Baheej did his doctorate at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and also studied in Holland, in The Hague, where he did a Masters at the International Institute of Social Studies, and did a Masters in Drama at Harvard University. He also writes fiction and plays, and has a recent novel, Sam, Meriam, and Me.

It's part of a trilogy and he's just finished the second volume which is in production. .Baheej teaches Sociology at Columbia College of Chicago, a liberal arts college downtown. I taught for some years but moved to business in the early 1980s first to Digital Equipment Corp, then Motorola in Motorola University, and then to the NRAEF an educational foundation, in downtown Chicago, where I was a Senior Vice President for several years and headed up the foundation my last year there. In all of these jobs I was an executive in corporate education, creating educational programs for managers, execs, and technologists.

Recently, I founded a new publishing company, Jameel Publishing, dedicated to first time authors of novels/fiction, poetry, and memoirs.

We travel internationally in both our work and private lives--so this is a big part of our life. We've spent extensive amounts of time in South America, Mexico, Asia, Europe. And we've been many times to Northern Europe--Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark over the years. Just contemplating where we'll go this summer.

My brother Nic and his wife Joni Anderson live in Pequot Lakes, MN, and have a lovely daughter, Nicolle who works for the art museum in St. Paul. My sister, Mary, lives in Denver and has two great daughters who live near her.

My brother Rex is in Florida and his career was a commercial pilot.

Summer of 1965 transferred to U of M and full time work as a chemical technician at 3M company.

18 months later transferred to Mankato State and completed a degree in Math and minors in chemistry and physics, June 1969.

Married my wife, Diane, of 41 years in June, 1968.

Ran motels and mobile home court in New Ulm and Faribault before getting in the Country Kitchen Restaurant business September 1, 1971.

Had four franchised Country Kitchen restaurants in three different states: Ashland, Wisconsin, Faribault, Minnesota, Jefferson City and Columbia, Missouri.

Served six years in the Army Reserve May 1969 through May 1975.

Retired from the restaurant business in 2006, after 35 years with Country Kitchen.

Today, I have three children, ranging in age from 29 years to 38 years.

Only one 8 month old granddaughter.

We met at the University of Minnesota and our extravagance has been that of gasoline. All three of our children say the house could have been warmer but the car, van or motor home was always full and ready to go!

I moved to Wyoming and decided to let the in-laws complete the task of paying Gail’s college. We married and lived in Wyoming and Colorado until 1995. Plagued with health problems in my 30's, I decided to convince my wife the fast lane was no place for us and, with our conservative lifestyle, we could step off the treadmill at ages 48 & 49 and still exist with some quality of life. The last kid went off to St. Olaf and we managed the jump, sold our home, and called my old shop home for summers only. After eight years scouring the southern states in our old motorhome, looking for that perfect affordable place with great climate, we purchased our home in Green Valley, Arizona in 2003 and are pleased with the community. Arizona is known for its heat, thanks to the Phoenix area. Fortunately, we’re at 3,000 feet and a couple days ago we were only 82 degrees Fahrenheit and 104 is near our top temperature in the summer months.

We continue to travel and missed the 45th as we just returned from 32 days in Europe and we were anxious to get home. We still have a lake lot in Nisswa though we hope to sell it in the coming five years. We park our old RV there infrequently. We both feel greatly blessed that we were able to spend our 50s and now 60s traveling and volunteering. We feel horribly out of touch with the “fast lane” and glad for it!

Mega thanks to the computer buffs and all their work on this arduous task. And the photos - where did they come from - never saw so many unfamiliar faces. This can’t be a Halloween joke, can it?

Some of my antics in Bemidji resulted in me being placed on something called "social probation", so I transferred to St. Cloud State where I was welcomed with open arms ( I think they have higher standards now).

I managed to graduate in '69 with a degree in accounting. Shortly thereafter I entered the Army for a three year stint during which I served a year in Vietnam.

I suffered a mild hearing loss and, as a consequence, finished my military career working at a swimming pool and gymnasium in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. I was discharged from the Army in '72.

I worked for several years in auditing and accounting for various companies. During that time, I went back to school and studied law at night with the idea of ultimately providing legal services to the poor and historically underrepresented segments of our society.

By the time that I graduated in '79, I was married with four kids, had quite a bit of debt and my desire to help others had vanished, so I went into corporate law. I have been doing that for the past thirty years, but I did work a couple of years in Indian Law for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

Our daughter Julie was born in 1969. She is married to husband John and they live in Rogers, MN with son Jacob, almost 11 and son Nathan, age 8. Their first born daughter, Lauren, died of SIDS at age 3 months. We are blessed to have two healthy grandsons. Our daughter Jodie was born in 1971. She and her husband Paul and grand daughter Morgan (age 14 going on 22) live in Savage Mn and also have a place on Lake Ossawinamakee. We see our kids and grand kids often and very much enjoy them.

I also worked in real estate for about two years and worked for a cardiologist for five years. My last stint in the working world was for Northern Orthopedics as an x-ray tech. I retired in January of 2008.

We enjoy playing golf and camping together. I also like reading, knitting and creating greeting cards with my rubber stamps. I volunteer at my church and knit new born hats for the babies at St. Joe's. We also play cars (500) in two couples groups and I have been in a girls 500 club that has been together for over 30 years.

Graduate, University of Minnesota-Duluth, 1969

Appeals Industry Specialization Coordinator for Internal Revenue Service, Retired 2000

Relocated from Burnsville, MN to Oceanside, CA, 2004

I moved to Baxter/Brainerd where I taught piano for five years. I joined the Legacy Chorale where I met Bob Dryden whose wife had also died of cancer in 2003. We know that God brought us together to find love again!

May 18, 2008 was a joyful day as we got married at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd. Forty members of the Legacy Chorale graced our wedding with a mini-concert plus the glorious sounds of the pipe organ, handbell choir and harp!

With common interest of our love for God, family, music, theater and travel our days are full and enjoyable. Within our first year of marriage we have cruised the Hawaiian Islands, spent five weeks in Mexico, and most recently a Mediterranean cruise that took us to Italy, Egypt, the Holy Land, Turkey and the Greek Islands.

After graduation I went and took the civil service test and worked at the Brainerd State Hospital for nearly 2 years, then married Gary Hebler, a Pierz boy ,and will celebrate our 44th in April. I didn't work for a couple years but then went to Munsingwear in Little Falls for 7 years. We then bought Gary's folk's farm and milked cows for 26 years until Gary broke his leg and we sold the dairy cows.

I have worked at various jobs over the years, all of then in health care one way or another. I currently work for Rem, doing activities with special needs people, that seems to be my niche. I have also worked on the First Response team, taught religion classes and served on various boards, such as the Parish Council and Father Pierz School of Religion.

We have 2 kids, Rick is married to Kathleen and they have Tyler 11, and Madison 7

Tammi is married to Brian and they have Morgan 11, Braedy 7, and Emersen 4, Rick lives on a farm of ours a mile away and Tammi lives in Prior Lake. We see each other as often as possible and are lucky to be able to "babysit" often.

Life has been very good to us and we are blessed.

and Danny all living near the Twin Cities. We also have 5 grandchildren ages 16, 13, 4, 3 and 1.

In 1968, after I graduated from NDSU we moved to Indianapolis, where I worked for Lilly Industrial Coatings as a chemist developing coatings for all kinds of industrial products and equipment. One of our primary customers was IBM and most of the coatings for their large computers of that era were developed by my lab group. In 1976 we returned to Minnesota and I worked in a similar position at Valspar Corporation in Minneapolis. I have enjoyed the work and the business travel to customers throughout the US and Canada and twice to Japan. We have lived in Anoka for 33 years.

Except for about 5 years as a dental assistant, Darlene has been the homemaker, while we raised our 4 children and also, our granddaughter Kayla, who we have raised since she was a baby and who soon will be a junior at Anoka H.S. I have found that is much easier to raise a grandchild, but maybe it is because she has been so easy to raise.

After 32 years with Valspar, I retired in April 2009. So far, there have been too many projects to do around home and not enough traveling, rounds of golf, fishing and other fun things that are supposed to come during our Golden Years in retirement. I do get to spend a lot more time with Darlene, our kids and grandkids which has been the best part of retirement. We won’t get a winter place (probably Arizona) until Kayla is off to college.

Darlene’s big hobby is her large flower garden. Mine are golfing, playing bridge, 500 or Texas Hold-Em and some fishing. We both enjoy traveling and spending time with our kids and grandkids, and watching the older ones play organized sports.

