To read the blog, click where it says "Comments". After you open the comments, if you want to add your own experiences to the blog, click on the area at the bottom of the page where it says "Leave a Reply". If you want to comment on someone's entry, click just below their entry where it says Reply.
Can you believe it’s been 50 years since we sang the praises to Portales High? It is exciting to be thinking of seeing classmates from PHS. What have you been doing in the last 50 years? You know you never have enough time to visit with everyone at big gatherings. It would be great if you would share your “bio” here. Where have you been, where are you now, what ups and downs has your life taken, and what would you like to have at the reunion? We are hoping that everyone will add some information about themselves. As you read the comments, you will find that Becky Greaves Helianthus has put together a group of questions that you can think about when making your entry. We had first tried to put together a RAMPAGE but decided that would be difficult. We feel that a digital paper is probably the easiest. You will find her questions and ideas following Rick Collins entry.
To read the blog, click where it says "Comments". After you open the comments, if you want to add your own experiences to the blog, click on the area at the bottom of the page where it says "Leave a Reply". If you want to comment on someone's entry, click just below their entry where it says Reply.
191 Comments
Nancy Gentry
2/5/2015 10:36:48 am
Okay please help us find our classmates. We have been working on the list but some we don't have.
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Mayanne McGuffin
4/23/2015 08:15:12 am
Nancy, I noticed Nora Ortiz on the missing list. I don't know where Nora is now, but her family lived across E. 2nd St. from mine (#841) in the 2nd house from the corner. There may still be relatives at that residence who are in contact with her.
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
4/24/2015 01:22:03 am
Mayanne, Nora has been found. I was lax in updating the website. Thanks for the information though. I'm glad to know that people are actually looking at the web site.
Jim (J D) Roff
6/18/2015 03:52:09 pm
Mayanne, You were always on the cutting edge of trends and fashion and entertainment. You could organize an impromptu event that would certainly be interesting. Maybe a little weird, but absolutely interesting.
Jim (J D) Roff
6/18/2015 04:18:09 pm
Sorry, Mayanne but thank you for being there and allowing me to continue my posting to it's conclusion.
Mary Anne Benson
2/20/2015 12:52:59 am
I am hoping that everyone will begin adding information about where they have been and their families here on the blog. It's fun to catch up with everyone especially if you are not going to be able to attend the reunion.
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Shirley Callis Repp
2/21/2015 02:56:10 am
Hi Fellow PHS Class of ’65ers,
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Becky George Eminger
4/5/2015 03:01:59 pm
Hi Shirley, I am sorry you won't be attending. I was hoping you would be able to make it to this reunion. I think of you often and the last time you wrote to me.
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
4/7/2015 02:42:25 am
Shirley,
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Jim Brown
5/2/2015 08:47:08 am
Hey Shirley.
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Shirley Callis Repp
5/2/2015 12:38:00 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Jim Brown
5/3/2015 11:53:26 am
Last night she told me that she can see Naches Heights from her apartment. She is a bike fanatic, having lived in Washington DC and Minneapolis that are major bike friendly places, and is working hard to make Yakima more so. She has organized some kind of Bicycle festival within the next couple of weeks.- sorry. I don't know the details.
Jim Brown
5/15/2015 03:34:04 pm
Shirley - check out this article in your local paper.
Shirley Callis Repp
5/16/2015 03:24:32 pm
Jim,
Shirley Callis Repp
5/24/2015 01:31:45 am
Jim - See this article in today’s YH-R: http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/wheels-in-motion-to-make-yakima-more-bike-friendly/article_9407d77c-01d7-11e5-a42a-0f25fcb9a053.html. In the print edition this appeared on the front page, below the fold, but on the front page. I believe that Rebecca and her group will make great inroads for a more bike-friendly Yakima. The first commenter is typical of the resident nay-sayers who throw up barricades for every proposed change here. Keep up the good work, Rebecca!
Gayla Truelock-Williams
6/5/2015 01:31:34 pm
Hi Shirlley,
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Shirley Callis Repp
6/6/2015 02:09:41 pm
Hi Gayla,
David Tanner
3/21/2015 03:00:33 pm
For those classmates who will not be able to attend the 50th reunion, I will give a brief overview of my life over the past years. For those who attend, I hope we get a chance to catch up on each others lives.
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Mary Anne Benson
4/7/2015 02:43:51 am
David,
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Mayanne McGuffin
4/23/2015 09:17:21 am
David, while I was checking out the reunion website, your email disappeared, so I'm glad I can reply via this blog. As much as I enjoyed the All-60s reunion a few years back, I probably won't make it to this one because of animal care issues and a 1,250-mi. drive in a vehicle that's feeling its age worse than I am. I loved having the Fireballs play the dance and did happen to write a song about it, which I would be happy to sing if I should manage to attend. A big hello to all who are working on the event and following the blog!
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Jim Brown
6/10/2015 02:29:17 pm
Hey Mayanne, 5/25/2015 12:20:08 am
Hollywood has come back to the Eastern High Plains to film a movie starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine. The movie "Comancheria" will be filming this week in Clovis and Portales. Many local residents will be selected to be extras.
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Shirley Callis Repp
5/26/2015 10:55:59 am
David – What a fun experience being an extra in the movies (and Bruce Dern’s double)! I’ve never been in the right place when they were looking for extras around here, so I have questions. How many days were you tied up for the movie work? Did any of the stars interact with any of the “locals?” What impressed you most during the filming? A couple of years ago Geena Davis was the guest speaker at one of our Town Hall Lectures. When asked to name her favorite co-star , she told us it is Tom Hanks (“A League of Their Own” 1992). She said that there were a lot of delays during the filming and Tom Hanks took the time to entertain the extras – even a full stadium of them until the work resumed. I will be downloading or getting a copy of “Believe In Me” just to see if I recognize the landscape. 5/27/2015 02:41:24 pm
Shirley, being an extra taught me a lot about how movies are made. The filming took about 2 weeks but someone would call to tell you when and where to go for the shoot. I was not need everyday, but the days I worked, it was a long day. What amazed me most was the depth that the actors took to "be in character". Bruce would stop and ask for a retake because he felt that he did not put the right tone or inflection on a single word. He wanted it right. Some scenes would be done over and over until he was satisfied with himself. Very professional.
Shirley Callis Repp
6/2/2015 02:29:44 pm
David – I viewed “Believe in Me” and, while I didn’t identify any of the landscape as being uniquely Portales or Clovis, I did appreciate the storyline time period – 1964 – 1965. Almost ironic? I chuckled when I saw the blue, one-piece gym suits the girls wore for basketball practice. I think I spotted you at about 35 minutes 11 seconds into the movie. It’s a good movie – even Leonard Maltin praises it.
Rick Collins
3/23/2015 12:17:11 pm
Just a few lines in case anyone is interested! I am still trying to figure out what I want to do and be the rest of my life! I attend ENMU for the first 6 years after high school. I received a BS in Math and an MA in Psychology and personnel Services. At that time I was thinking it would be used to become a Dean of Students at a small college. I was Student Body President at Eastern and worked with the Dean of Students office a lot! That student government stuff all started with Curt Schumpert talking me into running for Freshman Class President when we were freshmen! A bunch of PHS classmates got together that summer and organized a campaign that couldn't be beat! What a great class we had!!
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Rick Collins
3/23/2015 12:23:13 pm
I forgot to mention that I finally became a Dean of Students at Dexter High School for 2 years, but I missed the classroom, so I resigned and went back into the classroom! I Love those students and I have been rewarded for my efforts many times over!!
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
4/7/2015 02:46:07 am
Rick,
Jim Roff
7/1/2015 08:56:26 am
Mr. Collins, I had already read this. I did not know how to respond, until I saw you in action as Master of Ceremonies at the Reunion. I could see the teacher in you and how apparent it was that your love for teaching is genuine. Thanks for a thought-provoking presentation.
