"Bomber Memories"
August 28, 29, 30, & 31 1998
August 28, 1998
Vonnie Reed Hoff (60)
I remember playing/climbing around all the construction at the Uptown Theater while it was being built. We'd climb up into the air conditioning ducts as well. It's a wonder we didn't fall and break our necks! My younger brother, Jonnie, and I would play in the alley behind the deli (just around the corner from the Spudnut Shop). We'd use all the discarded packing boxes and built forts; buy some cookies at the deli and spend hours there.
The big pool--I'd spend my whole summer there! My blonde hair would turn green from all the chlorine. And remember the bathing caps we used to have to wear? We'd get sun-tan marks where the strap went under our chin. Back in those days (late fifties) we wore one piece swim suits--no bikini's (at least I wasn't allowed to wear one!). Today, girls go half naked at the beach! Which brings me back to my cheer leading days. Our skirts were clear down to our knees or barely above! I think the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders changed all that!
While Jefferson was under refurbishing (year? early 50's) we had to be bussed to another school--I'm thinking it was "clear across town"--into Carmichael territory. (I didn't know anybody from Carmichael until I got into Col Hi.) Great fun on the bus!
In the fifties--when it would really get cold in the winter, the trees would all be covered with ice and frost. It was such a beautiful site seeing our tree lined street dressed all in white. I remember the Chinook winds...the warm breezes would come in and melt any snow left on the ground.
My brother and I would sneak in to the swimming pool at the Desert Inn during the evening. We never got caught! The Desert Inn is called something else now (along GWW).
I remember going to "State" up in Seattle for the Basketball tournaments (late 50's). John Meyers, Russell Burks, CW Brown, Jim Castleberry (can't remember who played what year). It was great fun--competing against all those schools and being away from home!
Remember Burks Brothers Texaco gas station?--gasoline was about 35 cents a gallon.
You could also buy a loaf of bread for 25 cents in those days. Sometimes, when there was a special at the grocery store (name?), north of Jefferson, my mom would send me down there and get 3 lb. of hamburger for a dollar! A Snicker's candy bar was only 5 cents! They're still my favorite candy bar today! I used to baby-sit for 35 cents an hour.
Jim Hamilton (63)
Subject: High Centered on Yeah I Remember
Funny that no one has mentioned the "Midnight Show" which they showed on Friday the 13th and Halloween. Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein and the scariest movie I ever saw (except for that VD film in the Army) "Invaders From Mars". It still gives me the creeps. If everyone who claims they went to the Village Theater on Saturday for the Las Larue/Captain Video serials, and a couple of cowboy/war flicks had actually shown up, the Kingdome wouldn't of held them.
Was it Joe Banana and his Bunch who played every Prom /Tolo/Dress up deal? I recall some rockers from Walla Walla called "Kit Kat and the Kasuals " or did I make that up to stump "Curtis James the King of Soul". The bravest man I ever saw was that cat wearing the Richland Bomber tee-shirt and talking to the butcher at Uwajimayas in Bellevue.
Was I the only person who delivered the Columbia Basin News in the morning and the Tri-City Herald (remember Ernie Carlson) in the afternoon (had a short lived and surely non terminal case of ambition one summer)
Hey Irwin, how many cars now?
Ken Heminger (56)
I can remember some of the nose bleeds I would get when caught outside in one of the sandstorms.
It is so neat to read comments from those of my era and from those who came later. A lot of holes in my memory are being filled reading the Sandstorm.
I would have graduated from Columbia HS in 1956 but I quit school in my Junior year along with some others and joined the Air force.
