Greetings fellow classmates. I am not sure why I am up here. I guess I can only blame it on the sweetness of Connie George Bernhart. We all know about Connie’s sweetness that has been prevalent for all her life. She’s stuck with it, she can’t help it. I called upon help from former classmates and enlisted the help of Jerry Curry, Kurt Fisher and Charlie Bullock. Kurt is at home on a gurney with some form or mystery illness that has become an experiment at USC. Jerry will be on in a few minutes and Charley Bullock flatly refused and is hiding in the back .

My staff and I have conducted interviews, computer searches and phone taps to find out some very interesting things about you that we want to share with you tonight.

We want to start by honoring those classmates who have been unable to attend for various reasons 24 of whom have passed on. The last one just a month ago was Larry Moore. He was planning on attending. As I said Kurt Fisher is really baffling medical science and really wanted to be here. I would like to ask for a minute of silence. We need each of you to go to your spiritual place and ask for good things for Kurt and honor those departed.

Those of us here are the survivors and we are gathered here to celebrate a bond that was formed many years ago by where we lived and whom we grew up with. First we want to thank the committee that put this all together, They are: Jerry Curry, Judy Burge Grommon, Sally Buccholtz Spect, Ron Browne, Char Chrenshaw McDaniel, Luretta Salmons Dawsey and her husband Mike who runs our web site.) Gary Maelzer, Dave Morris, Larrry Harvey, Miki Harrott Roth, Joellen Hixon Henthorn, Kathy Ulin Merritt, Ruth Hite Case, Mary Kramme Starck, Mary Miller Kaufman, Sally Tretheway Moninger, Caroline Hannah Quinn, Diana Depperschmidt Nolde, Betty Spall Dinsmore, Marsha Perry Roth and Connie George Bernhart. Lets all give them a hand for making this happen.

We are survivors, we were born of mothers who smoke and drank while pregnant. Our baby cribs were painted with lead based paints, which we chewed like a horse on a corral. In summer we disappeared at daybreak and came home at dark. We ate worms and mud pies and played mumbly peg with real knives. We played with mercury and coated our dimes with it. Jerry Curry x-rayed our feet about a 1,000 times. We fell out of trees, got cuts, broke bones and there were no lawsuits. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets. We even hitchhiked. As kids we didn’t have seat belts or cars seats. We drank water from the garden hose and shared a bottle of pop with who ever was around. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility and we learned. We learned to deal with it. Congratulations!!

First we want to welcome Linda Bothan Swanson back from the formerly departed. The website had previously listed her as deceased. She has come back born again as a blond. Get with her later for answers to those questions about the here after.

Talk about survivors we have five couples of classmates that have been married since we graduated. They a re Max and Peggy Stone Schlosser, Steve and Darla Miller Bower, Tom and Karen Schumann Winegarden, Bill and Diane Moritz Zeiler, and Bob and Sue Hendrickson Collard. The Collard’s are in Cape Cod, and the Millers are working a hunting season in Wyoming but get with these other couples to learn the secrets to negotiations and compromise. They are available for autographs after dessert.

Socrates the great philosopher said. “By all means marry. If you get a good wife you’ll be happy. If you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”

Bill Bliss is here from California he revealed that he sold condoms to classmates out of his locker. He obviously didn’t sell us enough. counting up the web site I think about 56 of us are responsible for 206 grandkids.

Thumbing through an old annual and I see Ron Browne getting his driving instruction. How’d that work out for you Ron? Still have a perfect driving record? Actually Ron probably has learned to drive on both sides of the road with his travels to over 50 countries.

Judy Burge Grommon has returned to the area, lives in Longmont and is here looking. She advises she is back in the dating pool and has had enough blind dates to qualify for a guide dog.

Randy Carlson is here back from the Pyrenees Mts of Spain. They spend the summers there living in their daughter’s pool. It saves on rent, is refreshing and the chlorine cuts down on the bathroom breaks.

Carolyn Crawford Rensch is back in Colorado after running from tornados in Oklahoma. She no longer considers speed limits a challenge.

Carolyn Coulson Kelso is just back from Ecuador where she was studying mind-altering drugs used by the Haurrani Indians. I want to sign up for those psychiatric test drugs you mentioned in your bio.

Charlotte Crenshaw McDaniel is a member of the hardworking committee that put this together and is looking forward to the elections in November when she can work as many hours as she wishes for the Democratic Party.

Sharon Davis Viet reveled the difference between the men and women of our class. She was surprised the learn that Bill Bliss sold condoms out of his locker and that we even thought about sex then. Sharon was a late bloomer. Sharon that’s all the guys thought about at that age was sex.

Darla Ellis who had a great career in Television returned to Loveland and remarried. Her neighbors called and advised us that your biological clock is keeping them awake. Has that thing been reset?

Carolyn Haering Shiveley is the director of the Oregon Humane Society and has brought a van full of puppies and kittens for all of us. They will be distributed at the picnic tomorrow.

Liane Elinhoff Kneisel following her mentor Miss Whitehouse, has retired from entertaining English Students in California. She advises that she loves to hear about other peoples operations, get with her if you a have a good one.

