Pete Wood

To my classmates:  We on the East Coast are still digging out from under the biggest snow dump of the past 100 years.  If I knew how, I would post a couple of photos.  Today I'm flying to Fla. to join my teammates in Ft. Myers in the annual Ponce De Leon spring traininf baseball tournament.  They shifted me from CF to LF a couple years ago, when someone claimed I had lost a step or two when chasing flyballs!  As Satchell Paige once said "keep running, the bad guys might be gaining on you."  Well, maybe that wasn't exactly what Satch said, but I think you get the idea:)))))

Pete (El Surdo)

Chuck Holly

Not much has been written for nearly 2 1/2 years.  Hope everyone is well and probably so busy that they can't find the time. Lets energize this website.  Did you know there is some sort of website offering you to write something of your rememberances of Tempe?  I'll have to go back to my emails (chuckholly@cox.net) or Facebook to see how I happened upon it.  I'll check it out and get back to you.

Pete Wood

Hi Chuck.  Yep, it has been a while.  I hope to see many classmates at the upcoming coffee on Oct. 25.  

Louise Bonenberger (Snell)

Alive and still able to kick in NM although not able to target shoot. RA is progressing to where I can't hold the gun but enjoy watching my husband and being outdoors. Very smokey summer skies from Durango and CA fires so looking forward to a wet, snowy, clear sky winter. 

Irene (Helen) Murphy (Hobbs)

All is well in Spring Valley, CA.  As they say, "No News is Good News".  Have been attend way too many funerals and celebrations of life ceremonies these days.  Still preparing tax returns and looking forward to what happens with the filing of the 2018 taxes.  We attended my aunt's 100th birthday in Berrville, Arkansas in June. Like most of my classmates, the last birthday brought about the three quarters of a century mark.

Louise Bonenberger (Snell)

Chuck Holly's message about memories of Tempe brought back a memory of a picture of my mom and me at the Tempe city limit sign on the cornor of Apache and McClintock approx 1951-1952. Now Tempe has better than 180,000 population, no wonder I feel lost when returning. I'm living living in a county of 40,000-60,000. Hope I entered pics correctly. Same corner looking west toward Tempe.

Chuck Holly

Very cool to see your early-day photo of that road (street) corner.  So much has changed.  Luckily, I have very clear, good memories of growing up in Tempe. Since I've moved from the beach area of So. California, I've been so happy to rekindle old friendships with our Tempe HS classmates.  Some of those I've found in the area were people that I hardly knew while a student. We live in Fountain Hills at the very east side where we are so close to the beautiful desert, easy to get to Saguaro Lake, the Salt River, and the Rim.

Pete Wood

Wow, nice photos of the street corner!  Last week I drove down Apache looking to see if the small structure that was once "Frank's Friendly Tavern"..........(near Rural Road and Apache}.  Nope, gone.  I had a couple of beers there about 4-5 yrs ago, to bring back some old memories.  I used to see some coaches of several sports there in the old days.

Dick Erickson

It’s always fun to get caught up on the ole classmates. Things are changing up here in the PNW. We have put our “The Villa at Little Cape Horn” B&B up for sale. Finally we are getting out of the wedding venue and the Bed an Breakfast business. Also we have a contest on our brewery.. should close before the end of the year.

Now we just need a rich Californian to come up and buy the Villa. If you haven’t visited you better make plans this summer. We have started construction on a garage/ Apartment to move into until we build our new retirement home. We have divided our land into 2 one acre tracts. We are building down on the Rivers Edge.

Once finished we can join all you retired folks and start traveling. I hope to be back in town next Fall.  Keep adding to the site it’s fun to see what everyone is up to.

Pete Wood

Hey Dick,  Good to hear your news.  Be careful of moving too close to water; it's risky.  but Good luck on the plans!  I was just in Tempe for the coffee last week; was hoping to see you too!  Pete Wood

Dick Erickson

Thanks Pete: we will be high and dry, building on pilings. Hope to catch up next fall. This is a beach photo of me re newing wedding vows for
my daughter and son-in-law. We did a lot of weddings.. just some cool photos of some.

Danyel (Dan) Clark

Who will help with a 60 Year Reunion?

If there is to be a 60 year class reunion, their needs to be volunteers to step forward to start planning. If you have some ideas and would like to share your organizational talents sign up by responding to this announcement. There are plenty of resources to help available on our web site. So, what are you waiting for? Sign in and sign on.

