David Long

Sitting on the patio with a book - Boys in the Boat - a cup of coffee (not Maxwell House) enjoying all the bees buzzing around the Rose of Sharon. 

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Love the book Boys in the Boat!  If you are interested you can go to YouTube and search for the 1936 Berlin Olympics rowing and see the actual video.

this is the Montlake Cut that the crews race through here.  The boat in the book would have trained through here every day they trained.

James (Jim) Rookus

Wendy ... most of tHe 50+ Hawaiian shirts are in my lower level storage closet mostly not worn for two years.  if I get in the Hawaiian shirt mood to resurrect them I'll try to get some photos.  
Dave... love the Reyn Spooner's ... have a couple vintage I found on eBay.  I'd trade all 50 ( except the Tommy Bahamas) for your 12 Reyn Spooners😀🏝🏖🍍 Dave did you live there or only travel there for work?

Just finished the best family day since Christmas!  First time all grand kids at one and for the first time I didn't have to cook, grill and clean it all up for them!  They all ate at home after church and then converged at the pool, 😊😀👍

James (Jim) Rookus

so weird ... second time recently that the picture was uploaded on the previous post but didn't show up with the diallogue !

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

This is the finish line in the Montlake Cut.  I took the picture earlier this evening.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

OK, I'm usually the last one to post on the topic of the day. But I'm still up and it's after midnight so here goes on HOW I ENDED UP LIVING WHERE I DO.

When we all graduated BHS in 1964, I fulfilled my dream by going to the Art Institute of Chicago. Three weeks after turning 18, I was enrolled in classes that taught art history, photography and figure drawing with nude models. For two months I lived in a wino hotel, a block from a biker bar, two burlesque houses, and an Army-Navy surplus store. It was all very strange. Without warning, Marv came to Chicago and we shared a modest apartment not far from Lake Michigan. In 1966 he enlisted in the Army and I was on my own again. For the next five years I lived in no fewer than a dozen different places until finally finding a studio. It was one of my favorite of all the places I've ever lived, but it came with a fair amount of crime, a brief marriage and a divorce. Afterwards I found a studio in an art community on South Halsted Street in Chicago. Four years later, I remarried in 1978 for the second time and purchased an amazing Victorian home in Morgan Park. That lasted 16 years. By then I had two children, had been chair of the art department at St. Xavier College, and was running a small graphic design business. I loved that old house, but the marriage was a disaster. On a trip to Russia in 1992, I met a woman who lived in a condo in Chicago's South Loop. Two years later, while in the final stages of my second divorce, I bought a 2-bedroom condo two floors below my friend who has since died. Shortly afterwards, I added a 3-bedroom condo next door. There were five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, two kitchens, a studio and two dining rooms, which became known as Hotel Mel. When my son grew up and moved out, I sold the 2-bedroom joint and have for over 15 years been living alone. After all my trips to Europe and Russian, I can honestly say that Chicago is not only my home, but one of the best places in the world to live. My children are here, my granddaughter is here, all the artists I've befriended are here, and it is within reach of Bloomington, Marv and most of my Raider64 friends. It is unlikely that I'll ever move again and even less likely that I'll ever marry again. Except for finding a life partner, it is everything I could want. My home is close enough to the Art Institute, Lake Michigan and the Loop, that I rarely use my car and walk everyplace.

Where I live now in 2000 before downsizing after my son moved out.

Jack Keefe

Thirty years after graduation in 1964 I moved back to Bloomington. In that three-decade hiatus I earned my degree from Ohio State; owned homes in Upper Arlington, Ohio, Wichita, Rockford and Champaign. All this time I was in TV journalism, working at CBS and NBC affiliates, operating their news departments. My 26-year marriage broke up in Champaign in 1992, and I left there for a job in Peoria two years later, But the Peoria gig didn't work out and I found myself on the bricks with no job. It turned out I was part of a general housecleaning.  

At that point, classmate Denny Alexander made a pitch to me to come home and sell real estate for him. Most of you know that he and his father had a Century 21 office in town. I had no other prospects, liked the idea of the work, and my mother was getting older, so I moved to Bloomington. I got my license, and classmate Mike Eddings gets a lot of credit for training me (he was a Century 21 agent too, at the time.) So I sold houses until I retured in 2017. 

I still renew my real estate broker's license and collect referral fees on the business that comes my way. 