Mrs. Mecum name keeps coming up. I had her for Biology. I would like to relate a incident that happened in her class. Maybe there is some one out there that will remember it. Mrs. Mecum would at times have a mannequin sitting out on her desk, you know, the kind that you can take the heart, lungs etc. out for demonstration purposes. She always had a towel wrapped around the bottom portion. Us boys, and I suppose the girls too, always wondered if it was anatomically correct. One day Jerry Peterson and I came into the room and we were the first ones there. The mannequin was out with the towel wrapped around it. We both had the same idea and we grabbed the towel. I cant say for sure now if it was anatomically correct or not at this late date but I think it was. Anyway we hid the towel and left the room. A couple of minutes later we came back and the room was full of students and there was much laughter and giggling going on. Me and Pete acted really surprised to see the naked mannequin. We had a rock solid alibi, no one saw us do it, and we were not the first ones into the room. When "Old lady Mecum", (as we affectionately called her) came into the room. She had a habit of sitting on the corner of her desk, one leg up and the other on the floor. Anyway she entered the room, passed the mannequin and took up her position on the corner of her desk. The class was having a very difficult time containing their laughter. Mrs. Mecum was trying to get across the lesson for the day but everyone had the giggles. She decided that she didn't have the attention she wanted and felt it necessary to give us some extra work on the black board. She rolled off the desk and proceeded to write on the black board. Then one of the girls begin to laugh. I wish I could remember who it was, I think it was Mary Jones but I’m not sure. Anyway Mrs. Mecum turned and said "What's the matter with this class today" As she said it she looked right into the butt of the mannequin. A photo of her face at that moment would be priceless today. She ran to the front of the desk and had a look, and then all hell broke loose. As I remember it she right away figured that me and Pete had something to do with it, but we had our alibi.. She called the Principle down to the room. I forget his name, heaven knows I should remember it, We were down to see him often enough. He too blamed us for the incident but couldn't prove it. We were 15~20 minutes into the next class before we finally got out of there. Now if there is someone out there that remembers and has always wondered who did it..... Now you know.
I also remember that she gave me a "F" on one of my report cards and I went back to her and told her that my dad would beat me if I brought back a "F". Out of the goodness of her heart she gave me a "D-" Ahhh..Those were the days... I don't want to wear out your eyeballs so more later.....
Ken Heminger
Art "Tom" Hughes (56)
Someone mentioned the common areas in the backs of the houses. When we lived on Stevens Drive the area behind the houses was the site of many a softball game with myself, Bill Everett, Terry and Grover Shegrud and many others from the neighborhood. Even the older men in the block would get out to play.
The area between the "Hardware Store" and the "Dime Store" was a grass island with sidewalks along the buildings on both sides. The fronts of most of the stores faced the grassy area. I remember when they paved it and made it a street. We really hated that because it was a nice place to walk.
Does anyone remember Pleiss Davis Furniture? It was across the street to the west from the Bank in Downtown. For years it was the only furniture store in town. Does anyone know where Penny Pleiss is now? I think she would have graduated about 1960 or so.
I remember when they built the ranch houses and the Bypass highway. I lived on Willard at the time and it destroyed a lot of the area where we played. There were a lot of old asparagus fields out there. Lester Parker and I used to go out there with his bows and arrows and shoot at ground squirrels.
Dick Oaks and I used to go over to Densow Drugs and sit at the soda fountain and drink green river floats and cherry cokes and play the jukebox.
More later as I get the time.
Tom Hughes
Dennis Wallace (68)
I thought I better sign on for the Wallace clan, since we all graduate from Col Hi:
Arlene Wallace Towne (56) -- Retired living in Puyallup
Dee Wallace (60) -- Works for County at Serria City, Calif
Ron Wallace (62) --Works for NASA with retire soon
Dennis Wallace (68) that's me -- Math Teacher in Redmond, OR
Randy Wallace (69 or 70) -- Carpenter (I remember I misspelled this in the 7th grade and Mrs
Dykes let Jan Wingfield win the spelling be) and Adoption Agency in Hawaii
I don't think there was a recipe for the special sauce. I think it depended on who made it. But Zips and the 3 movies at the drive in for a buck did keep me busy and less bored.
Dennis
Barbara Seslar Brackenbush (60)
Patti Dubsky did receive the crown when Sharon Tate moved.
I was there when President Kennedy visited Hanford and spoke. It was wonderful. I had forgotten the helicopters(!) but did remember an open pickup selling apples. They were doing pretty good sales because it was so hot.
Someone mentioned Gordon Hanna (Hanna's Malt Shop). I saw Gordon a couple (maybe three or four?) years ago and he has all white hair. Lives around Portland. He has a younger brother Lonnie; they were a part of the crowd I ran around with. They were in town for a funeral (Janet Zepp Spinks).
Has anyone mentioned the Spudnut Shop celebrated 50 years recently (1948-1998)? Richland Assembly of God is also celebrating 50 years in September. It is next door to CUP and across the street from the Catholic church several have mentioned.
Dale Hosack (69)
Now to the memories:
Teachers:
Miss Koss the Art teacher at Spalding. She was great! And Mr. Carlson seemed to make an impression on everyone.