It will be great to see many of you at the reunion. I have enjoyed reading all the bio’s that Doug has been sending out, and the pictures have been fun to see (some of you are starting to gray, just a little like me). Best Wishes.

In 1972, I met my wife Sherri, who was a teaching colleague of Gary Isackson (a fellow classmate), at the MN Learning Center. We married and will celebrate our 36th anniversary September 8th. Our son, Kyle, was born in 1978. He graduated from St. Olaf in 2000 with a BA in Psychology and is a Senior Associate in the Psychology Department at Capella University, Minneapolis. Sherri is semi-retired after 37 years teaching special education. She still works part-time consulting, doing assessments and mentoring teachers for several area school districts.

We have always lived in the Brainerd Lakes Area and have enjoyed living on Nisswa Lake for the past 32 years. We are considering downsizing to a golf course townhome in the near future with some time spent away from the winter weather. We enjoy traveling so probably won¹t settle in one place other than MN.

I support my golf ³habit² by working at the pro shop at the Garden Course at Grand View Lodge. Besides golf, I enjoy bowling, traveling, photography, reading military/spy novels and keeping up with our extended family.

That¹s about it,

See you at the 50th.

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On the civilian side, I started working at Camp Ripley in 1968 as a Federal Technician. I ended up working in the State Maintenance Office. I ensured all the maintenance was being done on the military equipment in all guard units in Minnesota. I also had to keep the National Guard Bureau in Washington and the Dept of the Army informed on the current status of all military equipment in Minnesota. While in this position, I received the highest maintenance award, which is given in the military and that is the Army Award for Maintenance Excellence. I retired from the federal technician program in 2003 after 36 years.

Now for my personal life. I got married to Judy (Anderson) Deming of Brainerd in 1969. We had two wonderful children Lee Deming, single, living in Marksville, LA and Laura (Deming) Pratt married to Shawn living in Merrifield, MN. They have 3 boys, Taylor, Connor, and Logan. I ended up getting a divorce from Judy after 13 years of marriage.

I remarried in 1998 to Elaine (Cameron) Deming of Edina, MN. Elaine had 5 children, 1 boy Mark and 4 girls Nancy, Lisa, Julie, and Amy. One lives in Florida, one in Colorado and the other three in Minnesota. So, we always have a place to stay when we travel around the US. We have a total of 15 grandchildren between the two of us, but no great grandchildren yet.

Speaking of traveling, I have been to 10 different foreign countries and all 50 states. The last one to visit was Hawaii, which my wife and I visited in March of 2008. I enjoy horseback riding, skiing, golfing, and traveling. I competed in horse shows on weekends during the summer months in 7 different events where I accumulated over 400 trophies. Since we are both retired, it seems like we have less time now to get things done than we did when we were both working. But now we can enjoy visiting with our children, grandchildren, and traveling.

In 1970 I married Barbara Brodie, which means our 40th anniversary in coming next year. Our parents had lake cabins next to each other so I had known her since 1956. Barbara just retired from 30 years of teaching. We did not rush into having kids. In 1976 Andy was born and Emily came along in 1979.

In 1990 I was given a great opportunity to work as an exchange engineer in Finland so the whole family moved to Finland for that year.

It was the best experience for all of us and Barbara and I just came back from a six week trip to Sweden and Finland visiting friends and relatives.

The next big event in our lives came when Andy made the 1998 Winter Olympic Team in Biathlon (this sport includes cross-country skiing and shooting). Tom Hall knows that I did not teach Andy that skill since I never took his dad’s gun training course or had a gun. We had an incredible experience watching Andy compete in Japan that year.

Andy is now married and we have our first grandchild, William. They live in Eden Prairie so we get to see William frequently. Emily is a doctor in Dermatology residency and is living in Detroit for several years. They are expecting our second grandchild in October.

I retired once but have been working at URS for over six years. This is a consulting firm doing projects for Mn/DOT. I still enjoy my work.

I teach language arts in a middle school in North Minneapolis - a challenge to say the least. My only claim to fame is an interview that appeared in Time a few years ago. My school, which was considered somewhat innovative at the time, was chosen as one of three across the country to be featured in the magazine. The visiting editor was excited about a science project that my social studies partner and I were doing especially since we were not science teachers. We were the two teachers interviewed for the article about our school.

There never seems to be much spare time, but I do enjoy my yard and flowers and do try to get some traveling in. I have been to China twice in the last 4 years. Never did I think I would climb the Great Wall of China. My reason for

being there was to accompany my daughter and her husband to bring home their little girl, Charlotte. Last November I went to Shanghai to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter and her family who were living there for 6 months (her husband is a global products manager for GE).

Our China connection continues as again my daughter and family went back to China in May to bring home 19 month old June Lu. My kids and their spouses enjoy being together so we have many family gatherings which I love.

I have lived in Mounds View for 31 years. My mother lived in her house on Chippewa until a year ago so I have kept my ties with Brainerd. Her house is for sale now so I really do feel bad to lose my reason for "coming home."

In 1969 I began working as an Underwriter Trainee for Farmers Home Mutual Ins.- a small regional P&C insurance company writing business in nine states and headquartered in Minneapolis. I worked at Farmers Home Mutual (FHM) for 35 years, retiring in 2004 when the company was about to merge with Western National Mutual Ins. in Eden Prairie. I held many positions with the company with the last being Vice President of Compliance. I stayed at FHM so long due to the ability for advancement and the great relationships made. I knew the President and other officers of the company on a first name basis shortly after joining the company. This is one of the many great benefits of working for a small company. After leaving FHM, I worked as an independent contractor in the insurance field for three years and have been retired since 2007. Farmers Home had branch offices in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Washington which gave us ample opportunity to travel for work and pleasure. Needless to say we would plan visits to the southwest offices during the winter season. We now have some favorite places we continue to visit.

I met my second wife Rebecca (Becca) on a blind date set up by her sister who I had known for many years. We were married in 1975 and have two children, a son and daughter both still single and live in the Twin Cities. Becca and I live in Lakeville in our townhouse where I take care of the house work and Becca works at Blue Cross Blue Shield in the customer service department. We enjoy seeing our children often, getting together with friends, traveling and volunteering at our local church and hospital.

I have had an average but wonderful life. After graduation I went to the nursing program at the Brainerd Community College.

Zane and I got married in September of 66’. We have 2 sons and 4 grandchildren.

After growing up with 3 brothers and raising 2 boys, the 2 granddaughters we have are a real treat.

In 66’ we moved to Anoka and I worked in the Emergency Room and in Labor and Delivery at Mercy Hospital. When we moved to Fridley, I worked at Unity Hospital.

I then chose to be a stay at home mom until the boys got into Jr. High. I did not keep up my nursing license, so went into banking. I am currently the Branch Manager at Landmark Community Bank in Ramsey.

We now live north of Anoka and have five wooded acres. We feel like we live Up North so we don’t get to Brainerd much.

Yes, it has been 45 years and we are all getting older, and I think that is Great. We never know what will happen to us or what we will be asked to endure. When I came back to work after my cancer treatments I bought a Sucessories poster and put it on my wall.

In 1989 I was appointed as a District Judge of the southwest 15 counties of Minnesota and have remained in that position. I have been elected to four six-year terms, but don’t intend to work too much longer.

Jean and I have two children. Our daughter lives in Mankato, and she and her husband have a seven year-old daughter. Our son lives in Baxter, and he and his wife have two boys, ages seven and three.

I have remained active in hunting and fishing, and along with some old Brainerd friends and my brother have a hunting cabin in Northern St. Louis County.

I graduated from Bemidji State in 68 with a degree in Elementary Ed, card playing, and a whole lot more; all life long skills. I did graduate work at St. Thomas and St. Cloud State. I started teaching in Elk River and never left. After 34 years of teaching and 6 years as a sub, I decided 40 years was enough of public service. I taught 4-6 grades during every local, state, and federal program they hatched up. Some teachers thought it was a waist of time and money. I have been nominated five times for Who's Who in American Teachers. I coached youth sports in many areas for over 30 years, and served many positions in different sports on their board of directors.

Mary (class of 66 in Brainerd) and I got married in 1969 and have three children. Trent(34) works for Medtronics in production. Kyann(29) is a social worker for Mille Lacs Lake County, and Ross(25) is with Alltel in Mankato. He is also is a lieutenant with the U.S. Army. He is a econ. specialist trying to track where all that war money went. Mary and I have two granddaughters ages 3 and 1. They live close to us and we do a lot of grand parenting every week. Mary and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage this month.

I (we) spend our retirement doing grand parenting, gardening, and maintenance. I also love to fish, hunt, and golf. As the years go by, golfing is becoming my past time. See you on the links.

