John Trail's Bio:

I came to Alaska in  March 2001,  and started flying for a company delivering mail and freight to several bush villages around Bethel, AK (ironic, isn't it?). I had almost finished my probationary period with the company when I got laid off, and took a job with another company in Bethel, carrying passengers plus freight and mail. 6 months later, it was lay-off time again, and I went to a third company in Bethel. This company, Flight Alaska , kept me in Bethel for about 2 months, then sent me to Deadhorse, AK, near Prudhoe Bay on the North SLope where I stayed for 8 months, before coming back to Bethel. The three companies I worked for up to this time were classed as "commuter airlines", and throughout the course of employment at Flight Alaska, I gained an Airline Transport Pilot license. I moved on to a fourth company in October 2003 and flew for a month out of Fairbanks, before being moved to Aniak, AK, to become station manager plus pilot and mechanic for Tanana Air Service.. After 5 months in ANiak, the full effect of the Rural Services Improvement Act took effect, and Tanana Air shut down all stations, including Aniak. I sent out several resumes with no results, and one day the owner/ general manager of Bush-Tell, the local telephone company, asked if I would be interested in working for Bush-Tell.

   Bush-Tell has the phone systems in 10 villages around Aniak, and we keep 2 airplanes available to service the systems in those communities as there are no roads in western Alaska. I do all of the maintenance on the planes, and part of the flying. Also do maintenance on several other planes, including Frontier Flying Service, which offers commuter service to all of Alaska, I work on the State Troopers planes, and several private planes , too.

  In January of 2006, I married Norma deClercq at Aniak, and we have been making our home here along with our dog. I have 2 children from a previous marriage, who are both grown, and have provided me with 8 grandchildren (5 girls and 3 boys). They live in Hutchinson, KS and Portsmouth, VA.

  Living and flying in Alaska has been an adventure, and I sometimes wish I had come here 20 years sooner. It's hard to say how many differences my life would have held had I done so.


Tom, thanks for asking about me. Feel free to forward this to anyone in the rest of the class.




Dennis Weinhold's Bio:

Thanks for your bio.  Great.  I am happy for you and your family.  I, we, still live in Phoenix.  I was married three years ago to a lovely lady, Juliet, who is fininshing her PHd at the University of Zurich. She has three daughters, Kellie, a junior at ASU in nursing, Katie, a freshman at Kansas State University in Art History, and Claire, a senior at Desert Vista High School.  She plans on attending ASU in the nursing field.

We have purchased a couple of homes in Manhattan, Kansas and will move there in a couple of years to retire.  My two kids, Shana and her husband Aaron, live in the country near Oklahoma City and is working and raising her four daughters and a bunch of horses; my son, Caleb and his wife, Erica, and their three sons, are moving to Lawrence, Kansas to complete his  Doctorate in Pharmacology. 

I had moved to Jerusalem for what I considered forever, four years ago.  We filmed 50 TV biblical archaeological segments which are currently being aired on the Sky Angel network. Our group lived on the hill next to the Promenade Park by the UN complex overlooking the Hinnom Valley and the south wall of the Old City (Jerusalem).  I have applied for dual citizenship in Israel and  would move back there in a minute, but the young wife, doesn't have the same  roots there that I do.  What an amazing city!! That is where my heart truly lies.

While I am here, I really enjoy our kids and grandkids and the  absence of armed conflict.  What a blessing.

Tom, I hope you are well and have a personal relationship with our LORD Jesus Christ.  Please pass this on to anyone you think would like to read it.

Shalom.  Dennis Weinhold




Sharon (Trout) Glenn 's Bio:

Hello Classmates from Sharon (Trout) Glenn in North Platte, NE
 
How time flies and getting older is the pits sometimes.  I'm still married to the same guy (Dave Glenn) now for 38 years.  We are planning a 40th Anniversary celebration on a Cruise with our kids and grandkids. 
 
Dave and I are parent of 2, Michelle now 36 and Darin now 33.  Michelle presented us with our first granddaughter Taylor, now age 11.  And I swear soon to become a teenager.  Darin presented us with 2 grandsons, Devyn now 8 and Ethan 6.  They are our lives!!  What a joy it is having grandkids and being grandparents.  Taylor named us Papa and Grammy and the boys joined in too.
 
