Class of 1959 Newsletter: February 2007

From the Class of 1959 Newsletter: February 2007

Dear Classmates,

Greetings! This is our second Class of 1959 Newsletter. Our intention is to develop and send out a Newsletter quarterly to keep you up to date on activities leading up to our 50th class reunion at Homecoming in June of 2009. Also, it will give you the opportunity to catch up on news of old classmates as they share what has been going on in their lives.

We look forward to seeing you along with all our fellow classmates joined together once again at our Homecoming Picnic on Frontenac Field. I know 2009 seems like a long way off right now, but as we get older, (and I know you are about my age) time has a way of passing quickly. So we are starting now - to plant the seed – so that we can build momentum and have a fantastic 50th on Terrace Heights.
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I have been in contact with many classmates; however, to make “The Class of ’59 will shine at Homecoming 2009” more than just a slogan we need your help:

1) I need your input. Your classmates are interested in you – and what you have been doing since your days “On the Bluff.” I have agreed to write this Newsletter but in order to make it interesting I am depending on you to feed me a blurb about yourself, your family, and activities, and other information, to be included in subsequent Newsletters.

2) Plan now to attend our Homecoming in 2009. Make a mental note to yourself that you will attend. For those of you who have not been back on campus for a while - you are in for a big treat. The physical facility has developed into a wonderful University that continues to increase the quality of education offered to each individual student. And I am certain that the staff at Saint Mary’s will make sure that our Homecoming Weekend will be a fantastic experience for all of us.

3) As a lasting statement of our gratitude for the important influence Saint Mary’s provided us during our young lives in the 50’s, we developed a Class Gift program. Ken Ortman, (you remember him as the last team member to make it down court during our basketball games in the old gym) has been very active in organizing a campaign including visits and calls to classmates to achieve a gift representative of our outstanding class. Ken has arranged with Saint Mary’s to allow our gifts to be accumulated from 2006-2009 into one gift amount, the total sum contributed to be our 50th Reunion Gift amount. So please be generous in your participation.

t has been suggested that a spring Golf Outing in the Chicago area could be developed if there is interest. Contact Ken Ortman at: KJOrtman@comcast.net or (847) 304-0949 if you would like to participate.

One recommendation I received for future Newsletters was to include current pictures of classmates. We could display your current picture (that you must supply) and have a contest for classmates to match pictures of "Then & Now". Meg Richtman from the Saint Mary's Alumni Office has agreed to resurrect the "then" pictures. So send a current picture of yourself to Meg Richtman, Director of Alumni Relations, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, 700 Terrace Heights #21, Winona, MN 55987 or mrichtma@smumn.edu.

Also, Harry Bock has been unable to contact Steve Kral. The number he has is no longer valid. He needs help. (Of course, we all knew that.)

If you have any ideas about making this Newsletter better I would appreciate your suggestions. Following are some Class of 1959 Notes about your classmates accumulated during contacts made during the months of November and December.

Harry Plotke

CLASS NEWS

Art Fedro – Darien, Illinois
Art remarried a lovely woman named Wanda with three children, seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. That was quite an addition to his family of one daughter (Lisa) and a four year old grandson. Before Wanda, Art was single for 23 years (living the good life?). He retired from Argonne National Laboratory in 1994 and from Northern Illinois University in 1999. He likes to play golf and travel, usually spending the months of January and February following the PGA Tour in California and Arizona. If things go as planned, Art and Wanda intend to attend Homecoming in 2009.

Len Plein – Sun City, Arizona
Len and Pat, his wife for 43 years, love living in Arizona where they have lived for the last 26 years. He spent five years in the Navy and 20 years in the Naval Reserves, retiring as a Captain in 1987. Before moving to Arizona he lived and worked throughout California, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and the San Francisco area. Len retired from Industrial Indemnity Insurance as an Audit Manager in 1992. He contributes regularly to Saint Mary’s and has made his pledge to our Class Gift for our 50th Anniversary.