I was "restructured" and forced into retirement after 36 years in 2004. Marilyn worked until Jan of 2008.

We still like to camp and I get a few fishing trips to Canada each year. We took up golf about 8 years ago and enjoy golfing with friends. We are fortunate enough to go south for a few months to make winters more tolerable.

After graduation moved to Minneapolis and married. I have a beautiful, successful daughter. We moved to San Jose and lived their for five years. I divorced and then moved to Lake Tahoe where I was the sales and marketing director for the Tahoe Biltmore, Hotel Casino. I fell in love with Lake Tahoe.

I lived there for twelve years. My daughter was living in Arizona, so I moved to be closer to her. Married again and divorced again. I bought a home here in Phoenix and am working for a container shipping company. I am an artist, oil painting, some of my art is for sale..

I turned my garage into a studio and have had a few showings. I am listed on facebook.com under Lynette Wing and under photos there is an album of some of my paintings.

I have been single for awhile and that suits me fine. Besides painting, I like music, yoga, meditation, gardening and my cats (have two of them). I have traveled most of US and Europe, and of course Mexico. Phoenix, is the center for some of the most beautiful scenery and for me being an artist, that's my canvas.

In June of 65' I returned to Brainerd and through a series of events enrolled in college at Bethany School of Missions, located in Bloomington, MN, a school where I could work in a wood shop making parts for "Bethany Camping Trailers", manufactured lefse grills and drive a garbage truck to pay my way through three years of school. I met Cindy Marty at Bethany and before I left for my year internship in Brooklyn, New York we were engaged to married the next summer.

In Brooklyn I was a drug counselor, teacher, preacher, group therapist, bus driver, etc. at Teen Challenge where I worked with men who had been in gangs and were addicted to heroin when they arrived. I lived in a house with thirty-five of these men and got a fast and furious lesson in the other side of life. Cindy joined me the next fall for her internship; we lived in a coach house in back of the men's residence that I had spent off hours remodeling.

In 1970 I was asked to be the director of a similar program in New Jersey. In October of 1971 we returned to Bloomington and I worked as the rehabilitation director of a similar ministry called Midwest Challenge (MWC). By the time I left in 1979 I was supervising the Minneapolis program and four others in the Midwest. I left MWC to take my current position as Executive Director of Damascus Way Reentry Center, Inc. We contract with the Minnesota Department of Corrections to house and supervise Work Release and Intensive Supervised Release men in Golden Valley, MN and for the last three years in Rochester, MN.

Cindy had worked with me at Teen Challenge, Midwest Challenge and Damascus Way until December 1981 when we decided that she would check out the corporate world. She started as a temp for Control Data and worked her way up to manager, then director and now vice president in several corporations.

Over the years I have worked side jobs such as painting and papering residential and commercial properties, remodeling apartments, installing furnishings in new hotels, etc. I rebuilt and/or remodeled a home that we have rented out since1981. I am currently remodeling a home on acreage in rural Milaca, MN where we plan to retire.

We have one daughter, who is married and has two sons (four and eight) who visit us often and totally enjoy our place in the woods in Milaca. Our daughter is a Registered Dietician specializing in school nutrition for the Land O'Lakes Corporation.

Other Interests: I held a private pilots license for many years, traveled by motorcycle to many interesting areas in the West and Canada. I have sold real estate for IBR and Edina Realty for several years. I hunt with two pointing dogs, deer hunt in my back yard, read books mostly old stuff, researched and found six sisters and one brother of my father. Dad was adopted by the Harden's when he was a baby, his mom had died of TB in 1905 - he was born a Bowen.

We bought a business in 1969 and have worked 40 years in retail (Timber Building Supply, Ace Hardware in the Bay Lake area).

We are blessed with 11 grandchildren and a full life, I garden, quilt and pain. 

After graduating from college, I returned to Minnesota to teach high school English in the Robbinsdale District for 34 years. On weekends, following my dad's footsteps, I played in a band, and the rest of my spare time I graded papers. (I did love teaching and would probably still be doing it today if it weren't for all the homework.)

I was engaged for several years to a jazz musician/fisherman, but I never did get married. Between my 7,000+ students and the eight kids of my niece and nephew, my life has been rich with children. I especially like taking my young relatives to plays and museums and on trips.

I can't believe how much fun I'm having in retirement. Besides playing in three bands -- we do weddings, private parties, corporate events, and, yes, the "nursing home circuit" -- I enjoy playing golf and a lot of tennis, taking classes for fun, reading, practicing the piano, going to plays, volunteering, and traveling. Egypt, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, and Tibet have been my favorites so far, and this January I plan to travel to India and Nepal. (When I retired, I made a list of 20 countries to visit, but every time I cross one off, I add two more.)

After attending Brainerd Community College, North Central University in Minneapolis, and working a year as a machinist apprentice at the Northern Pacific Railway in Brainerd, I received my "I WANT YOU!" finger. I served a year in Vietnam as an artilleryman 68-69, meeting up there with my brother Jack, Loren Smart, and Dale Austin. I married Gaylene, my wife of 40 years on Aug 29, 69, in Lawton, OK. After completing Warrant Officer Helicopter Flight Training, I was promoted from Staff Sergeant to Warrant Officer 1, returning to Vietnam for another year as a CH47 "Chinook" helicopter pilot. I lived a lot better in Vietnam as a pilot. My only other year of combat was during "Operation Just Cause" to remove Noriega from Panama. My long range goal was to complete a quick 20 years in Army aviation and then fly commercially. I earned my civilian flight instructor ratings in both airplanes and helicopters as well as Airline Transport Pilot - helicopter.

My goals changed as Congress authorized a super grade Warrant Officer rank of CW5, which I was promoted to in 93. At the Army's request I completed a BA degree in Human Resources at Troy State University (Trojans) in 94, Kum something (amazing how school gets easier when you are motivated).

Our two daughters, Gena and Ginny, who graduated from Auburn and Troy State. They found Alabama husbands, marrying in a double wedding on Panama City Beach, FL, on our 29th anniversary (don't forget them after that). I retired from the military finally after 33 years in Jun 2000 as Cargo Branch Chief, Department of Evaluation and Standardization, Ft. Rucker, AL, responsible for worldwide Army and National Guard helicopter unit readiness and training, all of which have to be evaluated at least annually, My military flying is a treasury of once in a lifetime experiences; favorite missions to be nation building and refugee support, some of which were to remote jungle tribal peoples right out of the pages of National Geographic.

Our favorite places we have lived are Honolulu, Fairbanks, Seattle, and Panama City Beach. We sold our beach home on the white sand emerald coast at Panama City Beach in 2002. Even paradise gets old after the same season and view 365 days a year. We have also rebuilt on two occasions from the ground up after devastating hurricanes. Since military assignments resulted in an accumulative 14 years of separation, Gaylene and I have chosen to spend our remaining days together and do a lot of service volunteering. We utilize our 40 foot diesel motorhome as members of Recreational Vehicle Missions America Placement Service, a volunteer organization through the Assemblies of God to construct churches, colleges and campgrounds nationwide. I volunteer drive for Minnesota Teen Challenge Brainerd, as well as performing duties of Deacon in the Heritage Assembly of God in Baxter. Our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is vital to our lives and hope for life on the new earth. As each of us looks in the mirror these days, one realizes that life on this earth is short and preparations for the next are all the more important. We have traveled all over the world, but have found the Brainerd Lakes Area to be the best, well-kept secret. The beauty of the lakes area with 4 wonderfully different seasons, along with very friendly people, make this a dreamy place to finally nest. We purchased a large home adjacent Perch Lake in Baxter last year, which affords plenty of room for our children and nine grandchildren (all 6 and under with no twins) to visit from Alabama. We still enjoy snowmobiling, skiing, ATVs, boating and fishing, motorcycling, playing cards, occasional golf, etc.

I'm not proficient on the computer, so I guess I will type my way. After graduation I went to college and got my degree as a RN ( nurse). Its been a great career and I'm still working. I worked 22 years in the ER ,then 10 years with North Memorial as a criticare nurse on the ambulance, and now I work in the Cardiac Rehab. Program.

I have 2 daughters and 1 son and 7 grandchildren. Actually, I now have 1 great grandchild. My family is a huge part of my life and I feel blessed. My interests include Art work and Motorcycles. I have a AERO Shadow 750cc. I have gone on numerous trips on the bike, love it ... been all over the USA and Canada, fun times.

I probably won't make it to the reunion, but I've enjoyed reading all the bios submitted....very nice.