Mr. Chitty, who was a gym teacher at Carmichael. He used to set up "War Ball" in boys gym with shirts and skins on opposite sides of the gym. We'd use these 6" inflatable balls and he'd watch from the stands as kids would get smacked with one of these balls especially hard. He'd laugh this maniacal laugh while he watched the welt develop on the kid's bare back. Used to issue corporal punishment in the form of a plastic football uniform belt across the backside. Wonder what ever became of him?
I remember two other teachers at Carmichael mostly because of their names: Helen Maude Baudendistel, who was my homeroom teacher in 7th grade, which is where I was when the Kennedy Assassination news came out, and Birdie Maude Jernigan. I didn't have her for a teacher but could never forget the name. Another particularly fond memory was opening day of fishing season when we would go down to Wellsian Pond which had been freshly stocked with 6" trout. We'd be elbow to elbow, tangling our fishing lines, and catching little Trout to take home and show to Mom. Great times.
How about the display at the community center that had manipulatable arms where you could stack stuff on the other side of the window. This was supposed to be a duplicate of a handling device used out at Hanford.
I remember having my own charge account at Densow Drug's Fountain. What a great place to sit and drink a Cherry Coke or have a Float.
Dale Hosack
Deedee Willox Loiseau (64)
The Christmas radio program that we listened to every day (for 26 days) before Christmas was "The Cinnamon Bear". They are available on tape now. I bought myself a set and my granddaughter a set so we can both listen every year (she lives in Everett and I live in Tri-Cities). You can order from: Radio Spirits, Inc., P.O. Box 2141, Schiller Park, IL 60176. $25. I believe Barnes & Noble can order them for you.
Deedee Willow
Gloria Falls Evans (58)
To: Mina Jo Payson (68)
I remember the same teachers you had. Miss Swain: I remember well she wore the same suit all year long. She was a great instructor for Home Ec, in the 50's Wonder what happened to her?
Gregor Hanson (65)
Nina Johnson passed away several years ago - she lived at the corner of GW Way and Gowen in Richland until time of her death.
Vic Hubbard - chemistry teacher - still lives in Richland, as do other former Richland School District teachers Mr. Jantz, Ray Juricich, Howard Chitty, Fran Rish, Julia Davis, Marian Hankwitz, Helen Skogen, Tiger Gentle, Gerald Labrecque, Gene Dudley, Ernie Unruh, etc.
A couple of other items -
Gene Conley went on to play baseball and basketball for WSU, as well as a having successful professional career in both sports for the Milwaukee Braves, Philadelphia Phillies in baseball and was the backup center to Bill Russell on the Boston Celtics in the NBA. He later owned and operated his own company in the Conn. area where he still lives, perhaps paper or tape products (not sure). His parents and my parents were friends and I have collected all of Gene's baseball cards which show him as from Richland, WA!! Great trivia item - Gene is the only person to have ever won World Championship rings in 2 major professional sports - World Series champs with the Braves and NBA champs with the Celtics!!
Great recall by someone of the urine specimen bottles that were placed on the doorsteps (right next to the milk bottle containers) of homes in Richland and collected periodically by the guy who drove a big silver walk in van that looked like a milk truck!! Guess Richland was just 50+ years ahead of its time in doing urinalysis testing, though obviously for different substances than currently!!
Another good memory about the pneumatic tubes in the JC Penney store that sent your money upstairs to the main cashier and returned your change a few minutes later.
The restaurant located inside Thrifty Drug in the Uptown area was called Tammy Coffee Shop - my first job was as a dishwasher there - not much pay, but free food and milkshakes!!
After home delivery of milk declined there were the drive through dairy marts for milk, eggs, cheese, etc. One was located on Lee, between Zips and A&W, and another on Williams, east of the older Richland cemetery near where Dog 'N Suds drive in was once located. Tomlinson's and Stiller's Dairy marts were the names as I recall. At age 16, being able to drive the car to go get milk was a valid excuse for a little extra cruising, as well!!
Also, I think Mr. Carlson, Biology teacher, was known as "Grasshopper" rather than earwig.
Kevin Ghirardo - part of the family owned Spudnut Shop - works right next door to my office and he enjoys reading all of the input on people's memories of the Spudnut shop, particularly the person who bought a couple dozen and shipped them to Europe. The shop celebrated their 50th anniversary this summer - Kevin informed me they started in '48 at a Richland Y location and then moved to the Uptown in 1950. His nickname is Spud, as well.
Go Bombers!
