Milan Jackson

Terri, I spent 6 months at Ft. Jackson in 1963. It's wasn't the best of times. (laugh)

Milan Jackson

Jack Habich

Milan, any pictures of The Terrace, a short lived restaurant on the west side of Main Street near Market?  It had a green front to it.  I was a busboy there in the summer of '63, and kind of enjoyed it.

Harriett (Holly) Rust (Wood)

 I loved the picture of Miller Hardware.  When I was a little kid my dad took me one of three places (and on a big day all three) on Saturday morning....Ticks junkyard, Monkey Wards, and Miller Hardware.  He was an accomplished machinist, carpenter, and overall handyman.  I loved going with him as he looked for good deals on "stuff".  Maybe that is where I inherited the pleasure in hitting garage sales and resale shops.

Ed Stanfield

In the summer of '63 when we moved from Houston to Bloomington, we stayed at the Coachman until the movers got here with our household goods... It was a very nice place in those days..

Ed

Milan Jackson

God bless Steve Wilson and his family. I am glad we brought many smiles to him in his final days. Steve was a lot of why I am on here. We will miss you, Bud.

Milan Jackson

I remember the Terrace but I have nothing on it. Yet.

Jack Habich

Yep, regarding this web site,  Steve Wilson suggested (when I was trying to recruit him) "if nobody wants to do it, why don't you bring in Milan Jackson and buy him drinks at the get-togethers".  Steve and Milan really didn't even know each other.

Milan Jackson

I will probably never receive a better compliment than Steve gave me.

Cheryl Turner (Hitzner)

Just got home and read the post about Steve.  I just sent him another card on Thursday and . . . . I am sure he is in a better place with no suffering and pain.  His family is in my thoughts.

Victoria (Vicki) Daugherty (Kasper)

My sincere condolences to the family of Steve Wilson. I just recently sent him a short email, and he responded quite promptly. I didn't realize that Steve lived so close to me for so long. He is in a neighboring suburb not even 20 minutes from my home.

It is so nice to see new people and faces on this forum. I was in Bloomington recently for a short visit with family. I did see Diane Gardner and Cheri Wombacher Welch for a (too) short visit.

Best wishes to all of you. I do come in here to laugh and read about Bloomington and the "old days", and Boo Boo (Baxter Whirret) I am going to join you in the big "65" very soon!

Vicki (Daugherty) Kasper

Dianne Shaffer (Troxel)

I am very sad to hear about Steve's passing.   He and I went back to 5th grade.  He sent me a photo in January of our school field trip and we emailed each other with fond memoris.  His will be missed deeply by his family and friends.

Dianne Shaffer (Troxel)

Update on my life....as requested....I am still working at State Farm (22 years) and am thinking of retiring this year...not sure of a date as yet.  I am married (13 years but knew Roger for 8 before we married) to Roger Troxel (Terry's younger counsin) who is a Bloomington Fire Fighter.  We both enjoy riding the big Harley.  I had my own for 3 years and gave it up when my only grand child was born (did not have time or engery to ride after she was born) as I have had her 1 day and night since she was born and she is 5 now.  It's like having a mimi workout trainer....Exhausting but so much fun.  Roger and I enjoy not only riding with our HOG chapter friends, but we enjoy his many activites with his fire fighter friends but he is a AFFI Honor guard bag piper and is also involved with another local bagpiper group "Prairie Thistle".  It's fun but alot of hard work and practice on Roger's part.  He has 3 daugthers and 7 grand children and 2 of them and their families are in Texas so we head that way to visit as often as we can.  We recently have been support his 32 year old as she recovers from breast cancer of the worst type....God willing she has kicked it's butt....but it's been a hard journey.  I talked with Diane Gardner recently after the death of my mother and was delighted that she has not lost her sense of humor.  I am hoping to make it to one of the get togethers soon.  My best to all of you class of "64" treasures.

Milan Jackson

Dianne, your mother was part of what was valuable in our youth. Neighbors taking care of neighbors. She was a peach.

Judy Tynan (Danielson)

Was sorry to hear about Steve Wilson's passing but I did get to chat with him on his profile page a few weeks ago.  Glad for that.

Also my heart goes out to Rita (Moore) and Jim  Duncan on the sudden death of their daughter. I can't imagine losing a child.

Jack Habich

Steve Wilson called me about January 25th, to tell me about his worsening prognosis and thought I might want to let a few people know about it.  A few days later,  at the suggestion of 
Ann Bailen, I sent an e-mail off this web site, and he got an avalanche of supportive e-mails, cards, and verbal messages and e-mails to me (which I conveyed to him).  Some sent both e-mails and cards.  "I didn't want to create a circus" he said to me.  "What circus?" I asked, "I didn't force anybody to contact you".  I called him most every day, to check on him.

As the activity subsided, he started calling me.  "Just checking in" he would say, "how are you doing?"  I could tell he was undergoing withdrawal from the "circus".  It was obvious all the activity meant a lot to him, and he was frustrated that he couldn't respond.  Imagine yourself sitting in a bed, knowing your days are numbered, and even with morphine, just watching westerns and game shows all day.