Becky Greaves Helianthus
4/7/2015 02:40:42 am
On March 13 and 14, several from our class met in Albuquerque to watch the 1965 Rams Basketball team be recognized for the Class A State Championship of 50 years ago. Some of these young men I would not have recognized as they did not recognize me. There were many things I wanted to learn about each person and like our reunions, not enough time to visit earnestly with classmates. When the Class of 65 blog appeared, I thought it would be a chance to ask the questions I would like to ask each of you.
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Shirley Callis Repp
4/10/2015 05:07:52 am
To Mary Anne, Becky and Becky: I hope each of you are working on your synopsis and will be posting soon. Since I won’t be there and will not have a chance to catch up, I would love to learn something (even a little) about everyone – what you’ve been doing and, especially, what makes you happy now. We had some amazingly talented classmates, so it would be good to hear if those talents played a part in their lives since high school. We had some excellent teachers also. The two I remember the most are Miss Gilbert (she homogenized the class and blurred the status barriers) and Mr. Gravel (if you made an A on each of the tests and completed all assignments, you could earn a C in his class – if you wanted a higher grade, you had to work even harder). My life has been somewhat un-extraordinary – no recognitions or awards, haven’t run for public office, no major works published - yet. The user manuals and technical documents I’ve written are relatively insignificant and, by now, appended to death. I have a low threshold for boredom, so un-extraordinary does not equate to boredom. Wish I could be there in June.
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Marlene Foster
4/17/2015 07:01:05 am
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Gary Lucas
6/16/2015 11:24:32 am
Marlene, over the years, it was always a pleasure whenever I ran into you unexpectedly in Albuquerque. Let me tell one story. My five year old son, Jake, and I were arrested at gunpoint, by six Portales Policeman, at Pat’s drinking a malt, and jailed while attending one of the PHS Reunions. It was a false abduction complaint made during a custody battle made by Jake’s mom. Luckily, I was able to get Jake to sleep before he was placed in a separate cell. During the night, I would ask the Jailer to tell me how Jake was doing -- but she refused to give me any information. So, I would call my Office Manager in Albuquerque who would then call the Jailer in Portales who would report that Jake was still sleeping -- and then my Office Manager would report back to me. The next morning, I was frantic when the Jailer announced over the loudspeaker, “Gary Lucas you’ve got a call from Judge Foster.” I couldn’t imagine why the Judge would contact me directly -- and when I picked up the phone he said something to the effect of, “Gary, I’ve just heard about your situation -- and from the information I’ve received I believe the report to be false. So, I’m sending Marlene Foster over there to get you out -- and she ought to be there just pretty damn quick.” Marlene arrived, we sat down, and she prepared a Writ of Habeas Corpus, in longhand, with a lead pencil, handed it to the cops, and they let me out. I just want to say Marlene that, watching you prepare that Writ -- straight up like you did -- was one of the sexiests things I’ve ever seen another human being do. And, I don’t think I ever got to say thank you.
Marlene Foster
6/17/2015 04:57:45 am
Well, Gary, you are surely most welcome. I had almost forgotten about that little mishap, but it would have been a terrible miscarriage of justice if you had missed the reunion for something like that. I was happy to help. And I think you are probably the only "client" I ever had who called my legal work "sexy!" lol
Mayanne McGuffin
4/23/2015 09:52:38 am
Becky, your questions-to-answer list was so thought-provoking that I had to remind myself this is a blog, not an autobiography.
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Ralph Davis
6/11/2015 12:07:40 am
Becky,
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Nancy Carmichael Gentry
4/13/2015 09:09:35 am
Just a little about my life since graduating 50 years ago. I got married right after graduation and was married 18 years. From that marriage we had two sons Chase and Clark. Chase lives in Clovis and is Economic Development Director there. Clark is married to Anita and lives in Las Cruces. They have a daughter Riley. Clark works for Union Pacific.
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Don Bigler
4/13/2015 01:46:42 pm
I graduated from Floyd, but I went to school in Portales 4th thru 11th grades. I joined the Marines when I got drafted the day after my 18th birthday. I served as an infantryman, MOS 0311. I served one tour in Vietnam with the 3rd Marines, patrolling the area below the DMZ from Dong Ha to Khe Sanh. I earned the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, & Purple Heart along with the standard awards.
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Gary Lucas
6/25/2015 02:20:45 am
Well Don Bigler, fifty years ago you let me live at your house. You let me ride around town in your GTO, and you took away all the girls I liked. The event that set the tone though for the rest of our lives was that day at Pat’s, eating a hamburger and listening to President Kennedy's assassination on the radio in your ‘56. At that moment, as we sat there, the World was changing faster than we could think -- and we were the generation who was going to bare the brunt. In San Francisco, during the anti-war protesting, I’d tell everyone about my close friend who was a Marine fighting on the DMZ, and that I was pretty worried about’em -- and that we needed to do everything we could to stop that damn war. Every night on the evening news, I looked for your face -- and I’d tell those Peaceniks about our Peanut Farms, and our strong commitment to family, and about the Redneck town we came from. Happy Fiftieth, I wish Gayle, Mark, and Alvin could have stayed with us the whole way. And okay now, if you decide to take off on another Crusade, don’t expect me to just automatically stop cutting my hair this time -- cause I aint gonna do it again.
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Jim Roff
7/4/2015 06:35:23 am
Hello Don,
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Audrey Lynn (Meeks) Bailey
4/20/2015 09:20:50 am
Home: Pleasantville, Iowa
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
4/20/2015 09:22:58 am
Lynn,
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Ruthmary Mann Robinson
4/20/2015 05:14:43 pm
After graduation I attended ENMU for two years. Got married in 1967 and managed to escape that nightmare a year later. Returned to Eastern met my now ex-husband (George Robinson) and married in 1969. I graduated in 1969 with a BS in education. We moved to Ohio in 1970 and then to Oklahoma and finally to Denver,CO where we divorced in 1978. I have two daughters, 44 and 40, 5 grandkids ranging from 22 years to 23 months and a great grandson 20 months old. In December of 2014 I sold my home and moved to Arizona. I retired in 2012 after 27 years in the aerospace industry. I live a quiet but pleasant life spending time with my daughters and their families. My health is good except for arthritis in my hips which kind of slows me down. I can't say that I have any outstanding memories of my years in Portales. It was a quieter time of life and whenever I would go back to visit I felt I was in a different era of time. I have not been back since 1996 when I took my Mother's remains to be placed with my Dad's. I will not be able to attend the reunion but send my best wishes to everyone. It has been fun to hear about everyone's lives. I wish continued health and happiness to the class of 1965.
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Mary Anne Benson
6/21/2015 07:15:59 am
We will miss you this weekend. Would love to see you.
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4/25/2015 08:38:20 am
Hello class of ‘65 -- I won’t be attending this prestigious gathering of PHS’s finest, but I would really enjoy reconnecting with everyone. Here’s my FB link. Please leave a Private Message. https://www.facebook.com/garythomaslucas
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Disheveled Old Man
6/21/2015 08:56:48 am
Gary Lucas, My old nemesis. It seems as though you and I were always engaged in a struggle for top billing as the most wayward boy of the class. Just a couple of vain peacocks. Our wanderlust and our hungry hearts have always kept us on the go. I'm getting tired. You're still going strong. So, in light of that. I'm conceding and declaring you the winner. Congratulations. Hope you can find a way to attend.
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Gary Lucas
6/21/2015 03:45:32 pm
With regards to my disheveled counterpart, through living meaning is discovered as is so well expressed in the metrical nostalgia and mournful acceptance of your poetic surrender. One must remain ever alert, especially with Peacocks, and not underestimate or forget their propensity for thoughtful enthusiasm. To accept your charitable chivalry, I conclude would leave me at risk for a shrewd upset. Consequently, I must offer to share the prize of most Hungry Heart.