I'm retired now.  For many years I worked as a Travel Agent and loved it.  But after 911 everything went downhill.  And then my dad got sick and passed away in July 2003.  I had to quit my job to care for Dad and then Mom.  She is still in McCook and I did make weekly trips, now I'm down to about every three weeks.
 
I can't get Dave to retire.  He has a job he loves.  He is C.E.O. of Pathology Services and is still the pilot for the company.  He does a lot of public speaker all over the U.S.  Our favorite pass time, besides our grandkids, is camping.  That is what we will be doing when he does finally retire.
 
It's great reading about everyone and I hope more of you will respond.  And thanks to Tom for starting all this.
 
Have a great summer everyone and Happy 4th of July!!    Sharon (Trout) Glenn




Tom Murphy's Bio:

Hello. This is Tom Murphy. I am a graduate of MJC and the University of Nebraska College of Business Administration at Lincoln. In the spring of my senior year at U of N, Linda and I were married; that was 35 years ago. Shortly after graduation, I accepted a position in Omaha where in one year I was promoted to Vice President and General Manager. We spent four plus years in Omaha where our two sons were born.

In 1975 I was recruited by a firm in Denver. I called Ray Harr, who was living in Omaha, to tell him we were moving to Denver. He asked “what are you going to do with your house?” I told him we were going to sell it. He said “Linda and I want to buy it”. So, that was a done deal. Off to Denver we went and have been here 31 years. My first full year of employment I was awarded Employee of the Year by a 600 plus employee firm. I was Vice President of a firm and President of my own firm with offices in Denver, El Paso, TX and Kansas City, MO. Additionally, my company was chosen Management Company of the Year by Wells Faro Realty Advisors and I was selected Manager of the Year by the DENVER BUSINESS JOURNAL & The Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) My career was in real estate leasing and management. I leased and managed office buildings, shopping centers, industrial parks, apartments, research and development parks and I was also a real estate investor. My clients included financial institutions, pensions funds, local, out of state and foreign investors. I am now retired.

Have you ever met your namesake 1,000 miles from home? A Cincinnati firm flew Linda and I to their Corporate Office to be “wined & dined”. On the second day they introduced me to one of their associates from Nebraska with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Omaha with my exact first, middle and last name. Now, that was a little eerie to say the least.

Our daughter, and third child, was born in Denver. My wife, Linda, has been a homemaker throughout our marriage. Our three children have University Degrees. They live in Denver, Seattle and Boise. This month our granddaughter is four months old and our grandson is 10. We have been fortunate to travel to 42 States, the six Canadian Provinces, Ireland and Mexico.

My hobbies either do or have included snow and water skiing, fishing, traveling, bike riding, snorkeling, scuba diving, walking, Denver Bronco and NU Football. I also held the Colorado State Record for Black Crappie for about 12 years—my crowning achievement.

I hope this gives you an  overview of who I have been and what I have done with my life the past 40 years.

Also, I would like to remember those classmates who have have gone before us :DavidCallan, Carolyn (Capp) Bell, Sherwood Corf, Ron Hamilton, Ray Harr, Bob Hinshaw, Danny O'Neil, Pat Taylor, Glenn Wilson and Nelda (Zuck) Grim.  If I have overlooked someone, please add them to your bio.

 




Carolyn Henton Masi's Bio:

Tom,
 
So sorry I will not be able to go to the reunion this year
as we will be in Hawaii.  Please send the bio information.
I would love to hear about everyone.
 
Tony and I are doing just great.  We are enjoying good
health and playing lots of golf and tennis.  My darling
daughters, Kyla and Janelle, have gifted us with grandchildren 2 female and one male, 7, 2 and 2.  What
fun.  We are really loving being grandparents.
 
I am still working for the same family (26 years now)
and was sad to lose my boss in March 2004.  I now
have 6 bosses (5 children and the wife) instead of
one - all going the opposite ways.  It is very interesting
and very very challenging.  Will I retire soon?  Who
knows - I can't play any more golf and tennis - so I think
not too soon. 
 
You may remember Patty Gould from Culbertson.  She
is now Patty Brew and works in my building.  Another
McCook guy is Ron Langhoff.  Also works in my building.  Both have also worked here for many years
and I enjoy some fun lunches with Patty and see Ron
on the elevator now and then.  He is Charlie Langhoff
now, but I still think of him as Ron.
 