Grover Shegrud (56)
Great times in the Civil Air Patrol based south of town just west of Yakima bridge. Remember watching Bill Boeing, Jr. fly a B-17 in for our air show about 1953, and taking part in several search and rescue missions; one was looking for Sam Ellis and his air coupe. A train crew found it by the tracks in Blue Mts. Had some terrific times on encampments at McChord air base. Names from Civil Air Patrol: Rod Linkous, Joe Polson (53); Pat O'Conner, Doug Robbins, Marvin Moeller, Loretta Ostboe, Harriet Moore, Sonya (Sona) Hankins all of (55), and a bunch of Kennewick folks.
I was in the theater on George Wash way across the street from optometrist watching the movie when the show stopped and we all went outside to celebrate the end of world war 2.
The last and much needed HS credit to get me out of Col Hi was in typing ( I wish I had learned better) Mr. Morris signed off on me just 3 hours before graduation.
That's all for now!
Kathie Roe Truax (64)
Like Chuck Smith from the Class of '69, I also used to love the fries and special sauce at Artic Circle. I heard from someone who swore to know the real skinny that the special ingredient was tomato soup not ketchup. Don't know the exact proportions though ...
Margaret Gilstrap O'Hara (74)
One of my fondest memories happened in my junior year. My dad who was on the school board that year, caught me skipping school with my best friend Kim Lampton. Out of no where he taps my shoulder, and says " I bet you beat me home and I will be going in the car". That was the one and only time I skipped. Does anyone remember four wheeling down by the river during lunch break?
Margaret Gilstrap O'Hara
Marilyn Peddicord Whitley (53)
I'm from One of the original families in Richland. I was in Second Grade when the project began. Only five families were allowed to stay. We were one of them because my father was the Postmaster. Kassie and I both went to Lewis and Clark, Carmichael and then I graduated in 53, she in 55. Kassie died of cancer in 1986.
Marilyn Peddicord Whitley
August 29, 1998
LeeRoy Parchen (59)
Hi. I graduated form Col High in 1959, lived in Richland since 1942, been there, done that. Richland needless to say has changed a whole lot, not sure for the better. Member of the 1958 state championship basketball team.
Will always be a BOMBER.
Maren Smyth (64)
Nothing like basketball games in the 'old' gym!!
The 'new' gym didn't get the THUNDER we could make when EVERYBODY stomped their feet on the bleachers of the 'old' gym. NOTHING LIKE IT!!
Dave Rodriguez (69)
What I remember was Ernie's Rack and Cue, burgers at Zips and Tastee Freeze, truck races in the senior parking lot and sharing bourbon floats with Jeff Zwicker. Boy were those the good years or what and we can't forget War ball in Mr. Rish's class. It's good to hear all the memories that everybody has of Richland High and Richland in general. My family moved here from Texas in "53" so I remember some of the old buildings too. The Saddler Hotel, Skyline drive-in and I don't recall it's name but there was a building in the Richland Y where they use to hold dances but it burned down.
Judy Shibly Cozad (63)
More Memories:
Mrs. Georgia Burns placing typewriter covers over the knees of mini-skirted students in steno class. Receiving 80, 100 & 120 Gregg shorthand pins/charms as you passed shorthand speed writing tests. Purchasing a specific brand steno pad so you could write shorthand faster and faster, sliding the page up as you wrote.
Cruzin Zips and ordering french fries with tartar sauce! (Thanks for the recipe!) In those days, remember: the lady sat right next to the guy!
Teen burgers and root beer floats at A&W. Mrs. Hunter wouldn't hire me as a car hop because she said I couldn't carry the heavy trays full of mugs of rioter. She was probably right but . . . I THOUGHT I COULD!
Finding a calf's eyeball looking up at you from the drinking fountain as a result of Mr. Clayton's Science Class projects.
Judy Shibly Cozad
Betsy Rathjen Taylor
(68)
Vonnie Reed Hoff (60) mentioned the Burk's Brothers Gas Station. Our dad always went to that Texaco for gas and to have the car repaired. I loved those red fire engine hat suckers they would occasionally give out -- they tasted great and sometimes had a very thin soft outside to them, which I loved. I was really disappointed when they topped handing them out. I don't know if it was because they didn't have them any more or they decided I was too old to receive them. Little did they know -- I wasn't too old to enjoy them.
Betsy Rathjen
Mike Figg (70)
Somebody else mentioned Johnnie's Delicatessen and buying pepperoni there by the inch. I don't think I was old enough to do that on my own when Johnnie's was still around but do remember going in there with my parents.