Disheveled Old Man
6/21/2015 04:54:43 pm
Gary Lucas, Your wit and quick response is absolute evidence that you are the champion. I see that you still have a sense of humor. From one Peacock to another, it's unfortunate that we didn't become friends a long time ago. With your rugged good looks and my stabilizing influence and our combined resourcefulness we would have been a force to be reckoned with. Just surprise everybody and show up. I am certainly not so gullible as to expect an answer to the affirmative in writing.
Disheveled Old Man
6/27/2015 05:53:03 am
Gary, get in your car and get started. You can still make it for the big finale if you start soon. We are definitely talking about you and everybody is still searching for your unannounced arrival. You had a lot of friends in Portales. We will share the award for the 'Most Hungry Hearts."
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Gary Lucas
6/27/2015 11:33:33 pm
From my readings, making-meaning is innately human. Facebook and reunions provide an opportunity to do so. Interacting on this blog, I became more aware of the inseverable connection I have with those from my childhood. I’m also wondering if we come to the world with a precomposed emotional style; A pre existing loom that patterns our weave; A hungry heart possibly. My apologies for not returning home, and my sincere appreciation for the meaning I derive from your words, “everybody is still searching for your unannounced arrival,” perceived as nourishment for a hungry heart. As the co-recipient of the the Most Hungry Heart award, I will use it to embrace the full meaning of inseverable connection. May the remainder of your journey fulfill your wishes, Old Man.
Disheveled Old Man
7/3/2015 12:51:32 am
Gary, What can I say? What can I say? That was beautiful. You have honored me with a response that brings me to the point of misty eyes with each reading. You definitely have a way with words. This is not farewell. Just Goodbye until we meet again.
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Gary Lucas
4/25/2015 12:29:21 pm
Nancy Gentry always felt sorry for me, inviting me to all the reunions, even though I only went to High School for a couple of weeks -- and that was just so I could sit next to Carol Kiker in Biology. Alas not even that could contain my wanderlust and I wound up exploring California in the Sixties, playing Bohemian Music and complaining very loudly about everything. After it was all over, I returned to dear old Albakirk, obtained an Investigator's License, opened a small business, and worked for lawyers for the next twenty-five years. But the World just kept turning and upon obtaining physical custody of my little boy, I slung him on my back and we started coursework at UNM. To my great delight, I discovered he was kind of a Brainiac, and so I obtained a Masters in Gifted Education, managed all sixteen of his Baseball teams, played Guitar in the bars with him up there pickin with me, and taught High School part-time. I still consider being a full-time parent the calling of a lifetime. Finally, though, he went off to Harvard where he obtained a graduate degree in Microbiology -- leaving me wondering if maybe I could kick-start the Sixties again. No such luck though, but with that degree I had, I landed a job with the State of New Mexico and for the next hun-erd years managed a satellite office for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation -- counseling disabled adults. I guess this old hunger just aint never gonna leave me cause, in my mind, I go back there all the time -- one mile east and a quarter mile south of the Roosevelt County Court House.
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Gary Lucas
5/11/2015 03:42:44 am
Say! Where's the edit button on this thing? I was rushing off to the movies, when I wrote this, and plum forgot the other parts.
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
5/12/2015 02:49:33 am
Gary,
Marlene Foster
6/17/2015 05:09:23 am
Hey Gary, I already tried to reply to your story about me helping you out with that little mishap at one of the prior reunions, but I can't find it, so I am repeating it. Just wanted you to know that to my recollection, no other "client" ever called my legal work "sexy!" lol
Becky Greaves Helianthus
4/27/2015 09:26:32 am
Dear Friends of 1965,
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Becky Greaves Helianthus
4/27/2015 09:32:29 am
There was a picture of a huge trout and a disagreement continues to this day as to who caught the fish. One antelope season when the others had their game, Brett still had not gotten his. His last shot nicked an antelope's horn, stunning it. For some funny reason I didn't understand, his friends had to finish the kill. But to Brett it was a great day of hunting because he was able to aim and fire so many times. I noticed a moose head hung on his wall in one of the pictures. Pictures of Tonya and Brett in front of their new car or several new cars were shown. Both were dressed to the nines, Tonya in her stand out petticoats and Brett in a suit. There was a picture of young Brett dressed as a cowboy and many Christmas pictures with a big trees and lots of presents. According to Stuart, Brett calculated how much all the presents cost including tax and compared the value of gifts he had received with what Stuart had received. We weren’t told who received the most.
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Sherri (Fitzgerald) Shipman
6/18/2015 06:34:52 am
Becky, I cannot wait to see you. I have talked to Tish in Clovis. This will be a fun reunion.
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
4/27/2015 09:35:07 am
Thanks for sharing. I wish I could have attended but had made another commitment and was not able to be there. I also enjoyed the pictures that Nancy Gentry shared on Facebook. Roswell will certainly miss Brett.
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Roger Knudson
4/28/2015 03:14:29 am
I was deeply touched by the celebration of the basketball team's state championship in Albuquerque in March. That prompts me to write a brief entry here since I won't be able to attend the class reunion. My younger daughter is having her second child, a girl, in about 4 weeks; and I will be in San Diego in June taking my turn helping out with the new baby.
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
5/2/2015 09:34:51 am
Wow, has it really been 50 years?
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Gwynn Damon Duncan Smith
5/7/2015 04:28:04 am
I am married to Cecil Smith, a loving, caring retired Army Aviator who served in Vietnam & retired a Major after 20 years. My amazing daughter and son are both grown as well as my two great step-kids. We have 6 wonderful teenage grands who are growing up way too fast. We live in Gunter, a small town north of Dallas and are enjoying full retirement traveling abroad & stateside. I received my BSEd and MSEd from UNT as a young mother and began my career teaching students from elementary to high school in Plano & Melissa, Tx.
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Gary Lucas
6/16/2015 11:33:16 am
Gwynn Damon, I’ve been thinking since Junior High that I was gonna find something to talk to you about -- but it never happened. So being that this may very well be the last opportunity, I just wanted to say I’m glad you had a good life -- and that you should have hung out with us.
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Gwynn
6/20/2015 03:14:01 pm
Hey Gary...ya know after reading quite a few of your stories on Old Portales Memories, I think I would've had some fun hanging out with you & your buds! Hope you change your mind & come to the reunion....if you're not there, we will talk about you!
Jim
7/3/2015 02:49:52 pm
Hi Gwynn,
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5/9/2015 02:10:26 pm
Hello!
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Gary Lucas
6/12/2015 06:10:49 pm
Dr. Pat, I hope you don't mind if I call you Patricia cause I never knew you any other way. I remember our mothers taking us to those really nice little parties when we were in grade school. You, me, Linda Hobbs, Sherri Fitzgerald, Joe Ella McGee, Anne Hopkins, and a bunch of others. I think it was primarily so the mothers could socialize cause they had all gone to school together too. It was absolutely Americana. I don’t remember them letting us wrestle or nothing. The girls usually stayed all bunched up, and us boys roamed around plotting. Seems like everyone was dressed their best. We ate a lot a cake, and our mothers were so great. Well, sixty years later, here we are -- and I’m really impressed with your professional resume. Being that you're such an over achiever, I hope you saved a little back for the next fifty.
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6/15/2015 05:37:50 am
Gary,
John Moore
5/11/2015 04:06:01 pm
Like so many others in our class, I enrolled at ENMU in 1965 and in 1969 graduated with many of you with a degree in journalism. I had worked several newspaper summer internships while in college, including one at the Amarillo Daily News. By 1969, the Amarillo editor had relocated to Beaumont, Tx, and offered me a reporting job there. I went to work a week after graduation from Eastern and covered several interesting stories, particularly for a rookie. One was the image of Jesus Christ mysteriously appearing on the screen door of an elderly lady's home in Port Neches. That one still gets play on the Internet. Look it up. Plus, I have a picture. Another was the landing on the moon in July, which I covered from the Port Arthur city jail - no, I wasn't incarcerated. I was covering the police beat that day, and, with a squad room full of cops and prisoners, I watched Neil Armstrong utter his famous words. That was the only time in my experience that I ever heard complete silence in a jailhouse.
