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Edited & Published By

Marlene Rieb Oehlrich

Created By

George Kane

Over the Hill,

Always Draggin Tale

March, 2013 Fourth Issue

Letter from the Editor

Sorry this issue took so long to publish. Our

daughter gave one of her kidneys to our

oldest son – certainly a wonderful gift that

will bond them closely forever.

Steven and Missy Oehlrich

She is getting married at the end of the

month in Brazil and the planning has been a

great deal of fun, but certainly overwhelming.

I really enjoy compiling the newsletter for

everyone to read and I also didn’t want to

disappoint any of you!!

Missy and soon to be husband Joao

Al

Table of Contents:

The Walking Club: Pgs. 2 – 4

Mike Lug Page 5

American Bandstand Pgs 5 - 6

George Kane Pgs. 6 - 8

Gail Koch Katencamp Pgs 8 - 10

Carol Beyer Byrne Pgs 10 - 11

Ted and Ruth Rolfe Pgs 11 – 13

Linda Partrick Page 14

Reunions Pgs 14 - 15

Kate Latvis McCavitt Page 15 - 16

Photos pgs 16 - 17

Alaska Update Page 17

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I thank you for all your wonderful words of

appreciation and input. It’s been so nice to

reminisce and get my readers caught up with

what people have been doing.

Enjoy – Your editor, Marlene

Opening of Storm King

Mountain for Walkers

By George Kane

Sally Duffy, Jane Harkinson, Jeanne Marquis Lug, Larry

Barbieri, Steve Della Vedova

August 5, 2012 was the first day Rt. 218 was

closed to traffic from 10 am until 3 pm. Six

of my high school classmates and I ventured

up the scenic mountain roadway along with

tens of other walkers and bicyclers. The

starting time was delayed a bit due to

coordinating difficulties but it was definitely

worth the wait. The walking experience is so

much different than driving across this

winding, narrow, old highway. There was just

so much more to absorb and photograph as we

looked up the steep rocks and down to the

railroad tracks. Along the roadway we

investigated the remains of the Civilian

Conservation Corps (CCC) camp buildings. I

couldn’t help but wonder if my uncles had

slept here while working on mountain projects

in 1939.

It was a sweaty, tiring experience and we

carried plenty of water to keep hydrated.

The only negative part of our adventure was

the disgusting sight of debris and trash left

along the highway or thrown over the steep

embankments. This included furniture,

bathroom commodes, tires, glass bottles,

Styrofoam containers, plastic bags and plastic

bottles. One of the organizers of this day's

event mentioned that paper bags would be

available in the future for anyone that wanted

to collect refuse. Being environmentalists

ourselves we applauded this effort.

We all agreed that most people don't realize

what a treasure we have here in the Hudson

Valley. Kudos to those organizers who worked

hard for several years to have this famous

roadway open to pedestrian and bicycle

traffic from now until Nov.

Jane Harkinson, Sally Duffy, Jeanne Marquis Lug, Steve DellaVedova, and Larry Barbieri

The Walking Club

By Sally Duffy Bryant

It started out in March as The Walking Club

but as we have walked and talked for the last

eight months, it has clearly become so much

more. We have become very comfortable

with each other and marvel that although we

weren't necessarily friends in high school we

have come to enjoy each other's company and

interests.

We look forward to our walks together. Many

of our walks end at the Hudson Cafe where

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we share a cup of coffee and more

conversation. In addition, we are beginning to

share each other’s events together - recently

a lecture on the CCC camps and also a wine

and cheese party. Both were sponsored by

the Historical Society.

Our core group of walkers has been 10 strong.

George Kane and I started out on the first

walk alone but were soon joined by Peggy

Wojehowski, Stephen Della Vedova. and

sometimes his wife Joyce. Larry Barberi was

the next to join the group. Over time Jeannie

Marquis Lug and Mike Lug, Jane Harkinson

and Gale Koch became regulars. From time to

time we have drop-ins who join us. These have

included Stuart Mitsch, Barbara Navarra,

Sarah Johnston and her husband Wes, Cheryl

Caudy Gould and Bill Gould, Warren Mumford,

Nancy James, and most recently Anne Stahle.

We especially had fun when Nancy James

joined us. Using her Geo-System, we searched

for hidden treasures on one of our walks at

the reservoir. (Nancy and Larry found 2 out

of 3).

