Class Notes
Class of 1961: The annual golf outing dinner party was held April 29, 2015, in Southport North Carolina. Pictured were, from left, front row, as heads appear: Vitale, McLester, Willard Hoskins, Alligood, Dick Butler, Crow, Polk, Modine, Bickford, Drescher, Rod Hudgins, J.C. Miller, Callander, Clarkson and Pitt. Back row: Burks, Johnston, Hanlein, Youngblood, Gerry Eubank, Dick Stone, Reitz, Kern, Ayers and Copenhaver.
Things have finally slowed down for Sue, because she had another foot operation and is in a boot for at least six weeks. The next BR big event for us will be the Youngblood and Shuba parties, which will take place after these notes are due. Now for the rest of the class, I offer the following tidbits. I remember, years ago, my folks talking about Florida and the snowbirds. Our class seems to have its share of them. In January, Lee and Betsy Badgett, Dude and Kathy Copenhaver, and George and Edna Henning spent time together in Key West, Florida. From what I hear, the Badgetts may be joining Hennings and Copenhavers at The Villages. Edna Henning says moving is messing with her brain. She said the old house echoes with piles of VMI paraphernalia everywhere, and she keeps reminding herself it’s just stuff, but she gets lost in the memories the “stuff” brings up. We understand, but surely you never have enough VMI stuff. This winter, Bill Hala and his friend, Irene Karon, were also at The Villages for the month of March and had dinner with Stu and Lee Crow and Dude and Kathy Copenhaver. It seems between golf and eating, there isn’t much time to do anything else (smile) unless you are a dancing Copenhaver and at a neighborhood ’50s and ’60s sock hop, and you, the “Dude,” win the best male costume. After the Polk golf outing, Mary and Spike Callander headed south to Miami, where the temperature was a record low of 38 degrees. Along the way, they stopped in Port St. Lucie and had lunch with Harold and 2015-Issue 3
Cilia Kurstedt. The Kurstedts were snow birding in the house they purchased while we were all on the class cruise last year. Cilia would like Harold to retire, but Harold is finding that hard to do. My second semester 4th Class roommate, Tom Whalen, certainly said he had no difficulty in retiring in Incline Village, Nevada. Tom skis every morning at Northstar Ski Resort for about three hours if he is not a substitute teacher at the local high school. Tom’s son, Bob, retired from the U.S. Army Reserve (St. Louis area) as an E-8 after 30-and-a-half years of service. Thanks for your service. Tom visited his daughter in Powhatan, Virginia, to see about a place at
Westminster Canterbury in Richmond or in Virginia Beach but has not made a final decision. Bill Hala was finally back up on his skis at Mount Peter and said he felt like he never was off skis and was surprised at how second nature it still is. Several compliments Bill received from onlookers provided an added bonus, but the hardest part of skiing was getting into the darn ski boots. Either they shrunk or his feet got bigger ... and maybe his head, too? Mitch and Jennifer Kot are still in Da Nang until the end of May. They have a great class of 32 business owners, and teaching marketing is exciting. Frank and Sandra Semans are fine with just the inevitable aches and pains. I was concerned about Frank when my emails to him were returned and calling his home got no response. Please let me know when you have a new email or address. My records and VMI are not always synchronized. Mike and Jan Bissell finally moved into their condo in late April and are now getting settled. Lynn and Shirley Hartford’s fundraising drive for Friends Forever, a Cat Sanctuary went well, and Lynn said thank you to the brother rats who helped make the fundraising successful. Bill Braithwaite is still teaching full-time at St. Johns College in Annapolis, Maryland, and has classes Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as Monday evenings. Bill will try to make our 55th Reunion, and as he said, “Seeing old and dear friends – some for what
Class of 1961: At the Orange County National Golf Course in Florida Feb. 15, 2015, were, from left, around the table, John Miller, Diane and Dick Stone, Kathy Copenhaver, Spike and Mary Callander, Don Wilkinson, Graham King and Jim Harrison. Left row, seated: Lee and Stu Crow, Ann Rishell, and Suzanne Melin (Judd’s friend). Standing: Jud McLester, Don Rishell, Dude Copenhaver, and Bob and Bronnie Polk. Present but not pictured was Rhett Clarkson. 73