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John moore
5/11/2015 04:36:57 pm
I got long-winded, I guess, but to continue....
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John Moore
5/13/2015 03:16:21 pm
Becky Greaves Helianthus suggested Vietnam vets in the Class of 1965 might offer some insights into their experiences. David Tanner and I both served in Vietnam. We've collaborated briefly lately on recalling our tours in The Nam, as it was called by GIs.
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John Moore
5/13/2015 03:44:12 pm
... Ran out of room again. To continue...
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5/20/2015 04:50:57 am
John, I think you have covered pretty well all the highlights of a tour in Vietnam. The humidity, the smell of burning sh**, helicopters always overhead, and the general sense of war, on all levels. Death and destruction!
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Thomas Ferguson
6/11/2015 07:33:45 am
You left off a big one - mosquitoes.
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John Moore
6/17/2015 06:41:22 am
A suppressed memory, Thomas. I'm sure you could add a few more. Then there are some that best go unmentioned....
John Moore
5/22/2015 11:12:43 am
David:
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Thomas Ferguson
6/17/2015 10:42:13 am
I could add additional information John Moore. However, many combat bets don't like to talk about what happened in Vietnam. I happen to be one of them.y younger brother served with the 196th Infantry and we've never had a conversation about Vietnam. Some things are better just forgetting to the extent possible.
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John Moore
6/17/2015 02:15:56 pm
Yes, I understand, Thomas. I'm fortunate to not have many memories that are best forgotten. I wish that was true for everyone.
Wayne Richardson
5/25/2015 01:49:41 pm
NAME: Wayne Richardson
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Pattie Murphey Donovan
6/2/2015 05:17:44 am
First let me say how very much I enjoy reading your stories. What an amazing, amazing group of classmates!
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Thomas Ferguson
6/11/2015 07:40:13 am
We relocated to Rock shill, SC after I retired. Which city do you live in NC.
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Pattie Murphey Donovan
6/11/2015 09:35:48 am
We live in Asheboro (not to be confused with the more well-known Asheville) which is just about in the center of the state. Although the summer heat and humidity almost get the better of us, they allow us to grow such beautiful flowers! I guess we traded the winds of NM and south central Colorado for the summer swelter of the South.
Gloria (Brown) Helton
6/3/2015 01:05:51 am
1) Work & College. I was a student worker while taking classes. Later, I was a teachers aid for two years at an elementary school. I was a secretary to a NM Division of Vocational Rehabilation Counselor in Alamogordo, NM. I, also, worked as Office Manager of California Teachers Association Regional Office for 15 years, in San
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Gloria Helton CONTINUED AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!
6/3/2015 01:32:19 am
We think in about 4 or 5 years, we will move there.I have appreciation for the many blessings I have been given. I have lived in high-volume cities (still live near Dallas) and appreciate my up-bringing and love for the small-town atmosphere and friends that I still have.
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It's me again Gloria
6/3/2015 01:44:05 am
Most of us still enjoy the same activities, but also our families too ! We still attend church, enjoy movies, traveling, shopping, collecting antiques, dancing, going to concerts, plays, football games, hockey ,and basketball games.
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Gloria Helton one more time
6/3/2015 01:36:25 am
Coach Clint Ramsey and John Snelson shared fun and sad times together. We have maintained our close friendships all these many years. Most of us still en
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6/4/2015 07:38:40 am
Here goes,
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Jim Roff
7/26/2015 04:58:15 pm
Hi Nona,
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Nona Rhoads
6/4/2015 07:40:53 am
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Carrie Poole Wilbanks
6/5/2015 10:38:19 am
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Mary Anne Borden Benson
6/10/2015 07:30:15 am
Thanks to everyone that has written something on the blog. I have enjoyed reading it and look forward to seeing those of you that are coming to the reunion. See you soon!
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miranda Williams
6/10/2015 12:16:47 pm
MAB it disappeared just as I move from Texas to California! Any suggestions?
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Miranda Drennen Williams
6/10/2015 12:14:48 pm
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Miranda Drennen Williams
6/10/2015 04:00:11 pm
My advice from Rick Collins suck in up buttercup and start over. Good advice. So once again after reading the posts here I am so thankful to have survived and thrived on my journey from Portales to the present. I came to Portales in the 6th grade it was my 9th school to have attended. Yes, rolling stone comes to mind. I managed to stay until December 5, 1965. My precious Aunt Dolly came and moved me to her lovely home in Levelland Texas. I had lived with many different people since March of 1962. Kathy Brown's family. They were wonderful. Kathy's grandmother was such a kind lady. I never see a French Twist (hair do) that I don't think of her. They were both ferocious readers. Velma Busby gave me safe harbor for weeks. I still remember her rasin ceam pies, the way her red station wagon smelled Avon skin so soft. My ears were pierced in her living room by her nurse neighbor Callie. This experience was later passes on in the dorn in nursing school. I worked at Pat's Twin Cronnie with her girls. Ping and Amy Everts gave me safe harbor. I lived in an garage apartment behind their house in 1964. Such wonderful people. Faye Beth Hobbs and Lilia Bennett gave me the dress and the accessories that I wound the Maypole. A sweet memory jogged by a FB post from John Moore me earlier this year. Wow! such great memories all made possible by special people in the town of Portales. Believe me they have all passed my mind many times over, in my interesting and exciting journey. I am so grateful to all of them. I was homeless with many wonderful well placed mentors/angels/good samaritans. By the time I got to my Aunt Dolly's house I was motivated to set a goal and go for it. She lived next door to the Chemistry teacher at South Plains College. He tutored me in the math part of Chemistry. It was a barter deal. I babysat his three boys. All very high energy group...read between the lines. I later in life had two very high energy boys. What an eye opener that was! Made a B in Chemistry. I was highly motivated, but this B was a pivotal point in my life. It lit my fire to go forward and keep going till I could become totally independent. The debit I owe my precious Aunt Dolly is one I have tried to pay forward over these years. She gave me a home while I attended college. I worked in a Nursing Home while going to college. What an unbelievable experience that was! This was before there where any regulations (Federal and State) for long term care. Ann Richards did that for Texas, but this was BEFORE any regulations were in place. I was admitted to Northwest Texas Hospital School of Nursing in Amarillo Texas. There Jane Scott and I were classmates and graduated together in June of 1969. She played the music for my wedding in Aug.1969. I lived and worked in ICU at NWTH from June 1969 until July 1970. I moved to California Ft.Ord attending training prior to going to Vietnam. I loved working in Monterey County General hospital trauma ICU. Another pivotal point in my life. A country girl in a great diverse enviroment. Good stuff. I took several advanced EKG interpretation classes, trauma courses. While my husband did a tour of Vietnam I moved to far West Texas. I worked in a small town hospital for a general practice physician who taught me some much. Snake bits, typhoid fever ( small chid visiting from Mexico) he diagnosed with in 0 minutes of her arrival at the hospital. He is retired now but what a wonderful humanitarian. The only physician I ever worked with that wanted to be called before the patient crossed over Jordan as he put it...to be with the patient and the family. He did this for my father-in- law what a blessing. His name is Edwin R Franks. He was featured in Texas monthly a few years back. An exceptional human being. He taught me so much. A humble country Doctor. From West Texas we moved to Katy in November 1971. I consider my home to be Katy. I wen tback to college got my BSN worked in a Critical care unit. Became interested in Cardiovascular surgery and CV post op care. Love the enviroment in a large Medical Center. It is a teaching enviroment. Patient are multi culture and multi lingual. Methodist, St Lukes, and M.D. Anderson are all so cutting edge and are all very education orientated. I became a instructor in the classroom and the clinical areas from November 1979 until 1983 in a nursing school at Memorial City Hospital in Houston. In March of 1989 I was divorced with two boys under the age of 6. So I began a new phase of my life. It was difficult, challenging, and grueling hard work. I loved it and I miss it...sometimes. Being a proactive parent has been my most challenging job I have ever had. I needed my Mom desperately. I learned a lot about myself being a single parent. So Happy my boys are happy independent, responsible adults by the Grace of God. My oldest lives in Arlington and works in social work in a Psychiatric hospital still going t
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miranda Willaims
6/11/2015 01:53:49 am
My oldest so is still going to school. My youngest is a Houston firefighter. He and my awesome daughter-in-law have just adopted our Grand. He was born seven weeks ago. Thank God I was blessed to see my grandchildren. In 1999 I remarried a true Southern gentleman. He grew up in Western Tennessee. He moved to Houston in 1965 became firefighter, raised a family. He retired in 1999 as a battalion chief. We moved to the Pine Woods twelve years ago to get out of the big city. I miss lots of the access to healthcare and shopping, but there is always UPS! After moving I worked in post anesthesia and gastroendoscopy. One day I looked up and there was a classmate from NWTH. Wow! small world. She worked a contract in the operating room and at the end I decided to give travel nursing a try. I contracted for 3.5years at Baylor Medical Center downtown Dallas. I worked digestive disease and liver transplant. Wonderful experience. I worked acute care for 39 years and mu life ha been so enriched by all the people I have met. It has taught me so much. Gratitude, hold your family close no matter how big or small, never assume you are going to wakeup, the little things are what really counts, no matter the news your given find a way to move forward, and most of all things always change. I began working for the State of Texas regulatory in 2007. What a learning experience that has been. I love my job. I can still make a difference. All I can offer..... stay in your home as long as you possibly can. Divest as many assets as you can. I travel three days a week with a team. We are the bad guys but we are the long term care residents advocates with federal and state regulations. I like so many of you have had great sorrow and loneliness but I have experienced great love, joy, and feelings of great accomplishment. Good stuff. I will miss seeing you all. My family and I will be in Alaska and Seattle. I have so often thought about Portales and how it influenced my life in so many ways and I am so grateful for having passed through such a great place. Enjoy your time together!