Best to you and say hello to everyone at the reunion.
 
Regards,
Carolyn Henton Masi

 



Sandra Gallatin’s Bio
1966-mhs grad
1968 mcc grad
1968-69 uni of ne 1year student
69-86 lived in lincoln ne, worked at city, state, & federal jobs, some post office,
        dept. stores and factories.
1986 married howard murray - three kids, kim,randy, & meg.
1987 divorced
1987-89 lived in lincoln  and worked.
late l989 moved home to mccook  with friend, ted blythman
1989-2002 lived in mccook, helped dad on farm.
ted & I were involved with church activities, square dance, volunteered with special
olympics and went to local celebrations etc.
my sister, jacqueline had polio as a child so when we went to lincoln; i got her
involved with her programs. she has won numerous medals with special olympics
and participates in bowling and swats 4-h club. she also took ged classes in lincoln
and mccook and someday hopes to graduate. she also has a 90% collating and
English ability in filing. she had two hip surgeries this year and is doing fine.
ted came back to mccook and has his own apartment. we still see each other
as friends and go to activities together.
2006-for now we live here in mccook and the future will take care of itself.



Dotti Park's Bio:

Hello, fellow classmates from Dotti Park. Just a quick update on what I've been doing. I was a single parent raising two daughters. In 1989 I went back to college and got my Bachelors Degree in Education (Special Education K-12 Mild/Moderate Handicapped). I added an Elementary Endorsement a few years later. I have been substitute teaching in the McCook and area schools. I am also one of those "dreaded telemarketers" that so often intrude on your time at home. I don't know how many of you I may have called. I do know that I have called some of you, even though you may not have been home. I remember calling Pam Stewart and getting no answer. I also cover area high school sports for the McCook Daily Gazette when my schedule allows it. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 40th Reunion! 




Marilyn Melton's Bio:

I am Marilyn Melton, now Marilyn Mues.  My e-mail is lynk313@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for the info about the reunion and the e-mail directory.

Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the 40 year reunion as I will be in Minneapolis where my only child (daughter Stefanie) lives with her husband.  They recently had their first child, thus my only grandchild--a boy named Blake Thackeray.  He will be 6 months old on Sept 7.  Stefanie's husband is going to be out of town on business for 2 weeks, so I am flying from Wichita where I now live with my husband Steve Mues (married 37 years as of  tomorrow, Sept 2) to Minneapolis to help Stef take care of the baby while her husband is away--I will be up there Sept 20-Oct 4.  I really would like to come to the reunion, but Baby Blake has priority.  :-)  



Dave Nicholaus's Bio:

Dave Nickolaus, 

 

Starting in 1967 I spent 4 years in the Navy. After my discharge I joined the Navy Reserves and retired in 1995 from the Navy Sea Bees. At the time of my retirement I was a FEMA Certified Disaster Recovery Specialist and a Disaster Team Leader. In 1971 I went to work for the Milwaukee Road Railroad in Milwaukee. After 2 years of Votec School and 4 years of Apprenticeship I received my Wisconsin State Machinist Certificate. In 1977 I was promoted to a Managers Position in the Milwaukee Road Mechanical Department in Milwaukee.

In 1985 the SOO Line Railroad bought us out and my family and I were transferred to the Minneapolis area. In 1988 the Canadian Pacific Railroad bought out the SOO Line Railroad, this time we didn't have to move. During the 90s I was traveling a lot in Canada & the US for the CP as a Mechanical Department Computer Program Instructor. In 1997 I spent the summer working in Calgary in the Mechanical Planning Department. At present I am the night Mechanical Servicing Manager for the territory from La Cross, Wisconsin to Portal, North Dakota. I will be able to retire in less than 2 years.

 
I have been married for 38 years. We have two grown sons, one a paralegal for a large Minneapolis Law Office and one who owns an antique shop in Minneapolis. No grand kid or any planned in the forceable future. 

In two years when I retire, my wife and I are planning a cruise to Hawaii to celebrate. This will also coincide with our 40th anniversary and since we were married in Hawaii it should be fun. 