Lest I forget, one of our most important

group members is Charlie - Larry's beautiful

black lab. He has added a whole new dimension

to our walks. He is a people magnet. We

meet others with dogs, others without dogs

who respond to this friendly lab and children

who want to pet him. We love him! He usually

carries 2 to 4 sticks in his mouth which he

gathers just prior to joyously joining us on

our walks.

It is amazing how knowledgeable so many of

these walkers are. So many different areas

of interest are discussed and shared as we

walk each week. We have George Kane - our

master of record and poster memorabilia

along with veteran affairs. Stephen Della

Vedova knows a lot about trees and

everything out of doors - especially

mushrooms. George and Stephen introduced

me to Rose of Sharon which, frankly, coming

from Florida I had never heard of. I now plan

to plant it as a hedge in my mother's yard.

Not to leave out Jane Harkinson who know a

lot about everything - from all that affects

the Historical Society to all that is eco

friendly or unfriendly in our environment.

Jane is also adept at photography. She has

some fantastic photos she has taken on our

walks. Peggy Wojehowski appears quiet but

isn't. She has strong political beliefs that she

shares with Jane. (Oh guess who she supports

for president?) She loves to cook and goes

with her husband when he pans for gold.

Peggy comes from a large family. As we

walked it became apparent that there is still

a Wojehowski in every neighborhood. Gale

Koch keeps us informed on all that is

happening in the educational arena, how to get

rid of carpenter ants, and throwing Mary Kay

(yes she is still around) parties to ensure we

keep our skin looking young. (We try anyway.)

Larry is our guru of all that is creative. He

retired this summer and has become quite an

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accomplished photographer. He had an

exhibit hanging in Painter's Tavern with some

truly remarkable photos in it. (He even

worked with Anne Stahle to create her

Christmas card this year.) Jeannie Marquis is

an avid tea drinker who likes to do puzzles.

Mike Lug knows every cop in town.

Together they are art buffs. Lastly there is

me - I take pride in founding the Walking

Club although I have to give George credit

for keeping us on track. I am an expert on

telling everyone how we do things better in

Florida - don't you just love people like that?

Marlene will soon be able to take my place.

Our walks started out walking the

neighborhoods of Cornwall, Cornwall-on-

Hudson and Firthcliff. As we became more

adventurous we started walking at the

reservoir on Sundays. Then they opened Old

Storm King on Sundays for Hikers and Bikers.

We have really enjoyed walking 218. By

veering off the road into the surrounding

brush, we have discovered abandoned CCC

shelters, an old cemetery and the remains of

a stone building. We have tried to walk down

to the Hudson but have been stopped by the

debris that has piled up on the path to get

there. We have walked to Lee Gate several

times (about 6 miles round trip) but haven’t

made it to Washington Gate yet. We have

walked for about 8 months now. Some have

lost weight (though unfortunately not all),

some have lowered their blood pressure and

some have built up their stamina. These are

some of the physical changes that have taken

place. More importantly, however, are the

changes that have taken place in relating to

each other. It has been a truly rewarding

experience getting to know so many

classmates that I never had the opportunity

to know while I was in high school.

Through the winter, we will have to see how

things change, but hopefully, it doesn't end

our walks. At our age it is "Walk Don't Run",

but whatever you do don't stop moving!

If you are in town, please join us on our walks.

We walk 4 times a week on M,W,F, and

Sundays at 9 o'clock. We meet in lower

Cornwall Municipal Parking Lot on M and F. -

Town Hall on W. and Sun. Please join us as we

walk down both Memory Lane and into our

futures.

As an editor’s note the above photo shows the

walking club did continue this past winter.

George, Peggy Wojehowski, Warren Mumford,

Gail Koch, Sally Duffy, Steve Della Vedova

and shown kneeling with the club’s mascot

Charlie is his owner Larry Barbieri.

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We all mourn the untimely passing of Mike

Lug and send our sympathy to Jeanne Marquis

Lug. The following is his obituary:

Michael George Lug of Cornwall passed

away at home on Saturday, January 12,

2013 surrounded by his family and

friends. He was 64 years old.

Michael was born on May 4, 1948 in

Cornwall, NY. He was the son of the late

George Franklyn Lug and Barbara Ann

Mueller. Mike graduated from St. Thom-

as School in Cornwall in 1962, Cornwall

Central High School in 1966 and Marist

College in 1970, after which he taught

math and science at Sacred Heart

School in Newburgh. He spent the rest

of his career at Cornwall Central Middle

School teaching math and computers.

