Alumni Sandstorm ~ 05/06/05
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9 Bombers and Kirk Vitulli sent stuff: 
Dick McCoy ('45), Dick Harris ('49)
Wally Erickson ('53), Dick Avedovech ('56)
Bob Rector ('62), Dave Hanthorn ('63)
Jim Hamilton ('63), John Fletcher ('64)
Betti Avant ('69), Kirk Vitulli (Grandson of Art Dawald)
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BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Myrna Bolin ('63)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Brad Pugh ('66)

BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar
    Click the event you want to know more about.
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>>From: Dick McCoy ('45)

Re: Gold
To: Friend Jim McKeown ('53) down in Sacramento
    You should have learned by now not to bet against anyone with 
gold in their pom poms. Like Bombers, Huskies, Sonics.
    Also good luck to you, bro Tom ('53) and wife, Darlene, ('54).
It's been good news thus far.

-Dick McCoy ('45), Bomber, Husky, Sonic
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>>From: Dick Harris ('49)

To: Dave Brusie ('51)
Re: Saddle Shoes!
Dave - Ah, yes, saddle shoes! At my age, I had almost forgotten them.
They did go nice with light cords, that lots of classmates had written
their names on! My wife says her mates used to write their names on a
piece of adhesive tape and put on each others rain slickers. But that
was in Renton where it probably rained!

My two kids, who rebelled and attended the U. of Wash. didn't own a
rain coat or umbrella when they started school, being from Wenatchee.
It didn't take long before they finally joined the crowds! 

So, another Washington State Apple Blossom Festival is here this week
and so we'll probably go to the parade, as we have most every year
since 1956!

-Dick Harris ('49) ~ Wenatchee, WA
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>>From: Wally Erickson ('53)

To: Tom McKeown ('53)
Re: Darlene

It's great to know that Darlene ('54) has come through and seems to 
be on the road to recovery. Through your brother Jim, there was great
concern about Darlene and her health. You can see how the Alumni
Sandstorm works in getting the message out when there is someone that
needs your prayers and thoughts. The same was done for you when you
were going through your chemotherapy in Seattle. You both were going
thru some hard times and needed some prayer support. It seems like
you're both on your way to recovery. You had great support from your
brother Jim.

On another note....I was born in Walla Walla where you both live now.
My mother's parents lived there, so after we moved to Richland we went
to see them quite often. They lived on Thorne with a water wheel in
their front yard. There was a creek that flowed through that area all
summer. I still remember the great park there with all the water fowl
in the ponds. It's a great place for family living. My grandfather
worked for Allis Chalmers and sold implement equipment to the wheat
farmers in southwest Washington. There were a lot of rich wheat
farmers there during that time. I went to the Green Park grade school
in Walla Walla They did a great job bringing it back to original
condition.

It was good to see you at our 50th reunion. You both looked great, 
neither of you have changed that much. Jim gave me some great
information on the Napa Valley wineries, Judy and I took last 
September. 

It's good to hear from you on the Alumni Sandstorm and know that 
both of you are recovering. Prayers do work. I've had a hard time
convincing the Sacramento Bombers to root for the green & gold Sonics
during the first game play offs. All the games were exciting, because
you weren't sure who was going to win the game in the end... they were
going back and forth in every game. Cheers!

To: Stan McDonald ('53)
Re: Jack Rabbits

When I think back, it's amazing how our parents never really seemed
concerned in what we were doing there with a .22 rifle to hunt rabbits.
I didn't mention the fact that there rattlesnakes out there too. So,
we were always on the lookout for the hidden rattler. Our parents
seemed to take it stride and it was just one more thing we did to
occupy our time. It's too bad the younger generation doesn't spend
more time doing things outside. I guess with TVs and computers, they
really don't have a chance. Maybe their parents can do something about
that.

-Wally Erickson ('53) ~ Coeur D'Alene, ID - don't forget to root for 
               the green & gold, cheers!
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>>From: Dick Avedovech ('56)

Re: The Seven Wonders
    As a successfully treated prostate cancer survivor thanks to the
wonderful non-invasive treatment I received at Loma Linda University
Medical Center, I belong to an organization called "The Brotherhood of
the Balloon" and therefore receive their monthly newsletter. I'd like
to share one of the "lighter side" articles that was in the last issue
called The Seven Wonders.
    A group of students were asked to list what they thought were 
the present "Seven wonders of the World." Though there were some
disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall (Bill Berlin, have you had a chance to see this???)
    While gather the votes, the teacher noted that one student had 
not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having
trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't
make up my mind because there were so many."
   The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can
help." The girl hesitated, then read, I think the Seven Wonders of 
the world" are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
7. And to Love"
    The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things
we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted, are
truly wonderous.
    A gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be
built by hand or bought by man.

