Since you're reading this, we must have successfully survived Y2K. That being the case...the Court will come to order!

 

When last in session you learned of PUBA's move south.  What happened?  BOB explains: "Speaking of Hotlanta, Reliance decided to start a new division and asked [????] me if I wouldn't mind combining my division with the new one and relocate to Atlanta. Since I still like to eat, I thought that it would be a good thing to "volunteer."  Meanwhile a lot of my cronies in NY got pink slips in a recent purge of "old guys."  You know what I mean?  I am a Senior VP in charge of Affinity Group Marketing for Reliance National Insurance.  We package insurance products and services to "downstream" to groups with some kind of "affinity" relationship like...mortgage customers of a bank or credit card customers of a bank or members of an Association...like the USCGA Alumni Association. So far we are enjoying the new digs.  Home on a golf course (not that that improves my game any) and new members of the "club."  That just means I now pay a lot to look bad!  Seriously, the community that we live in has many amenities and we are enjoying empty nest life (to a certain extent).  One thing though, CHERI is exceeding me in "frequent flyer" miles going back to NJ and she is a "stay at home mom"  with no portfolio...can't understand that one yet, but she says she is having a great time."  Did you enjoy BOB & Ally's picture in the last Bulletin?  BOB & CHERI included a great GONOR Family photo with this year's Christmas letter...drop him an E-mail and ask for a copy and make reservations at GONOR's Bed and Breakfast...and Lunch and Dinner too!

 

TOMMY CLARKE reports around on the GONOR move: "Just wanted to check in and tell you we had a nice visit with the GONORS last weekend. They have moved to the Atlanta area where BOBBY is setting up a new department for some insurance outfit.  They are living in Roswell on the northern outskirts of Atlanta.  BOBBY started working in the area in late May/early June, but CHERI just moved down a few weeks ago.  They were nice enough to contact us so we set up a time for them to drop by.  Originally, they were going to be coming back from a USC (that's University of South Carolina in these parts) football game, decided not to go but came to Greenville anyway just for brunch with us.  With their move down here, they are truly empty nesters for the first time - that will obviously be a big transition for both of them, especially CHERI, but she's got an optimistic and upbeat attitude. Great seeing them and looking forward to more visits in the future!"  Those frequent flyer miles back to New Jersey to visit grandson Christopher must help...along with being Grandma again next June!

 

STU MARSH...excuse me, Doctor MARSH, DVM...finally reported around, but he has been kind of busy.  "After retiring in '93, DEB & I moved to a farm in Eggleston, VA in the mountains just west of Blacksburg, the location of Virginia Tech.  I did some prerequisites at VT & entered the VA-MD regional veterinary school located on the VT campus.  Graduated May 1999 as a DVM.  Rather than immediately work at a small animal clinic, I was able to get an internship at a large referral practice in Gaithersburg, MD.  Here we only see the cases that are too sick, too complicated or require more equipment/care than available at the standard veterinary clinic.  Currently working ridiculous hours, getting a lot of experience fast & trying to decide whether to try to pursue a specialty/residency or do general practice at a small animal clinic.  General practice is the most likely option ... the question will then be whether to continue in southwest VA or move somewhere else. DEB is still running the farm.  Currently about 70 sheep (a specialty wool flock), 2 llamas, 2 miniature horses, some rabbits, chickens, ducks & peacocks."  Maybe that explains become a vet?  STU explains his transition a little more..."I did the Strategies of Career Transition thing which said that I should be self-employed in the sciences.  It seemed like biology/medicine was where the currentinteresting stuff was happening so I sampled a few undergrad biology/zoology courses and found that I could still do studying/exam stuff & decided that I would get an advanced degree in some unspecified discipline within the life sciences.  Days before I retire, I'm briefing my relief, we got talking about retirement plans & he planned going to Vet school. I said that I didn't think they took people our age, but he had done the research and found that they did.  I needed to take most of the same undergrad prerequisites (organic chemistry, biochem, etc.) anyway so I made sure I met the Vet Schools requirements as fast as possible.   I applied to the Vet School just to see where I generally stood, not expecting to be accepted this time since they generally require practical experience working/volunteering in veterinary practices & I had none.  My application did emphasize that I owned a variety of animals, had bought vet services, had completed a career involving on-call, emergency response, etc. & expected them to teach me just the practical stuff of Vet Medicine.  For whatever reason they accepted me.  So, I get my degree in life sciences ... I always preferred "application" to "lab work"  ... & maybe one day I'll get to be "self-employed in the sciences." CONGRATULATIONS STU!

 

JAY TAYLOR sent an update the old fashioned way...snailmail!  Take 'em any way I can get 'em!  JAY included the accompanying photo from THADMIRAL's Change of Command in Miami with NORM SEALANDER, SKIP PREZLOMSKI, JAY, J.B. WILLIS, KEN ROTHHAAR, and BOB CAMUCCIO in attendance.  JAY added the following update: "A photograph of KEN ROTHHAAR and me in front of a BE1900 turboprop was published in the Bulletin about 4 years ago when we worked for USAir Express.  We both moved on to the "big boys" about 2 1/2 years ago.  KEN is flying B757s/B767s out of Miami for United, with quite a few trips to Latin America.  I'm flying B737s out of Orlando for Delta.  Being an airline pilot sure beats going to work for a living!  With beau coup time off and great travel benefits, I have traveled to Israel, Peru, Hawaii, Italy, France, Spain, Andorra, and Mali West Africa within the last 6 months."