Mike also graduated from Orange County

Police Academy in 1989 and was a part-

time police officer in Cornwall-on-Hudson

and Marlboro and Court Officer for

Marlboro court. He was a certified

International TASER instructor. Over

the years Mike was active in Little

League, Boy Scout Troop 17 of Newburgh

and Troop 258 of Cornwall, was a

dispatcher for the New Windsor Police

Department and also was on the New

Windsor Police Auxiliary.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years

Jeanne Marquis; sons, Jeremy (Jean) and

Matthew (Janis Kenderdine); grandsons,

James and Andrew; brothers, Raymond

(Teresa) and George (Helen); aunt, Anna

LaRusso; nieces, nephew, and many

cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made

to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan

Counties, 800 Stonybrook Court,

Newburgh, NY 12550 or Hudson Valley

Food Bank, 195 Hudson St., Cornwall-on-

Hudson, NY 12520.

George asked if anyone had actually been

on American Bandstand and only Wendy

Maxson responded. She said that her

brother and sister actually appeared on the

show. So she wrote this short blurb up for

possible use in the newsletter.

My brother hasn't shed any light on his

experience on American Bandstand, but my

sister shared what she remembered. I think

we were living in New Hope, PA during this

time. She got to be on American Bandstand

twice - in the1957-58 time frame. She can't

remember how she got tickets or how much

they cost-if anything. They went by bus from

the school. Once they arrived, they sat on

the bleachers amid the "regulars." What was

most vivid for her was how small the studio

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actually was. There wasn't much room to

dance and everyone was elbow to elbow, but

she got to dance next to Justin, one of the

regulars. She was so excited when she got

home because some friends who had watched

the episode saw her on TV. (But alas, she

didn't get her big break). If there was a

guest performer either time, she doesn't

remember who. She said she remembers Dick

Clark being very nice and shorter in stature

than she thought he would be. This brought

back some fun memories for her.

Hope this is what you were looking for!

Blessings, Wendy

Wendy Maxson Zeller & Sarah Johnston

Marsh

Secondary Market Sales

by George Kane

I just celebrated my 13th anniversary selling

on e-bay. I started selling on-line to

supplement store revenues while operating my

retail store in Austin, Tx from 1998 until

2002. The store had recently moved from an

indoor mall location to three miles down the

street to a retro strip center. The change in

clientele was much more dramatic than

expected. Sales were down

considerably despite new types of

advertisements, mail outs and sidewalk sales.

So it was an easy decision to move into e-

commerce, especially since I had a retro shop

with the largest selection of used vinyl

records and posters in the metroplex.

Back in the early years of e-bay, there were

less buyers and sellers and some items could

command high prices. This has changed

dramatically in the last 5-7 years. There are

approximately 25 million sellers worldwide on

e-bay (including those that have several user

ids). This factor alone has changed the

selling prices of merchandise offered not only

in the US but across the globe. Similar items

are offered not only from state to state but

country to country. This particularly holds

true with new merchandise, which I am rarely

involved. My sales are generated from used

or new old stock (NOS) inventory.

At one time, I could supplement my store

income by uploading fewer items and retaining

high revenues with fat profit margins. Now,

the competition is so great that “rare” items

are no longer “rare or scarce.” Sellers from

all over the world can come together on one

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internet site and sell the same goods at very

competitive prices. For example, early Elvis

Presley merchandise can be seen regularly not

only on e-bay but on several internet sites at

a variety of prices. Of course there are

other factors that come into play including

condition, edition sizes, fads and the

economy. But selling is still about supply and

demand. Limited supply can mean

higher prices if there is a high demand. You

may have experienced the “Power Ranger”

rage in the mid 1990s. That was the craziest

retail fad I’ve seen in the last 20 years.

However, if supply is unlimited this will

generally drive the price down. As examples,

you may remember the “Furby” and “Ty Beanie

Baby” crazes of the 1990’s as well. On the

secondary market these items could cost

hundreds of dollars from the “willing and

eager parents” (to satisfy the demands of

their children). However, once the

manufactures met the supply, prices spiraled

downward.

Since my retail store closed in 2002, my

income is solely depended on e-bay sales.

Retailers expect peaks and valleys during any

given year and this holds true for e-commerce

as well. In my business of primarily vinyl

records, entertainment related posters and

old books there are definitely ups and downs

related to holidays, events, and the seasons.

However, I feel the primary factor is

discretionary income. I have been an investor

of sorts or more accurately a speculator. I’ve

purchased a huge inventory over the last 20

years that keeps on selling. I purchased

inventory for the future, in many cases in

large lots at low prices that have increased in

considerable value.