Mary Anne Benson
6/11/2015 08:54:23 am
Miranda,
Gary Lucas
6/12/2015 04:07:14 am
Miranda, I really enjoyed your story. I read it several times, and feel fortunate to have known you. Say, while we're on the subject, was that you what stuck chewing gum inside my Geography Book?
Jim (J.D.) Roff
6/13/2015 01:58:48 pm
Miranda, I remembered you as a beautiful and quick smile when passing in the hall and later when I would see you at Pat's Drive In. I congratulate your persevering endurance. I have thought of you occasionally over the past fifty years. And now, You can't imagine the elation that I feel as I read of the personal tragedies in your life and the strength and courage that you have endured well with. Congratulations on your enduring and abiding strength.
Nancy Gentry
6/18/2015 04:29:26 am
Miranda, I remember so well how long I searched for you back years ago for one of the reunions. And so thankful I found you as you became such an inspiration to me after I went through my divorce and raising two sons on my own. You touched my life in such a way and made me a strong person and taught me so much about myself. I still have a poem you gave me back then and look at it so often. Even though we don't see each other much you hold a very special place in my heart. And I know you had such a healing in your life when you came to Portales that year. Love you my dear friend and will miss you this year. Come visit me in Ruidoso.
Thomas Ferguson
6/10/2015 03:23:23 pm
After graduating from HS I worked on the family farm until September 1965. I then went to barber college in Lubbock, Texas. Came back to Portales the first week of September and ran off to get married to Barbara Petty at age 17. We will have our 50th anniversary this year in September. I worked 7 months as a barber in Lubbock before getting my draft notice 2 days after turning 19. I served one year in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division as an infantryman, making SGT E-5 after being in the army for 13 months. I received a Combat Infantry Badge, got wounded during an ambush, and found Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior while in Vietnam. My daughter Tonya was born while I was in Vietnam.
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Gary Lucas
6/12/2015 04:18:55 am
LIKE!
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Miranda Drennen Williams
6/12/2015 02:17:56 pm
Thanks Gary for the positive feedback. Was many moons ago. So grateful to still be here looking forward to the next fifty years. I have had several former patients that were private investigators. Both were injured in the line of duty. Interesting profession. Really liked your take on parenthood. I know you were a great Dad! I had a challenge on the blog and had to start over x 3. So it was a rambling hot mess. Left out a few things here and there. Have made a few amends in the past....left out destroying school property...sorry...passive anger?
Gary Lucas
6/12/2015 05:18:16 pm
Miranda, I know! The narrative got the best of me too, but you did a really good job. I usually spend more time editing than writing, and I should have known better than to try and write something in a hurry -- but Walking Dead was coming up and ever bidy was hollerin at me to come on. They just couldn't appreciate that, you only get to write your fifty year history ever fifty years. If you ever decide to go back to high school, holler at me -- and I'll go with'ya.
Thomas Fuller
6/18/2015 04:35:52 pm
Thomas Ferguson can you send me an e-mail at [email protected], I would like to know about your brothers. I personally only spent 15 months in Nam (all of 1968) including 68 Tet all on Engineer Hill outside Pleiku, with 18 months at Torii Station in Okinawa before that which was a lot more pleasant time. Family obligations will not allow me to come to the reunion. Will be praying for safe trips, and a good time for everyone that makes the trip.
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Mary Anne Benson
6/21/2015 08:02:25 am
Thomas Fuller,
Jim Roff
7/3/2015 01:44:40 pm
Hello Thomas, I was disappointed that you were unable to attend. I was looking forward to seeing you. We had quite a history together hanging out and living across the road from each other for a couple of years. Then my family moved a half mile east and we just seemed to travel in different circles and after graduation I lost track of you. I did meet your little sister Charlotte on a few occasions in Roswell when my brother Larry and I was Farming and Ranching at Dexter in the early and mid eighties. She had grown up and was pretty as a picture.
Jim Roff
7/26/2015 03:18:30 pm
Hello Thomas,
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Jim Roff
7/26/2015 03:31:11 pm
register he asked me to come into his office and began telling me about a product called Lubrisyn. He told me that he had been using it on his horses for several years and how it had been developed for horses and dogs to replace and increase the synovial fluid in their joints. He said that horse breeders had observed the difference it was making in their animals and that they had started to experiment with it on themselves to the point that they got the manufacturerers attention and they decided to develop a diluted version of it for humans.
Jim (J D) Roff
6/14/2015 03:08:34 am
Hi Patricia, I appreciate the notifications of new postings to this site. I want to express my gratitude to you and Nancy, and David, and Mary Anne, and Becky for all of the immense effort and hard work to bring to pass this momentous occasion. I can read between the lines that this has not been an easy task, Kind of like Herding Cats, of that I am certain. I wonder if there is anybody from our class that remembers a tender young woman from the ninth grade name of Betty June Isbell. If there is anybody who might know, I will be grateful for any posting to this site. Thank You
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6/15/2015 05:31:49 am
Hi, Jim!
Miranda Drennen Williams
6/16/2015 02:08:20 am
Jim thanks so much for the kind words. I appreciate them very much. I regret not being able to come to the reunion. I have only missed one the 10th I believe. Enjoy the reunion and again thanks for your kindness. Have fun! Miranda
Jim Brown
6/15/2015 04:58:22 am
After graduation I went to ENMU for two years majoring in whatever caught my attention at the moment - Art, Drama, Speech,journalism, Radio and TV production. Each time I had the opportunity to declare a major, I declared comething different. Between semesters I took some intensive short, single subject courses including one in Business Law and a drama workshop with Karl Malden. This was before "The Streets of San Francisco" and the "Don't Leave Home Without It" American Express ad compaign. At least now I can say I studied acting under an academy award winner. I also ran for VP of the freshman class and lost soundly.
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Jim Brown
6/15/2015 05:01:43 am
Chapter 13 - continued
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Jim Brown
6/15/2015 05:04:50 am
Continued - anyone still awake????
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Jim Brown
6/15/2015 05:08:35 am
Continued again -- Blame Miss Gilbert for this. I edited and edited and edited and this is what remains. Could also blame Marlene Foster and Patty Murphy who used to turn novels in to Miss Gilbert. I learned from the masters.