JAY may not be on-line...although I told him to open one of his Swiss accounts and buy a computer...but we've had two more Classmates report around electronically.  PAUL MILLEWICH reports around from Palatine, a suburb of Chicago: "Some people may remember that my wife BETTE passed away after an auto   accident in 1995. This past February I married a wonderful woman, DARLENE, who is from Indiana and a flight attendant for United. My son Geoff graduated from Indiana University in 1998 and is now working as a in management consultant for Price Waterhouse Coopers here in Chicago. My daughter Melissa is in her junior year at University of Illinois Champaign Urbana, works part time as an EMT in an emergency room and has dreams of medical school. My stepson, Jon, is an eighth grader who loves computers and was certified in scuba this summer. After 13 years as an attorney for Sears I was restructured out and moved to Baxter International in 1996. I am directing two mass torts involving blood derivatives."  PAUL, our condolences on the loss of BETTE...and warmest CONGRATULATIONS to you and DARLENE!  Does she know that ROTHHAAR guy?

 

BRUCE PLATZ just checked in as well, finally surrendering to technology.  "I have been resisting this evil called the Internet for about 3 years.  My daughter wanted it a long time ago, but I knew I would never get the computer if I got this thing I call Armageddon.  Anyway, I'm wired now and I am trying to learn all of this new cyberstuff.  My oldest, Michael is a chemical engineer making lots of $ with Exxon - pretty ironic for a Coastie.  Number 2 son Billy is about to become #1 goalie for William & Mary's soccer team - expect them to be in the top ten next year.  Cristine is a sophomore at Great Bridge High School where I teach Earth Science and Mathematics - never been paid so little and worked so hard in all of my life - 10 times harder than being an ensign!  PATTY is working as a secretary again and really enjoys her job.  We have no intentions of moving - Chesapeake is a great place to bring up your kids and then retire - something I hope to do someday."

 

STAN NORMAN just got back from Cyprus and Greece.  The Cyprus Shipping Council paid all expenses for him to come and tell them about Washington's standards for vessels.  One day in each place devoted to presentations and a tabletop spill exercise, and one day in each place for meetings with ship owners and operators.  STAN reports a good trip except for two things: had a total of about 3 hours for sightseeing and the airlines lost his bag each way.  He got it back after two days in Cyprus, but is still waiting for it to show up in Seattle.  Hey STAN...wasn't United or Delta was it?  He was on the road the end of October and was able to share a meal with both PHIL VOLK and CHARLIE WURSTER.  STAN reports: "PHIL and I had breakfast together in Port Angeles.  PHIL looks great and seems pleased with his decision to strike out on his own as a consultant.  I was on Coast Guard Island in Alameda for a States/BC Oil Spill Task Force meeting on offshore vessel routing.  CHARLIE and I got together for lunch.  He is doing very well as Chief of Staff.  CHARLIE says there are probably less than ten classmates left on active duty.  We swapped sea stories and generally impressed the "young people" who were there with our saltiness."  STAN also sent along a family update..."SUE is doing very well and still manages a medical office.  We are empty-nesters again.  Our oldest, Derek, is an E-5 under four in the Navy.  He's a Data Systems Tech on the USS CONSTELLATION out of San Diego, just finishing his second tour in the Persian Gulf.  Our youngest, Patrick, is a videogame store manager for Hollywood Entertainment (Hollywood Video and Game Crazy stores) in Seattle.  He is the youngest store manager in the company (over 2000 stores).  When and if things settle down and Greenspan stops messing with the interest rate, we plan to sell the house and move closer to Olympia where I work.  We plan to find a place with no yard to mow so we can focus our weekend activities on recreation and time together."  Good plan STAN...keep us posted!

 

Guess who's now writing a column?  I quote: "PAT TURLO here, aka CAP'N BARNEY, community-based DJ. I grew up in Winslow, spent 30+ years roaming around the country in the U.S. Coast Guard, and came back to retire in Maine in 1997; the Ice Storm hit a few months later, and the whole State closed down. I had my first experience as a DJ this past summer right here on WMHB...and a few months later, the station closed down.  Coincidence?"  Check out <http://www.colby.edu/wmhb/transmitter/index.html> and learn all about  Widespread Panic, Vesica Pisces, Atomicsplit, and Hybrasil.

 

Here's another URL to check out...<http://www.portlite.com>...the home page for DUFOUR, Laskay, & Strouse.  NORM sends this update: "Other than JACK & JAN ORCHARD, I have had very little contact with the Class since leaving MIO, New Orleans in 1976.  After a short hiatus, I went to work for a marine survey company here in New Orleans in 1977 and I am now the majority stockholder of that same company.  I have two partners and 10 surveyors in New Orleans and Houston.  My wife, DOLORES, and I live in a 165 year old house (money pit) in the French Quarter which we are struggling to bring back to it's original condition from too many years of neglect.  When we're not working, we spend a good deal of time with our TWO granddaughters Alaina (5) and Victoria (1).  This Christmas we are going to Italy and Tunisia for what we call our TWO-OH; FIVE-OH; OH-OH trip.  Our twentieth anniversary, my 50th birthday and of course the millennium.  Hopefully, Y2K will get us and we'll be stuck there indefinitely. (For those of you who can still do math, I married into DOLORES' wonderful family.  That's how I have a five year old granddaughter!) DOLORES and I are looking forward to the 30th reunion in 2001." NORM, even if Y2K traps you in Italy, we want some pictures!

 

Still got last April's Bulletin?  Remember that short primer on the economics of island real estate STEVE DECESARE was ready to provide  after he moved back to Nantucket?  Confidential informants ...messcooks...tell me he'll provide another updated "back to the mainland" version in our next edition!  All rise...we're adjourned!