One of the best investments I made was the

100 “Future Kill” movie posters at $15 each. I

immediately began selling these at $95 and

eventually sold the last few for more than

$250 each. On the other hand, there have

been some bad investments as well. Barbie

dolls reached their peak in the mid 1990’s

after the Christmas doll for 1995 peaked

around $150. Mattel destroyed the secondary

market with a first time strategy of issuing

“raincheck” certificates when store

inventories were unavailable. Stores also got

wise and limited the number of items

purchased per person. These type of actions

crushed future sales of the University

Barbies that I bought in bulk. Anyone in the

market for a University of Ohio Barbie? On

the bright side, for the most part, my

merchandise is durable which can stand the

test of age if stored properly. I’ve often told

my friends to “respect your product.”

Many of you may not realize that secondary

retail selling is not new to me. I first

ventured into sales as the 100th anniversary

of the Civil War began back in 1959. I was

already interested in this tumultuous period

of American history so it was a natural for me

to begin selling used books and magazines via

mail order at the age of 12. I began by

subscribing to Civil War Times Illustrated and

buying up collections of magazines and

reselling them through the same magazine.

Then I expanded into paperback books and

American History Illustrated magazines.

The profits began to flow and I was hooked.

Even while I maintained a full time job, as

operations supervisor, at the student union

building at the University of Texas in Austin,

I maintained a mail order list of 800

customers solely for Fleetwood Mac and

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Stevie Nicks merchandise. At the time, there

were few computers and no internet. For at

least two years my mail order sales matched

my salary. This was one of two factors that

made the decision easier to resign from the

university. The other factor was a sermon by

my pastor concerning living your dreams

before it’s too late. You see, I always

dreamed of having a retail store especially

after being the CCHS store manager and

working for Al Weiss clothes in Newburgh.

During my lifetime, I have only worked for

several companies but those challenges have

given me the opportunities to advance not

only my work skills but life skills. I’ve been a

laborer for my father, a deli employee at

Shop Rite, a clothing salesman, an IBM

department clerk, a supervisor at Green Fan

Co. in Beacon, a student supervisor at UT and

later working up the ranks to become

operations supervisor of five departments

with almost 60 employees. These

all around experiences made it much easier

for me to open a retail store with a close

friend in Nov 1993. Undoubtedly, my business

education at Dutchess Community College and

at the University of Texas played an

important role for me to successfully go out

on my own.

I can honestly say that my CCHS retail

instructor Mr. Robert Lacourse laid the

foundation for retail sales and Mr. Albert

Weiss assisted with the knowledge of

customer/employee relations and quality

service. They took a special interest in

developing my skills and I am deeply in debt

to both men.

Gail Koch Katencamp

Hello, everyone, it is nice to be able to extend

this note to all of you and say “thanks” for

making my senior year, my first and only year

at CCHS, a happy one. After a rough few

days (after all, I did come from NFA and that

had been a summer of some troubled times),

you gave me a chance to be part of your

graduating class. I will be forever grateful

for the friendships and the many wonderful

memories. You taught me to believe in my

ability to make friends and easily adjust to a

new school – what a great experience the year

before beginning college; for a basically shy

person, there could have been no greater gift.

When so many of us were leaving town to

begin the next chapter of our lives, serving

their country or going away to school, knowing

how to be “the new kid on the block” helped

prepare me for this next step on my journey.

But, before I began my college education,

there were a few other things I learned

during my year at CCHS! Things like how to

survive a long bus ride, what a drive-in movie

is really for and how to have more than one

friend at a time. I remember good times at

football and basketball games and learned

they are more fun when you go with friends.

And what about our class trip to NYC – that

was great, I saw my first wino, got offered

money for what? … and the bus ride home was

a real eye-opener! What was that running

down the center aisle, anyway?

I attended SUNY Oswego to become a

teacher, using the scholarship CCHS awarded

me at our graduation. I graduated in 1969

with a degree in Elementary Education. That

was a time when Orange County desperately

needed teachers as our communities were

growing and new schools were being built. I

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was hired by the Monroe-Woodbury Central

School District and began teaching that

September in a new school, Central Valley

Elementary. My first assignment was to

teach 6th grade and two days prior to the

beginning of school, my assignment was

changed to kindergarten! The room was not

ready and neither was I. I had prepared all

summer to teach 6th graders so I was a

nervous wreck. Fortunately for me, I was

given a partner to work with who had a few

years experience. We became good friends;

her parents had a summer home in

Mountainville and now that we are both

retired, we celebrate the end of each school

year with a lunch and a chance to laugh and

reminisce about the “good ole’ days – when

the most important thing we did was survive

the day and all of our students went home in

one piece and happy.”