Still unsure, want more information before making a commitment? Give me a call or drop me an email. Dan Clark:

de.clark43@gmail.com

Cell: 714.865.6227

Pete Wood

I am pretty busy taking care of grandkids, but I might be able to help some.........

Pete Wood

Herb McLure

Hi Dan: Jane and I will help any way we can, but we're far away and out of touch with what Tempe has become. We will certainly attend a reunion if we're able. We would also attend the coffee gatherings too, but they always occur during one of my softball seasons. Maybe this October will be different since we are still not sure whether we will play this year. We made some notes to remember after the 50th reunion, which I thought was very well organized and enjoyable. We liked the high school tour (hard to believe how familiar it felt). We thought the cash bar and heavy hors d'oeurvres (had to look up the spelling) worked very well because we had a chance to wander around and visit everyone. We enjoyed the dinner and program, but it limited the number of people we could visit with for a big chunk of time. On the other hand, being able to sit down was, by that time of the evening, welcome, and we're all going to be 10 years older this time. So, we'd suggest more time to circulate and less time at a single table, but still some program time where we all participate together. I enjoyed the quiz thing we did at the 40th because it brought back memories of common experiences. Something like that to trigger memories might work again. As always, we greatly appreciate your willingness to keep the Class of 61 a vibrant entity. Cheers. Herb

Bob Burger

Dan:

Call me if I can help!

e-mail:  bburger0102@gmail.com

phone:  602-316-7061

Bob Burger

Larry Windes

Cindy (Class of 72) and your's truly are planning to be in Tempe at our daughter, Vanessa's home during most of the reunion and are are looking forward to seeing all you "remainders of the day."

Pura Vida,

Larry

Pete Wood

To Larry Windes, saw your message.  I will also be there.  I made a reservation at the hotel, but could also stay at my brother's.  Was thinking I'd see more people at the hotel.  Looking forward to seeing classmates.  Pete Wood

Herb McLure

I regret to have to say that Jane and I won't be able to attend the 60th reunion after all. A health issue came up that has to be attended to. We hope it will turn out to be minor, but can't travel until we find out. We were looking forward to seeing our classmates and our home town and hope we can visit sometime soon. We also want to thank Dan and everyone else who worked to make the reunion possible. It isn't easy and I hope you don't feel it was a thankless task. Jane and I appreciate your effort and wish you and all our classmates the best.

Cheers, Herb

Ralph Bell

Gary Miller

On Sunday August 21 my best friend for more than 65 years, John Farrington, passed this life into the presence of Our Lord after a long battle with leukemia. John was a TUHS ALL-STAR point guard, an avid hunter and fisherman. Most of all he was a Christian who set an example for us all, especially me. John is survived by his wife Shari, 6 children, brother Jim, and sister Pat along with 12 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.  A memorial service will be held at Highlands Church, 9050 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale, on September 10 (his birthday) at 10:00am.   Gary Miller

2022

Pete Wood

Thanks to GARY MILLER  for letting us know about the passing of John Farrington.  I remember John well from H.S. days, we were good friends.  And I remember seeing John at one of our recent coffees in Tempe; we had a nice conversation then.  I learned from Gary a year or two ago that John was not well.  I wanted to go see him, but Show Low is too far from Maryland.  This is sad news for sure.

Bob Burger

Played basketball with John for 3 years at TUHS--a good friend who will be missed.  I was fortunate to be in Show Low last year where John had a summer home and we visited for over an hour recalling "old times".  Thanks Gary for the information on John's service--hope to see many "old buffaloes" there!

Bob

Ronald Carr

Hi All,

This is Ron Carr,  Just wanted you to know that in November of 2024 I came down with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Spent all of December in the City of Hope Hospital in Goodyear, Arizona.  Am now dealing with it on a daily basis at hoime in Prescott.  I have updated my email address since I am no longer able to work for 
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, so I am officially retired.

Ron

Robert (Bob) Compton

Pete Wood

Wow!  The news of Jack Poe's passing hit me hard!  I had sent him a message just two days ago, when I was in AZ.  I was asking him why he was not responding to me.  We had developed a pretty close online relationship over the past few years.  Jack and I liked many of the same musicians, especially Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Jack had been a very successful musician himself and had "opened" for a number of pretty famous performances in the 60s---80s.  We were both at the October "coffee reunion" about 3-4 yrs ago.  I will miss Jack a lot.  Pete Wood.