Waco Town Crier – February 2019

An adapted version of “The Town Crier” sent by Jeanne Harman on January 31, 2019.

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you who have helped to contribute to the Town Crier. Without input from you and your sharing with us, there would be no Town Crier. To those who have not yet contributed anything—it is not too late. As was said in The Price is Right game show—“Come on down”. Our graduates enjoy so much hearing from everyone and we want to hear from you!

February is the month of love. Show some love to someone—be it friend, family, or stranger. Our world seems to be filled with so much hatred right now, we can do a little part to improve things by giving someone a smile to lighten their heart. Everyone wants and needs love.

Do not forget our wonderful website: www.whs60.org Our directory is on-line so if you ever wonder where someone is, be sure to click on the directory for an address or phone number. Elizabeth Bentley is doing a fantastic job of keeping our site current, Pat Payne continues to bless our class with the finances to keep it up and going, Janet Hurta keeps up with all the changes of our very mobile class, and Bob Easter has helped to locate most of us. We will never know the hours that each of these folks gives to our class. It takes a village! Drop them a line and show your appreciation.
Elizabeth Bentley- lizzieb@designwiz.com
Pat Payne- patpayne64@comcast.net
Janet Hurta- hurtagj@aol.com
Bob Easter- Bob@easterandeaster.com
Again, thank you so much for all your contributions to the Crier. Keep me posted!
Jeanne

What We’re Doing

The quarterly luncheon that was held on January 29th was a great success! We had about 33 people in attendance. It was so good to see JoAnn Carson and Charles Ray/Jan Miles who came from Arlington! Ken and Scoot Baker came from Georgetown, David and Janie McPhail from Cleburne. Robert (Little Red) Wilson came from San Antonio, Malissa Ruth Starnes Baugh from Temple, Betty Luedeker Gatlin from Liberty Hill. Also Tim Lasseter Latta came from Ft. Worth and Sissie Blair Shandalow came from Rockwall. Our mystery graduate who recently moved back to Waco as of only a week ago is DICK TOOKER and he attended. Dick said he is thrilled to be back in Waco and thinks it has changed so much. Dick said he was 35 years old when he left. The rest of the group was from Waco or parts really close to Waco. I do not think any pictures were taken—if you took some, please send to me and I will post in the next Town Crier. And, if you came from out of town and I overlooked mentioning you, please forgive. I did not take notes and my memory is probably not as good as it used to be.

Ken Baker wants everyone to start thinking about a 60th reunion. Someone is going to have to step up to the plate to organize this. If you are interested in having a 60th reunion, we need to hear some feedback. ESPECIALLY if you are interested in chairing it, let us know. You can contact our fearless leader of our last reunion. This does not have to be anything fancy….no decorations are needed….just a place for all to meet, visit, eat/drink, and enjoy memories and the fact that we are still alive and able to do all this.
So, let us hear from you. I will post the responses in the March Town Crier.
1. Do you want to have a 60th reunion
2. Do you want to chair it?
3. Are you willing to help work with a 60th reunion?
4. What ideas do you have for a 60th reunion?

Contact: Tim (Lasseter) Latta: tldesigngroup@sbcglobal.net
Jeanne Harman: bjharman@hot.rr.com

From Our Graduates

“What a wonderful article from David Dibb. Thanks so much for sharing.”
— Susan (Harkness) Hill

“Thank you, Jeanne, for this wonderful Town Crier. I especially appreciated the history of Waco composed by David Dibb. My father worked at Home Abstract and Title Company and shared much of the history of our town with me through the years. David captured it in superlative fashion. Though I have never attended a reunion, your Town Criers have always made me feel “connected” to my youth there, to the town and my friends. Our class has done extremely well!”
— Stan Lennard

“So sorry to hear about Gene Carson, another dear loss! Enjoyed reading about David Dibb’s too! We have so many talented class members!”
–Bev (Murphy) Wells

“I always enjoy catching up on our classmates. It was great seeing everyone that attended the last reunion.
I hope we will have another one soon.”
— Steve Brown

:
SO COLD here in Nebraska—no school for today (Jan. 23)—and none last Friday—we haven’t had weather this cold and snowy for several years. Hopefully we will warm up soon. Winters here were like this during the 1980’s when our kids were in school. The climate gradually changed with fewer winter storms. Guess it’s shifting back.
— Clara Sue (Griffis) Arnsdorff

Updates

Richard Tooker Exciting news! Dick Tooker has moved to Waco! Another graduate has returned “home”!!!! Yeah!

Ralph Klatt has a new address. He said he and Linda have moved to the mountains in North Carolina and marked off another goal on their bucket list. Be sure to make the correction in your directory. His new community is located about 15 miles from Boone, NC which is in a most beautiful part of the United States, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. No wonder Ralph had it on his bucket list! Ralph said right before Christmas they had over 20 inches of snow. Winter Wonderland!

