Dorothy Grace Vicars

Dorothy Grace Vicars, mother of Judy Vicars Van Hagen, died on April 13, 2006. A funeral was held on April 17, and many of Judy's '58 classmates attended the visitation and service.

They were CE Welch, Ron Wilson, Janet Bailey Kerner, Mary Houghton Elbertson, Roy Borg, Keith Schnepp, John Brownback, Bob Hails, Jack Billington and Carolyn Baldwin Quinlan.

Dorothy Vicars was the daughter of a Methodist minister and grew up in several Illinois towns, including Hillsboro and Champaign-Urbana. She met her husband, Thomas J. Vicars, in Pontiac. They married in 1939 and raised four daughters. He died in 1997.

In Springfield, she worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation and was active in community affairs. An obituary with more details appears at the SJR site. The class sends its condolences to Judy and her family.

Sunset near Pontiac, Illinois: by Dulany Sriner, SHS '64

Ray Page

Ray Page died last Thursday in Tucson, Arizona, from complications after a fall about a month ago. He was 85. Mr. Page and his wife, Kathryn, had lived in Arizona for more than 30 years.

A native of Loami, he spent 17 years teaching history and coaching in Illinois high schools, including SHS in 1955-62. The highlight of his career was winning the state basketball championship in 1959. He also coached baseball, and his 1958 team won the district title.

In 1962 Mr. Page was elected state Superintendent of Public Instruction, a post he held for two terms, 1963-71. He then retired to Arizona. Survivors include his wife, son, daughter, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services will be held in Springfield.

A full story appears in today's Springfield Journal-Register.

1959 State Champions

Personal Transporter

Diane and Al Urbanckas spent the winter in Florida, where recently they had a visit from her son, Ross Taylor. Together they went to Mount Dora to get acquainted with the Segway, known also as a personal transporter.

The Segway is two-wheeled and self-balancing. You move by leaning forward, backward, or sideways, and the machine follows. It's designed for journeys of under five miles, say to the store or around the golf course.

Our intrepid travelers put on helmets, got about 10 minutes of practice, and headed outside for a journey: down an alley, over railway tracks, and into a park. They moved along dirt paths and boardwalks, but Diane saw mostly roots and moss. At one point, Al failed to scale a brick wall. At the end they posed for the above shot, and all want to do it again.