The Williamsonian Winter 2017 | Page 20

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’ 76 Class Enjoys 40th Reunion

Several members of the Class of 7W6 got together for a weekend at the Jersey Shore to mark their class ’ 40th reunion . The group had such a good time they decided to make it an annual event .
great news , Warren . Following that health challenge , Warren was hospitalized with a severe abscess on one of his ankles . Bill said Warren thought it would be cute to post a picture of his abscess on Facebook . No thank you , Warren . Anyway , get well soon , Warren ; we are all praying for your complete recovery .
I spoke briefly to Jim Kressley on Nov . 16 . Jim said he is enjoying retirement , but is busier than a one-armed paper hanger . He is currently working on a four-level deck with $ 14,000 in materials alone . Jim took another first place trophy in racquetball at a tournament in Wilmington , Del . Congratulations Jim , keep hitting ’ em .
Bob Hopkins is on the mend and getting PT after having a left knee replacement . I think all the wear and tear of stepping up in the pocket on the football field , with the left knee out front , took its toll . Good luck with your recovery , Hop .
I recently donated a photo album to Williamson which chronicles the entire construction process of the Restall Sports Center , which is located adjacent to the driveway leading to the old train station . I was the masonry instructor at the time the sports center was constructed , and my masonry students helped with many aspects of the construction process . You may see this photo album in the archive room at Williamson .
I would like to offer a happy Veteran ’ s Day to all 7W2 veterans . Including myself , I can only think of Rick Lentz , Jim Kressley , Carl Gunther , David Peterman , and Mike Waidell . I know there are more . If I missed your name , please accept my apology and send me an email . Thank you all for your service to our country .
I had a nice conversation with Gary Staurowsky today ( 01 / 10 / 17 ). Gary informed me he recently sold his cabinet making / wood working business to his foreman and wife , who happens to be the bookkeeper of the company . Now , the tables are turned . Gary is now working in the business for his foreman . Congratulations Gary on running your own business for all these years and for moving into the semi-retirement stage . Two years ago , Gary underwent quadruple by-pass surgery with 90 percent blockage “ across the board .” Gary said he is doing well now . God bless you , Gary , as you continue getting stronger everyday . Gary and his wife Marie have been married 33 years and have a son ( 30 ) and a daughter ( 28 ), both
of whom are single . In his spare time , Gary restores collectables from the 1920s , ’ 30s , and ’ 40s , most notably John Deere toys . Gary said he and his son will head to the midwest states this summer , where the market is the greatest , and sell his restored collectables . It was great talking to you today , Gary . I hope to see you and Marie at our 45th reunion this October .
With the passing of long-time board of trustees chairman Wayne Watson 4W8 , vacancies were created on the board . The Class of 7W2 would like to offer their congratulations to Bill Bonenberger 7W9 who moves from vice chairman to chairman of the board , Art Lallo 7W9 , the newly appointed vice chairman , and David Watson , son of Wayne Watson , appointed to the board of trustees . I ’ m sure you already read about these appointments in the fall 2016 edition of the Williamsonian , that you received in December .
The Main Building at Williamson has taken on a new name , it has been renamed Rowan Hall after Henry Rowan , who made a very generous gift of $ 25 million . The Class of 7W2 would like to offer their sincere thanks and appreciation to the Rowan family for their generous gift which will help secure the future of Williamson . If the name Rowan sounds familiar to you , you just have to look across the Delaware river to Glassboro , N . J . There , you will find Rowan University , formerly Glassboro University , which was endowed by the Rowan family .
Finally , congratulations to Williamson for taking first place in the “ Ethical Leadership ” category at Reimagine Education 2016 , a global competition designed to recognize higher education teaching methods that enhance learning and employability throughout the world . The competition was hosted by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and included such prestigious competitors as Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Princeton University , Stanford University , and hundreds of other schools from six continents . To be mentioned with Williamson in the same breathe , I would say that these other schools are in pretty good company . Competitions such as this help spread the best kept secret around the world , that is , that Williamson is a great school ! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017 . Remember June 9 , 2017 , our 45th anniversary of graduating
from Williamson as the 7W2 class . I hope to see you all at our reunion in October . You will receive more information from Williamson regarding our reunion in late summer or early fall . I would like to secure a block of rooms for our reunion so , perhaps , we can follow-up with breakfast the next morning . Contact me if you are interested in a room . That ’ s all the news there is fit to print from the 7W2 class . Until next time , take care and God bless .
Dave