Stan Lennard: “Earlier I had a book published, Nerve Endings of the Soul: Interaction Between the Mind of God and the Mind of Man Through Neural Synaptic Networks. It was the culmination of 18 years of apologetics research. It can be found at www.estanlennard.com .

I have completed a second book which segues off the first one and is in the final draft form. I’m making my final edits and will next work to identify a publisher. This can be an arduous task! The title of the second book is The Boundless Love of God: Redemption of Man at the Cost of His Son. Though including scientific technical details, it has a much more evangelical focus. I endeavor to show the concordance between Scripture and science as they apply to the topic. I’ll keep you informed.

If anyone of our classmates should ever read my book or books, I hope they will give me feedback and/or post their review on Amazon.”

(FYI: info on Stan -as seen on Amazon.com):
Doctor E. Stan Lennard is a retired general surgeon and certified Christian apologist. His Doctor of Medicine degree was awarded at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1968, and he received a Doctor of Science in Surgery degree through the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, defending his thesis in 1976. The first half of his career was at the University of Washington in Seattle where he completed his Chief Surgical Residency in 1977 and joined the fulltime academic faculty with a subspecialty in surgical infectious disease. He entered fulltime private practice at Evergreen Healthcare in Kirkland, Washington in 1987 and retired from clinical practice in 2001. Since his retirement he has continued his affiliation since 1987 with the international, interdenominational Reasons To Believe ministry. He served on the Board of Directors for four and a half years, for four serving as its Chairman. For eleven years he served as an online instructor with Reasons Institute, the educational arm of the ministry, while conducting research that has extended over 18 years. Articles from his research have been posted on the ministry’s website, and this book summarizes his research findings. Now fully retired he resumes his lifelong hobby of art, now focusing on oil painting. He is married with two grown children.

Medical Report

Several graduates are currently undergoing cancer treatment. I feel certain these folks would appreciate a card or two from you. Having health issues and treatment is not easy. It is always good and lifts one’s spirits to know others care and are thinking of you.

David Peeples is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia in Waco at Hillcrest Baylor Scott and White Oncology.

Linda (Shelby) Lyons has been undergoing tests for two types of cancer. She has a rare Neuroendocrine Carcinoma that originated in her GI tract. She is having another biopsy on a knot in her neck to determine its type of cancer which the doctor says most likely will be treated with chemo.

Phyllis Brooks has just found out that she has metastatic adenocarcinoma lung cancer. She is waiting on paperwork and tests to find out what part of her lung is involved. She will be able to have tests and chemo treatments at Texas Oncology in Duncanville which is only about 8-10 miles from her home. It is always so much better when treatments can be done close to home.

February Birthdays


1- Don McClellan
4- Al Ctvrtlik
5- Russ Keeling
10- Tommye Ruth (Blair) Toler
16- Kay (Phillips) Sparks
18- Norma (Cissell) Smith
25- Jeanne (Holland) Harman
27- David Peeples

Richard Quick – Photographer

I do not have to introduce any of you to Richard Quick. He has taken many, many pictures of each of us at several of our reunions. You have enjoyed seeing yourselves and your fellow graduates but now I want you to enjoy some of the work that Richard does for others. Richard lives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. That alone gives him a wonderful backdrop for his work and pleasure.

Richard’s Bio
After graduation from WHS, Richard continued his education at Baylor receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology in the spring of 1964. While attending Baylor, because of his fascination with snakes and other reptiles, he worked in Baylor’s Natural History Museum and also as a lab assistant for a senior class majoring in biology-Natural History of Vertebrates. The summer after Baylor graduation, Richard participated in a program through Baylor’s Psychology Department in the Aerospace Research division in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Richard helped train and handle chimpanzees that were being used as involuntary astronauts. This project had utilized “Ham”, who was famous at the time for being the first chimpanzee shot into space in a rocket.

In the fall of 1964, Richard returned to Texas and entered the University of Texas in Austin where he began working on a master’s degree in zoology. However, after a year, he realized he was not compatible with the procedures of the program so he left graduate school, soon married and moved to Houston. He got a job in Houston with the zoological park in the Small Mammal Building. This involved caring for a variety of small animals, many of which he had never seen or even heard of before this time.