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Jim Brown
6/15/2015 05:11:51 am
Damn - thought I had finished.- Guaranteed to be the end, absolutely!!
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Miranda Drennen Williams
6/16/2015 02:02:47 am
JIM JIM JIM !!! What a fantastic story you have. I read it several times. This goes through my mind in reading your wonderful story. It is from Dr. Seuss...''You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose'. I will miss seeing you again. Again, your story is inspiring to me. Enjoy your time in a place from long ago. I do so relate to your anxiety, but with each visit back it is less powerful...it is what it is ....passed...Enjoy...best to you always old friend... Miranda
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Shirley Callis Repp
6/16/2015 04:07:50 am
Jim,
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Mark Yarbrough
6/16/2015 03:35:27 am
Good Morning to All PHS ’65 Grads and Friends
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Carrie Poole Wilbanks
6/26/2015 02:37:30 am
Hi Mark,
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Jim Roff
7/5/2015 03:50:11 am
Hello Doctor Mark Yarbrough,
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Susan McWilliam
6/18/2015 01:37:20 pm
I was a late comer to PHS. My family lived in Portales two times, once while I was in grade school where I met friends who I am excited to see on the weekend. Then a move to Santa Fe took me away until our move back my senior year. I felt a bit like I didn't fit at times, but had some good friends that picked up where we had left off when I had moved to Santa Fe. They maybe didn't know it but they were my life savers.
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Jim Roff
7/1/2015 03:08:09 am
Hello Susan, The pleasure was all mine to have finally made your acquaintance at the reunion. I remembered you as a tall statuesque blonde girl with Regal good looks whose (apparent) aloofness only rivaled that of my own. You always seemed to be the dearest friend to the object of my fondest desire. (Please, don't give my secret away). I had read your posting on the this website with keen interest. I admit it was most interesting, but I hadn't realized just how compelling a story your life has been. I should have though. One of life's great lessons has been not to believe or fall for stereotypical "Blonde Jokes." You are representative of the possibility of depth of character for blondes everywhere. Barbara Vanetta comes to mind also. I only wish you had elaborated more about the church that you and your husband had been founding members of. I regret that I never made the opportunity of acquaintance to your husband and several other spouses of classmates. One in particular that I especially regret. Please accept my sincerest apologies for that. I promise that is something that I will not neglect next time. Auf Wiedersehen
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Mary Dean Scholz Lesher
6/22/2015 04:42:13 am
Greetings from Grand Junction, Colorado! I have now lived here twice as long as I lived in Portales! Unbelievable! People around here drive around with Colorado Native bumper stickers, but I do not qualify, because I am a native of New Mexico! And proud of it! Those new license plates are sure pretty. I might have to move back so I can have one of those plates on my car.
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Thomas Ferguson
6/22/2015 05:54:04 am
Mary Leshery wife's brother has lived in GJ for years. Owns Petty Construction. GJ is a great place to live.
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Carrie Poole Wilbanks
6/26/2015 02:52:35 am
My niece, Cindy Coop, has lived in Grand Junction for years, and works for Petty Construction. I didn't understand your connection, but thought I would mention about her. She's a real sweet young lady to work with and thinks a lot f the owners.!
Mary Dean Lesher
7/11/2015 07:19:55 am
Yes, Thomas, there is another Mary Lesher here. She is probably the one you are talking about. Petty Construction, huh?
Carrie Poole Wilbanks
6/26/2015 02:59:36 am
Mary Dean,
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Thomas Ferguson
7/4/2015 02:07:36 am
Somehow my posting was wrong. Barbara's (my wife) brother owns Petty Construction in Grand Junction. Small world.
Marlene Foster
6/28/2015 08:22:28 am
Hi, Mary Dean! Have thought of you over the years and really wondered what your life was like. You were always such a nice person. I am glad things have turned out so well for you. Would have been great to see you at the reunion. It was a lot of fun.
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Mary Dean Lesher
7/11/2015 07:20:33 am
Marlene,
Mary Dean Scholz Lesher
6/22/2015 04:48:22 am
In 2001, I met Robert Lesher, a widower who moved here from San Diego. We were married in 2002. Both of my children also married that year. What a time! I remain Mrs. Lesher and savor every moment I have with Bob. We attend Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church here in GJ.
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 10:52:56 am
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 11:13:28 am
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 12:22:11 pm
Hobbies, interests? M y work is my favorite interest and hobby, I still find it hard to believe that I'm having so much fun and am still getting paid for it. Researching and reading books about my Scotch-Irish and Choctaw lineage and heritage. John Birch Society (JBS), Heritage Foundation, and voting member of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 01:13:19 pm
wanted to go riding around with my brother Larry and I in our farm pickup. Sometimes we'd pick them up at the dorms, most of the time, we'd meet at Pat's parking lot. There is a bitter¬sweet memory attached to that experience. You can't imagine the thrill I'd get when they would applaud and ask for more. I remember one little girl named Colleen from Portales who would always request that I do a particular Ronnie Dove song called "Hello Pretty Girl." And another named Karen also from Portales who just liked anything I wanted to sing. A real dark-haired beauty with brown eyes. One night we discovered that Karen had left her wallet, after we had dropped them off. For some odd reason Karen had insisted that I take down her phone number a few weeks previous, just in case I might need to call her. The hour was late but this possibly could be considered an emergency, so I rang her up and she agreed that it was late, and could I please drop it off to her mother about mid morning because she had classes and her mother would be back home about that time. I drove over to her house just a little bit earlier than she said to be there. Knocked on the door. No answer. I was hoping to take care of this early because I had tractors sitting at the fields not being operated. So I went and took care of procuring some needed supplies and drove back. This time her mother greeted me at the door aware of who I was and why I was there. I gave her the wallet and turned to leave and she said, "you know Karen sure thinks a lot of you." Stunned, I turned around and managed to say. 'Oh! She does, well thank you for telling me, I sure think a lot of Karen as well, She sure is a sweet litde girl." That last line was intentional. If there's anything an eighteen year old woman disdains, it's being referred to as a little girl. This time I had not misspake. I can't remember if I ever saw Karen again after that or not. I think not.
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 01:37:42 pm
I'd like to hasten back to those days and change a lot of things. Life has just gone and slipped away while dreaming and telling myself that when Karen grows up and I make my fortune I'm going back there and take her for my bride. Suffice it to say that Karen just couldn't wait that long. I never got the chance to sing one more Ronnie Dove tune to her. That one would have been “When Liking Turns to Loving.”
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 01:42:08 pm
System that "Rules are to fire you by, not to work by" In essence What the old timers were saying was sometimes you have to break the rules to get the job done, but if something bad goes wrong in that rule violation the Railroad has grounds for your dismissal. The violation was simply a matter of leisure and casual convenience on my part. The rule was "riding on the platform on the front or back of the locomotive is not permitted."
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Jim(J D) Roff
6/22/2015 01:50:52 pm
of Clovis Yard, where the cars that had been damaged throughout the division are brought for repairs.We would have to utilize about a half mile of the main line track to clear the second switch that would allow us to shove the (cut) back onto the rip yard lead. The pin puller (#3 switchman) was riding on the front of the engine out to the call box and dispatcher controlled (Main Line) switch. That switch is protected by a padlocked derail device that must be manually unlocked and flipped over only after (not before) permission has been granted by the dispatcher in the general offices. That permission will be given in the form of a green light and remote control alignment (opening) of the switch. That derail device is absolutely essential to protect the main line from runaways following the lead tracks out and breaking through all opposing switches and then on to the mainline. Unsecured rail cars from any point in Clovis Yard will roll east and gather speed all the way to Farwell to a point that a switchman cannot grab on to set the hand brake.