-Dick Avedovech ('56)
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>>From: Bob Rector ('62)

Re: I loved the Bert Wells Picture
  http://richlandbombers.com/ASpics04/041125-Clark-BertWells.jpg
Howdy Maren,
    The Bert Wells picture was just great. I can still sing, "Big 
Rock Candy Mountain" 

-Bob Rector ('62)
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>>From: Dave Hanthorn (Gold Medal Class of '63)

Re: retirement
Hi all,
    Its all official now, after a 30 year career,I have retired from
the Boeing Company. Last Thursday was my last day at work. So far, 
the "life of leisure" hasn't been too leisurely, I seem to have been
plenty busy every day with lots of things to do. The best part is no
alarm clock going off at five in the morning.
    My plan (although not set in stone) is to try finding a part 
time job teaching computer programming at one of the local technical
colleges or community colleges. I did this during the nearly three
years I was on layoff from Boeing, and really enjoyed it.
    Noi and I hope to do some traveling, starting with a trip to the
Vancouver/Victoria area in British Columbia this summer, and another
trip to Thailand this winter to visit our family and friends there.
Next year we may go to Hawaii, and in a few years a trip to Europe is
a possibility. We will probably want to go to Denver, CO to visit my
oldest son and his family either this year or next. Another idea we
have talked about is a trip to New Zealand, although the long flying
time is rather daunting. We may have to make that part of a combined
trip. We would also like to go back to Yellowstone in a few years, we
really enjoyed our trip there a couple of years ago. And we are open
to suggestions. Do any of you have a favorite travel destination or a
"must-see" spot you think we would enjoy?
    Other than that, I hope to have time to get caught up on chores
like yard work, cleaning out the store room, fixing the fence, and all
the usual stuff one tends to put off when one has to go to work every
day. I also hope to get caught up on my reading. I have several books
and a pile of magazines waiting for my attention.
   So life goes on. I hope this finds all of you healthy and happy and 
as busy as Noi and I are.

-Dave Hanthorn (Gold Medal Class of '63)
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>>From: Jim Hamilton (Gold Medal Class of '63)

Re: Bert Wells
  http://richlandbombers.com/ASpics04/041125-Clark-BertWells.jpg
    Bert Wells' theme song was "Big Rock Candy Mountain", and I'm just
so dang happy to know that he's alive and well. What was really cool
was the picture with all the foxes from the Gold Medal Class of '63.
I dug up a file that my good friend Frank Osgard ('63WB) submitted a 
while back, he put it all in a thimble, or shot glass as the case 
might be when he said:

    "It's not like I don't do nothin' but watch TV, but earlier this
week Her Bossiness and I were watching wrestling. She got the remote
again, and I was no more than putty in her hands. I had a friend whose
Grandparents lived in a prefab on Adams, about the 500 block. They had
the very first TV I can recall, this had to have been about '53. They
had Cable, for what it was worth."