After my first year teaching, I had saved a

little money to get my own apartment, so I

moved to Monroe. My partner teacher and

her husband helped me move and brought

their friend, Ed, to help us. Truth be told,

that was the first day I met the man I

wanted to marry. He helped me move into my

first apartment, and we have spent every day

together every since! We married in

November 1970, and 42 years later, he is still

my best friend. Ed had been home from Viet

Nam for just over a year when we met, and

was putting himself through college and

working full-time. After Ed finished his

degree, I went back to school, getting my

Masters to maintain my certification within

the 5 years allotted by New York State; that

was in 1973. In 1974, our first son was born,

and the second one in 1976; and, now we are

the proud grandparents of 3 grandsons. I

guess my life was supposed to be filled with

lots of men to love! (If the shoe fits……)

In 1987, I received a second Master’s in

Administration from Pace University. In

1989, Monroe-Woodbury started a Staff

Development program for helping senior

teachers keep current with new practices and

pedagogy. The program was also being

created to help new staff begin their career -

having a place to feel safe making mistakes

and learning. Workshops were offered to all

employees, administrators, teachers,

cafeteria workers, bus drivers, etc. I was

hired to be its first Director. To say that it

was a rewarding position is an understatement

– it was an opportunity to be involved in

research, new strategies for teaching and

opportunities for learning outside the box of

the classroom. I participated in New York

State’s Staff Development Consortium and

met people from Long Island to the Thousand

Islands, all working to keep good teachers

perfecting their skills and growing in their

profession while preparing novices to enter

the classroom prepared to be successful.

As much as I enjoyed the energy and

enthusiasm found in Staff Development, I

missed the kids and the daily contact with

being part of a school family. So, 5 years

later, in 1994, I became an Assistant Principal

and in 2000, an elementary principal. Guess

where? At the school I first started teaching

in 1969. Now, however, the name had been

changed from Central Valley to Smith Clove

Elementary. I was very fortunate to spend

38 years in a place I loved, and allowed to

grow where I was “first planted.”

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We lived in Monroe for 17 years and moved to

our home in Mountainville in 1987. It seems

as if the last 25 years have gone by so

quickly. We have so much to be thankful for –

including reconnecting with some of the 1965

er’s who formed a walking club. Although I

didn’t have time in our senior year to meet

everyone, walking around town has given me a

second chance to reconnect with old friends

and make new ones. One of our classmates

did their student teaching in my school – that

was an honor I will always cherish as she was

one of my first friends in Cornwall!

If we all live another 43 years, and I’m asked

to write again, evenings in the woods at Storm

King Art Center, nights at Patsy’s, Pete and

Dolly’s, special visitors to Oswego, weekend

trips to Easton, Pa., Woodstock ’69, just

might be part of more memories to share. If

you share any of these memories with me, I

hope you will always remember with love and

laughter, our times together.

Thanks to George, for his persistence and

devotion to helping all of us make connections;

my retirement has included a chance to spend

time with some of you. Life is short, friends

are important and sharing time with others is

a gift we give ourselves. I look forward to

many more walks, talks, lunches and coffee

chats to help make our life’s journeys special.

Hope to see more of you very soon.

Forty seven years in one Paragraph

By Carol Beyer Byrne

I guess my library career was predictable

from an early age. You probably don’t find

too many 7 year-olds playing “library.” My

junior high and high school years in library

club, with Mrs. Clark as my role model,

further convinced me of my future career.

After graduating from SUNY Albany I went

to Rutgers for my library degree. My first

jobs were in public libraries in New Jersey

where I specialized in reference. In 1974 I

met my husband Tom. Not rushing into

things, we eventually got official in 1984.

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During the 70s I became interested in Canada

and traveled there often. This familiarity

paid

off in 1980 when I got a job in the library of

the Canadian Consulate in New York, first as

supervisor of the reference unit and then as

director. It was fast-paced and challenging

but had some perks like lots of parties and

duty-free goodies. After 9 years I was ready

for something mellower and the commute

from New Jersey was very tiring. I took a

job as Director of the Wood-Ridge Public

Library in New Jersey. It might be of

interest to Joan Lau that the original part of

the library had been the Brinckerhoff

homestead, dating from 1792. I did find

Joan’s name among the descendants listed in

the genealogical record of the family. In

1992 I finally convinced Tom to leave New

Jersey. It was time

for more nature and less concrete. We moved

to Ithaca and then Vestal. My career

underwent a fairly drastic change when I

became a medical librarian in a teaching

hospital. It was a fairly steep learning curve

at first but eventually was very rewarding.

