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.

Steve Kwedar

Some recent notes from Steve Kwedar brought this fine picture of his bountiful family, consisting of Steve and his wife, Becky (center), their four daughters Gwen, Julie, Amy, and Katrina, their four husbands, and ten grandchildren. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

For many years Steve practiced ophthalmology in Springfield, specializing in cataract surgery. He retired in 1994 and moved to Naples, Florida. The picture above was taken in his backyard on Thanksgiving, 2006.

He keeps busy with outdoor sports, says the day is not long enough, and advises us all to take care of our health. He also sent a link to a jukebox site called Take Me Back to the Fifties. They won't come back, but the music still sounds great. Thanks, Steve, and many happy days ahead.

Lands of the Buddah

Laurel Loibl McKee has just returned from a journey to Cambodia, Malaysia, and Java. On a tour sponsored by the Center for Khmer Studies, she visited Angor Wat, Phnom Penh, Singapore, and Borobudur. She has a brief account and selection of pictures on her web site.

Laurel earned her B. A. and J. D. from the University of Chicago. She spent her career as an attorney for IBM and later its spin-off company, LexMark. She lives in Manhattan, enjoys its museums and operas, and makes frequent journeys to visit and photograph exotic places.

Burgoo

A year ago, we had a spirited discussion of "chilli" and now I'll tell you about another Midwest comfort food: burgoo, a spicy meat stew that takes three days to prepare and a week to digest.

Burgoo possibly arose from French or Irish pioneers, known to favor "beef burgundy" or "Mulligan stew" in cold weather.

The recipe:

• roast all available meat (pork, beef, squirrel, rabbit, road kill)
• add baskets of vegetables (corn, carrots, taters, peas, okra)
• mix in savory spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, onion, pepper)
• stew the mess in giant kettles, stirring slowly and constantly

Toward the end, add a thickening agent (wheat, cornmeal, ground beans) until the mixture holds a spoon upright in a bowl.

I attended burgoo dinners with my Dad, during his campaigns. The folks at those gatherings were mostly from Kentucky and Missouri. Owensboro, Kentucky, puts on a big Burgoo Days Festival in September, but so does Arenzville, Illinois, only 45 miles west of Springfield.

OK, let's hear from you: did you ever eat burgoo? Where and when?

Hail to the Chief

Chief Illiniwek: Last Dance

On Feb 21, the U of Illinois men's basketball team plays its final home game of the season. At half-time, Chief Illiniwek will dance for the last time. He arrived in 1926 and now goes into retirement, thanks to an NCAA ruling that bars the use of mascots or insignia seen as "abusive" of racial or ethnic minorities.

The real issue is money, because if the Chief stays, the U of I will not be eligible to host post-season NCAA championship events. Think of the ESPN revenues slipping away!

Many folks are sad or angry about this change. Since the controversy is over symbols and traditions, it will not soon fade away. A little history may provide some perspective.

The ancient Illini or Illiniwek were a confederacy of six Native tribes along the upper Mississippi River valley. In the early 1700s many moved west, pushed by the arrival of Iroquois and Europeans. Federal Indian Removal in the 1830s moved the rest out. Today the few remaining descendants of Illini live in Oklahoma, as the Peoria Tribe.

Over the years, dancers who portrayed Chief Illiniwek were often white, but also trained in the traditions of Native dance and costume. The regalia is Lakota Sioux, presented in 1983 by Frank Fools Crow, a nephew of Black Elk.

Advocates see the Chief as a celebrant of the Native traditions of Illinois, while critics see him as a misuse of sacred symbols and rituals. The Peoria tribe at first supported the advocates but then recanted and joined the critics. They won their case, and thus the Chief will go.

In his last dance, he will perform the "3 in 1" that for 80 years has been the halftime show at football and basketball games. You may read more, and see a film of the dancing, in this story in a New York Times blog.

Final irony: the book that launched the modern revival of Native American pride is Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970), written by Dee Brown, who at the time was a professor and librarian at the University of Illinois.

Update: Bill Ice sent me the picture above, taken on Feb 21 at the Chief's last dance.

Park in Snow

One attractive aspect of Springfield: its many public parks. My favorite is Washington Park, for I lived nearby and visited often. Dulany Sriner, SHS '64, took these pictures during the Big Snow. Above is the lagoon, looking east away from Carillon Hill (formerly Sunset Hill).

Above, waterfowl on the lagoon, looking north. Dulany's web site displays a wide range of pictures from Springfield and central Illinois. For a modest fee, he makes prints suitable for framing.

Here's a nice closeup of assorted ducks, enjoying the park lagoon. Washington is Springfield's only park on the National Historic Register. Created in the early 1890s, the designer was Ossian C. Simonds (1855-1931), a leading Midwest landscape architect.