When he got his IPad, it became his window to the world, specifically to old friends from the Class of '64.  This revived him.  As Vicki,  Dianne and Judy mentioned, he was e-mailing back and forth to them, as well as to Cheryl Turner and others.  He went on this web site daily, and that really made his days more tolerable.  He would talk about the "pushing pennies", the scraped nose, the Y dances, and other things on the Message Forum. 

When I went to his house last Tuesday, (like Vicki, I live just 15-20 minutes away), and opened my first IPad, he had it on and tuned in to "09 Reunion Pictures".  Somehow sensing his destiny, he had all the printed e-mail messages and cards ready to give to me, saying he did not need them anymore.

As Milan and I were talking, strange as it may sound, Steve played a major role in making this web site more successful.  After the intitial e-mail about Steve went out, people responded, visited this web site more carefully, liked what they saw and stayed.  Since then, the numbers and activity have dramatically increased.  Not his only legacy, but a legacy nevertheless.

Milan Jackson

At one point, I was trying to talk Sue Watson Ehrmantraut into taking the site over. We all knew that Marvin just didn't have the time to move the site forward. Sue wasn't sure she could do it. I was glad to find that the combination of Mike Eddings, Annie Bailen, and Jack Habich would make that commitment. Steve was an almost silent partner in that. I see this class pulling together to have a great site. By the way, Jack never did buy me those drinks. (laugh)

Judith (Judy) McLean (Wilder)

Hi Everyone, Sue Ehrmantraut said to tell you "hello".  Whitey and I spent the afternoon with her and Mike yesterday at the nursing home.  When we arrived she and Mike where watching the end of the Illini basketball game.  She was sitting in her wheelchair and they were both dressed in their orange and blue.  We had a good visit and since they've found an antibotic to deal with her infection she said she's feeling alot better.  Doing good in therapy but said her arms are really sore from the work out.  She looked great and is really improving so our prayers are working...keep them coming.  We're hoping she may be able to come home in a few weeks (if we don't have anymore set backs).  I told her that I had been reading the Message Forum on the class site and I was enjoying it alot.  So she told me to tell you all she said hello and hopes to get back on when she gets home.  We probably won't get back down to see her again until next weekend so if I have more news then I'll let you know.  

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Judy McLean Wilder 

Jack Habich

Milan, you misread Steve's intent.  It was not ME who was to buy you the drinks, but the locals at the get-togethers who wanted the web site to keep going but could not find any volunteers.  Having said that, I would buy you a drink anyway.  I just wanted to get Sue Ehrmantraut off my back.  I still have an e-mail which said only "You have to do it".  I always pushed her back and told her to do it.

Milan Jackson

I was looking forward to the drinks. (laugh)

Actually, I can't drink. I'm on vicodin.

Steve Jetton

Received Jack's sad message about Steve earlier today.  Like the rest of you, my thoughts go out to Steve's family.  I must say that you all certainly rallied in support of Steve, showing what great friends and classmates are about.

I really did not know Steve well but did have lunch with him and Jack within the past year or two.  Memory gets a little weak at this age, if you can believe that.  Anyhow, I got the impression that Steve found his niche in life and felt good about what he had accomplished.

I was impressed with his attitude going through this.  I was reading this morning and ironically stumbled upon a quote (an English writer, Joyce Clary - a male, the English seem to do this sort of thing with names) that made me think of Steve:

I look upon life as a gift from God.  I did nothing to earn it.  Now that the time is coming to give it back, I have no right to complain.

Good to hear that Sue is doing so well.  I'm not sure, however, that I'd recommend Illini basketball games as good therapy.  Worked out this time, though.

Terry (Max) Maxwell

I would also like to add my condolences to the family of Steve Wilson.  He is in a better place and will have no more pain and suffering.  My thoughts are with his family.

Also glad to hear that Sue is doing better.  Hope she is back in the saddle again soon.  Thanks for the updates, Judy.

Milan, I too, will buy you a drink... by the next time I see you, you will be off of the meds.

Harriett (Holly) Rust (Wood)

 I just checked email and heard the sad news about Steve.  It was wonderful to reconnect with him these last few weeks and laugh about some old memories.  Thank you for being the catalyst for it all Jack.  I think each of us received as much as we gave.  I believe in God's everlasting love and I feel certain that Steve is enjoying his walk in the light.

Although I did not know Sue had been ill, I am glad she is doing better.  I regret that I have been so negligent in keeping up with people through the years.  Raising seven children took up most of my time for many years, but I am gradually getting back into it!  I hope to make it to the get together this summer! 

Sandra Hammond (McHugh)

Sorry to hear about Steve he is in a better place now. The Class of 64 sticks together at times like this.

Cheryl Turner (Hitzner)

Was so glad to see so many new people have joined in on the message forum.  I, too, feel fortunate that Steve Wilson and I were able to chat on e-mail these last months.  I  didn't know him well enough in school to realize what a wonderful sense of humor he had.  Even in the last weeks, he was cracking jokes.  I wish I had taken the time to get to know him better earlier on.  I feel the Class of 1964 is very special and good times or bad, we all seem to be there for each other.

Another person I really didn't know well was Rita Duncan, but my heart also goes out to her and her family for the loss of their daughter.