In 1989 we took an extended road trip in the

West and felt a strong attraction. During the

90s most of our trips were in the West, with

Boulder as our main go-to place where we’d

often start and end our vacations. In 2000

we decided to make the big move while we

were still able to take advantage of the

extensive hiking and biking

trails. We haven’t regretted it. My library

career ended back in a public library as a

reference librarian. We’ve both been retired

since last year. I couldn’t give up libraries

completely so I’m hangin’ out in the Boulder

Public Library as a volunteer.

Ted and Ruth Swenson Rolfe

April 1962, the Rolfe family moved to

Cornwall NY. I met Ruth a couple months

later at a Cornwall Baptist Church picnic that

was held at the Swenson home on Angola

Road. I lived just a little further up Angola

Road next to the old roller skating rink. Ruth

and I became great friends. I used to walk

down to see her and she would be up in one of

the big maple trees in front of her house

when I got there. We both liked to climb

trees and hike in the woods back then. Later,

we “went steady” which continued through our

senior year. We got engaged towards the end

of our senior year and Mrs. Rosenthal held a

surprise engagement party for us during one

of the history classes. We were really

honored when our classmates voted us the

class sweethearts of the class of 65.

Our marriage took place October 8, 1966 at

the Cornwall Baptist Church, and we will be

married 46 years this coming October. We

have two daughters, a son, thirteen

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grandchildren ages 7 to 25 and one 3 year old

great grandson. We love and enjoy them

all. One of our 13 year old granddaughters

recently said to us, “When you two first met,

did you feel anything special? Did you know

at first sight that you were always going to

be together?” We both laughed and told her

of course! It was like a lightning bolt had hit

us.

We first lived in a summer house right behind

the main farm house on the Swenson farm off

Angola Road. Ruth’s grandfather bought this

farm back in the early 1900s. Ruth’s father,

his two sisters, as well as Glen Swenson and

Dean Swenson’s fathers grew up on this farm

and each was given land to build their home

when they got married.

There was no bathroom in the summer house

and we had to use the outhouse….it was a 3

seater :o). When we first moved in, it had no

running water in the house, so Ruth’s dad ran

a pipe from the well outside to the kitchen

sink and installed an old fashion hand pump on

the sink. He also was able to install a small

septic system with a toilet in the one closet

so we didn’t have to continue using the

outhouse. It was kind of neat and we have

fond memories of those first 6 months that

we lived there. A few years later, the farm

house was sold to Jack and Trudy Devitt. At

that time they were the owners of Devitt’s

Agway. Remember Eggbert? They turned the

summer house into a pool house after they

built a swimming pool next to it. Over the

years we became quite good friends with the

Devitts.

Next we lived in one of the apartments across

the street on Angola road. I took some

computer classes and got a job working in the

computer center at Orange County Community

College in Middletown. Soon, we moved to

Westbrookville, NY and lived there for the

next 6 years. Ruth’s parents retired and

moved to Florida and Ruth and I bought their

house now on Erin Court, off Angola Road in

Cornwall. We lived there until July 2005,

when we sold the house and moved to Rocky

Mount, NC.

Our daughter Brenda works in sales at one of

the local stores, has six children and lives

with her family here in the Rocky Mount area.

Our daughter Chrissie is a nurse at the VA

hospital in Albany, NY. She has two children

and they live in Albany, NY.

Our son Dan is a pastor. He has been the

pastor of Servants Heart Fellowship church in

Rocky Mount for the past 11 years. It is a

non-denominational Christian church. They

have five children. Ruth and I have always

been active church members, where ever we

lived but it has been really fun to be a part of

a church where our son is the pastor. He is

very well liked and respected.

Ruth was a stay-at-home mom until the kids

were in their teens. During that time she

took care of a number of neighbor children at

our home while the parents worked. She

helped take care of a woman who had

Parkinson’s disease and also another woman

who had Alzheimer’s disease. Then she

worked at several places at different times

including; Robert Halls, US Post Office

distribution center at Stewart, Caldor’s,

Jones Farm and Butterhill Day Care.