Unfortunatly, the number of times I have been able to get back to McCook since 1971 you could probably count on both hands. However two years ago I brought my Mother back to visit with some of her old freinds and to show my youngest son where I grew up. McCook had changed but in many ways it was still the same. Dave
wbearl@aol.com



Richard Mustion's Bio:

Hello everyone,

Richard E Mustion

It's been a long time since High School. Life is good even though we are older. I have been in Banking most of my life. I am Senior Vice President of Hershey State Bank, Hershey Nebraska. I am nuts about the Huskers, have 3 children and 8 grandchildren. 2 years ago I married my best friend and life has been wonderful. I am a born again Christian and take it very seriuosly. Christ is my personal savior. Please as you go by Hershey on the Interstate(just west of North Platte) stop in the Bank and lets visit.




Cliff Davis' Bio:

Hi Classmates, It's great to read your bios and see how things have been going for you. It is very nice of Tom to have set this up for us.   I am still in McCook, I have been working for the city water dept. for the last 28 yrs. My son Kent is living in Greeley Co.and Jason is living in Kearney Ne. I got  married again in 2001 after being single for several years. My hobby was racing, I was into drag racing for several years, then I raced stock cars until about 3 years ago. Now I don't do anything very exciting, riding my motorcycle and watching sports is about it.

It's really hard to believe that we graduated from MHS 40 years ago!!!! Time has gone way too fast. I hope all of you are doing great. I agree with what Dennis Weinhold said in his bio.about having a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. It's so very important to know Him so that we will have eternal life.

I hope that I'll see you at the reunion.Take care and God bless you all.

Cliff Davis




Barb Anderson's Bio:

Following graduation from MHS in 1966, I spent 4 years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating in 1970 with a degree in psychology.  While standing in the "drop and add" line before classes started in the Fall of 1966, I met Ken Gaskins.  After I graduated in 1970, I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ken was in law school.  We returned to Nebraska and married in 1972.  We have lived in Omaha for 34 years.  I attended Creighton Law School here, graduating in 1976.  Since 1978 I have been employed by my alma mater, for 23 years as associate dean for academic affairs




Anita Felton's Bio:

As Tom said he lives in God's country--here is mine at the Oregon coast.  Really wanted to come to reunion but am on the Oceanside Community Club Board and we are completely renovating starting today( Ron and I are standing on patio in work clothes just before getting to work ripping the place up).  I know everyone will have so much fun getting together and I really enjoy hearing from everybody.


The dog died, kids grew up (only step grandchildren), divorced the first husband, sold the house, got remarried, retired, moved to the coast, built a new home, got too involved in community activities, and also got talked into going back to work.  I am now running up and down the Oregon coast doing residential appraisals. 
 

My husband Ron could be a fishing guide, but only takes out business clients and friends.  Salmon fishing plays a big part in our lives about four months out of the year.  I am even the "old woman of the sea".  We only have to drop the boat in on the other side of our little mountain and can fish there or run to ocean.  We also have a local bay with Dungeness crab, steamers, etc.  (He did catch 40 pounder this weekend while I was tied to computer working)  We truly love it here and have more than enough to keep us busy.  A lot in common with the other locals (except they're all retired) .   I'm up at 5 a.m. and walk four miles on the beach with the "girls" every single weekday morning, then hit the  exercise tapes and off to the days activities.  Brother Ed finally came back to the states and lives in Washington, so we get to enjoy his company



Connie Remington's Bio

Hi Tom,
  Just wanted you to know how much I'm enjoying the bios of our classmates and appreciate all of your work to make it possible. It's so good to hear how everyone is doing.
  I won't be able to attend the 40 year reunion this coming weekend as I'm involved with the Alzheimer's Memory Walk for our area which is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 30th, and there are still many things that need to be done.  I hope everyone who makes it home for the reunion has a wonderful time !
  My husband, Roland, and I live outside a small mountain village near Dolores, Colorado and love it here. In May of 2004 I retired from education where I taught second grade.  I loved teaching and second graders were wonderful, but I realized I had so many things I wanted to do and there was never enough time in the day.  I spend my days watching my son's three boys--Hunter, Jens and True--, walking, quilting, reading, gardening, spending time with family and friends, and traveling some.  My daughter and family live in Iowa. Amy has a daughter, Brooke, and a son, Wade. I love being a grandma !!  A year ago I moved my Mom down here where she lives in Assisted Living near by. I'm able to spend time with Mom each day.  I feel very blessed to have good health, wonderful family and great friends.  I am thankful for each and every day !  Tell everyone hi for me.  Connie Remington Walter