I flight instructed in Seattle, crop dusted in Mississippi, flew charter everywhere and the last thirty five years have been flying corporate jets for fortune 500 companies in Minneapolis. I'm presently chief pilot for a private company in Minneapolis flying a Gulfstream, about half our flying is international, and I plan to fly until I'm 100.

My wife (Dr. Houle) is a director in HR for the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank; she has no plans to work as long as me. We live in Apple Valley and have two grown daughters, one is a film editor in Hollywood and the other is a CPA living in Eagan. We both enjoy tennis, golf and touring on our Harley.

I can't believe this is our 45 year reunion, how could that happen?

Right after high school I attended Brainerd Junior College and worked part-time at the telephone company. During the summer of 1965, a friend and I drove to Nisswa to go dancing. It was there that I met my future husband. We married one year later and had two lovely children - Darcy and Jeremy. A year or so after getting married, my husband fell off a bridge that he was working on. Fortunately, he only had minor injuries. We started looking for other jobs and ended up at Bar None Boys Ranch - a treatment center for emotionally disturbed boys. We became house parents and had 50 boys between the ages of 8 -15 live with us over a five year period.

We moved to Mankato and my husband and I got our degrees in elementary and special education. Soon after completing our programs, I saw a sign saying: "Looking for teachers who would like to teach in Australia." The meeting was starting in two hours, so I called my husband and asked if he would like to teach in Australia and he said yes, so I asked him to come to the meeting. Long story short - we were hired - so we sold our house, had an auction, visited family and went camping until it was time to fly to Australia.

We were offered jobs in Sydney, but my husband asked if we could teach in the out back and they said yes - so off we went to find our new life. It was a 600 mile drive to Brewarrina and when we arrived, there was not one person walking on the street. It was a town of 2000 people - but, it was just too hot to be outside. The only living thing we saw was a large emu that walked up to our car and stuck his head in the window. We decided at that moment that this must be the place.

My husband and I each had 15 students - they were all Aborigines between the ages of 6 & 12 and they had minimal academic skills. We were shocked when we learned that there were no curriculum guides or text books - like we have in the states. We were told that all teachers design their own programs and create their own materials. So, that's what we did - we jumped in and started creating our programs! It was a huge challenge but it turned out to be one of the best experiences we ever had. Two years later, we returned to Minnesota and found teaching jobs in Willmar. A couple of years later, my husband and I divorced - but, fortunately - we remain friends to this day.

My children and I moved to the Twin Cities where I got my masters degree in psychology/counseling. I then taught children who had emotional and behavioral disorders. Several years later, my children and I moved to Brussels, Belgium where I taught children with special needs. Two years later we moved to Cairo, Egypt and I became the elementary school counselor. We stayed in Cairo for four years. Both Brussels and Cairo have International schools that provide top notch English education to children from all over the world whose parents are sent overseas due to employment.

We returned to Minnesota and I took a job as a school psychologist. After several years I became ill and had to take an extended leave of absence. Fortunately, my health returned and I was able to return to work as a school counselor for students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. I really enjoy this job and look forward to starting back to school in about a week. As much as I love working with students, I also look forward to retirement.

Oh - I can't forget to say - that at the 30th class reunion I met Frank Nader - who became my husband several years later. It was a great surprise! I am so grateful to have a wonderful friend to enjoy life with.

I was a Navigator in C-130 cargo planes active/reserve for Uncle Sam from 1970-78. Kristen and Michael were born during that chunk of life.

After I was discharged in Sept. 1970 I went to southern California, where most of my family was living.

I married my wife in 1973, and we have two children, a son and daughter. Both live in the southern California area and we get to see them often.

I went to work for Western Electric for a few years before taking a job as an electrical tester with the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power. I worked in the field as a meter tester until 1985 when I became the supervisor of the electric meter shop. After years of field work, I really missed my freedom when I went inside, but I enjoyed training the new technicians and evaluating new equipment (really hated the politics).

I retired in August of 1998 when the city offered an early retirement. It didn’t take long for me to realize that with my wife still working and my daughter still in high school, I felt like a bum staying home every day. I was fortunate that the city of Riverside needed someone to run their meter shop, so I went back to work in mid-Sept. 1998 and worked there until I retired in 2004.

I graduated from Brainerd JC in 1966 with my very first degree (AA). What a thrill! From there I ventured on to Bemidji University where I got my BS degree in 1968 with a math major and a social studies minor. I went back to Bemidji and acquired my Masters degree in 1975. I returned to college in the mid 80’s and received my administrative license from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

In 1968, I passed my pre-induction physical for the selective service with flying colors. I took a teaching job in Stillwater, MN. Since there was a shortage of teachers, especially math and science, I had a one year deferment from working for Uncle Sam. My intentions were to complete one year of teaching and then go to Viet Nam for my 2 year stint. In early 1969 the government had it’s first draft lottery and my number was 325. I never got called up. I continued working for Stillwater schools for my entire career with a couple of exceptions. I took a one year leave of absence in 1979-1980 and taught at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, AZ. I also worked for 3 years as a computer programming consultant in St. Paul while continuing to work in the Stillwater School system.

I spent the first half of my career in the classroom teaching math. In the mid 1980’s I got interested in technology, and ended my career as the Tech Coordinator for Stillwater Area High School. I coached football, some basketball, some baseball, and some softball while in Stillwater. I am still helping with football today.

I met my wife (Sue Bromaghin from Bagley, MN) while attending Bemidji. We were married in June of 1970. We just celebrated our 39th anniversary in June! WOW the time has really flown by. We had our first and only son Chad in 1976. He is planning to get married in October. We are really looking forward to this, as we think he has found the ideal girl. On occasion, we baby sit our grand dog. Sometime we hope Chad will get it figured out and have children, so we can help out with the grand children.

Sue was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. After having a lumpectomy, radiation, and chemo therapy, we thought we had it licked, however, in 2002, cancer reared it’s ugly head again as we found out it had moved to her bones. I also retired in 2002. We had always planned on spending the winters somewhere warm, but Sue’s cancer and her treatments changed our plans. After doing all the painting around the house that I could stand, I decided to return to work for Stillwater schools as their MIS coordinator.

As you can tell from my procrastination, writing, especially about myself may not be my least favorite thing to do, but it's a damn close second. So here we go.

As many of you did I went to BJC for the first two years of college. I thought I'd major in engineering until I finished my first year of Engineering Physics. If the intent of my physics prof was to wash out the inept it worked for me and I decided to major in math instead. After finishing up at BJC I went to Bemidji State for my last two years of college and graduated in 1968 with a degree in math.

After graduation I decided to wait for the draft and get the military thing over as soon as possible. As luck would have it there was no draft call in Brainerd in June 1968 and in July I found out from a friend that there would be six openings in the Brainerd Army Reserve Unit. I was lucky enough to get one of the six positions and enlisted for six years of Army Reserve duty in August 1968. I decided to stay in Brainerd until after I did my basic training, so I delivered Coca Cola in the summer and fall of 1968 and went to basic training in January 1969 at beautiful Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

I fully intended to move to the Twin Cities after Basic Training to find a job, but as luck would have it, the manager at the "Coke" plant talked me into delivering pop for one more summer. That summer I had the luckiest day of my life when I met and started dating Marge Erickson (class of 1966). I left for the Twin Cities in the fall of 1969. When I arrived in the Twin Cities, I began looking for a job, but had no idea what I would do so I went down to the unemployment office and asked them what I could do with a Math major. The said that there was this new kind of work called computer programming and employers were looking for math and accounting majors to fill the positions. They told me that the Highway Department had several openings, so I applied, interviewed, took a logic test and was hired in October of 1969.

In June of 1970 I made the best decision of my life. I married Marge and she has kept me on the straight and narrow for 39 plus years. We were married one week after my brother Dick. I've always thought that my parents were very grateful that Dick and I were not girls with two weddings in seven days.

Marge and I have two great children. Our daughter, Kelly was born in 1974 and our son, Todd was born in 1978. Kelly took after her dad and graduated with a masters from St. Thomas College in Computer Science and now works for Target. She is married and has given us one terrific granddaughter with another grandchild due at the end of September 2009. Todd graduated from St. Thomas also with a double major in physics and math. He is also married and taught for 5 years in Waconia. He is now enrolled in the U of M with plans to get a PHD in Engineering.

We lived and raised our children in Roseville for 27 years in a 1,500 square foot home and after they left home, we moved to our current home in Oakdale (3,500 square feet... is that going the wrong direction?).