Someone also mentioned father/daughter nights. I remember some similar father/son nights and going to the circus (in Kennewick, I think) but since my father died when I was about 6, I went with Pam Sloat's (68) dad.
Vonnie Reed Hoff (60) mentions the grocery store north of Jefferson. Was this the Mayfair at McMurray and GW Way? Somebody mentioned Campbells and I am wondering if it was that before (or after?) it was the Mayfair. Johnson Drugs was right next door, with a great soda fountain. And across McMurray was Wascher's Mobil station.
Mike Figg
Jim Fleming (65) and
Cheryl Moran Fleming (66)
I'm Cheryl Moran, class of 66. My father came to Richland right after WW2 to visit my mother and her family. Her father was working at Hanford. My mom and dad met while in the service. My mother was a marine and my father was in the air force. I used to wear their uniforms outside playing. My mom's cap made a great policeman's cap! Anyway, they got married in the CUP church and had to go to Yakima to get their wedding cake because of the sugar rationing/shortage. They were able to rent a ranch house at 2406 Torbett St and we moved there when I was 3 months old. That was the last block west between Birch and Cottonwood. There was a neat moss-bottomed drainage curb at the corner of Torbett and Cottonwood that the parents refereed to as Polio Water. And we were cautioned to stay out of it. All the kids called it the "Polio Water".
My dad would drop my sister (Janie 64) and I off at Newberry's every Christmas and give us each 5 dollars for shopping. We loved that Toyland upstairs! And the bright decorations hung up around Uptown.
Jim says he used to get into the dumpster at the C&H Market and eat old sweet rolls. I remember going over to the laundry mat and sitting under the salon size hair dryer they had there.
I went thru our old house last year. Yeah, just went to the door and told the lady I used to live there and she was really nice and friendly and let Jim and I wander around inside. Those ranch houses were really tiny. I always envied kids who had basements!
Margo Heiling Barron
(57)
I saw Miss Ruth Swain (home ec teacher) at the Manor at Canyon Lakes (retirement community--more like a cruise ship on land) in Kennewick last October or November where she had recently moved. She looked exactly the same except that her hair was white. We had a nice conversation. She was my teacher in 7th grade at Chief Jo.
She never married but she did adopt a troubled teen at some point and raised her to be a good citizen (I never knew this back then, but this was a subject of the conversation when I ran into her last fall.)Fortunately for me I don't think she remembered me being in her class -- if she did remember me I'm sure she wouldn't have been so cordial.
August 30, 1998
Carol Boyd Breckenfeld (72)
Creede stated that when he tells people not from Richland about the tumbleweeds, nobody believes him. I've run into the same problem. "Normal" people just don't believe that we have streets named Neutron Lane, or the Atomic Bowl. When I tell them of the mushroom cloud logo, well, I get blank stares. Over the years, I've realized how special Richland is. I've realized how special WE all are. I brought my husband to Richland last year for the 25th reunion. He just loved our town! He saw his first "dirt devil", and heard stories from other Richlanders about the beer parties out in the desert. Now, he wishes he could be from Richland.
Cheers,
Carol
Greg Swank (65)
Subject: DON Jones (64 - "Missing")
I think the dude lives on Riverside in West Richland and likes to fish a lot... REALLY a lot!
Vern Blanchette (64)
Subject: sandstorm
Speaking of that does anyone remember the time when we had a whopper of a sandstorm. I remember seeing a wall of dust coming from all directions. It was clear and sunny where I was, but after the wall of dust passed I found myself in a very windy dust laden storm. It was unique... I think I only saw that happen once in the 16 years I lived in Richland. Lots of dust storms, but just not that sharp a defining edge.
Anyone remember the name of the shop teacher at Chief Joseph... taught drafting and drove a VW bug... painted like a lady bug?? Mr. Sauer or something like that. I remember his tales of being in the army driving tanks in WWII... how he and his crew got lost. Swung a sincere paddle too!
Steve Oak (67)
Subject: Water Bombs
I remember bombing the parkers down in the park behind the dike.
We would take 2 strands of surgical tubing and tie them to the knotted end of a cutoff pant leg (always plenty of those around since school jeans became cutoffs the day school ended... sooner in some cases). Two people would stand on the top of the dike holding the loop of the tubing at the halfway point and a third would walk down the grass side and load the pocket with a nice sized water balloon. 1-2 & 3 and unsuspecting parkers would be interrupted with a load crash when we got lucky and actually hit a car! Don't try this at home... only should be done by professionals.