Janet and I were married in 2013, ending 21 years of single life for me. She likes Bloomington so my dream of someday returning to Columbus permanently is probably DOA. I have owned or co-owned three houses in Bloomington since 1994 -- two of them are still in our names. Reconnecting with the classmates of 1964 has been an important element of my life here, and one of the happiest. 

Wendy -- nice topic for today. Thanks for the suggestion. 

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

After graduating from BHS in 1964, I went to the University of Denver.  A good friend was from San Francisco.  She invited me to spend spring break sophomore year, with her in SF.  I did and fell in love with the city, deciding to move there when College was finished, which I did in 1968.  Got married in 1969.  I was working for a law firm and going to grad school at night to get a degree in library science.  My husband worked for a bank, in the international section.  In 1971 he was offered the chance to go to Hong Kong with the company.  We decided to do so, thinking it would be a two year break for me from grad school, etc.  

nine years and two kids later, after postings in Hong Kong and then Singapore, we moved back to SF.  Then the bank decided they wanted to leave the international finance side of the business and since that was/is Jim's forté, he accepted a job in Seattle with a company that had a large presence in the Asia Pacific region.  By now I was pretty much the traditional wife/mom/volunteer.  Brownies, Cub Scouts, PTA, etc.

that was in 1982 that we moved to Seattle.  Jim has worked for a number of different companies, but we have decided to stay here.  It is home now for sure after 38 years.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

PS...I forgot to mention I didn't finish the library science degree but have volunteered in almost every school library and am in charge of a small private library in Seattle.

David Long

How did I get where I am today?

by Dave (Dusty) Long

Born not too far away from Bloomington, in Clinton.  Moved to Bloomington (East Street) when I was 4 and then to Low Street when I was 5.  Lived on Low Street until joining the Marines in 1966 after dropping our to Illinois Wesleyan giving up my track scholarship.  Went to boot camp in San Diego and then had orders to Marine Barracks 8th & I in DC.  Being a White House guard was not why I joined the Corps and I requested reassignment to Viet Nam.  The Marines honored my request and I landed in Nam in July 1967.  Having 2 years of college and knowing how to spell and type, I was immediately assigned as a company clerk for Third Battalion - 3/3/3.  Again, that's not why I joined the Corps and I requested a field assignment.  I mean, I know that someone has to be a paper pusher, but I joined to be a combat Marine, so after they checked my mental faculties, they determined that I could go to the field and as chance would have it, the Forward Observer for India company had just been KIA. So that's what I did between 7/67 - 4/69 = what the Marines call a grunt.

Returned to the states in April of '69 with orders to Embassy Duty which I had to decline as I choose to get married.  My Colonel, Captian, and sargeant Major all tried to talk me out of getting married and to take the assignment as being posted to a foreign embassy was prime duty.  I ended up turning it down to get married and was then stationed at the Marine Reserve Center in Columbus, OH where it was my honor to be on the color guard for all the funerals of Marines KIA that lived in Central Ohio.  My other duty was being in charge of the company armory and training the weekend warriors (aka Marine Corps reservists) in map and compass and in escape and evasion tactics.  While in Columbus, with my 1st wife, I got a part-time job at the NEW WCOL radio station.  I know Jack remembers that one.  Leaving the Marine Corps, moved back to Bloomington in 1971.

Worked for several years at State Farm (used to play tennis with Ed Rust).  Got divorced in '75 and in '76 took a job with a company called HBO, not Home Box Office, and was asked to open their office in  Pittsburgh, PA where I actually lived in Corriopalis, PA.  In '79 was recruited away from HBO to work for SMS.  Moved back to Columbus in '79 and met Dorothy the 2nd weekend I was there.  We married in '80 and in '83 moved to Downingtown, PA where I was assigned to SMS corporate H.Q..  I had responsibility for a number of clients around the country and then 2 international assignments, the 1st to Tokyo but didn't move the family as it was only 2 months and then to England for roughly 2 years living in Teddington, UK.  Assignments there took in Northern Ireland, Holland, Spain, Southern Ireland or Ireland.