I worked in the computer field from 1967–

2007. Held many positions during my career,

including, computer operator,

programmer, data processing

manager, Assistant Director of a computer

service bureau in NYC, director of MIS,

computer consultant, applications developer

and during the last 10 years of my career, a

contracting IT specialist working at IBM in

Fishkill, NY and Raleigh, NC. I was one of

those who eventually lost their job to

“outsourcing”. My job went to China in 2007

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and in fact I was asked to train my Chinese

counterpart during the last three months

that I worked at IBM. It was really kind of

interesting. IBM was letting us work out of

our homes and at 7:00 in the morning I would

log onto the IBM intranet. It was 7:00 in the

evening in China and he would log on from

there. Even though we were half the world

apart I could see his screen and he could see

mine. We talked through the phone using the

IBM connection. We worked together from

7:00 am to 10:00 am ET each day and it was

just like we were sitting next to each

other. We became pretty good friends.

Ruth and I are now somewhat retired. We

draw social security and a pension but we are

really not ready to actually retire yet and I

have held some different jobs since I left

IBM in 2007. The bad economy in the last

few years has really kept a lot of people out

of work down here. However, Ruth and have

always been very family oriented and we are

really enjoying the time we are getting now to

spend with our grandkids. We go to lots of

school events, birthday parties and other

events that they are into. We usually have a

family night every month at our house where

everyone gets together to eat, play games and

just have fun.

We are both animal lovers, especially

Ruth. We now have 9 cats that stay in the

house and 2 dogs that are both inside and

outside. All the cats were stray’s at one time

that came around our house in Cornwall. As

the stray cats started to multiply, Ruth

started to work with the local animal shelters

and was able to find homes for many of

them. Nine found homes with us and we

brought them down with us when we moved to

NC. It was an interesting trip. Each cat had

their own carrier. Nine cat carriers stacked

up in the back of our Highlander. It looked

like a traveling motel. They weren’t real

happy. I tell everyone that Ruth feeds

anything that moves in our yard except

snakes. She really hates snakes but loves

animals.

That’s a quick summary of our life so far. We

are doing pretty good as we head into our

“golden years”. You know more aches and

pains when ibuprofen becomes your

friend? The memory slows down…why’d I come

in here again? However, on the good side,

just think of all the great benefits likes

senior discounts at Dunkin Donuts, Medicare

and we get to belong to AARP.

Thank you for letting us share this. We hope

all our classmates are doing well as we all

move into those golden years together.

Photos below from the

Valentine’s Day luncheon 2013

Sarah Johnston, Jeanne Marquis Lug, Ellen Kinsler, Jane

Harkinson, Tom McCardle, Sandy Pedersen, Diane Edgar, Barbara Navarra, Jo Ann Lester and Bob Maucher

Cheryl Caudy, Pat Keegan, Jane Harkinson, Diane Edgar, Ellen

Kinsler, Carol Koch Caswell, Sally Duffy, Barbara Navarra, Jo

Ann Lester, Jeanne Marquis Lug, Sandy Pedersen, Nancy James Rathbun, Peg Wojehowski, Sarah Johnston Marsh, Gail Koch

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Laird Duryee and Dane Denick in California

Letter from Linda Partrick

(Patrick with an R) Weyant

Dear friends,

Have I changed that much Too! No way --but

guess what -- it only gets better!

Looking at all the photos that George sends

brings such great memories and feelings. I'm

that 16 year old who stood next to Sandy

Purvis in all the class lineups. I'm the one

who no one asked to the proms--well maybe

once when Joe Sterling asked me. God rest

his soul. I'm the one that was extremely shy.

Well guess what--not shy anymore!! Howdy

y'all from Austin Texas. I moved down here

last year and have been busy. A wedding

(daughter Mandy), a shoulder replacement,

and a Grandson! Phew!! Next year the other

daughter will have Grandbaby #2. They just

waited till I moved here so I could baby-sit!

A flood of good feelings arise when seeing all

of your faces. The school bus rides, the

summer beach trips with the girls,

being in classes for years with you guys. Wow

it's all good. Then the crush I had for Mark.

Wow he was hot!!

Then I grew up and got married, did my job as

a bookkeeper until 2010, had 2 girls, raised

them as a single Mom, and now get the reward

of Grandchildren. Bad and good times but

mainly good. It's great to have someone like

our George to keep all of us informed. I

thank him for remaining such a good friend.

Enjoy your gatherings and live a wonderful

life.

High School Reunions

Submitted by Linda Partrick

Every five years, as summertime nears,

An announcement arrives in the mail,

"A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;

Make plans to attend without fail."

I'll never forget the first time we met;

We tried so hard to impress.

We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,

And wore our most elegant dress.

It was quite an affair; the whole class was

there.

