SQUADRON NOTES: Wayne and Patti Holum gathered news on CS-02 Deuce mates from their home in Tempe; Wayne is back safely flying for SWA after having a brain tumor removed over a year ago. They celebrated the arrival of grandchild #1 in October. Bill Rake also flies for SWA out of Las Vegas and Gwyn teaches third grade. Randy Veenstra (Debra) and Mark Ralston (Bonnie) hail from the upper Atlantic states and fly for United and American Airlines respectively. Gary Dutelle (Sherri) also flies for AA but chose to live in Fort Collins. Randy Sage and Nancy left the Pentagon area for Peachtree City GA where he now flies for Delta. Rather than haul passengers Bill McKenzie (Tonia) flies as Production Test Pilot for Boeing out of their Washington State facility. Chip and Sue Frazier will likely have grandchild #4 at press time; Chip works for Coreslab Structures Inc: “Whodathunk--Squadron Safety Officer in ‘72 to Safety Coordinator 30 years later!” Chris (Nancy) Derry is President of the Bluegrass Institute, “Kentucky’s free market research think tank.” Chris’ “Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy for Kentucky” (on the web) is thought-provoking. Fellow Kentuckian and author Don Rightmeyer (Bonnie) awaits a publishing decision on his history of the Civil War in that state. This retired F-4 WSO now loves being reference librarian at the Boyle County Library. Mike Smith (Dianna) teaches elementary school in Fort Worth while Tom Swertfager teaches math (and Susan is the school nurse) for West High School’s mighty Vikings in Bakersfield CA. Also educating young minds is Jim Callard (Buzzy) who teaches Foreign Policy at Durango’s Fort Lewis College. Clay Stewart (Nancy) “violated [his] principles of retirement and teaches two courses in statistics at Colorado Mountain College.” There’s a variety of Deucers in medical careers: Phil DeBruin (Maryann) got his MS in Physical Therapy from SUNY and treats outpatients in Rome NY; Jo and Brian Beard, PhD, call Silver Spring MD home where he does FDA testing of medical devices and is an expert on evaluating cell phone radiation exposure; Jack Black (Dee) defends the good guys in Phoenix as a medical malpractice defense lawyer. Bob Summers (Kathy) left DTRA as a BrigGen to join the Argonne National Laboratory as a Deputy Director in Idaho Falls. Bob Bolton (Lana) is the shaft of the spear as Chief of Mission Support DCMA in Redmond WA while Les VanHeeswyk (Debra) works as a defense contractor at Langley AFB. Rocky Avvento (Lorraine) is a Systems Engineer for Lockheed-Martin in Downington PA; Steve Dalrymple (Kim) consults with Booz-Allen-Hamilton in O’Fallon IL, and Tim Gavin (Joan) works as a manager with MCI in Raleigh NC. With all these successful classmates, Keith Hitzeman and Associates, (Debbie; Vacaville CA) have plenty of prospects for financial consultations.
CS-02: Back: Bob Summers, Chris Derry, Bill Mckenzie, Wayne Holum, Randy Sage, Bill Rake, Tom Swertfager. Middle: Tim Galvin, Jay Rogers, Brian Beard, Rocky Avvento, Marcus Bolton. Front: Jack Black, Clay Stewart, Steve Dalrymple, Jim Callard.