From Teddington, UK we moved back to Downingtown, PA and then took another transfer to the SMS Miami office but actually lived in Valrico, FL (Tampa area) as I only had responsibility for 1 client - Tampa General Hospital.  From there it was a transfer to the Kansas City Office and '92 we moved to the current area, Overland Park, KS.  We've had two homes here.  Left SMS to join Dorenfest, a Chicago based firm but continued to live in KS.  Left Dorenfest after 3 years and join Cerner where I had responsibilities for all the Cerner hospital clients in the US.  A lot of travel so we broke the territory in 1/2 and I got to keep the western half of the US, which of course included Hawaii.  Still lots of travel but usually home every weekend.  Retired from Cerner in '10.  Still live in Overland Park, KS.  For those of you who might be interested, Interstates 70 and 35 run in both directions so if you're passing by, would love to have you stop by.

David Long

Seeing Wendy's post, I guess a PS is in order.  I tried going back to college when I got out of active duty but didn't get along well with a couple of professors at ISU and decided it wasn't worth the effort.  So, I don't have a degree, just 2 years at IWU.  C'est le risque!

David Long

Jim,

In answer to your question, I actually only have 7 Reyn Spooner shirts and 4 Tommy Bahama and 1 with the label worn off or torn off.  I worked in Hawaii several days a month for a couple of years.  Did you know that Reyn has a warehouse sale every January?  It's a great time to be there, especially when you have a great friend that lives there and knows all the back roads and streets to get past the major lines.  Aloha Shirts are the work shirts in Hawaii - DON'T show up for a meeting wearing a tie if you value the tie!

David Long

Wendy,

Thanks for the pictures - haven't read too much of the book yet but they have dicussed the area where the crew had a water vista.  Beautiful.

Joan Pease (Clark)

How I Landed Where I Am   ( I feel I should write my name in the upper, right-hand corner with my homeroom number and the date.)

In 1962, our family moved to the Coachella Valley. My uncle had purchased a hotel called Place in the Sun in Palm Springs and coaxed Dad to leave his job at Eureka Williams and bring us to California. Mom's asthma had become increasingly severe, and the move allowed her to live several more years. We lost her in 1975, and Dad passed in 1997. Twin John lost his battle with lung cancer in 1993.

After graduating in 1964 from Palm Springs High, I attended the local junior college, took a year off to write for Palm Springs Life magazine then moved to San Diego with the intention of getting a journalism degree at San Diego State. However, 1968 had many more interesting things going on, so I left school and eventually married my beau Tod. That marriage broke up in '73 when he dropped out of law school to go to a monastery at Mt. Shasta, CA. (We remain friends.) 

I had a long romance with Alton, which began in 1979 and culminated in married in 1999. Sadly, I lost him to liver/heart complications in 2005; he was an art director, and we made our home in Rancho Mirage, CA. I have been living in the same place ever since and am only 20 minutes from the hotel that drew us to California in 1962.

I've grown to love the desert, even though we're heading into the stifling summer (expecting 110 degrees on the Fourth of July.)

Thanks for this idea of getting to know each other better!

Regina (Sue) Petersen (Koppenhoefer)

I need to play catch-up—

I know this has been mentioned many times, but the topic caused me to reflect quite a lot and I need to mention them because they were both so wonderful.  So favorite teacher -- is a toss up between Mrs. Calhoun and Mr. Holzhauer.  Mrs. Calhoun encouraged me so much with the writing assignments.  I actually signed up for advanced Biology in summer school one year because I loved Mr. Holzhauer’s Biology class so much.  It was a small group, and one day he took us to somewhere on the Mackinaw River to catch frogs for the next year’s Biology class.  Collections — I collect old and new dishes, antiques, and quilts.  Favorite mug — I love Polish Pottery so I have a few favorite cups.  How you ended up where you are — in 1978 my husband’s IBM sales territory included LaSalle, Grundy, and Livingston counties, and since Seneca had the best school district we have lived in this quite little town on the Illinois River ever since.  It was a wonderful safe place to raise our children.  I do read all the posts on this page, but don’t always take the time to comment.  I look forward to checking my e-mail each day because of this group.  I especially love seeing all the pictures that are shared.  I loved the picture of Mel’s place - it is so Mel!