Jari Smith's Bio:

Where do I start. After I graduated I moved to St. Louis where dad was transferred. I was more of a working woman working different places at different shifts until 1975. After dating for awhile I met the man of my dreams. I didn't think God believed in blind dates until then. And it had to be God because Virgil lived an hour's way from St. Louis. Two ladies, a mother who went to my church in St. Louis and a daughter who went to Virgil's church in Pacific, MO got us together. We dated and found that we had so much in common that after 6 months we got married. We have now been married for 31 years and still going strong. In 1979 we moved to Wichita, Ks because of the job market and there worked until we retired in 2006. Virgil as a plumber for the school system and I as a banker. While in Wichita we traveled abroad twice to Israel. Since we don't have any kids we are able to travel around the country on vacations. A lot of our travels has been with genealogy trying to find facts about our families. Since Virgil was able to retire early and wanted to come back to MO, I did some checking around at work as found that I could retire early as well. We are now back in MO, that is in Springfield, Missouri living in a retirement village. It is a big change for me, but wanted to be close to my mother since I was the caregiver for her. Dad passed away in Israel in 1992. We live in a duplex and really like it. Come and see us when you have a chance. We are just off of Interstate 44 at Maranatha Village.

 

Jari Smith



Phil Meager's Bio:

A lot has happened to me since high school in McCook.  I love that town and some if not all of the memories.  In fact, it makes me feel proud to know that I grew up in a stable, quiet community in Nebraska. 

 We have a large boat and RV and take many trips so that we can get away alone.  The fishing here in Oregon is unbelievable (most of the time).  I am an avid outdoorsman as are most Oregonians.  I still watch the Cornhuskers though…the Ducks and Beavers don’t quite match where I came from in the Nebraska sports world.  We have a group of Nebraska folks that get together to watch games periodically and have a good time.  The group seems to fizzle out when the Cornhuskers are on the downswing.  Hopefully this season will pick up.

I am a very fortunate man (maybe not the richest in money, but richest in returns) to have invested my life in the development of people and their potentiality.  My wife of 33 years and I live in Medford, Oregon where I am a practicing school administrator and also Commissioner with the Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities for a seven state region.  My wife, Jolene, is an elementary teacher and a very good one at that.  We have three children.  My son, Steve, at 29 is a very successful management and sales consultant with a growing Fortune 500 Company.  He is married and has one daughter (we love being grandparents).  He lives here in town, but travels throughout the U.S.  Our oldest daughter, Stacey at 24 is Controller for large area grocery market soon to get her CPA.  She is our highly ambitious one.  She is married to a contractor and also lives here in Oregon.  My youngest daughter, Jamie at 22 will graduate from the University this year in pre-med.   She is our last one to get through college…a huge goal for us.  She is sharp as a tack and a great athlete too.  Our children have given us lots of enjoyment over the years and most of our free time is invested in them.  Now that they are all out on their own we are rediscovering ourselves and having fun doing it.  Who knows, we may even take dance lessons or adopt a child...well maybe not that crazy.

 

I received my Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska in 1981.  Because I found ways to learn…enjoy learning and take myself beyond boundaries, I am very good at empathizing with and helping other people achieve success.  A highlight in my career was being named Oregon’s National Distinguished Principal of the Year a few years ago being honored at the White House.  I have been a classroom teacher, principal, school administrator, and university instructor for 33 years now.  I am looking forward to retiring in four years at which time I plan to do something completely different…just because I can.



Anita Drain's Bio:


What a difference 40 years can make!
 
After graduation form MHS I attended McCook College and Kearney State College. Those years earned me a B.A. Elementary Education and a Nebraska teaching certificate.  Following graduation from KSC I accepted a teaching position in the Maywood Public School District, which allowed me to stay close to my parents in McCook. While teaching in Maywood I continued to attend KSC and in 1981 I earned my M.A. in Elementary Education.  A few years thereafter I began working on a media endorsement to my teaching certificate, which I completed in 1992.
 