Rob Mitchell provided a nice update on his Blackjack buddies from home in Gillette, Wyoming, where he runs that state’s computer network. Did you see CS-21, as outstanding cadet squadron for 2004, march in the inaugural parade? Active fliers include Stan Osborne (Kathye) who remained in Lubbock after a squadron commander tour to fly for SouthWest. Bill Beck (Cheryl) does long commutes from Melbourne FL to fly as 747 Captain for Cathay Pacific; he reportedly dodged the SARS bullet last winter. Greyson Morrow runs a flight operations business in Minnesota and is alleged to still fly helicopters. According to the Illinois Business Journal Mike Spehar is a ‘Civil Reserve Air Fleet transportation specialist’; since retiring Mike has remained with TRANSCOM in the Belleville area. Vince Noto (Julie) develops training for the Joint Strike Fighter out of his Crystal City VA office. Bill Rosenberg (Joanne), VP for business development with Diebold, is likely happy that all the Diebold electronic voting machines worked without a hitch in the last election. Dr Gary Prechter (Margo) is practicing pulmonary medicine with West Carolina Chest Consultants and sends the occasional thoughtful letter on medical ethics to medical journals. After 17 years Chris Taravella (Kathleen) is Vice President/General Counsel for DaimlerChrysler Services North America. What’s his favorite car? Don’t tell CEO Jurgen Schrempp but he still has his 1972 Malibu. Another former AF JAG, Conrad Baldwin, missed our 30th reunion to move to Kansas City where he focuses his practice a wide variety of product liability, aviation, construction and complex commercial cases. John Cotton (LaNae) and Bill Goetz work in Denver as TST Infrastructure engineers, which specializes in water treatment, municipal civil engineering and systems operation. Reverend Peter Brechbuhl (Ann) followed a calling to the ministry after leaving the Air Force; he’s now pastor at Salem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Illinois. Carl Crites (Frances) just retired from Shell Oil to the Dallas area. After leaving HQ ACC Bart Dannels (Sharon) stayed in the southern Virginia. John Hinkle (Lynette) teaches math and coaches golf (his true avocation?) in Mascoutah High School, home of the mighty Indians, just outside of Scott AFB. The Honolulu Star Bulletin, dated 4 July 2004, reported on Army National Guard dentist Mark Chun (Judy) in Iraq. Mark had sent a request home for basic dental supplies to provide to Iraqis. Relatives and co-workers in his Kailua practice pitched in to send a shipment of more than 2,000 toothbrushes, 1,000 tubes of toothpaste, gloves, rinses and small equipment.
CS-21: Rob Mitchell, Gary Prechter, Vince Noto, Chris Taravella and Spencer Way
STILL SERVING UPDATE: Col Mark Chun is now back from Iraq, and Sgt Rowe Stayton will be soon; he writes: “I will be DEROSing the first week in March… [and] will be on orders until around the first of May…Anyone need an infantryman with legal experience?” After 24 years in the Colorado Guard BGen Mike Edwards (Laury) is now 140th Wing Commander at Buckley overseeing a diverse range of missions; his unit recently received the AF Outstanding Unit Award. Dan O’Hollaren has been selected for BGen with the Oregon Guard and hopes to be nominated/approved by late spring…we’ve got our fingers crossed. Steve Diehl will be retired at press time; he and Julie were on their way to West Palm Beach to celebrate.
Col Mark Chun and dental assistant SPC
Elizabeth Jarry out on Medical Civil Action Program.
Inset: Mark does his thing to win the ‘hearts and minds.’
ODDS & SODS: Darla writes that Mike Davenport, on a United trip, finds leaving the USAF “somewhat regrettable with all the pay cuts.” Carl Dofelmier (Diane) is retired from the USAF and Delta and commutes between homes in Salt Lake City and Portland. Chris and Claire Flynn have been in Austin for 16 years where he is a business unit manager for a semiconductor equipment firm and she runs a parent-education business. Just prior to his 2004 Reserve retirement Ken Volkman deployed one last time in tankers to France (hardship tour away from UPS) in support of SWA action. Don McMillan also retired from the Reserves and, until he gets his first check, flies for USAir…at least for this month. John Foreman is Chief Engineer at the Carnegie Mellon Software Institute, and regrets he only managed 1100 miles on his bike last year. Recently retired Chaplain Roger Winburg remained in Beaver Creek OH and has joined a startup that offers an innovative approach to the treatment of autism.
’73 CLASS COMMITTEE NOTE: We’ve collected over $500,000; the most successful class gift campaign in AOG history; now they’re using our communications model for all future alumni giving. John Muse gave a matching gift and secured Ross Perot as a keynote speaker for this year’s National Character and Leadership Symposium, 23-27 February (Howard ‘Mitch’ Mitchell/Mike Turner/Trapper Carpenter/Spider Richardson send).
AOG NOTES: #1: the AOG has a new web site, www.usafa.org that you should bookmark; #2: educate yourself on issues raised by the “AOG Reunification Committee”, or ARC (www.aogrc.org/go/), that is pushing for a general election to amend the AOG; #3: regardless of your position on #2 you should vote in the current AOG Board election using the ballot in this issue of Checkpoints or by going online at the AOG website above.