W 74

Rick Caputo 154 Park Way Montgomery , TX 77356 832-517-0773 ( Cell ) scrounge7W4 @ att . net http :// www . nedg . com / 7w4 /
Gents ,
Let me start with an update on Mark Krammes . On Jan . 8 , Crumb got the call from Temple University Hospital and successfully had a right lung transplant . Crumb did well with the surgery and recovery , and was discharged about one week later ( man , they get you in and out of the hospital these days ). I know that in previous conversations with him prior to surgery he was looking for a double lung transplant , so I am not sure if this means that he will have to have go through this again , or perhaps he will get by OK with just the one . More on that next edition . If you would like to send Mark a card , his address is 24 Old Forge Road , Pine Grove , PA 17963 .
Retirement has been great for me and Sheila . Highly recommend it . All the days of the week just kinda mesh into one , and I no longer dread Sunday nights in preparation of another work week . As I mentioned to you guys in the past , I converted my 2-car attached garage into a real nice woodworking shop , and have been building and finishing furniture . It keeps me busy and I really enjoy it . It ’ s also been a mild winter here in Houston , and I am able to golf every week . OK … no more rubbing it in .
As I mentioned in the last Williamsonian , a few of us got together at Hags in late October 2016 to hang out with Brian Stewart and Clair Miller , who were hunting turkey nearby . In addition to Brian and Clair ( who spent their time in the woods laughing so much , they blanked on bagging a turkey ), Big Jack , Kenny Brown , Karl Custer , Farmer Dick , Grant Walk , and of course , Hag and Mas and I all spent the weekend reminiscing and belly laughing . Farmer Dick made up three crock pots of great food ( a big thank you to him ), and Hag collected enough wood off his old barn roof to make an awesome bonfire . For those interested , there are pictures on the 7W4 web page , address above . Note that Kenny Brown appears to be doing fine health wise , and was in rare form all weekend with non-stop stories , and Big Jack is a part-time caretaker for an estate that includes a garage full of really nice cars . My thanks to both Hag and Bev for the excellent accommodations , food ( especially the excellent dinner we had the first day we arrived ), and for welcoming us to your home . I should also mention that Hag is working on a fairly significant overhaul of the cabin . He already had the front wall opened up and installed all new
windows which really brightened up the place . By the time the next reunion rolls around , he will have replaced much of the roof and installed a much larger deck out the front and perhaps an expanded second floor for more sleeping area .
From Hag : I decided to do a little rehab at the reunion cabin — the porch roof was way past the point of leaking , needed removed and replaced , so I figured I ’ d stretch things out and make a bigger and better party area , also adding a bunch of glass on that adjoining wall to brighten things up inside . My son Brett is helping and we got all the new windows / doors in , and are just about done with the porch tear off . Winter ’ s really settled in here , so may not pick back up on it until March . Also , keeping busy taking down ash trees on the property — our area is bearing the brunt of an Emerald Ash Borer infestation . The borers take over the trees , and in two years , they ’ re dead . There ’ s literally hundreds of ashes here and so far , I ’ ve bucked up 12 cords of firewood . It ’ s a nasty event to watch .
Got this email from Gary Marlin : Happy new year and congrats on your retirement . Seems like a lot of us are retiring , but being that I was the youngest in our class ( contrary to popular belief that Hag was the baby , I won ’ t be 63 until June ) I will have to keep selling carpet for a while longer . I had my right knee replaced last June , was going to do both but chickened out . Going to wait til I ’ m 65 if I can , and let Uncle Sam help me pay for it . No longer an empty nester , my son moved back in with his fiancé , ( wedding is in October of this year in Charlestown ). They are staying with us for a year or so while he studies for his master ’ s in health administration . My son is a kept man now , his fiancé is working full-time as a nurse in center city . The plan is , she works now while he studies and when he ’ s done , she will get her master ’ s while he goes to work . Does anybody else see where this is going … they ’ re never going to leave . Just kidding , my wife and I love their company and we told them they can stay as long as they want . Taking a guy ’ s weekend in Florida in the end of January , will be nice to be in 75-80-degree weather , but as I write this note , the forecast for Bucks County , Pa ., is 59 for tomorrow . Three days ago , it was in the teens . That ’ s about it for now . Hope everyone has a healthy and happy New Year . PS . Hey , Ken Taylor , call me , we are overdue for a lunch and maybe we can get Kuster to come , also .
Speaking of Ken Taylor : Hope everyone is well . Just a quick note from the Taylor family . June last year , Lynn and I have been married 40 years . My grandson will be six in a couple weeks . He is just a joy to be around . “ Pop-Pop ” sounds kind of nice to hear him say . Seems like yesterday I was driving my 66 GTO around the main entrance on our last weekend at Willy . Work is good , thinking about another two years till 65 to stop God willing . Happy New Year to all and may it be a good 2017 .
George or Else dropped me an email and told me that he and Pattie were enjoying retirement and getting ready to travel in their new RV they just purchased . After Christmas , they will be heading to Florida for a few weeks . And Paul Browne mentioned that he will be a grandfather for the first time in April this year . His “ baby girl is having a baby girl .” Congratulations ,