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 02:21:02 pm
In Loving Memory, of my brother Larry L. Roff and my mother Mary Martha (Patterson) Roff and my father Charles Carter Roff and as a testament of the power of the Almighty God of Heaven and Creator of the Universe I testify in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ that this is a true and accurate accounting. Amen
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/22/2015 03:24:10 pm
As the student (victim) sat one desk in front of me in the row adjacent to my left returned and sat down, he shrieked in tortuous pain and bolted out of his desk. Miss Beck was just at that moment rounding the outside row of desks en route to her desk. Everyone in class was startled and wondering, as was I.
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Nona Rhoads
6/25/2015 05:10:32 am
I never knew all this about you Jim. To me you were just the rather shy, cute "farm boy". I remember teaching you to waltz in my kitchen when you agreed to be my partner for the Maypole. Even though we were seconds in that enterprise that year, I do appreciate you being there.
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Jim
7/3/2015 12:28:57 pm
Hi Nona, It's been a long time since anybody has dared to call me shy and/or cute. That's a reputation and an image that I've tried hard to live down.
Becky Greaves - Rebecca Helianthus
6/23/2015 02:42:44 pm
Well, this is scary. It was easy to ask questions but to provide the information is another thing. Some of you have told about more of your lives than the obligatory information and each of those has been beautiful story about yourself. thank you for sharing. I wasn't aware so many of you had gone to Vietnam or at least reported for service when your number was called. Thank you for that service.
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Becky Greaves - Rebecca Helianthus
6/24/2015 05:19:19 am
am kind of embarrassed to be going on. It involves ego. How often in your life have you had the chance to talk about yourself and all the wonderful experiences without being interrupted. Even if no one reads this, it is gratifying to write.
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/24/2015 10:21:01 am
Becky, perish the thought of being embarrassed. The experiences related in your conclusion were well worth the read. The only thing I wish is that you could have found the time to have gone into some of it in more detail. I know that you have been truly busy with this reunion project so I am going to forgive the lack of details that I know would have been absolutely fascinating. I would have especially liked to have known more about your multi-cultural birthday party and I am really interested in your tirade, as I fancy myself as somewhat of an expert on tirades. I just need a worthy cause and sounds like you may have one.
Gary Lucas
6/24/2015 01:55:47 pm
Thanks for the history Becky, It was really nice the day my son and I saw you at the Nature Center. We went back several times hoping to see you again but missed you every time. I also lived in the Rio Grande Bosque for several decades. It’s a fabulous place. I consider it to be the home of Father and Mother Earth. I too went to graduate school at UNM’s Department of Education and also worked for APS. I’m sure we must have passed near each other many times. My Portales story of you is from seventh grade. You invited me to a dance. You may not even remember it anymore, but for me it was the first time a girl had ever wanted to go out somewhere together. Thrilled because I had been eyeing you all year and wondering how to strike up a conversation. Not being too sharp though, I procrastinated. Suddenly, my grandfather came storming in the house. “Did Becky Greaves invite you to a dance?” he said. “So why haven’t you called her back?” He lectured me sternly. I felt really foolish and was really mad at myself for blowing the date, and of course you took someone else. I don’t know how my grandfather knew about it. Gordon use to drink Coffee with us at the Cozy Corner, so probably something was said. Well hooray! We’ve got that fifty years behind us so I’m just gonna kick back for the next fifty and maybe even surf the Spring Flood. Oh I forgot, the Rio Grande doesn’t flood any more does it.
Rebecca Helianthus
6/24/2015 03:14:00 pm
Ha, Jim and Gary, you thought I was through.
Jim (J D) Roff
6/25/2015 04:04:34 am
Ha, Rebecca. You just thought you were through. You taught Gary a lesson in humility that he hasn't forgot and I contend, he never will. Just goes to prove that there's a spark of good and righteousness in the conscience of every human spirit that has ever lived. Just in Gary's case, it must have been way down deep. Always remember there's a purpose for every life in God's eternal plan. Even the senseless antics that some of us (myself included) haven't had the courage to face for a long time. Your (supposed) conclusion was more of a clue into the person that you have become. It just leaves one thirsting for more, if I may be so bold as to speak for Gary and others that I know who had a crush on you. I was so proud because I counted you and Vana, and Carol Ann as my three closest platonic acquaintances. Before I say too much, suffice it for me to say, that you were more popular than you ever could have imagined. I will be watching for your encore.
Jack Batson for Jane
6/23/2015 04:09:26 pm
Jane (Scott) Batson
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Mary Anne Benson
6/24/2015 09:08:39 am
Jack,
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Becky George Eminger
6/24/2015 02:59:05 pm
Jack, thank you so much for sharing Jane and her life accomplishments and loves with us. She is truly missed and we will be happy to see you this weekend!
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Jim (J D) Roff
6/25/2015 12:12:44 am
Jack, Thank you for your post for Jane. It was good to learn of her service and contributions to society and the awards that she received. It does my heart good to know that she was always a source of pride for Tom and Gladys. It seems as though I was always depending on Gladys and Dr. Lehman at the emergency room. They were a team of miracle workers with gifted hands. For several years my brother and I had the honor and privilege of custom harvesting Tom's milo maize crops. I remember one year Tom left the field early because he had just seen the lights of his daughter and son-in-law arrive from somewhere and he was anxious to see them and we would just have to continue without his presence at the field that night. I am glad that you will be attending.
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Shirley Callis Repp
6/25/2015 11:05:44 am
I remember Jane as always being considerate, gracious and sincere. At a time when many in her peer group (we) were, on occasion, prone to emotional ebb and flow of teenage angst, Jane was constant and calm. I feel privileged to have known her.
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Carrie Poole Wilbanks
6/26/2015 02:24:51 am
Jack,
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Margie Garcia Tarango
6/24/2015 02:52:17 am
i like many others attended ENMU right out of high school and actually went to work at the bookstore the summer after graduation. I went to school and worked there part time until I decided to go to work full time and continue my schooling later much to my parents disappointment. I met my husband Manny in 1967 and we continued to live in Portales. I went to work at the county extension office in 1968 and worked there under a pilot program Under NMSU for 3 years until the program ended then I went to work for a program under the Clovis/ Poryales schools that was geared for 3-4 year olds. When this grant ended I was approached by the assistant superintendent
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Margie Garcia Tarango
6/24/2015 03:09:06 am
to come and work at central office as his secretary ( Phyllis Vardeman) was moving to the high school. I continued there as secretary and personnel coordinator through many assistants and superintendents until my retirement after 34 years of service. I stayed out a year and we did some much needed traveling then took a part time position at PHS as a case worker for teen parents. My husband and I have 4 beautiful daughters and 11 grandchildren. 2 of my daughters are teachers, one in Dallas and one in Carlsbad, one with a psychology degree works at MHR and the youngest works for the schools and working on her teaching degree. Two of my son in laws are also teachers and one a train engineer. 2 of my grandchildren are attending ENMU and the others are growing up way too fast. My husband was a contractor until his retirement a few years ago. I continue to live in portales and am excited to see my classmates this weekend.
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Mary Anne Benson
6/24/2015 09:10:07 am
I too am excited to see everyone this weekend. I just wish more of the Portales people were coming. See you soon.
Jim
7/3/2015 01:22:31 pm
Margie, From fifth grade through Junior High and all of High School, I used to just thrill at making your face light up. I never failed to extract a sweet smile from you. I always admired your best friend Alice and the strictly serious approach in her demeanor. I was never able to get her to notice me though. I wish that she had attended the reunion. I would like to have one last opportunity to attempt to melt her face into a great big smile. It was good to meet your husband, Manny and it was good to see Nora again. Thanks for the picture of you and Nora together. It turned out good.
Becky (George) Eminger
6/24/2015 03:12:18 pm
Mary Anne, as promised here it is.
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Becky (George) Eminger
6/24/2015 03:14:55 pm
Needless to say, this old house is always in need of work. Gary loves working outside, especially the vegetable garden. I can and freeze the bounty, enter my offerings in the fair and usually take home some ribbons. I was surprised two years ago that I took "best in show" with my multi colored tomato's.