We also bought a lake home on Lake Alexander west of Brainerd in 1984 and have enjoyed many years of fishing and relaxing there.

I worked from 1969 to 1981 at the Highway Department, Metropolitan Council, Information Systems Division, and back at the Highway Department. In 1981 I took a job with the Revisor of Statutes (an office in the MN Legislature). Two others and I designed, programmed, maintained and enhanced the computer system used by the Legislature to enter, edit and publish the Laws and Statutes of the State of Minnesota. I retired from the Revisor of Statutes in July 2005 with plans to kick back and relax for the rest of my life, but in October 2005 I failed retirement. The Minnesota Senate called and asked me to automate their Web system so I started consulting for them. In January 2008 they hired me as a full time employee. As some of you have mentioned, the insurance thing hit me as a reality and I am happy to be working again.

In the attached picture I am the one with the Twins Cap.

Wally (Walter) Reier and I were married May 14, 1966. One week later, Wally left for his first of three tours in Viet Nam. We ended up being stationed at Whidbey Island, WA. We loved that part of Washington. Wally was discharged November, 1969. We were torn between staying in an area we had come to love or to come back home to Minnesota to be near our families.

I was pregnant and "home" sounded pretty good. So the Navy packed us up and we came home! Our daughter Stephanie was born 2/19/70 at St. Joseph's in Brainerd.

We moved to Duluth in August of 1973 and have been here ever since. Our son Jason was born 11/1/77.

I worked at Lakeshore Lutheran home as a nursing assistant from August of 1980 to April of 1997, took a little break and did some private duty . Took care of 2 wonderful ladies until they each passed. I went back to Lakeshore in January of 1999 in the rehab department as a clinical support person. I enjoyed that job and the people I worked with and the folks we helped rehab, until I retired at the end of July 2008.

I enjoy gardening, sewing and reading. Every fall I am involved with my sisters Mary - Brainerd, Karen - Gr. Junction, CO, and Lois - Arvada, CO. in a boutique that Mary has in her home on Kingwood Street. I am the "fruit cake lady"! I have my own special recipe and have been doing this for about 10 years.

Our daughter, Stephanie and her husband Dan, live in Blaine, MN. They have 2 beautiful daughters, Chloe-9 and Cammie-7. We love to spend time with our grand daughters, they keep us busy ! Chloe is in gymnastics and Cammie is in Karate.

My senior year, I decided to attend Father Judge Mission Seminary in Monroe, Virginia, thinking I might have a vocation to the priesthood. It was quite a traumatic and eye-opening experience for me, but I definitely learned that I was not cut out for the celibate life, no matter how noble the career.

I returned to Brainerd after graduating from the seminary and attended Brainerd Junior College as a freshman, and St. John's University as a sophomore. After my sophomore year, my father got transferred from the paper mill in Brainerd to another mill in Pomona, CA.

I completed my schooling at Cal Poly Pomona, and received my BS in Microbiology in 1970. I began working for medical products companies after graduation, first as a lab technician, and within a year as Biological Test Lab Supervisor. I worked in this capacity for about 3 years for a company in Covina, CA, then took a similar position with less responsibility for more money in Oxnard, CA for about 3 years, and then worked for Abbott Labs in Rocky Mount, NC for about 2 years.

After holding the same position/title for 3 different companies, I came to the conclusion that even though the companies and product lines were different, the problems were basically the same. I therefore transferred to another division of Abbott Labs (Plasmapheresis) in East Los Angeles as a Manufacturing QC Supervisor with the intention of learning something new and challenging.

As things worked out, I did not feel that I could learn from the person I was reporting to, so I sought out another position within the organization, and was hired as a Plasma Center Director in Portland, OR, and have been here since August of 1979. I worked as the Center Director for 6 years, and then left and did a number of other make-ends-meet jobs for a number of years, including merchandising for Frito Lay, however, the pain in my knees finally made me seek a sedentary position, and I was hired by the American Red Cross in September of 2000, and have been here ever since. Unless something out of my control happens, I will probably be here until I retire, if that time ever comes.

As far as my personal life, I married on my 24th Birthday in 1970, and fathered 4 children: Christine Marie in 1971; Cynthia Marie in 1974; Thomas Anthony in 1977; and Michael Anthony in 1980. All of my children are now married, and I have 2 grandchildren (Zooey and Will) by my daughter Cyndi.

However, my relationship with my wife seemed to suffer with the years, and I filed for and received a divorce in 1982 after 12 years of marriage. I then embarked on a relationship with a nurse (Cheryl Day) whom I met while working as a Plasma Center Director in Portland (she worked as the assistant Center Director at the company's second Portland center), and we have been together ever since, although we have not to this point legally married. Cheryl had been married 18 years when we got together, with 2 children - a son Bill, and daughter Carey. I also have 2 grandchildren by Cheryl's daughter, Kamilla and Oscar.

I stayed active in sports after graduating from college, playing lots of slo-pitch softball, running in 10Ks, and even the Portland Marathon (3 hours and 48 min.) in 1982, and also played some rugby in my mid 30's. However, after I finished the marathon in 1982 at age 36, my knees decided that I had had enough activity for one lifetime, and I was forced to end my illustrious athletic career rather abruptly. I have had arthroscopic surgery on both knees, and am hoping to avoid a total knee replacement on either or both knees. My father had 2 artificial knees and 1 hip, and one of my younger brothers has already had his right knee replaced. As a result of quitting all sports cold turkey,

I gradually gained a few pounds up to 230, but recently started the Medifast diet, and have lost 20 pounds, down to 210, and it has made a huge difference in my knee pain. I recently had my first major surgery, an endarterectomy on my left carotid artery, which was discovered at my annual physical to be 80% blocked. Other than that, I believe I've been pretty fortunate considering all the sports I played throughout the years. I had some injuries (separated right shoulder playing softball, dislocated right thumb and slightly separated sternum playing rugby, and sprained each of my ankles about 3 times each), but do not consider any of these serious since none of them seem to have left me with any lingering pain or immobility.

I'm not sure if you all would have liked more or less detail regarding my life since Brainerd, and I must say that in many ways my life hasn't exactly turned out the way I envisioned it when I was younger, but it is what it is, and I'd also like to say that I'm truly sorry I can't be there to see you all again at the reunion. As I told Doug earlier when he first found me, I have thought of many of you many times throughout the years and thought I might be the only one who did so. I was pleased to learn that I was not alone. I hope you all have a great time visiting and reminiscing. We may each have gone our separate ways, but we each have some fond memories of those long ago years.

I married Dick Magnus in 1966. In 1968 I graduated from the U and we moved to Denver.   I taught elementary school for three years and then stopped working full time when we had our kids in ‘71 and ‘75.   I knew I didn’t want to go back to teaching, so cobbled together some part time work for a few years while I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up.

In 1981 I began working for the Lutheran Church and spent the rest of my career in a number of positions with the church.   I served as an Executive Assistant to the Bishop in the Rocky Mountain Synod (Denver), served as the Vice President of the ELCA for six years (lived in Denver and spent lots of time on airplanes and in Chicago,) worked as the Associate Director for International Personnel in the ELCA (Chicago) and ended my career as the North America Executive for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) -office in Chicago with corporate offices in Geneva, Switzerland.   I have been incredibly fortunate to travel a lot both domestically and globally through work.   We both still love to travel.

We retired in December 2007 and after 30 years in Denver and eleven in Chicago, surprised ourselves by choosing to move ‘home’ to Minnesota.   We now live in Eden Prairie and are getting reacquainted with all that the Minnesota has to offer.   I’m working part time – writing and editing.   Our daughter and her family live in Mankato, and our son and his family are in Seattle.   We have five grandkids.  

I started my career in the glass business in Owatonna and retired from the glass business in March of this year.  During that time, I, we, have had the opportunity to travel on business to many countries and make many new friends.  We have moved from Owatonna to Detroit to Owatonna to Chicago and back to Owatonna where we have been for the past 25 years.  I have had the opportunity to tackle many challenges, including a plant in China and now I am trying to understand the toughest one---retirement---with all its challenges and time to do them. 

It has been a good life and the final chapter is still being written and if it is anything like the past 45 years, we will hang on and enjoy the ride.

After graduating, I got married at age 19. Had four precious children, one deceased. I have nine very precious grandchildren.

I had two businesses in St. Cloud for seventeen years. We decided to move to Las Vegas in 1994 for warmer climate . I sold manufactured homes for thirteen years.

I was very unhappy in my marriage. In 1996 I separated and two years later, divorced. I decided I was never going to allow myself to be unhappy ever again. I have learned so many lessons in my life. I love life, my family and my friends. I am so looking forward to spending time with all of you.