James (Jim) Rookus

First must compliment Sue on her good taste in MUGS !  We have a bunch of Polish poetry around our hose too!  All finished buying that stuff ... too$$$$$$$$$  How I got where we are...  Born in Grand Rapids and adopted at 2 weeks old... parents divorced at age 10 a year later moved to grandparents home in far NW side of Chicago with Mom .... during 4 years of Hoffman Scool move dto B'ton due to. I.A.A, job transfer from Chicago, live din a ne w ranch in Fairway Estates a block from Bill Rust... we became friends and he always rode to school with me ... went to U of I major in Architecture .... love designing homes ...became disalusioned with the 5 year ciriculum designing airports and shopping centers just to become an architect to design homes so left that for a music major (Organ) back to small Christian college back home in Grand Rapids living with Dad for year.  Met wife in October ( at school .. both music majors)..fell hard and asked her to marry me NewYears eve ... officially engaged with diamond in March and married in August ( 54 yrs this Aug).  After  2 years of not getting along with BACH on the keyboard and poor counsel from my grad student teacher...  I quite and went into dads business with him (siding & roofing co.)  soon I figured I didn't like that for a career so ended up a clothing sales / manager in finest men's store in GR... after a couple years they sold out... fired all of us young guys .... that's when I found my "niche" I Real Estate... got licensed in Feb 1971 opened ny own office in 1976 ... franchised with C-21 in 1977 ... after years of broker / owner responsible for 20+ agents by age 40 I burned out ... too much responsibility and discovered 80% of my take home income was still generated from my own personal sales while the office management responsibilities took 65% of my time.  It was like having a great paying part time job and a very low pay full time job...  I woke up to reality and and sold out ... went to Re/Max for a while and then to my own small independent with my son soon to join me... still lovin it ... thus stayed in Grand Rapids all those years ( far west suburb of Hudsonville) only 30 min from 3 Lake Michigan tourist hot spots for summer beach activity.  it's funny how only living in B'ton for 4 years... but because of the high scool years it feels like HOME to this day.  Looking at maps and growth ,... I see B'ton has a PORTiLLOs... my favorite Chicago Eatery .... that could almost make me move back!!!

James (Jim) Rookus

mistake... Hoffman scool  ... should be HIGH SCHOOL

David Long

Travel Experiences

I'm in O'hare in the late 70's and in line at the ticket counter trying to get my boarding pass to some where on the west coast as I don't remember the exact details of the flights, only that it was a TWA.  There was a lady in front of me that was being very rude to the ticket agent, very loud, calling her names, saying Don't You Know Who I Am?, etc.  The ticket agent was being very polite and said, yes Ms Steinem, I do know who you are but I'm sorry you're incoming flight was late and your connecting flight has already departed.

This is where it gets a little funny to the point of being ridiculous.  Gloria then asks why they didn't hold the flight for her, after all she was only 30 minutes late and it wasn't her fault the flight she was on was late getting to the airport.  Don't you know that I have a very important presentation to make and I MUST get on that flight!  The gate agent was very polite and was trying to find another flight for her, but she kept being berated and berated while quite a line was forming all trying to get boarding passes.  Gloria was asked to have a seat while they looked for another flight for her and also took care of the people trying to get to their flights, me included, which was the last straw.  Gloria demanded to speak with a supervisor and refused to move aside.  When I said, "excuse me please, I'd like to get my boarding pass so I can catch my flight", she said just wait until I'm through....After another couple of minutes with no action from TWA she yelled at the counter agent that "I've had it, I'm never flying TWA again!" and starting storming away.  I said "I think I speak for TWA and everyone in line behind you, we are very happy to hear you say that!"

Now the good part, the agent at the counter upgraded me from coach to 1st class and thanked me profusely, as she had wanted to say that, but couldn't.   

Something I've learned and have done during my 35 years of weekly travel, always be polite to the people at the counter whether it's airlines, car rental, or hotel check in and the especially flight attendants.  The people behind the counter face disgruntled people for most of their day and deserve some kindness and appreciation.  I've never understood why people take out their frustration on the one person that can help them.

James (Jim) Rookus

Dave and Jack might appreciate this... took Dave's idea of Hawaiian style business dress and listed a home this AM Hawaiian style.  I figures since it has a multi level waterfall feature it was appropriate dress!  Jack ...these days real estate dress code is much more relaxed than the days of the ugly mustard colored C-21 sport coats we used to wear!

Guess I'm laying down on the job .... sideways again !!!  Maybe Marv will straighten me up 😀

David Long

Jim.  Where is the home listed?

