Vacation 2000
First stop, Dallas, Texas
Once again vacation took us to the Elks Grand Lodge Convention, this year in Dallas.
Nancy is Exalted Ruler (President) of our Lodge, and as such is required to attend the convention. I, too, enjoy most of the activities, and as a Past Exalted Ruler, I especially enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of refreshing acquaintances with Elks I’ve met at previous conventions, and making new Elk friends from all over America.
Chuck Bejcek came to our hotel and we got to have a short but nice visit, talk about our high school days and friends, and the reunion we hope will take place in the foreseeable future.
Dallas holds another significance for us. Over the years we’ve managed to acquire a few ‘extra’ daughters, really special girls, who for various reasons have become very close to our family. One of these precious ones lives in the Dallas area with her family. We had not seen her since her daughters were born, and so it was a GREAT pleasure to see her and meet our extra granddaughters, 10 ½ and 12 at the time of our visit, for the first time. It was totally clear from the first hello that mom had told them more than a little about us and her very special relationship with us. We were accepted instantly, and are now honored to be officially Aunt Nancy and Uncle Rich. The girls take after their mom, are beautiful, and are as precious to us as their mom is, has been for over 20 years, and will always be.
Onward. Next stop, Hemet, CA.
My mom is 80 and a tad more now. While staying with her it was possible to get together with more of the’57 gang. Lana (George) Peterson, Jeff Bertram , and Sharon (Tierney) . They live in or near Hemet, and we had a nice little gathering at my mom’s home. Part of the fun of it was learning that Jeff lives in one nearby community, and Sharon and Asa live within a mile of my mom. Lana is a little further at about 15 miles. Again we had a great time chatting, catching up on time past, and looking forward to a reunion.
Yorba Linda is the home of one of my old aerospace co-workers and life long friends. We stay in their home for a spell when we get to California; it’s a kind of tradition, and it’s a great connection to those Aerospace, Jaycee, and Camera Day times. On Tuesday, July 11, I took a jaunt up to San Gabriel and met with Gary Grady, Al Blevans, and Jim Camp, setting up the beginnings of our reunion committee, discussing a location, activities, and setting a tentative date.
We are looking at October 20 –21, 2001, making a two day period available for those who care to spend that much time collecting memories, remembering some of the greatest days of our lives, and looking over the time since we were all last together. Lots more to do in this direction, but we do finally have a real start point. A mailing will go out shortly.
In Bakersfield, it was once again a true pleasure to visit with Marilyn (Sparling )Vignolo, and Lucia (Gardiner) Hennen. We got together two years ago, on our last California trip, and concluded that while it didn’t seem possible for two years to have passed since we’d seen each other, it had indeed. This time I did remember to bring the camera.
All in all I got to see 11 of our ’56 and ’57 schoolmates/classmates, and while I didn’t get out to the central coast to see Dick Phipps, and Brother Elk, Bob Douglas, it WILL happen in 01, I guarantee. (Part of the pleasure and reward of being an Elk is visiting other Lodges, meeting other Elks, and exploring the expanse of the Order.)
For me, it was sad not to have more time with those I did get to see and not to be able to gather more together. But saddest of all was driving along the roads and thinking, “Celia lives just over there, Sue is only a little way up that hill, Sonja is just around the corner, Pat is not far from here, Roy, and Dick, and Flo, and Lynna, and Tom, and more, are just down there at the beach, etc., etc., . . . . . “, and not having enough time to see them all.
There is lots of interest in a fifties reunion, a fifty year reunion, and/or combining them into one. Some think a 50 year Homecoming would be appropriate. This was done by Rosemead HS in October 99. More research to do on this. The most significant factor on these large gatherings is that it would require somehow contacting an awesome number of people.
We will be exploring all of these ideas as possibilities in the nearer than farther future.

Chuck Bejcek & Rich, July 7
Le Meridien Hotel, Downtown Dallas,TX


Sharon, Asa, Jeff, Rich & Lana in Hemet, July 9


Gary Grady, Al Blevans, Rich Mays, & Jim Camp in San Gabriel, July 11
We gathered to begin a Runion Committee and get it all going, for real.


Marilyn & Rich July 13, in Bakersfield Lucia & Rich

Daughter Tracy remembered that Dad has always wanted to give
the sailplane a try, and made a lesson his birthday present.
Here I am July 14 about 5,000 ft. above the Tehachapi area.
(I'll do that again!!)