Smile, I am.

Mary Jendro (Lakin)

I am semi retired and I am sure I will never fully retire, I enjoy what I do (upholstery).

Watching our four grandchildren grow is a treat. I think they help keep us young. As with most of us, I've had ups and downs the last 27 years, they have been mostly up. There was a time in my life when alcohol got to be a problem , 27 years ago I quit and I enjoy every day now.

Three years ago Lana and I took up riding Harley's. 35,000 miles later we are still going strong. Now our daughter owns a Harley and rides with us. It's hard to explain the joy and freedom we feel! As long as we have our good health, we will continue to ride. By the way, Lana rides her own Road King.

I moved to California’s Central Valley in 1967, (where most of our tree fruits and nuts come from). I was active in funeral service until 1986 in Fresno, CA. I went back to school in 1984 and obtained my Certified Financial Planner designation in 1986. I have been in practice as a CFP since 1986.

In 1971, I married Susie Olson from Sanger, CA. Susie graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. After two years living in San Francisco, she decided to enter Fresno State to pursue a Masters in Special Education. I had decided to return to school and we met in the first class we both attended in the fall of 1970. Susie got her Masters in 1974 and has been a Speech and Language Pathologist since 1973. We just celebrated our 38th anniversary on September 4th.

We have three children, John 33, Gretchen 31, and Megan 27. John lives in South Carolina, Gretchen in Colorado and Megan here in Fresno. We have two granddaughters, Mollie and Sophia.

My hobbies include photography, golf and flying as a private pilot. I have been a member of church choirs since high school.

I continue to embalm for two local funeral homes. I was surfing the internet a couple years ago and discovered that I could obtain a Minnesota mortician’s license by taking the Minnesota law examination. On September 11, 2008 I took the test in St. Paul and passed. I got my Minnesota license, albeit forty-two years late.

Dad passed away in 1967 and we buried mom in Freedhem, MN, (twenty miles south of Brainerd) in 2006. While there my family was treated to a tour of WHS on Oak St, as well as, other Brainerd sites.

Dave Lindberg and I became stepbrothers in 1972 when his dad married my mom. Dave really looks much older that the photo he submitted for the website. He’s 46 days older than me.

After graduating from St. Cloud State I got my first teaching job in Brainerd and never left. I married Bob Johnson from Willmar in 1968. Since my father had died a a week after my graduation from high school my husband and I also took over our family resort on Nokay and Heron Lake.

We sold 6 of the 7 cabins in 1995 after my husband had several heart attacks, but still own and rent our largest cabin which has 3 bedrooms.

We have two married children, three grandsons, and one little granddaughter due in November. Life is good!

Our interests include Arabian horses which we show all over the United States, trail riding, and raising foals. We also enjoy hunting together. I got my first turkey this spring! Downhill skiing and snowmobiling are a couple of our winter activities. Last winter Shirley (Yde) Lintner and I went cross country skiing, something I had not done in years. I am retired now and plan to remain in Brainerd simply because it is where we have always wanted to live.

Vacations everywhere are wonderful though!

I have been a Senior Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics for 30 yrs. One of the most rewarding aspects of the business has been mentoring other women of all ages and teaching them how to build a successful home business.

My husband was transferred several times with the J.C. Penney Company and after 32 yrs. he took early retirement. He is now in business with our three sons in a family owned Commercial Landscaping & Snow Removal Company. We have eight grandchildren ranging in age from 3 yrs. to 12 yrs. old. (2 girls and 6 boys) They are the delight of our lives!

I am looking forward to catching up with a lot of you at our 45th reunion. I can't believe it has been 45 years. I don't feel that old....

I have been retired from teaching now for four years. I loved teaching special ed, and did so in Brainerd for 37 years. I still sub a little in my old school. My husband Bob is also retired from being a Recreation Therapist for the State of MN. We are thoroughly enjoying retirement, and we wonder every day how we got everything done when we were working. We love travel, photography, and visiting new places.

We have 1 daughter, and she has a little boy who is 3 and she is expecting a daughter in October. We are so excited to spend time with them. They are the lights of our life.

45 years…. I think The Grateful Dead got it right: “What a long, strange trip it’s been….” And – whether blessing or curse – the applicability of that Chinese proverb, “May you live in interesting times,” has just been mind-blowingly on-point for us. We have run the gamut – from Ike to Barack; from Cassius Clay to Michelle Wie; from Buddy Holly to Beyonce; from Castro to, uh, well, Castro….

So what have I done? Frightening question. Not much compared with all of you, certainly. Graduated from the U in 1968, had the great good fortune to get into the Army Reserve, and spent most of the remnants of that chaotic year as a restless guest of Uncle Sam at Fort Leonard Wood. (First Sergeant Grier’s field announcement one afternoon in early November still echoes: “Gentlemen, Mr. Nixon will be your new President.”) After Basic and AIT, I re-emerged gratefully into civilian life and a career in Human Resources (with a number of middle years devoted to my own executive search practice). I’ve been a naturalized Californian since 1970 and have lived in the LA area since 1980. Say what you will about Los Angeles, I’m with Randy Newman: “I LOVE LA!!” I’m lucky enough to live on the Westside (reasonably close to the breezy Pacific), so smog is insignificant actually; the climate is unbelievable; the Lakers are the NBA Champs; and the beat goes on….

No wife, no kids, no grandkids. Just happily single.

Not proud to say my time is lopsidedly devoted to work (a fact of life for most of us not-yet-retired types – gotta pay off that mortgage!), but I do manage to chip away at my bucket list from time to time. Absolutely fantastic experiences have included: Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Kyoto, Nara, Buenos Aires, most anywhere in Europe, much of the US. (Warning to Jeff Larson: Australia’s still on my list; I could show up on your doorstep at any time.) Beyond work and travel, I devote what time I can to a variety of passions, definitely including All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, which a girlfriend introduced me to in the early 90’s and where, after what had been a lengthy period of spiritual drought, I experienced – and continue to experience – an exhilarating rediscovery of the mystery of faith.

Other passions include outstanding – and free – Berkeley and Stanford courses on iTunes U, and some similarly outstanding, though not-so-free courses from The Teaching Company. (I confess to a compulsive student-hood and a never-ending struggle to gain at least some crude understanding of my place in the cosmos.)

Further passions – well, health and fitness; friends and family; chocolate….

I graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead in 1968 with a degree in music education. I have lived in the St. Paul area since then, teaching elementary music in Mahtomedi for 12 years, and then in Woodbury for another 22 years. When I was about 40, I realized the "this is what I'm going to be when I grow up," so decided I may as well get a master's degree. I completed that in 1992 and managed to teach long enough to recover tuition expenses and qualify for a retirement pension. I have lead teacher workshop sessions in the United States and Canada and taught at the college level for a short time. I occasionally play piano for weddings, funerals, and church services.

I have been involved with Woodbury Community Theatre since moving here in 1980. It was through the community theater that I met my husband, Tom. His 2 sons were my students and I actually knew them before I met their dad. They have gone from humorously calling me Step-Witch to lovingly referring to me as their bonus mom. I have one daughter-in-law and a 4 year old granddaughter, both of whom I adore. (Ronald L. Erickson's three children were also my students. They were really good kids!)

Tom retired from 3M at about the same time I retired from teaching. He is now a professional artist, specializing in stained glass and polymer clay. We love to travel and spend time with family and friends.

If I were to wish for one thing it would be to own the property on Gull Lake that my mom had to sell when my dad died. If I were sitting on the bluff just off Hole-in-the-Day Drive right now, I would be appreciating the view, but wondering how I could pay the taxes. So there you go - it all worked out.

Thanks to all of you who have sent pictures and bios. It has really been fun finding out what you've been doing. Thanks to Doug and Dennis for your work on the reunion, and especially to all of you who served our country in the military!

My husband died in 2000, but our 4 daughters and their husbands and daughters live close by in NH and we get together often.

I support myself with those miraculous social security checks and sales of artwork and jewelry.

Since high school I worked for Pillsbury as a consumer research project administrator (remember Space Food Sticks?}, sold real estate, waitressed, was a stay-at-home mom, substitute taught, supervised college dorm proctors, raised hospital funds, acted as  curator of the Crow Wing County and Sugar Hill, NH, historical museums, "picked and packed" at a warehouse,  clerked at a jewelry store and a native American store, and did the craft fair circuit with handmade jewelry and crystals.

My formal education included 2 years at St. Catherine's, a BA in advertising and art from the U of M, and a masters in teaching from St. Thomas.