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Jim(J D) Roff
6/24/2015 03:53:51 pm
Becky, Thanks for sharing that. It brought back a lot of fond memories of spending time in the family business that was started by your grandfather. I have thought many times how I wished that I had had a tape recorder the afternoon that your grandfather spent a whole afternoon in my family's living room sharing his experiences of beginning the first Implement dealership in eastern New Mexico. I could just picture him driving that little JD to demonstrate and pull against (Rumley's) all over the eastern side of the state at about 5 mph with your grandmother following in the car every step of the way. My mother just adored Mrs. George, your grandmother. I knew all of your uncles and your father through my father's association with them.
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Gary Lucas
6/25/2015 06:09:03 am
Curses on this blog, I've scrolled through it so many times I'm permanently dizzy -- and my glasses don’t seem to be working anymore. And how come ever bidy's name is Gary?
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6/25/2015 12:14:11 pm
Thanks to Becky Greaves for suggesting that we write what we’ve done since graduation. I hope that the blog will remain up even after the 50th reunion and that more of you will write about yourselves and your lives since then.
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6/25/2015 12:34:47 pm
suddenly stop broadcasting and we would have to run to the station, push some buttons, twist some knobs, and get it going again. It played popular songs during the 1980s, which irritated the elderly population no end. Before we got there, someone had spread the word that the FM would be easy-listening music. But we had a higher Arbitron rating of young listenership than the most popular station in Abilene. I still don’t know why. At one time, I did every job needed at the station, including selling ads, writing copy, doing production, reading the news and taking out the trash. But it was a real hoot.
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Barbara Venetta Edwards
6/28/2015 09:57:57 am
Kathy, we really missed you this weekend. I hope your hand is doing much better. Please give your Mom a hug from me. I remember her well.
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7/12/2015 06:05:50 am
Hi Barbara, Thanks for your note. My hand is healing steadily and I am playing piano more easily these days. I really missed you and our other classmates at the reunion. Mom is in an assisted living center in Colleyville and is doing as well as can be expected since she has some critical memory deficits. I will definitely give her a hug and tell her it's from you. It's really good to hear from you. Take care of yourself!
Jim Roff
7/5/2015 11:50:59 am
Hello Kathy
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Jim Roff
7/5/2015 12:27:32 pm
Kathy, 7/12/2015 03:30:45 am
Hi Jim, I definitely remember you. Thanks so much for your kind and gracious reply. And, yes, my mother helped with the 7th grade end of the year party. It's funny how we remember people, events and things which are long past but continue to be so strong in our hearts. In my previous post, I didn't mention that my mother took about five of my PHS friends to Albuquerque to watch the state basketball championship game. It was so much fun! I remember going to state with other members of the A Capella choir with Don Wylie, our choir teacher who meant a lot to me. I remember well the musicals he had us perform, Music Man, The King and I, Li'l Abner. I am amazed when I look back at the professionalism displayed by all the cast and stage helpers. I remember you as a tall, shy young man in Western attire who nevertheless always was friendly and kind. I have enjoyed reading your gracious notes to our classmates and to me. The physical therapy is steadily improving the functioning of my hand and I thank you for asking. Jim, I wish you the best the future has to offer! Thanks so much for writing!
Jim Roff
7/24/2015 11:18:18 am
Hello Kathy,
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Becky (George) Eminger
6/25/2015 02:43:06 pm
Kathy, thank you for sharing the events of a most interesting life I also took piano, but am still unable to play. I admire you for being accomplished Wish you could be here. Please give your mom my love.
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6/27/2015 02:29:36 am
Thank you, Becky. I wish I could be there as well. I will pass your message on to my mother. Unfortunately, at 92 she has some real cognitive deficits, especially with memory. It is good to hear from you. Take care!
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Rebecca Helianthus
6/25/2015 03:54:01 pm
Kathy, I'm disappointed you aren't coming. I was looking forward to a visit. Becky Greaves
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6/27/2015 02:36:37 am
Thanks, Becky. I am also disappointed that I can't make it to the reunion to see you and the other members of our class. I had a recent car accident and am getting physical therapy on my hand now. I really enjoyed reading about you and what you've done for the last few decades as well as seeing your daughters' photos and reading their posts on your FB page. Take care of your self!
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Rebecca Helianthus
6/25/2015 04:45:17 pm
To clarify, I only submitted the questions, Mary Anne Borden Benson created and manages the blog. David Tanner and I briefly talked about creating a Ram Page. The blog has been an excellent way of reconnecting. Nancy, Patricia and David have put together this event this weekend. I am very excited. Gary Lucas, get your .... self to Portales.
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Wes Patterson
6/26/2015 02:15:08 pm
Attended Michigan State University, received my Phd in Programmable Logic from Arizona State University while working for GE on main-frame computer design; worked for Motorola in US and Geneva, Switzerland; co-founded Nintendo 64; made microchip for train-wreck scene in the movie The Fugitive w/ Harrison Ford; co-founded Xilinx Corporation and took it from the ground up to taking it public and then to a Fortune Five Hundred company (current market value $3b.); have 12 patents; retired to Taos, NM where I met my wife, Stacy. 1 child (pediatric surgeon) and 3 stepchildren. Was attacked in 2009 and ended up with a traumatic brain injury. Spent 3 years in rehab. Now driving, double-black diamond skiing, fly fishing. Brain restoration continues. Residual issues are word retrieval and organizational details. Have remained best friends with classmate Mark Yarborough.
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Wes Patterson
6/26/2015 03:54:49 pm
Mark Yarbrough was instrumental in my recovery process. I, literally, would not be here enjoying this reunion without his work. He managed all aspects of my life while my wife took care of my restoration process and working with doctors. Mark represents the truest definition of a friend. Mark dedicated much of his life to my recovery--beyond all standard definitions of a best friend. He is a remarkable human being. Because of his work, I have a life to live.
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Kathy Creamer Long
6/27/2015 03:34:07 am
Wow, Wes, I'm amazed at what all you have accomplished and am sorry to hear that you suffered the TBI. I wish you all the best, and Mark as well. What a great friend! I am so glad he was there for you.
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Marlene Foster
6/28/2015 08:33:06 am
Wes, I wasn't aware of that awful experience. I am glad you are on the road to full recovery. It was good to talk to you are the reunion. Best wishes, Marlene p.s. I reported to Pattie on seeing you, as she had requested.
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6/27/2015 03:31:18 am
I want to add a bit about growing up in Portales, attending school there, and how influenced me. It is truly my home of origin since my paternal great-grandparents homesteaded there before NM became a state. My maternal grandparents moved to the area somewhat later.
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Gloria Helton
6/27/2015 03:43:47 pm
Hello I have enjoyed reading all the blogs. I will be resubmitting my blog next week as I now realize my blog was so scrambled due to some computer problems. I want everyone to be updated on my activities and hope they will be interesting for you. Sorry I could not attend the reunion due to a recent accident that resulted in a surgery and I am still recovering. I truly wanted to attend this important event and miss seeing all of my classmates and reminiscing. Bless you all...
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Jim Roff
7/1/2015 03:20:24 am
Dear friends from the 1965 PHS graduating class, I hope everyone has had a safe journey back to their respective destinations and are rested. I did not make it back as quickly as I had bragged that I would be back working come Monday morning. I must not be as tough as I used to be or it may be that now, I had kind and dear spirits praying for my safe return predicated on me having enough sense to not keep pushing past exhaustion.
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Thomas Ferguson
7/25/2015 01:19:13 pm
It was good to see you Jim and to know that you are going well. God bless.
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Jim/Old Minstrel Man/Disheveled Old Man/Da Indian/Whatever
9/26/2015 10:22:56 pm
Gloria (Brown) Helton
7/2/2015 04:19:15 pm
Hi Friends,
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Jim Roff
7/3/2015 06:50:58 am
Hi Gloria, I am touched and saddened by the ongoing and recent trauma that you have experienced and have been experiencing.
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Disheveled Old Man
7/31/2015 04:34:39 pm
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Author-Mary Anne Benson
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