Joe Largé (68)
You know, I never did KNOW the words to the RHS Fight Song. Being in the band, I was never able to actually SING the fight song. I know practically every trumpet part (to this day) to the fight song, just not the words. Difficult (not impossible) to sing and play at the same time.
By the way, weren't Sharon Tate and Kippy Brinkman good friends? I had always heard that the two of them would sing together for special school occasions. We all know what happened to Sharon Tate (sadly), but I wonder where is Kippy Brinkman?
CIAO for now!
Joe Largé
Rod Brewer (65)
Subject: The 'old' gym
Now you've done it. Talk about memories. I remember walking into the gym with Allen Strege before our JV game. It had been packed for at least 2 hours before our game. Strege and I looked at each other and said, "gee, all these people here just to see us !". I think we knew they were really there to see Thea and Jim and Ray and Dave and Pook...
...And the night in that gym when it looked like the Bombers would lose our first ever home game to Kennewick when, down by 1 with 3 seconds left, Wallace's half court shot was rebounded by Simpson who was fouled at the buzzer. And after Dave converted the One and One to pull out the win, how his Dad, who was sitting right in front of me, raced out onto the floor and pressed a $50 bill in his hand. Wow, thanks, for the memories!
Rod Brewer
August 31, 1998
Art "Tom" Hughes
I took Kippy on her first "date". Her sister, Sandy was going to a Janzen Party in the Kennewick Highlands with Dick Oaks. Kippy's Mom did not want them to go alone so she asked me to take Kippy along with them. Kippy went to Las Vegas where she was the headliner in one of the lounges in the Dunes. She retired several years ago and I think she still lives in Las Vegas.
Bill Yandon (68)
These stories remind me of when I had more hair and less weight. Even though I was only in Richland for two and a half years they were good years to remember.
For me the best memories were the year we went to the basketball championship in Seattle (1966 I think).
Bill Yandon
Lucy Schmidt Mahoney (61)
My family moved to Richland in 1959 just before my junior year so I didn't have the pleasure of growing up in Richland but I spent a lot of my adult years there and watched all the changes that were made. We lived on Goethals (now Jadwin) just past Comstock. The Mayfair market was on the corner of Comstock and Goethals, very convenient for the quick trips for last minute meal items. My cousins, the Deans grew up in Richland, (Connie graduated in '60)
One of our neighbors were Ed and Tess Haag. Ed was our principal at the time. They retired to Port Angeles and Ed died just a few years ago. Their granddaughter Laurie (daughter of Janette) is the bookkeeper at the store where I work in Prosser.
Kippy Brinkman and her parents went to the same church I went to (Southside U.P.) and the last I heard Kippy was living in Las Vegas and playing her harp for some top name entertainers there. She makes it home occasionally and whenever I visit in Richland her mom gives me updates.
So many of the memories that have been related in past issues are also my memories. When I got my first car a bunch of us along, with my brother Harry and sister, Georgia ( mailto:odat@bentonrea.com ) and sometimes younger brother Richard ( mailto:clayz@gte.net ) would go cruising down GWW up Jadwin then down Stevens all on a dollar's worth of gas. I usually got my gas at Burkes brothers. We usually ended up at the A&W or Zips. Also made it to the Artic Circle after it was built. I worked there when it first opened. As to the prison camp in North Richland, that used to be a favorite parking place for my then boyfriend (later husband) and I to park. We had a favorite tree that we parked under. I remember going to the Village theater to watch the movie "The Longest Day". Where were you when the roof of the Uptown Theater collapsed? What a shock that was.
"Long live the class of '61"
Lucy Schmidt Mahoney
Eva Clark Perry (40)
Haven't seen anyone mention the A & Z Dress shop ran by Agnes and Zelda, the real classy place to get clothes back in those days. Her daughter-in-law, Roger's wife, now has the Annie Z's. They were the McVicker's.
Gary LeClair (63)
Somebody asked about Ms. Swain. Ruth Swain is still alive in a nursing home -- I think in Kennewick. My brother, Bob (65), parked our old camper there until a couple of years ago when she got so frail she had to sell her house on Cedar. She never married, but did have a foster daughter named Yvonne. Bob and I used to visit her, as our Mom (Peg LeClair) taught kindergarten at Jason Lee and our Dad (Jim LeClair) was principal at Sacajawea. We saw Ruth frequently over the years.
Gary LeClair