After graduation I attended Brainerd CC for two years and then Bemidji State University, graduating in 1968 with a BS in social studies/history with a coaching certificate.

My wife (Susan Avery, Brainerd class of '65) and I married before my senior year at Bemidji. Our 42nd anniversary is in August. After graduation I taught and coached in Winnebago, MN for two years (1968-69 and '69-70). Our daughter, Meredith, was born in December 1968 in Winnebago. She is now 40, married and has three children (Mackenzie, Brady, and Cullen). Meredith is an elementary teacher in Royalton, MN and she and her family live in Sauk Rapids, less than two miles from us.

Sue started her teaching career late after raising our two kids. She taught 24 years in St. Cloud and she retired after the 2002-03 school year (several months before I did). She taught "K" her entire career and she loved teaching five year olds. As you can imagine, she had many interesting, funny experiences over 24 years in the "K" classroom.

After two years in Winnebago I took a teaching position in Sauk Rapids (next to St. Cloud) and we have resided there since 1970. I taught and coached basketball and baseball for five years and then was asked by the superintendent to become an administrator. I was actually asked three times. I said that whoever took the position was "crazy" because the person was responsible for returning control of the HS to the staff. The principal had run a very loooooooooose ship for many years. After dictating terms, which were accepted, I took on the responsibility and did help "right" the ship with some real effort and support from an excellent staff. During this time I also earned my masters degree in educational administration in 1982 from St. Cloud State University.

In 1970 our second child was born. Michael is now 38 and is the city planner for the Ojibwe tribe at Mille Lacs. He also has three children (Carter, Ryan, and Eli). Mike and his family live just north of Sauk Rapids, only eight miles from us. We are fortunate to have both of our children and our six super grandchildren so close to us ... we spend "tons" of time with them and help out as all grandparents love to do. All six grandkids are unique and very special.

In 1982 Minnesota was hit with budget cuts and the three youngest administrators in SR were reassigned. I returned to the classroom for the 1982-83 school year. After teaching 9th graders earlier in Sauk Rapids, I returned to teaching only seventh graders. I loved the change and being back in the classroom also permitted me to return to coaching, which I wasn't permitted to do when I was an administrator. I really missed coaching. I coached sophomore basketball and after my son's sophomore season I assisted with the varsity during his junior and senior seasons. His senior squad advanced to regional tournament play, which was further than any SR basketball squad had ever gone. In baseball his senior year they advanced to the state tournament and placed 2nd in the state.

During this seventeen year period as a teacher/administrator I also worked in summer recreation (baseball) both in Winnebago and Sauk Rapids. More importantly, I also negotiated teacher contracts with the school boards (or their attorneys). I gained a great deal of experience and expertise and was recognized for my advocacy efforts by being hired by local teacher unions in other school districts all located within about 90 miles of Sauk Rapids. I negotiated a total of 25 contracts for others all while also serving as a local negotiator in Sauk Rapids, teaching, and coaching. As a result of my negotiating background I was asked to apply for and become a Field Representative of the Minnesota Education Association when the field rep in my area became ill in 1985. I held that position for the last 20 years of my career in education. I actually taught teachers, mostly in the areas of labor relations, teacher rights, negotiations, and communications. It was a very rewarding career and I was fortunate to work with many outstanding educators. Teachers proved to be easy to teach (it figures) and they were extremely thankful for anything done to help solve a problem or to assist them in some manner. I was very fortunate to be able to enjoy teaching, coaching, and field representative work for just over 37 years before I retired.

After retirement, Sue and I decided to split the year between Minnesota and Florida. We purchased a condo in Naples, FL and we are "snow birds" there from November until mid-April every year.. We do return to Minnesota for three weeks every year for the December holiday season. We get to play golf all year, but I started golfing late (at age 48) and I don't seem to improve. I do enjoy it and only wish I had started at a much younger age. Our kids and their families have been able to visit us each year in Naples and I have had a Twins' spring training season ticket each year ... sun, beaches, palm trees, green grass, golf, Twins baseball ... winters in Florida are great!

Besides golf and the grandchildren and their many activities, I do manage to keep busy in retirement. I am a State of Minnesota Certified Volunteer Health Insurance Counselor (mostly helping with Medicare issues), have raised funds for a MN legislative candidate, was asked to serve as a board member advising a financial planning firm, and served as a Benton County appointment to a Board that granted Federal financial resources for both on-site and home delivered meals to seniors in a 17 county area running from the Wisconsin border to the Dakota border through central Minnesota. I was also appointed and since then elected to serve five one-year terms on our condo Association Board in Florida. It also has been fun this past year helping locate '64 graduates for our 45th Brainerd class reunion. All of these are voluntary ... no compensation ... but they are interesting and they do help keep me active and productive.

In addition my marriage contract apparently had one of those "other duties as assigned" provisions in it . so I am assigned many other duties by the boss. I'm known for doing a terrible job on those duties, so they aren't assigned to me again.

I started working for Ma Bell in 1970 as a frame technician in St Cloud.  Later on I became an Installer, sorking the small towns of Foley, Holdingford, Avon,Cold Spring, and St. Joseph, along with St. John's, and St. Ben's. and finally ending up in the electronic switching office in St Cloud.

In 1973 I married Lois Hill, we built a house on the south side of St Cloud.  we had two children, one of each, two years apart and they both had two children, one of each.  Our daughter and her family live in Inver Grove Heights, while our son and his family live in Lake Halley Wi.

With the deregulation of the phone company, and seeing the changes that were going to be made, we decided to embark on a new endeavor. We became river jumpers moving to Wisconsin to build a new supermarket in the town of Frederic.  We opened in 1980 as a Red Owl, later switching to Super Valu as our main supplier when the Owl started having problems.  In 1995 we chose to put on an addition and add a fresh bakery and deliadn made another supplier switch to Affiliated Foods.  We sold the business in 2006, retaining the lease on the building.

When it came time to think about college, my parents wanted me to go to the U.S. Military Academy. So, they did what they could to get me accepted and shortly after graduation 1964, I was on the bus headed to "boot camp". After graduation from the academy in 1968, I received additional training and was then stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Thirty days prior to being sent to Viet Nam, I married my college girlfriend - Jean. I was wounded in Viet Nam and then medevaced three months later. After recuperating state-side, Jean, my son Scott and I spent the last 31/2 years of my service obligation in Germany (moving another five times).

After the military, I went to the University of Minnesota on the GI Bill and received a degree in water resource engineering. Our daughter Erin was also born at this time. After graduation, we moved to my wife's home town - Portland, Maine - where I worked as a water resource engineer. We later moved to Boston so my wife could get her master's degree. While in Boston, I re-modeled a couple of houses and also worked as an engineer and project consultant. Later, Jean and I divorced.

My children are both lawyers and we have three sweet granddaughters who live in Atlanta.

Later I moved to Los Angeles where I worked with a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people who are in need. One of the organizations we worked with was Mother Theresa's Sisters of Charity. After twelve years, I returned to my family home on Nokay Lake in the Brainerd area and began working with a friend who was a home builder. It was a good time for me to relax and reflect.

About nine months after I returned to Brainerd, a good friend of mine - Jenny (Larson) Johnson from our class - invited me to attend the 30 Year Class Reunion. It was there that I met my future wife - Connie Isle. We married several years later.

I moved to Tacoma, Washington, married and had three of my five beautiful daughters while living there. I worked for ASARCO, in the steel shop (American Smelting & Refining Co.). Too much

arsenic for me, so landed a job at Tacoma Steel where I became a professional flame cutter.

We moved back to Minnesota in 1975 and went to work for DeBourgh Manuaturing as a flame cutter and lived in Savage for about two years. DeBourgh move to the Dakotas, the family moved to Brainerd.

I went to work for Holsum Bread in 1977 as a route salesman. In 1979, the last of my daughter were born into the world. Yup, twins. My daughters names are Michelle, Cindy, Lisa, (Jessi, and Mandi.) Cindy lives in New York. and the other four live around the Brainerd area. In 1981 I landed a job with Lake Region Beverage.

I retired from my drinking career in late July of 1985 and also got divorced in October of the same year. I have been sober ever since that summer. LIFE IS GOOD.

In 1986, I decided that it was time get an education. I returned to Brainerd Community College and graduated in June of 1989 with an AA Degree. I then attended St. Cloud State, but fell two quarters short of my degree. While attending BCC, I remet my present wife, Bev (Brown), also of the great class of "64", and we have been married for18 years. She also attended St. Cloud State and earned a degree in psychology.