After three years at the zoo he was promoted to the newly created position of Curator of Mammals. His new responsibility was the entire mammal collection of 150 species including elephants, giraffes, tigers, sea lions, and gorillas. He still maintained his strong interest in reptiles although the care of captive mammals became his profession. He also went on several collecting expeditions for snakes or vampire bats in Mexico. The years from 1965-1980 were most definitely an interesting time in Richard’s life. While at the zoo, in the mid 1970’s, a friend let Richard borrow his 35mm camera- a Minolta SLR.I. Richard said he was “stunned” by the clarity and size of the image he saw as he had been accustomed to using an instamatic or Polaroid camera. As soon as he could, Richard purchased the same Minolta type camera and became hooked on photography for life.

Richard’s personal life began to take a change during these years in Houston, so he and his wife decided to go their separate directions. A few months later Richard met the love of his life, Pamela, on a blind date set up by Richard’s sister. Pam also owned a Minolta. This initiated a humorous line that they were meant for one another because they “had interchangeable lenses.” Richard and Pamela were married two years later and this past December, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

Richard and Pam decided to search for a simpler lifestyle outside the hustle and bustle of Houston and were directed to Eureka Springs. Eureka is a thriving art community in the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas. They immediately fell in love with the scenic Victorian town and two and a half months later, they left their chosen professions in Houston and moved to Eureka Springs. They started their new life there on a frosty mid-February day in 1980. They became very active in the town’s art scene, Richard did some pencil art, they engaged in some organic gardening, and they remodeled several old houses. They opened their own art gallery, Quicksilver, the Nature Gallery where they started selling Richard’s drawings, Pam’s handcrafted jewelry, and consignment pieces from several of their local artist friends. After a few years they were able to purchase an old downtown building which they remodeled and the Quicksilver Gallery was reopened in an ideal, highly visible location on the main street of Eureka Springs. Location, Location, Location!

Richard reconnected with photography during this time. After the purchase of his first computer, Richard realized that with digital photography, he could take a photo, process it, print it, package or frame it, and sell it—all himself from start to finish. Over the years he steadily learned more about photography and upgraded to cameras with better capabilities. He had success in selling his images at their gallery and he began to do consignment work. He also participated in local art shows.

In 2002, the Quicks sold their gallery and building. The new owners continue to sell Richard’s photographic images to this day. Richard and Pam are both mostly retired now but Richard is still fully engaged with the camera. Facebook has become his public photography “showroom”. Since the latter part of 2009, Richard has accumulated over 500 photo albums on his album pages. He said he is fortunate to live in Eureka Springs which is a small but highly artistic town. Eureka Springs is located in a most beautiful setting with many parades and festivals –all of which provide great photo opportunities.

Richard and Pam travel to Mexico frequently where there are always interesting images to capture. Their favorite location in Mexico is San Miguel de Allende. The albums in his digital gallery include colorful people and events in Eureka Springs as well as images taken during visits to Mexico, Europe, and the American southwest. Richard hopes to start work on a photo book in 2019 and plans to continue recording the color and life that he and Pam encounter at home and on their travels.

Richard has two sisters who live in Waco. Both of his daughters live near Houston so he still has a strong connection to Texas. His daughter, Sheryl, lives in Seabrook with her husband, Paul Duport, and grandsons, Makai and Shae. Jennifer and her husband, Randy Mills, live in Cypress with grandson, Tevai, and Richard’s first granddaughter, Ren, who is only seven months old.

Samples of Richard’s Work
“Here is a link to my gallery of albums on Facebook. These particular albums are available to see if you are on Facebook. Each album is represented by a single image so as you scroll down through the cover photos you can select any image that looks interesting. This will take you to that album. Each album contains a selection of images taken at one event or a series of connected subjects. The albums appear in sequence with the most recent appearing first. If you open the album in a new window (Control click or right click) you won’t lose your place on the album page.”
(This is available for all to see- whether on Facebook or not.)

https://www.facebook.com/richard.quick.98/photos_albums?lst=100000103749613%3A100000103749613%3A1547324288

“This is a sample album from San Miguel de Allende showing Aztec dancers in action:”

The dancers began a full day of dancing the morning of March 3rd in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At least eight…

Posted by Richard Quick on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

“These are two sample albums from Eureka Springs, one from a parade and the other showing the local seasonal color:”

Back on the first Saturday in May the participants started lining up for the Artrageous Parade which always sets the…

Posted by Richard Quick on Thursday, June 9, 2016

Pam and I live in Eureka Springs, a small Victorian village in northwestern Arkansas, population 2275 or so. The little…

Posted by Richard Quick on Sunday, October 25, 2009

Travels

Beverly (Murphy) Wells:
Bev Wells and her children, David Wells and Darla Wells, traveled to St Thomas, St Maarten, Antigua, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire for the holidays. They saw some beautiful islands and Bev said all the people were warm and friendly. She reports: “The beaches are as beautiful as you see on TV commercials. The colors of the waters are breath taking! Happy New Year to all!”

When it comes to traveling, Bev is letting no grass grow under her feet!