Update 9-27-11

Hi,

A quick investigative report, a short letter, and a longer one.

First, with the help of several people, we may have put Booker Gibson back in touch with Margaret Aries.  Barbara Blitfield Pech pointed out that Margaret may be Joan Aries Cleven's sister.  Joan was in the class of '65, and Barbara reminded me that Joan was on Facebook.  Amy Kassak Bentley said she thought Margaret was in the class of '71 and checked her yearbook to confirm that.  I wrote Joan on Facebook to ask if Margaret was her sister.  Joan confirmed that and said she'd let Margaret know that Booker was trying to reach her.  As yet, I have no confirmation that has happened, but, along the way, we may have put Ken Nudelman back in touch with his class of '71, just in time for its 40th reunion on October 1st.  Plus, I learned that Lynn, Nancy, and Ellen have a younger brother.

Next, from Eric Hilton:  As Zelda White Nichols mentioned, contact with old friends continues to be a reminder of more innocent times.  As I've said before, South High and the Navy, for me, were some of the best times of my life.  I was one of the first guys to play guitar and have a rock band in high school, which made me somewhat popular without having to play football and get the crap beat out of me on the field.
    On an entirely different subject, I also want to wish Zelda a happy anniversary.
    And, for Linda Cohen Greenseid, I will tell her that Paradise is living here in Sarasota, Florida.  We were just rated as having the number one beach in the United States.  It's much nicer than Jones Beach. 
    As always, regards to everyone.

Finally, a great letter from Ed Albrecht:  Just would like to share a wondrous event.  My son Justin and his fiancee Holly took my wife Louise, Holly's mom and dad, and me on a cruise to Alaska.  On the way, Justin and Holly were married by the ship's captain at sea in a terrific ceremony.  The bride was stunning.
    Justin and Holly chose the Sea Princess out of Bermuda because this cruise line has the only recognized legal wedding cruise.  On any other line, when people are married aboard, they actually have to be legally married on their return home.  Needless to say, the food aboard was incredible, and fun was had by all.      
    Since Justin and Holly had the only wedding on the cruise, the captain invited all of us to the bridge to take photos.  We also experienced much of what the ship had to offer and joined the newlyweds in their VIP cabin.  Their balcony was amazing, just off the rear of the ship, and it offered opportunities to see whales, humpback and Orca, and also seals.  It was a treat.  The average temperature was between 55 and 60, with some days in the mid 70s.  It usually rains every day, as Alaska does get something like 12 feet of rain a year. 
    We left from San Francisco, where we'd been greeted by Holly's Aunt Jan and friend John and friend.  We had dinner on Fisherman's Wharf and left the next morning on the cruise.  First stop was Ketchikan, Alaska, where we attended a lumberjack show and had lunch in a local restaurant.  Then it was off to Alaska's capital, Juneau. 
    We visited the Mendenhall Glacier, which was unbelievable, viewed a porcupine in a tree, left for a tour of a salmon hatchery, and then went to a salmon bake.  As we ate our buffet at the bake, not 30 feet from where we were roasting marshmallows, there was a bear in a tree.  We were told that he'd grown up wild around the salmon hatchery so was both a pleasure and a pest to deal with.  He boldly went marching up to a table where 3 ladies were eating, and they took off screaming. 
    We then left for Scagway, a beautiful Alaskan city where we boarded a train that followed the route of the 1890's Gold Rush.  Our ride took 2 hours up and 2 back, but it took 2 years, 2 months and 2 days to complete the railroad.  35,000 men worked on it, and only 31 lost their lives in the process, mostly to disease. 
    During the Gold Rush, in order to be able to partake in looking for gold, which was on the Canadian side, each man would have to carry 2,000 pounds of supplies to the top of the route.  The procession was so tight that you could not fit anything in between each man walking.  In fact, should you stop to rest or get out of line, it usually took 24 hours before you could again join the march.  Usually, the supplies were brought up by teams, one resting and watching the supplies, while the other returned to the bottom of the route to retrieve another 50 pound pack.  Just amazing.
    On the return of the cruise, we docked in Victoria, Canada, which is a wonderful city, clean and extremely well-cared for.  We visited an antique boating exhibition that happened to be going on while we were there.  We visited the Empress Hotel, just before afternoon tea was to be served.  And we visited the museum in Victoria, which was truly one of the finest and most extensive ones we had ever seen.  After we docked in San Francisco, Holly's parents flew home, our "kids" took off for Napa Valley for a few days, to visit the wineries and dine in fashion, and Louise and I drove to Las Vegas.
    Justin and Holly returned home to Las Vegas on Wednesday.  Before they left, they'd planned a combined "Celebration of their Wedding" and a party for Justin's 40th birthday at the Tournament Players  Country Club.  The party was for approximately 80 of their closest friends and family, as well as for some of their clients -- Justin is a financial advisor with a team at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and Holly manages a couple of Farmers Insurance offices for her father Ron.  It was a terrific time, with family flying in from Switzerland, New York, and the surrounding areas.
    At the party, Justin and Holly ran a video of the wedding, so everyone felt like they'd been there.  In addition, Holly's wedding dress and Justin's tux were mounted on mannequins positioned in the room for all to see.  Truly, a great time was had by all -- not to mention food that was out of this world, entertainment and dancing, and a room that was beautiful!  Again, an event to remember.
    I have to say this was a "Trip of a Lifetime," and we were so happy to be able to share in this with our children, it is hard to describe.  Within the last year-and-a-half, between my heart attack and Louise's cancer diagnosis and treatment, we weren't sure we'd get to share this blessed event.  Holly and Justin actually postponed the wedding just to be sure Louise was up to the challenge of the cruise.
    They were engaged on a cruise through the Caribbean, which they also brought the parents along on.  Then they were married on the way to Alaska, again with us in tow.  Now, they're planning a cruise to Hawaii for next year.  Life is Great! 

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

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

As usual, please delete the spaces.


Rich