Pictures courtesy of Dulany Sriner. All rights reserved.

Big Snow

A blizzard slammed into Springfield on Feb 13-14, and the accumulations of over 12 inches make this storm the biggest since 1914, or 93 years ago.

I've had reports from '58s who say they have power and food, so other than clearing driveways and walks, this storm is mainly one to admire.

The Springfield Journal-Register site has excellent coverage, plus a video and picture gallery. I have not been able to locate any pictures yet, so if any of you have them, please send me copies.

Good People

On February 15, Jim Hollis publishes his 12th book. Jim has had two careers, the first as a humanities professor, teaching literature at several universities, before he retrained in 1977-82 as a Jungian analyst. He now has a private practice in Houston, directs the Jung Educational Center there, and is vice-president of the Philemon Foundation, which will publish the complete works of Carl Jung.

His own books have sold over 100,000 copies and have been translated into seven languages. Two weekends a month he spends on the road, and his web site will tell you when he next appears near your city.

The latest book explores Jung's idea of The Shadow, the private self that contradicts public image. Jim examines it within persons and in larger cultural frames, from religion to politics. Accepting the presence of this dark force, he argues, is a means of acquiring more self-awareness and conscious conduct of daily life.

For all his success, Jim remains the genial introvert we knew in high school. He dreads the radio and tv appearances that will soon rule his days, but he enjoys writing, mostly for its mystery: "It seems to come from below, somewhere, and I am just its scribe." He's already writing book 13, which rolls out of his head each morning: "I guess the Committee of the Interior is sending me a fax."

Reunion Date

The Class Reunion Committee in Springfield has selected September 5-7, 2008 for our glorious, fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime 50th Reunion. If you have never been to a Reunion, this one is not to miss.

For example, see how much fun these folks had at the 25th Reunion, in 1983. They're all kids from Dubois Grade School: (front) Rich Sexton, (back) Judi Dunkel Headrick, Donna Haycraft Maloney, Bev Maulding Berry, Carolyn Baldwin Quinlan, and Judy Vicars Van Hagen.

And here's a group that planned the 10th Reunion, held in 1968. Left to right: Marcia Ruzes Maisenbacher, Jim Fletcher, Ron Wilson, C. E. Welch, and Judi Dunkel Headrick.

Thanks to Judi Headrick for the pictures and names. (Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

Wedding Bells

It's January 27 at the First United Methodist Church in Piedmont, Oklahoma, and Libbie Peterson Miller has married Charlie Britton.

This love story has a fifty-year history. In her senior year at SHS, Libbie dated two "older men" from the class of '56, Ed Miller and Charlie Britton--who were, in fact, close friends.

Ed won her hand and they married soon after her graduation, on July 19, 1958. They settled in Oklahoma, raised 3 children and 6 grandchildren, and lived happily together until March 3, 2000, when Ed passed away from a recurrence of melanoma.

Libbie kept busy with family, administrative work at Oklahoma City University, and substitute teaching in two school districts. When the Class of 1956 sent her a notice of their 50th Reunion, she and Charlie found each other's addresses and began to correspond.

Charlie Britton served in the Military Police at West Point and in Germany. He settled in Boston, married, and supervised a metallurgical research lab for Texas Instruments. Later he divorced and moved to Flagstaff, where he ran the Developmental Machine Facility at Northern State University.

Before and after his 50th Reunion, Charlie visited Libbie in Oklahoma and met her family. They became engaged in September and set the January wedding date.

Now Libbie's name will be Mrs. Charles B. Britton, while in our directory she is Libbie Peterson Britton. She and Charlie will live at her home address, and they are making plans to travel.

As I see it, the moral of this story is three-fold:

1. Old feelings never die.
2. Stay in touch with early friends.
3. Don't ignore Reunion mail.

Congratulations from all of us to the happy couple!

New Zealand Trip

Akaroa Bay

I'm back from a 14-day trip to New Zealand, a place I dreamed of visiting for years. Something about its far-off location, and its mix of British and Pacific culture, has always attracted me. The above scene is near a small town on South Island, where I'd be glad to return and stay a while. (click to enlarge)

I went as the "study leader" of 35 Princeton alums on a cruise along the North and South islands, from Auckland to Queenstown. My duties included four lectures and nightly discussions on readings or films. The rest of the time I played tourist.

Our boat was the Odyssey Clipper, a small cruise ship for 100 passengers. The British and Asian crew gave exceptional service and kept us calm as we sailed the Roaring Forties, with seas one night reaching four-foot swells.

January is the austral summer, when the days are mixed sun and rain, with brisk winds. The trees and flowers are in full bloom and the dominant color is green, mixed with blue waters and gray to pearl skies.