My old buddy Kurt Fisher has what I imagine is a great bar in Burbank named Razzerries. We want him to get well from his mysterious illness because he promised me a free beer. I noted that Bill Bliss has a 60 person Choral group you could have them do a show in your bar.

Alberta Furr Winslow reports that she has found happiness and success in sponsoring T-ball tournaments and is trying to deal with the fact that her granddaughter is named Google

Connie George Bernhardt . She has worked many hours to make this work. She has combined her experiences as a waitress and beautician to create a line of new fragrances for women to attract men. She has developed fragrances that appeal to a mans heart through his stomach and they smell like pizza, steak, hamburgers and beer

Bob Gray who lives in the Banana belt of Colorado in Buena Vista. He teaches magic to middle schoolers but he is so slow they catch every trick.

Carolen Hanna Quinn- has retired from technical corporate America to take up serious square dancing and flower gardening. She had a rose named after her, but wasn’t very happy about what the garden club had to say about it. No good in bed, but fine against the wall.

Miki Harrott Roth has remained in the area and according to her bio is well qualified to sell you part of it if you want to return after this reunion. She has been in real estate for a number of years in the area.

Larry Harvey retired for 10 years, has just opened his Koi Pond as a catch and release fishery for the blind.

Betty Jean Helzer Medina has also stayed close to home. She is living a full life in Eaton and like many of you has 4 grandchildren to play with.

Joellen Hixson Henthorn – Jo has taken up residence in the middle of the hated Greeley “Tigers” but has discovered that eating large amounts of Mustard has enabled her to foretell the future.

Phyllis Henderson is here under the witness protection program after a trip to Ariz last year went terribly wrong. She thought the way to a man’s heart was through his chest with a sharp knife. Just call her Thelma if you see her.

Twyla Hunter Thome reports that she has been traveling in Asia and used her training in choir to discover that the toilets there flush in E-Flat.

Buddy Kurtz has retired and told me he is now multi tasking he can laugh, cough, sneeze, fart and pee all at the same time.

Jackie Laes Brown can be seen in the rotunda at The Jefferson Co courthouse where she leads the Drivers License examiners in Drill routines at 6:30 AM

Sandy Lange Jensen is happy in Carlsbad NM , she has been taking care of her husband who is attached to a machine that keeps him going. It’s called a refrigerator.

Richard Lafferty has been touring the continent and as a retired electrical engineer with too much time on his hands he is pushing his “Seltzer Phone” that rewards unwanted callers with an electrical charge and water sprayed into their ear drum.

John Lind is living near a ski area after moving from a ski area and advises punk bands on tattoo symbolism.

Tom Meacham takes the record for attending the most reunions and traveling the farthest. This year he came all the way from Anchorage on a Segway. Tom can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.

Dean Mills has a B&B in Tucson and I understand he has been very busy with certain tour groups..

Ron Miller is here he was just put on a Diet by his Cardiologist “If it tastes good spit it out.”

Jerry Mohrlang Graduated several years ahead of us and he is here trying to pick up a underclass younger woman. He has written a couple of books based on his time in Borneo. I understand the Dyaks throw quite the party.

David Morris is a computer guru currently taking reservations on time travel.

Yvonne Owens Anderson is visiting from Medford, Oregon and she brought a case of wine for everyone.

Michael Paul reported from Georgia that he took the road less traveled and was lost for several years but has returned.

Rick Peden currently owns most of Walden after creating Adjustable Rate Mortgages for ranchers in the area in the 70’s

Marsha Perry Roth has discovered that the male is a domestic animal, which if treated with firmness and kindness can be trained to do most things. She has been married to her husband for 41 years.

Bob Sargent recently retired from math teaching to write suduko puzzles for Ranger Rick Magazine

Karen Schuman Winegarden reports she has been playing a lot of softball and discovered that money can’t buy happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.

Robert Shope Smith has been caring for many of our parents in the North Shore Nursing Home and knows many of our family secrets, and where the gold is buried.

Betty Spall Dinsmore has been traveling as many of you have. She has a used shot glass from every state.

Sally Tretheway Moninger’s rejections during my formative years drove me to drink and I want to take this opportunity to thank her for that.

Sandy Sullivan Bacon has retired and lives permanently on the Princess Cruise line, She gets to dress up every night and meets a new bunch of friends every 10 days.

Carla Warbird Kelly has recently returned from a trip to Israel and we can expect peace there as a result.

Kathy Ulin Merritt just retired after working 41 years for the Federal Government. Unfortunately all her work is classified and she can’t talk about it.

Tom Windegarden has invented a new sport shooting radio-controlled airplanes with shotguns. Did I get that right Tom?

Bill Zeiler reports that he sold Hewitt Packard and stated that he didn’t feel old \. He doesn’t feel anything until noon and then its time for his nap.

One continuing thread that flows through all the biographies is that everyone really enjoys their grandchildren and golden years. Many of you have had time and funds to travel and enjoy learning about other cultures I hope everyone can do so I consider it one of the best things I have done.

I really feel that we were born in a very unique era and have had many opportunities. We were fortunate to have lived and grown up in Loveland and we are the better for it. I want to thank all of you for your participation in this reunion.

A good friend will help you move. A really good friend will help you move a body. Let me know if I need to bring a shovel.

I have had a very pleasant evening, but this wasn’t it. Good night and travel safe.