In 1975 I had the opportunity to visit sister and family who were living in Germany at the time. We visited many sites that I had read about and it was exciting to actually see them – places like the Swiss Alps, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Venice, Brussels, Holland, the North Sea, Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge and many more.  While visiting Scotland we were able to find and visit the birthplace of my great grandparents. We saw much of Switzerland and while there we were able to go to the LDS Temple in Bern, Switzerland. 

I enjoyed my 20+ years in Maywood and had planned on retiring from there, but that did not work out.  In 1991 I accepted a library/media position in the Hay Springs Public School District, where I remained until I retired from teaching in November of 2004.
 
From 1990-1994, I became well acquainted with Nebraska’s court system. I was engaged in a law suit against the Maywood Public School District for wrongful termination of my contract, following my return to work after the death of my mother in 1989.  With the legal assistance of the Nebraska State Education Association my case was finally heard by the Nebraska Supreme Court which ruled unanimously in my favor, stating that my termination was atrocious and arbitrary.
 
In January of 2005, I purchased a condo in Orem, Utah.  A big change from Nebraska, I can see the mountains from my backyard and be in the midst of them in about half an hour.  I miss my hometown, but find Orem a nice place to live. (It was recently ranked in the top 20 safest communities in the US)  Living here I’ve been able to attend several plays, museums, and the storytelling festival.   I enjoy being able to take advantage of the “arts” here.

My sister involved me researching our family tree and the “genealogy bug” bit me and genealogy it has been a “hobby” of mine ever since. I worked in the Family History Center (FHC) in McCook, and was Director of the FHC in Chadron while living in Hay Springs.  Here in Orem I am once again involved with the local FHC.  I serve as a FHC librarian and I am abstracting information from census records which will eventually be available over the internet via www.familysearch.org

In January of this year I went to the Dr. for a follow-up heart-test. The cardiologist didn’t like what he saw and admitted me to the hospital for surgery the next morning. The doctors thought they were going to have to replace a heart valve. In they end, the valve was okay.  I had a bacterial growth in the heart that was causing me problems.  I was blessed to be here so close to where heart surgery could be done quickly and to have family close by.  I have been doing quite well since the surgery.  I have even gone back to work part time as an assistant librarian at Provo College, and enjoy the associations there.


Ed Fahnholz's Bio:

Soon after high school graduation, I received a Draft Notice around the end of October 1966. I looked into my options and decided to join the United States Army on November 11, 1966. My Basic Training was for 11 weeks at Fort Bliss, TX. After graduating from Basic Training I headed to school at Ft. Eustis, VA. then to Germany.

I was then deployed to Vietnam. As we were landing we were over ran by Viet Cong. In the night we loaded onto a C130 heading to Ben Quay. Along the way we left troops and supplies and got shot during every landing and take off we made. Ben Quay was under mortar attack so we had to run like hell from the plane to get into bunkers for protection; this action was right in the middle of the famous TET Offensive. Most of the rest of my time in Nam was spent getting ambushed on convoys by snipers, mortars and rockets. I did one tour of duty (12 months) in Vietnam with the 11th Armored Cavalry Division.

Along the way, I met a guy from Grand Island who use to play Legion ball against Bill Cotton. A group of us were listening to the College World Series, on the radio, and heard Bill hit a grand slam home run for Arizona State. The Moon Landing happened two weeks before we heard about it.

In all, I served four campaigns in Vietnam. In October of 1969 I came home home from Vietnam.

When I returned home, I went to work with my Dad cutting meat which later led to a partnership with him. I eventually went to work cutting meat at Safeway for about 20 years. In 1982 I joined the Army Reserve. Here I was trained as a Graves and Registration Specialist. They sent me to William & Mary College in Virginia for Mortician Assistant Class. I also worked in the Richmond County and Denver Country Morgue.

When Desert Storm was starting, I volunteered to go with a unit out of Kansas as a Morgue Specialist in Dover, Maryland, Baghdad and Ryad. We had 26 Scud Missiles fall near us or shot down over us. A two thousand pound pond bomb would make your teeth rattle even if it did not hit you. I served three campaigns in Desert Storm.