    My friend Mitchell, that was his name, and I used to go over and
watch what we could, when we could. His grandparents, who everyone
called Uncle Ed and Aunt Somebody, kept the blinds pulled and the
lights turned down low so the picture tube wouldn't wear out. They had
a ceramic black panther on top of the set, with red jewels in it's
eyes and a gold chain around it's neck. They always had little dishes
of nuts and hard ribbon candy on TV trays. They later had the first TV
remote control I ever saw, it was shaped like a potato gun but worked
like a flash light. Among our favorites, was wrestling on Friday
night. Not that vanilla flavored crap you see now days on TBS, but
"Texas Wrasslin'". And it was real. Later we used to watch Shag Thomas
and Luther Lindsey on Sundays sponsored by some dentist in Spokane.
This guy validated parking, gave terms (30 days same as cash) and no
discount for Canadian money. He also sponsored some guy singing hymns
and old favorites every afternoon, for his present and future false
teeth customers.
    I can still remember the afternoon programming, when we got our
TV. School let out at 3:15pm, I beat feet home to practice piano for
30 minutes, and then Howdy Doody at 4pm, Pinkie Lee at 4:30. Mickey
Mouse Club was at 5:00p for an hour.
    Someplace in there were The Little Rascals on Channel 6. You
could never show the Little Rascals today, too bad, they were at least
as funny as Urkel. Before cable there was antenna TV, with Uncle
Jimmy's Club House at 4pm on KIMA, I've still got my membership card
(#213). Uncle Jimmy, who seemed to do everything at the station, was
followed by some crabby old fart called Montana Tom. Tom got the shoe,
none too soon, and was replaced by Bert Wells. My sister's Blue Bird
troop was on the Bert Wells show, and sang some song in Chinese. 
At least they said it was Chinese, and it sounded like Chinese. I
remember watching it, 'cause I had this flannel cloth slathered with
Vicks around my neck. To this day, Campfire mints still taste like
Vicks, not peppermint. I knew I was getting old, when I recognized the
cowboy movies they serialized for 10 minutes each afternoon, as flicks
I'd seen "first run" at the Village. I used to make my little brother
cry, by telling him what was going to happen. Still do, but he was a
7-5 kind of kid. Mickey Mouse Club also had some great serials, Corky
and Black Shadow, Spin and Marty, The Hardy Boys and some kid named
Moochey.
    The Mousketeers, were as unfathomable in '57 as Chief Joe Girls
were five years later. Annette had some great ears for thirteen, but
was the same age as by sister, so I looked elsewhere. Some girl with
big teeth, don't remember her name and what was with that Jimmy 
Dodd guy and Uncle Roy? There were some great shows like Topper,
Mr. Peepers, Sid Cesar, Ernie Kovacs and my Pop's favorite, Tennessee
Ernie Ford. The Old Man loved to laugh, and was keen on the "not so
subtle" like Bilko, The Real McCoys and Jack Benny. Humor was so much
more simple in black and white. They didn't have fourteen year olds,
playing eight year olds, talking like adults. Being Politically
correct, was at least a man on the moon away. Don't know that I want
to go back to those days, but it sure was fun while we were there.

Now it's time to say goodbye..............

Frank

p.s. The person with big teeth was named Darlene, who it turns out
just might have been John Elway's twin sister.

Semper Bomberus
jimbeaux

p.s. Now Louise Wells ('64), there was a May Basket artist. A square
wall paper sample stuffed with Lilacs and a stick of gum. She would
knock on the door and then run like hell, probably why she's so short,
never caught her. Got real close once, but the Huunecuts close line
ended the chase. Not a May Day goes by that I don't think about that
drill.

-Jim Hamilton (Gold Medal Class of '63)
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>>From: John Fletcher ('64)

Re: Bert Wells
  http://richlandbombers.com/ASpics04/041125-Clark-BertWells.jpg
Hi Maren, I must have missed the discussion of Bert Wells. I
distinctly remember being on his show with my Cub Scout Den. I 
was in my Scout uniform, so it must have been 1956 or so. That 
has been my only appearance on the small screen, so a big "Howdy 
Thank You" to Bert.

-John Fletcher ('64)
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>>From: Betti Avant ('69)

To: Marilyn "Em" DeVine Dow ('52)
Em,
    That tram ride in Albuquerque goes up Sandia Peak. In certain
times of the year on the way up you can see some remains of a
commercial airliner that crashed there many years ago. About all you
see is the glint off of it in the sun. My brother, Howard ('72-RIP),
lived in Albuquerque for years and would go up there for the
solitude. He took my mother and I up one year. It is a most
spectacular view of the area, he even pointed out Al Unser's place.
Some day I may get back there, perhaps for the Balloon Fiesta in
October.

-Betti Avant ('69) ~ Eugene, OR, where today it is raining as usual
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>>From: Kirk Vitulli (Grandson of Art Dawald)

Re: Dick Harris & Prawns
Hi Mr. Harris,
    I will say hi to mom. I see her every day. She lives 2 blocks 
from me. I haven't seen Richard in about 9 years. He moved over seas. 

Sincerely,
-Kirk Vitulli (Grandson of Art Dawald)
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That's it for today. Please send more.
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