INTRODUCTION: This is a great job; I’m just learning how talented and interesting our class is.
SQUADRON NOTES: Tom Kennedy (Betty) supplied news of his CS-31 classmates – 80% put in at least 20 years in the Air Force. Tom continues to serve his country in government service as a parts manager at the Richmond Defense Supply Center. Commercial aviators include Ken Adams in Upland, CA, who makes sure our overnight deliveries arrive on time; Jim Boehm (Kathy) who retired as an O-6 to join United Airlines; Bud Gammon who hedges his US Air retirement running three Mexican restaurants; whilst John and Ann Gerrard decompress on their Foxboro, NC, farm between trips; and finally Fil and Kim Thorn are in Glendale AZ where reports have him teaching sims at Luke. Also in Arizona: Don Gross (Kyong) retired to Gilbert applying his computer smarts to industry; and in Tempe Bob Smith builds satellites for the government with Spectrum Astro. Bob now has five grandchildren, including triplets; but the large family award goes to Tom and Betty Sporte who have adopted eight children to bring their total to nine in their Jennison, MI, household. Tom feeds and clothes his crew working as a purchasing agent for Siemens. Sam Blanchard has been calling Wilbur, NE, home for his three children for some time; while Sam and Joan Torrey have just sent a son off to West Point. Rick Hayes works in Charleston, SC, as a consultant while Connie works the family business. After a long Air Force career Mike Hub went to seminary school in Pennsylvania and now wears an Episcopal uniform in Matthews, SC. Colonel Phil Yavorsky(Chris) retired out of Scott AFB and stayed local working as a contractor; Colonel Phil Faye retired out of Hanscom AFB and was last heard to be in that area. Charlie Meyer continues his intelligence career with the NSA at Fort Meade, MD, and devotes time to church and Boy Scouts. Two CS-31r’s are Colorado residents: Sherman Nelson (Kim) in the Black Forest (which is becoming very suburban) and Mitch Mitchell (Sue) who ably acts as our class president while running a consulting business. Dr Dan Connelly (Robin) now wields ‘healing steel’ in his Kansas City practice after a successful career as an Air Force surgeon.
John Pretz (Joanne, C3C Joanie CS-06) provided a great update on his CS-06 classmates, but could not explain why six were left out of the 1973 graduation yearbook. John continues to serve his country in the Pentagon and claims that Dave Ochmanek (Barb) once was the highest-ranking '73 grad as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Policy in the early 1990s. Dave now works as a senior analyst with RAND and was called one "of the most notably engaged intellectuals of the last half decade" in one book review. CS-06 did not have just one academic standout: Masaaki Yamato works as a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley, CA, on a project called Super Nova Acceleration Probe (SNAP) to reveal the nature of dark matter. Bob Homburg, after majoring in math and physics and serving in the intelligence community, went to medical school and practices orthopedics in Ft Collins, CO. Win Hinds (Pam) went to medical school in Grenada, going on to practice anesthesiology in Williamsville, NY; and Dan Atwood is a physician practicing in Fayetteville, AR. Flying commercially are Ken Bonn (Laurie) based out of Boston and living in Hollis, NH; Jerry Droppo out of Bloomington, IN; Rusty Legg (Patricia) out of Austin, TX; Harvey Mahood (Cheri) out of Wentworth, SD; Wayne Nearing (Jennie) based out of Atlanta and living in Birmingham, AL; and Tom Schuessler, marathon runner, flying for NorthWest from his home in Chelsea, MI. Curly Correll (Mary Margaret) is a defense contractor living in Shalimar, FL. Dave Floyd (Shari) is thinking ahead for the rest of us as Executive Director for Windsor Gardens which claims to be "Kentucky's premier assisted living community". Bill McClain works for DocuCorp in Dallas; and Steve Kuprel (Kris) retired to Yardley, PA. Cal Wachs (Rainie) hung up his Mayaguez DFC and retired to Albuquerque, NM; and Jim Welteroth (Susan) hung up his eagles and retired to Hampton, VA, where he puts his communications expertise to work as a contractor for Harris Corp. Mike Smith (Jill), after running the family bank for a while, became a financial consultant for UBS out of Denver and lives in Centennial; John Rosser (Virginia) lives in Key Biscayne, FL, heads a commercial real estate firm and stays involved in politics. Barry Haddock (Deb) runs a major business group within SAIC in Tucson, AZ, and attends to his stable of motorcycles. Mark Loper left the Medical Service Corps as a Colonel and works as a Regional Executive for Humana out of Virginia Beach.
Charlie Quinnell hosts CS-27: Standing are Jim Allgood, Ken Vargas, Mick Schlabs, Charlie Quinnell, Bill Wilson, Bob Ticknor. On their knees are Bill Fox, Rod Thiel, and Dave Muckley.
Charlie Quinnell (Denise) sent CS-27 news+photo; he’s switched to H&R Block this year where he works as a financial advisor; so too does Bill Fox who works for American Express in San Antonio. After 20 years in Dallas, Frank Childers (Kathy) moved to Austin, TX, where he works for Silicon Metrics. Ken Vargas-Charlesworth is in the oil/engineering business in Calgary Canada with his Falcon EDF, Limited; Rod and Amy Thiel live in Conifer, CO, where he works as a consultant after his Phillips petroleum employer was bought by Conoco. Bob Ticknor (Jenny) teaches JROTC in South Carolina. After a very successful career heavy in logistics Bill Wilson has “retired retired” to Gig Harbor, WA; Bill Nauman retired and was last heard from Waldorf, MD; similarly Steve Willis retired apparently to Woodlawn, IL, and though he couldn’t make the reunion sent his e-mail regards to his mates. Dave Muckley was with Trident Data Systems as CFO when Veridian acquired it; he now works as a business consultant from his home at Manhattan Beach, CA. Mick Schlabs lives in Oakton, VA, and works for NASA; not too far from Jim Allgood and Fred Knowles who were noted to be keeping the Pentagon in shape in the last column.
Larry Greathouse provided CS-14 news; he retired to Mountain Home, AR, where he now runs “Neutral Grounds”, the local Starbucks wannabee. Dean Haylett lives in Ashburn, VA, and has sent a daughter and son to the Academy. Keith Kirchner works in management for Raytheon out of Dallas, TX. Chris Lauderdale (Lett) retired to Helotes, TX, where he puts his considerable C-130 experience to work for Boeing building aircrew training programs for AETC and AFSOC.
ODDS & SODS: Dick and Lynn Halfast were gracious hosts for daughter Danleigh’s wedding in beautiful Chatham, MA, located on Cape Cod. Mike and Sandra Mosier and godparents Steve and Leslie Lorenz attended along with this scribe. Danleigh was too beautiful to not have her picture in this column. Rowe Stayton has been giving a number of us email snapshots of life as a GI in Baghdad; he chases bad guys, remains impressed with his fellow soldiers, and looks fit in an OD t-shirt.
Proud Dick Halfast escorts daughter Danleigh down the aisle
CLASS COUNCIL NOTE: As of 29 June our total class donations amounted to $239,175 just a bit short of our 1973 Class commitment of $250,000. This should remind those that wanted to give, but haven’t gotten around to it, that your donation will get us to our goal.