Carol Bryan (Class of '66) and I were married. Together we had three children; Debbon, Dana and Dale. I have seven wonderful grandsons and one gorgeous granddaughter. Unfortunately, our marriage ended in divorce. It was around this time that I was diagnosed with PTDS (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from experiences I incurred in Viet Nam and have been struggling with these symptoms before and since this diagnosis. I am certain many of you have heard of this problem for many returning Vets of Vietnam, Desert Storm, Korea, WW11 and the current war in Iraq?

I had many other experiences too numerous to mention. I did however have the opportunity to see many different sites and cultures. I traveled the world; Iceland, Czechoslovakia, Vietnam, Japan, Germany, Kuwait, Sicily, Crete, Spain, New York City, Washington D.C. I marched down Fifth Avenue in NYC on the Fourth of July. I also marched in Hitler's Stadium in Germany and stood on steps the where the Nuremberg Trials were held.

The Army awarded me 30 medals and ribbons during my seven years active duty and 17 years in the Army Reserve. They included eight Army Accommodation Medals, six Army Achievement Medals and one medal from the King of Saudi Arabia. When I retired from the Army my rank was Sergeant First Class.

I am semi-retired, single and plan to tour the country from coast to coast this summer on a motorcycle with a friend while we fish our way around America.




Tom Cavaiani's Bio:

 

To McCook HS Class of 66,

Tom and I had a great time at lunch the other day discussing, all of you, our former classmates, and how your lives have unfolded over the past 40+ years. Although I only attended McCook HS for one year, that year was quite special for me. I met a lot of wonderful young men and women, all of whom treated me like I had lived in McCook my entire life. Thank you all very much for those fond memories.

After finishing a year at McCook College, my Dad was transferred to Redding, California. I continued to attend college, and after spending time at 5 different colleges and universities (including UC Berkeley in 68) I graduated with at BS in Mathematics from Oregon State University in 1971. My initial job after graduation was as a bill collector for the Idaho First National Bank, which was not a good fit for my talents or personality. I left that job after 9 months and returned to college to get certified to teach mathematics. Since then I have spent most of my time as a teacher in Boise, Idaho. I began teaching in the public schools, but eventually completed my PhD at Oregon State in Mathematics and Computer Science Education. I have taught in the Department of Mathematics, both at Oregon State and Boise State. Currently I teach Java programming and computer networking courses in Department of Information Technology in the College of Business at BSU, and love every minute of it. I have also worked for Hewlett-Packard as a systems administrator and spent about 3 years as an independent consultant specializing in computer programming and training in between teaching stints.

I was married for 7 years to a wonderful woman, but unfortunately our wants and desires began to differ and we separated and divorced in 1986. She has since remarried and has a wonderful family and is very happy. I have remained single which seems to suit me.

I continue to enjoy numerous outdoor activities including snow skiing and snowboarding, bicycling, windsurfing, and kite boarding. The water sports are my favorite, and since Boise is close to the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast, I have been able to spend a lot of time windsurfing in those areas, as well as making an occasional trip to Maui.

In closing I feel compelled to comment on football, since it is such an important part in many of our lives. The fans in Boise may not be as rabid as they are in Nebraska, but they are a very supportive bunch and demand excellence from their team. I was praying for a Fiesta Bowl match up between BSU and Nebraska to see how BSU would stack up against a powerhouse like Nebraska. I may have missed the Nebraska "Game of the Century", but will never forget the 2006/2007 perfect season for the BSU football team followed by the victory in the Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma. BSU probably gained some fans from Nebraska by beating the Sooners in such a well played game.

Tom


Biography (of sorts)

James R. Liggett

After graduating from McCook Sr. High I moved first to Denver and attended Denver Technical College for drafting (flunked out, lack of interest) and moved to Los Angeles with my long time friend Danny O'Neil. We both got jobs working for North American Aviation as janitors upon moving there. After living there for a couple of years I moved back to McCook and went to McCook Jr. College for a year or so, then to Kearney State, then on to The University of Nebraska at Lincoln, then in 1975 graduated with a BFA in Paintingfrom University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

That summer I made a short film about the fiddle contest in Brownsville, NE to entera film school in CA. In 1976 I again moved to Los Angeles. Decided not to go to the filmschool but instead took classes at a school specializing in Advertising. Upon completion at The Advertising Center, once again Danny O'Neil and I set out for NYC together where he lined up an apartment for me to sub-let from friends of his.