It was held at a fancy hotel.

We wined and we dined and we acted refined,

And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been

first to achieve great fortune and fame.

Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine

houses and how beautiful their children

became.

The homecoming queen, who once had been

lean, now weighed in at one-ninety-six.

The jocks who were there had all lost their

hair,

And the cheerleaders could no more do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd

Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;

Or poor little Jane, who'd always been plain;

She married a shipping tycoon.

The boy we'd decreed "most apt to succeed"

Was serving ten years in the pen,

While the one voted "least" now was a priest;

Shows you can be wrong now and then.

They awarded a prize to one of the guys

Who seemed to have aged the least.

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Another was given to the grad who had driven

the farthest to attend the feast.

They took a class picture, a curious mixture

of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties. Tall,

short or skinny, the style was the mini; You

never saw so many thighs.

At our next get-together, no one cared

whether they impressed their classmates or

not. The mood was informal, a whole lot more

normal;

By this time we'd all gone to pot.

It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;

We ate hamburgers, coleslaw and beans.

Then most of us lay around in the shade,

In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

By the fortieth year, it was abundantly clear,

we were definitely over the hill.

Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of

bed, and be home in time for their pill.

And now I can't wait; they've just set the

date; Our fiftieth is coming, I'm told.

It should be a ball, they've rented a hall

At the shady Rest Home for the old.

Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;

My pacemaker's been turned up on high.

My wheelchair is oiled, my teeth have been

boiled;

And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

I'm feeling quite hearty, I'm ready to party;

I'll dance 'til the dawn's early light. It'll be

lots of fun; I just hope there's one other

person who gets there that night.

Kate (Kathy) Latvis McCavitt

In her previous lifetime this time around,

about four years ago, she owned a corporate

Project Management company for about

sixteen years and stressed over enterprise

voice and data installations which were hot

beds of things busting and going wrong.

Enough! She decided one day to do something

she actually wanted to do. Risking her reason

for it, she took her art to a full time

adventure. You can read about her work on

her website at www.bodyofwork.us

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The following is an email from Kathy to

George when he found her on-line.

Well Holy Cow!

Hi George…what a fabulous surprise. The “Hi

Kathy” threw me off for a second….I changed

my name around 1979 and am now a “Kate”, as

you probably guessed by my Email address.

I have kicked myself several times for

neglecting to stay in touch with Marge Sausa

after she miraculously helped me insert my

dying mother into the Massachusetts

Medicare/Medicaid program in record time. I

owe her a debt of gratitude for that;

although my mom died a few months later, she

was able to be closer to my other siblings too,

throughout her decline. I’ve been a California

girl since 1985. I occasionally looked for

classmates on-line and even called the CCHS

school district but they were unable to point

me in any fruitful direction. It is delightful

that you all have reconnected.

I absolutely loved seeing some of the pictures

you sent, although I need an accompanying list

of names. Funny how some of us change

dramatically (how we think others see us) and

some look just the same (when we look at

ourselves in the mirror).

I’d love to get to one of the reunions one of

these days…..thank you for writing and I am

glad Marge passed along my information.

Very best regards

Kate McCavitt

(formerly Kathy Latvis)

Photos from the Hudson River Cruise,

October 17, 2012

Steve Della Vedova, Steve Clark, Pat Cohen. Sally Duffy, Larry

Barbieri, Peg Wojekowski, and Marge Sausa

Gale Koch, Peg Wojehowski, Barbara Koment Garay

Jackie Clouser Fare, Karl Najork, George Kane

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Photos From the Christmas Pot Luck

Get Together at Larry Barbieri’s

Home

Art Quinlan, Roy Bourne

Roy Barley, Cheryl Caudy Gould, Jane Harkinson, Joe O’Rourke, Steve DellaVedova, George Kane, Peg Wojehowski, Nancy James,

Pat Keegan Cohen, Barbara Navarra, Sarah Johnston, Sally Duffy

Barbara Navarra and Sandy Pedersen Flemming

Sharon Kinsler Barley, Bill and Cheryl Gould, Gale Koch and Ed Katencamp

Alaska Cruise Update We leave May 28 from Fairbanks for Denali

National Park for the land portion of our trip

and board our ship on June 3rd in Seward for

the cruise. Our trip ends at Vancouver on

June 9th. Want to join us? Contact Holland

America for their 13 day Classic Denali

package. Attending are Pete and Marlene

Oehlrich, Dale Kipp Conklin and husband Matt,

and Barbara Navarra and her daughter

Bethany.

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