James (Jim) Rookus

Dave... the home listed  is in Grand Rapids...  Not as exotic as if in Hawaii !  You and Julie inspired me to dig out some of my Hawaiian shirts to wear this summer ... so here are a few if them ... these are not the floral ones ... mostly geometric designs the rest are mostly floral or leafy ( is that a word Mr Webster? )

guess I lied ... one black gray and orange floral got included.

David Brock

Travel Misadventuures  We were on an end of summer trip many years ago.  Destination: Grand Canyon and the eneral area.  All went well until the last day.  We were in Flagstaff, Az. and our return flight to Phoenix, then St. Louis had been cancelled.  No notice, no warnings, no nothing.  We caught the next flight out of Flagstaff--a several hour delay.  The carrier was a regoinal affilliate with one of the major carriers.  The fun came when the evening operations all went through Las Vegas, Nv, not Phoienix.  We flew to Las Vegas for the night (a great place for the family to speend an unexpected  evening)  to Phoenix, then to St. Louis in the morning..  That was a true 'red-eye' flight--got back to St. Louis about 8 AM.  All of us were were pretty exhasted for a day or 2.

James (Jim) Rookus

Travel misadventure.... summer 1982.... vacation trip teaching the 4 boys some history... destination Washington DC... who in their right mind drives into the heart of DC in a 32 ft motor home???  ME !!!   In an attempt to find parking around Lincoln's Memorial, I wound up in a traffic circle with no choice but to cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge into Arlington Cemetary only to turn around and head back to LM.  At the point to make the U turn, I didn't slow down enough, took the U turn too fast and the fridge door flew open resulting in a dozen eggs crashing to the floor... one unhappy wife !!!   Then the next day driving NW up Massachesets AVE to check out the National Cathedral, I thought we had driven too far (actually it was only about another half mile ahead) so I wanted to turn around.  To my left I saw a nice wide drive that appeared to be the entrance to a park, so I waited for a break in opposing traffic,  made a fast left turn into this drive and was quickly met by two very stern looking Marines bearing rifles.   As it turned out this was the PRIVATE entrance to the Naval Observatory where the Vice President resides!  I was not very welcomed.  They did agree to allow me to turn around and leave!  Now to the best part of the trip the visit to the Capitol.  Fortunately on my first try, found two metered parking places about 3 blocks west of the Capitol on Independence Ave that borders the south side of the building.  As we were walking back to the motor home after our Capitol tour... the closer we approached the motor home I noticed a rather large crowd around it.  To our surprise there was a Yellow Cab protruding out of the rear end of our motor home!  We were the last two parking spaces in front of a large office building, so behind our motor home was a drop off zone.  This cab somehow smashed into the passenger side which was against the curb.  His two passenger side wheels were on the sidewalk perfectly parallel to the walk way with his hood under the right corner of the motor home under our bed.  He just missed the propane tanks by inches.  Seeing this it was hard to imagine how the cab got in the present position driving down the street on the opposite side of the motor home.  After about an hour, the police finally arrived.. and with the help of my 10 yr old who investigated the front seat of the cab and found a licquor bottle on the seat.  They determined the cabbie was drunk and we drove back to Michigan with a large open hole visible from the inside hearing all the road noise all the way home.  Once home the end result was trading in and ordering a new motor home with the perfect floor / sleeping plan for each boy to have a no touch zone away from each other for sleeping!  We made lemonade out of lemons!  

Jack Keefe

A couple of replies:

Jim -- the Century 21 blazer was being phased out as I was getting into the business in 1994. None the less, I bought one so I would have something to wear in 100-year old nasty basements and not ruin my shirt and tie. With my family, I never called it the Century 21 blazer. Instead it was "The Costume." At one time, we had four members of the Class of 64 in the office: Denny Alexander, Mike Eddings, Ann Bailen and me. (Apologies to anyone I left out, and there could be.) Anyway, our sales meetings had an air of a class reunion about them. 

And to Dave Brock -- a fun fact about the Grand Canyon. The first white man to explore the canyon was John Wesley Powell. At the time, he was on faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. A statue of him stands in front of the Ames Library on the campus. 

To everyone else -- Keep the great stories coming.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

I could describe delayed flights, etc. but instead I have a story.  Crossing the Pacific in the air, almost always there is an area of turbulence.  Once when I was flying to the US with my kids, then 5 and 3, it was particularly rough.  John, the five year old, was not happy,  but then he smiled and said "Oh I know what Mommy,  we are crossing the dateline and those are the dates!"