I got a job during the first week I started interviewing with my portfolio (a book)at different Advertising Agencies in NYC. After working for two different Ad Agencies I was hired by Ogilvy & Mather (third largest agency in the world). I worked there for nearly10 years as a senior Art Director on accounts like American Express, Pepperidge Farm,Owens Corning, and many others. I won two Clios while there (the Academy Awardin Advertising), one for a television campaign for the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial anda second for a print ad for Owens Corning Fiberglass Insulation. See a write up we gotafter moving to Cornish to make our Shampoo: http://jrliggett.com/who/review.html

During this time I got married to Diane Miller who was a film rep for different production companies in NYC that did very high end (expensive) TV commercials. She represented Film Directors such as Alan Arken (Little Miss Sunshine), Tony and Ridley Scott (NumbersTV series, BladeRunner, The Dualist, Black Hawk Down to mention just a few), Howie Deutch (Pretty in Pink, Grumpy Old Men 1&2). We were married in 1982 just after buying a 58 acre farm in Cornish, NH. Our house was built in 1769 and is the oldest house in Cornish and has 300' frontage on the Connecticut River. If you Google Cornish, NH you will get some really interesting information. Cornish was a famous turn of the century (1905) Art Colony, the Summer White House for Woodrow Wilson, and the home of famous artists like Maxfield Parrish, Winston Churchill (the author), and Augustus Saint Gaudens.

We have two daughters (Diane's from a previous marriage) Jamie and Jolie. Jamie is married and lives in Ridgewood, NJ and has two daughters Annabel 6& Gillian 2, Jolie has an apartment in Manhattan and a house in East Hampton, Long Island, and has a son William 7.

Jamie is a commercial photographer: http://www.jamiemillerphotography.com/indexb.htmland Jolie followed in her mothers footsteps, she owns her own company representing differentFilm Directors, Editors, and Music Companies.

We started our company - J.R.LIGGETT LTD. - in 1982 making a product called:"JR LIGGETT'S OLD-FASHIONED BAR SHAMPOO™". After nearly 25 years later ourshampoo and other products are sold in Catalogs, Natural Foods Stores, Gift Stores, CountryStores and Outdoors Stores both nationally and internationally.See our website: www.jrliggett.com    We manufacture all of our products right here on our farm in Cornish, NH.

Over the years I have had numerous hobbies, but my current and likely most consuming is sailing. In November of 2004 I sailed with 3 other men across the Atlantic from Las Palmas, CanaryIslands to Antigua in the Caribbean Islands nearly 3,000 miles in 19 days on a 40' sailboat. I had the time of my life and decided that is what I wanted to do. Last April I bought a 36' Union Polaris sailboat and had it trucked to our farm so I could completely refit it. Going through the entire boat and redoing most all of the systems. It is a 1979 sailboat and is in need of it. Having it set up here on our farm makes it easy to work on "Moonshine" and Ihave all my tools available as well. There also is no marina fees to pay while doing the refit either. It is my plan to have the work finished and have her ready to set back in the water in Portsmouth, NH (shortest shore line of all the states). If you like you can view the work being done on a website I set up to document the refit.

That is about all there is to say. We love it here in NH, on our farm with our chickens, horses, dogs and cats. 

I've have had a most interesting and fulfilling life since graduating with the class of 1966 in McCook, NE. I so far have not made it back to any of the reunions but hopefully will be able to do so sometime in the future.

Best Regards,

Jim Liggett

Class of 1966

November 26, 2007


 Dale  & Nancy (Mitchell) Gibbs Bio:

We live in Kearney where Dale is the Director of Outreach and Telehealth at Good samaritan Hospital.  Nancy is a retired school teacher, now working at the Great Platte River Road Archway.  We have four sons.  David is a sargeant witht he Buffalo County Sheriff's Office in Kearney.  He is married with two children.  Daniel is a marketing analyst for Baldwin Filters in Kearney, married with two children.  Steven is a junior at UNK majoring in criminal justice and Michael is a sophomore at UNK majoring in nursing, wanting to become a nurse anesthetist.