Alumni Sandstorm ~ 03/21/05 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 Bombers sent stuff: Lois Weyerts ('56), Burt Pierard ('59) Judy Willox ('61), Maren Smyth ('63 and '64) Greg Alley ('73), Jill Walser ('81) ******************************************************* ******************************************************* BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Donna McGregor ('57) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Marji Brewder ('69) BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Molly Hinkle ('79) BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar Click the event you want to know more about. ******************************************************* ******************************************************* >>From: Lois Weyerts Harrold ('56) To all of you who are sending information to Lois Weyerts Harrold ('56) and Nola Davey Meichle ('56), if you are married to a graduate of Richland High School, please include the year your spouse graduated. Club 40 is interested in this information for their database. Thanks to all who have responded so far and we hope to hear from many more! We just noticed in the Tri-City Herald that another of our 1956 classmates has died. Sandra Reninger Whiting died March 18 at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland. Our thoughts and prayers go to her husband Gary and family. The obituary has not been in the paper yet. -Lois Weyerts Harrold ('56) ~ in Richland, Home of the fabulous Bombers ******************************************************* ******************************************************* >>From: Burt Pierard ('59) To: Dick McCoy ('45 and '46) Re: Columbia Camp Revisited Since it occurs on an approximately annual basis, it is about time for someone to write in claiming that German and/or Italian POWs were inmates at Columbia Camp, so I am jumping in first. It is obvious that McCoy (and probably others) were not convinced by the documentation that was cited last year. To review, I cited the Richland Villager and East Benton County Historical Society accounts that stated that there were NO POWs ever confined in the camp although Conscientious Objectors were acknowledged as inmates and would explain the German & Italian speaking people that some mentioned as encountering. The prisoners were all Minimum Security (referred to as "security prisoners" in the DuPont Final Project Report) from McNeil Island. I cited the Geneva Convention Accords to show that there was a slim chance that any POWs were even confined at McNeil (POWs could only be sent to prison for committing serious enough crimes (escape attempts didn't qualify) in Camp to justify a judicial proceeding (trial)), let alone sent to an Honor Farm. Since last year, I've discovered two more sources that should put this issue to rest before it even comes up again. The first is the DuPont Final Project Report which stated "Prison inmates, guards, and others employed in the undertaking were cleared by the Protective Security Unit before they were permitted within the Project Area. The identical rules and restrictions limiting Project employees applied." This means they were granted Security Clearances and were allowed to traverse the Project Area at least as far out as White Bluffs to tend the orchards and vegetable farms. By definition, POWs are non-USA citizens and to my knowledge, the only non-citizens granted Clearances were the scientists and critical Project personnel. It is beyond me how anyone could believe that a POW would have been Cleared to be in the camp and work on the Project site. The second is Leslie Groves concern about any POWs being close enough to any of the Manhattan Project Sites that they could escape and commit sabotage. (Remember, there was no fence around Columbia Camp.) In the recent Robert Norris biography of Groves, "Racing for the Bomb," Norris cites a memo from Groves complaining " ... that some German prisoners were to be placed in a hospital in Walla Walla, only sixty-seven miles from Hanford." If Groves was that concerned about POWs being sixty-some miles away, how can any reasonable person believe that he would allow them in an unfenced facility near Hanford and even on the Project Site? The Defense rests. Bomber Cheers, -Burt Pierard ('59) ~ Richland ******************************************************* ******************************************************* >>From: Judy Willox ('61) Re: RHS Journalism Class fundraiser this week at Barnes & Noble http://richlandbombers.com/Xtra05/RHS-JournalismFundRaiser.jpg This voucher can be printed and used at Barnes & Nobel for the valid dates. If customers use the voucher when making purchases at the Columbia Center Mall Barnes & Noble between March 18th and March 25th, 2005, the RHS Journalism will receive a percentage of those sales. Any funds raised will be used to help subsidize the cost of Journalism students attending this year's National convention that is being held in Seattle this Spring. The convention will be a great skill building event for our journalism students. -Judy Willox ('61) ******************************************************* ******************************************************* >>From: Maren Smyth ('63 and '64) Re: Iditarod Update - Checkpoint #27 - Nome #1 Robert Sorlie ~ Time: 9:18:39:31 with 8 dogs www.iditarod.com/ and/or www.cabelasiditarod.com/ www.buserdog.com/buserdog/ 78 mushers started 16 (so far) have scratched 54 finished between 3/l6 and 3/20 #55 thru #62 finished yesterday 55 Andrew Letzring 56 Debbie Moderow 57 Greg Parvin 58 Tom Knolmayer 59 Jeff Holt 60 Lachlan Clarke 61 Shane Goosen 62 Perry Solmonson #63 RED LANTERN - Phil Morgan - the only team still on the trail -- is resting at checkpoint #25 (White Mountain). I'll give reports until the last musher (Morgan) has crossed the finish line in Nome. Stay tuned... Bomber Cheers, -Maren Smyth ('64 & '64) ~ Gretna, LA ******************************************************* ******************************************************* >>From: Greg Alley ('73) Re: Bringing down the house. The event at the high school last night was well done but extremely poorly attended. It was only 15 bucks for the Kingsmen, another band called Mudshark and some great school memorabilia, let alone money towards a new weight room. I know a Saturday night in Richland is filled with sooo much entertainment that its hard to choose. I know that a beer garden was always nice when we all saw the Kingsmen at the street dances, but try to pull that off at a high school or college campus. The tables set up in the OLD gym that will come crashing down soon were really well done with lots of pictures and trivia from all the years at the schools (Col-High, Richland, and all the grade schools). The people dancing on the Dawald hard floor probably have chin splints this morning. For the amount of people who live in Richland and have gone to the school over all the years, it was a sad turnout. -Greg Alley ('73) ~ It's raining in town but we need a lot more. ******************************************************* ******************************************************* >>From: Jill Walser ('81) I would like to announce the unveiling of my new website: http://www.igotthejob.us If you or someone you love needs a professional resume, interview coaching or job finding assistance, I provide a great resource. All Bombers or friends of Bombers will get a 20% discount on resume services! -Jill Walser ('81) ~ Bellevue - Where it is overcast and finally rained yesterday ******************************************************* ******************************************************* That's it for today. Please send more. *******************************************************