It's a young country, inhabited for 800 years by the Maori people, who came in war canoes from Tahiti and the other Cook Islands. Scottish, English, and Irish settlers arrived in the 1830s, first as whalers and then as shepherds and farmers.

Cities are small but lively, costs are low, the air is clean, the water fresh, and the people friendly. They all speak English, too! One slogan for the country is "New Zealand: like 40 years ago." Not bad at all!

You may see more pictures at my site and one at Princeton that has films of our adventures: sheep dog herding, swimming with dolphins, riding in jet boats, and bungee-jumping into a river gorge. That jumper is a brave engineer, from the Class of '63.

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown

Bon Voyage

Friends,

For the next two weeks, I may not be able to update the blog. I'm leading a group from Princeton on a journey to New Zealand. An outline of the trip is here, if you're interested.

Meanwhile, please send me pictures and news, and I'll do a big update on my return.

Will

Think Pink

In case you're not feeling old enough, check out this story: a Boomer-generation couple has donated a 1958 PINK kitchen to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Not harvest gold, not avocado green, but pink. It matched those pink shirts and poodle skirts that very cool kids used to wear.

Anyway, Happy New Year. I'm going up to the attic to see if I can find my flat-top wax.

Merry Christmas

Once again, Harriett and Ram Sidoli have sent a greeting card that captures the spirit of the season perfectly.

Here's hoping that all of you have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday, and may the year 2007 be one of joy and fulfillment.

Thanks to everyone who provided pictures and stories throughout the year. Keep them coming!

Best wishes,

Will

Juke Box

Tom Brosch sent me a link to a juke box site that plays 450 songs from 1956-60. You need to have Windows Media Player installed on either your Mac or PC to play the tunes. Here's another site that has tunes from 1950 to 1982, with no special software required.

Bet your grandkids have never seen a juke box. I remember the huge neon-lit ones, but also the small ones that played in booths. The design above comes from Teddy's Tees, in case you want to wear one to your next Sock Hop.

Christmas in Germany

I received this season's greeting from Lee Lochbaum, who has lived in Germany for the past six years. Lee taught English in the USA for three decades and is now happily retired. He has vivid memories of his Midwest days and enjoys reading from afar our '58 website and blog.

Dear '58s,

This past week in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, I attended the 572nd Striezelmarkt and enjoyed the traditional food, sights, and sounds of Germany´s premier Christmas Market.

Of the 2,500 + Markets listed as "official" across the country, this one is the Striezel (old German for stollen) Market. Despite wars and devastating bombings, the bakers of Dresden baked the best stollen, now known the world over. The word stollen means the swaddling of Christ (hence the shape of the loaf). Its full name is Christstollen.

Another symbol of the season is the Pflaumentoffel, the Saxon word for chimney sweep. Pflaumen means plums and Toffel has an uncertain meaning. In many homes, these toy figures decorate baskets of fruit, including plums and prunes.

As well as its 572nd Market, this year Dresden celebrates its 800th anniversary as a registered city. I lived there for nearly three years and found Dresden to be a grand, Saxon-proud town that has always shown its determination to endure!

Ich wünsche Ihnen ein Frohes Weihnachtsfest und einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr 2007 aus Dresden Deutschland!

(I wish you a Merry Christmas and a good slide into the 2007 New Year from Dresden, Germany!)

Peace on earth! Lee Lochbaum, EXPAT

White Christmas?

Here's some white Christmas, since not many of us will see one this year. Most days here in the East are mild and sunny, same in the Midwest, and only the Northwest is seeing true winter storms. If you don't recall what we are missing, see these amazing photos of snow crystals.

Here also is a hilarious cartoon rendition of "White Christmas," as sung by The Drifters in 1954, when it reached number 5 on the national charts. The Drifters owe their epic string of hits to Ahmet Ertegun, a long-time producer of rock and jazz who died yesterday.

Thanks to Barbara Edmiston Mitchell for the 'toon and tune.

Jo and Poco

Here's a story with a happy ending. Six weeks ago, Jo Meiers Leggett lost her beloved golden retrierver, Chance, a loyal companion for thirteen years. She had a lonely time until word reached her of a young golden who needed a home.

"He had never been in a house, on a leash, to the park, on a walk, and only once to the vet to be neutered. Yes, I was out of my mind. Now, two plus months later, he's a normal two year old—mischievous, curious, liking a good chew, and checking out the ceiling (he'd never seen one before)."

Now she and Poco visit the park, dig the people and other dogs, and at home enjoy peace with Jo's veteran cat, Sally Tomato.

Jo sends greetings and wishes us "a stupendous holiday season and everything you want and need in the New Year."