Thad (aka Thaddeus) Trenn – Colborne, Ontario - Canada
Thad relates that there is something really significant in the number 50 for all of us. He is retired but still teaching at the University of Toronto. He states that “We were together for only 4 years in Winona, and since have been “elsewhere” for nearly 5 decades. We know what we did but who knows what anyone else did? He suggested forming a website or blog for anyone to update everyone else on what they have been doing. Then let’s get together for our 50th to go eyeball to eyeball in Winona.” Thad sent a generous 2006 check to the Class of'59 Gift Fund. He pledged to duplicate his gift in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Also, God willing, he plans to be in attendance for our 50th Homecoming reunion. He included a Christmas poem and an article titled “Science and the Mystery of the Human Person” that he wrote for “Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith.”

Mike Morrison – Aiken, South Carolina
After reading in the last Newsletter of me and my wife Jane square dancing, Mike notes that he and Mary have been square dancing for 33 years. When he stopped to think about that amount of time, it seemed like a huge amount of time spent without beer!!! Since the 2007 National Square Dance Convention is being hosted by both North and South Carolina in Charlotte – June 27-30, he is encouraging everyone to attend. He prefers to be a “casual dress” dancer, not getting into square dance clothes. Besides, the square dance shops don’t carry his size. Mike and Mary are located on the Savannah River just across from Augusta, Georgia

Tom O’Brien – Lakeville, Minnesota
Tom has visited Saint Mary’s since he attended in the 50’s but it was quite a while ago. He worked in sales but is now retired. He has four children, two boys and two girls. Tom enjoy’s a good Saint Mary’s memory of Pete Duszynski cooking frog legs in the room. (Electric hot-plates weren’t allowed in the dorm, were they?) He would like to see some of his “Vet” buddies in attendance at our 50th reunion.

Dr. Dale Kaiser – Fort Collins, Colorado
Dale retired five years ago from the Orthopedic Center of the Rockies, where he spent the last 35 years in general orthopedics. He still does some surgical assisting and consulting with the firm. He and his wife Carole have five children. He last visited the Saint Mary’s campus about 20 years ago when he attended his son Greg’s ’86 graduation. Dale is an avid crossword puzzle guy, and likes golf and travel. Volunteer work includes Parish Council and at the Children’s Charity Clinic. He will make every effort to be at our 50th and he has made his pledge to our Class Gift for our 50th Anniversary.

Tom Weidenkopf – New Brighton, Minnesota
Tom retired from his first profession of computer engineering at Unisys in St. Paul, Minnesota. He and his wife Ginny of 39 years are snowbirds spending some of the winter near St. Petersburg, Florida where he practices his hobby of “home improvement” by building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Visitors are welcome in FL and MN.

Jim Struble – Dallas, Texas
Jim is hoping to attend the 50th and contribute to the Gift Fund. He has not been back to campus and was shocked to hear about the changes since 1959. Much of his time after graduation has been spent in the Office Equipment business in Arizona, New York, and Texas.

William O'Connor – Coral Springs, Florida
Bill attended our 25th anniversary at SMC and hopes to return for the 50th. He is interested in and will consider the IRA donation opportunity and believes it's an excellent way to contribute. Following graduation Bill received his Engineering degree from the University of Illinois. Bill stays in touch with Jim Charles and Tom Weidenkopf. He saw Jim Charles in London where Jim was a civilian math teacher for the U.S. Air Force.

Dick Pavilon – Duvall, Washington
Dick resides in Duvall with his wife Charma, his two step children, and to be close to 4 grandchildren. Dick spent his whole career in teaching. He taught for 21 years at Willibrord Catholic in Chicago. He then moved to Vallejo, CA where he spent 17 years at St. Patrick/St. Vincent School. He last visited Saint Mary's in 1979 to attend a cousin's graduation, one of four cousins who graduated from Saint Mary's. His plan is to make the reunion in 2009, and he recently sent his class gift in to the school.