the information you'd like me to post regarding your class' upcoming reunion?  That would be great.

[Rich -- Sorry about the mistaken date.  I should have checked with Em, but that would have taken forethought.
    Also, what I wrote Em about the planned reunion:  We kind of tentatively announced the July reunion on December 1st, and there's been little talk about it since then, probably because of the holidays.  Also, July seems along way off.]

Also from Barbara:  I was literally walking down my childhood streets.  Ed and Fran, grab the tissues.  This is better than zillow.com, but you can look there too.  Have a great time.  When you enter an address, you will see a picture of that place.  There's a little map with a little man on it.  You can move the little man up and down the block if you need to.  This is a really fun web site.  I looked up places where I lived in the past, and the site works every time.  Amazing.  www.vpike.com

And more from Em:  Although I thought it would be a while before I'd get another Alumni Association "Bulletin" out to everyone, I have found the time to create this issue.  Since my husband, Len, is having his treatments here on Long Island instead of at MSK, we're spending a lot of time at home.
    One thought that's not in the "Bulletin" is that we need to have more alumni from the classes in the 70s, 80s, 90s & 00s. If we're to continue to thrive as well as in recent years, we need some new blood.  So, if you live locally, why don't you decide to come to our next meeting on February 11th?  It's at 7:15 PM in South's faculty lunch room, off South hall.  If it's hard for you to attend, please be sure to send in your membership dues.  They're really inexpensive, and you'll be showing that you support the Association's endeavors.  Thanks.

[Rich -- And that's about it.  Why tempt LA Power and Water?
    Oh, wait:  there's a neat photo of Barnet Kellman as a recent Facebook posting.  I was trying to place the year, and I put it to mid-70s, based on Barnet's hat, beard, hair, and glasses.  Then I realized the "NCSA" next to the photo stood for "North Carolina School of the Arts," so I'm pretty sure the photo was from around 1974, when Barnet directed at the school.
    Check out the photo.  It's just another good reason the join Facebook.  Also, check out the Alumni Association web site.]

The alumni association web site:  http://www.vsshs-alumni.org

The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com

The South '65 photo site:  picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65 


Rich