We presently live on the shores of a little lake called Lake Betsy, just east of Kimball.

Over the years I have enjoyed hunting, fishing, lots of softball, bowling, and golfing. I still enjoy all of them at sometime during the year, with the exception of softball.

I was a stay-at-home mom for the next 15 years. We have three daughters. Kathy, 40, is the Head of the Nutrition Department at Mercy Hospital in Mason City, Iowa. They have no children, but have two Basset Hounds & are treated as their "babies". Our middle daughter, Kristin, 36, is working on her Masters in Nursing, in addition to teaching LPN students in Faribault. They have two children, Karissa, 7, and Camden, 4. Our youngest, Karen, 34, works in the loan department at Cambridge State Bank. They have two children also,Tristan,12, and Brody, 8.

In '85, I started working in the Appleton Nursing Home, first as a CNA, & then as a TMA (a pill pusher). I retired in '06, but returned to work part-time in the Medical Records Dept. I started working only about 2 days/month, but now work about 5/month, in that department and I also fill in when other TMA's are on vacation.

After graduating from high school in 1964, I attended college in Minneapolis, MN. After graduating from college as a Registered Nurse I worked in critical care at Hennepin County General Hospital in Minneapolis for a little over a year. Then I moved to San Francisco where I lived for thirty-two years. From December 1968 through May 1987 I worked in the Coronary Critical Care Unit at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco where I was the Patient Care Coordinator. After 20 plus years in critical care, I wanted/needed a change. So from 1987 through 1989 I worked in the emergency room. That really was not much of a change and was just as intense and demanding as critical care. A friend suggested I might like working at the San Francisco City and County Jail Medical Clinic (which was part of the Department of Public Health). I was not too thrilled with this idea but thought I would give it a try. So I took a long vacation from the emergency room and started working at the jail medical clinic. I actually really liked working there so I resigned from the emergency room and stayed on at my new job at the jail. From 1989 through 2000 I worked as an RN at the San Francisco City and County Jail Medical Clinic where I did both patient care (mainly physical assessments and emergency care) and supervisory work. This was a challenging and stressful job and in 2000 I retired from San Francisco employment and moved to Duluth, MN. I stayed retired for 2 years and then took a job as a Registered Nurse at the St. Louis County Jail Medical Clinic where I worked for 3 years. In 2005 I retired (again) and moved to St. Peter, MN where I currently live.

I was in a long term relationship for 16 years. That relationship ended in 1992. I am enjoying being independent.

I love to travel, and during my adult life I have nurtured a keen interest in learning about other countries, ethnic groups and cultures. I prefer traveling as a traveler (not as a tourist), learning about different people, countries and cultures. In 1970 I took a 6 week trip to Europe and traveled (via train, ferry and hitchhiking) to several countries including England, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark and Norway, staying part of the time with European friends and part of the time in hostels. Since that time I have returned to Europe (and France and Germany) twice and have added Italy, Austria and Switzerland to the list of places I have visited and enjoyed. Other countries in which I have spent time are Canada and several countries in Asia, the South Pacific and Central America. Over the years, I have traveled extensively within the United States, traveling in 49 of the 50 states of the Union. In addition, for many years, I spent four to seven weeks each year in the America Southwest, hiking part of the time in the national parks and national historic sites, but mostly hiking in very remote canyons, gulches, mountains and valleys of California, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Almost every year I also spent a couple of weeks in Hawaii, visiting Kauai once and the Big Island twice, but mostly spending time on Maui, my very favorite Hawaiian island.

Since 1967 I have been involved in Social Justice, Civil Rights and Human Rights issues as well as being involved in issues regarding humane sustainable farming, the humane treatment of animals, the environment, and food security. I consider myself a non-violent activist and I maintain membership in Amnesty International, War Resisters International and the American Civil Liberties Union.

I also enjoy reading, art, music, gardening, outdoor activities and genealogy research. I volunteer my time at the local Arts Center of St. Peter. After many years of genealogical research, I have basically finished compiling the genealogical data on my family and have most of my ancestral lines (paternal and maternal) back to the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. I started printing the books (10 volumes) last year. It has been a labor of love.

I am sorry I will not be able to join all of you at the reunion this year. However, I will definitely plan to be at our 50th reunion.

When we lived in Duluth, I went to the technical school there and became a certified nursing assistant. I did this for many years and enjoyed every minute of it. I loved working with the elderly, which is what I did!

I did work for Wireless World here in Brainerd, after moving back here. I really enjoyed it as well. I loved meeting and working with the people!

Also, I worked for Prosthetic Orthotic Laboratories of Brainerd as a receptionist. Again, I met a lot of wonderful people while working the short time that I worked there there!

We moved to town (Brainerd) from Round Lake two years ago and we love it here in town. We are closer to our family, friends, and everything else.

We have 8 children and 14 grand children between the two of us. We lost one of our daughters in March of 1997 at the age of 23 and we really miss her a lot!!!!!!!

In addition to my teaching duties, I coached girl's fastpich at the high school level. I was head coach for the last 5 years that I coached. I also did a lot of umpiring at the high school and college level early in my career in Owatonna. I did both baseball and softball. As most of you know sports are year round these days, and I did start the summer program for softball in Owatonna in 1988, and it is still going strong today in southern MN.

During the summers, I played fastpitch at at a pretty high level and did go to nationals once and regions many times. I played until I was 38 and started to have leg problems.

My wife and I bought a cabin on North Long Lake in the late 70's, and spent the entire summers there after my softball days. I do enjoy fishing and also do a fair amount of hunting. She was a math teacher in Northfield , MN most of her career, so we both had summers off.

We now live on North Long on the big part of the lake. We rebuilt a 2nd place we owned on the lake, and now are very comfortable back home by Brainerd. We are both retired with no children to help us with docks and all that lake stuff, but we love it!!!

I applied for a job with the State Department of Corrections and in March, 1970 began an incredible career in Detroit Lakes. I served as a juvenile parole and probation officer until 1990, when I became Regional Supervisor for Sentence to Service (STS) - local community service programming for jail inmates. While with STS I worked in 32 different counties and participated in the development of the Institution Community Work Crew Program, that resulted in the construction of 300 low-income homes in rural Minnesota by minimum security prison inmates. From 1998 through 2008 I served as District Supervisor of Parole and Probation in Moorhead (7 years) and Detroit Lakes (3 years).

In 2005 I finally got my teaching job and served as adjunct faculty in the Law Enforcement Program at Moorhead Community and Technical College. I retired from both positions during August 2008 and am now learning how to do retirement.

I married Marcia Widmark (Class of 1968) on July 14, 1973. Marcia taught school for 27 years at various levels (mainly elementary) in Detroit Lakes and retired at the end of the school year in 2008. We have three children: Mark, age 31, who is a choir director at Princeton High School; Anna, age 29, a biology and forensics teacher in Pine City; and Jeanne, age 26, a health and physical education teacher who is currently serving as a substitute in a number of districts around her home in Litchfield. Mark's wife, Susan, is a band teacher at Rogers Middle School and Jeanne's husband, Tony King, is a pharmacist at Meeker County Hospital. On March 26, 2009 Mark and Susan presented us with our first grandchild, Noah, and we are having a lot of fun with him!

As a family we have served as hosts to a number of children from foreign countries, including Northern Ireland, Sweden, Spain and China. We all enjoy travel and have camped our way throughout the U.S. and Canada and have back-packed across Europe a number of times. In 2001 we began doing volunteer vacations and have built schools in Jamaica, taught English in China with Global Language Villages, worked in a day care center in Ecuador and a "failure to thrive clinic" in Romania with Global Volunteers (GV). We will travel to Tanzania with GV in January to work at a school and clinic.

If any of this interests you let us know as we would love to have some of you join us on these adventures.

My first orders were to Japan where I boarded the USS Intrepid as an Airman Apprentice. I returned to the states in November. Jo and I packed up and moved to Naval base at Whidbey Island, WA. This was one of our bigest adventures. I became an aircraft electrician with a bombing squadron, serving on the aircraft carriers USS Intrepid and the USS Ranger. I've sailed around the world and below the equator. It was an experience. I was discharged in November of 1969 as a second class petty officer.

We returned to Minnesota and I resumed my apprenticeship as an electrician. We lived in Brainerd for three years. During this time, our daughter, Stephanie was born. We moved to Duluth to finish my apprenticeship in 1973, having decided Duluth is where we wanted to live, so we've been here ever since. Our son Jason was born here in November 1977.

I worked in construction as an electrician for 36 years, retiring in February of 2006. I'm enjoying the easy life style!! I share a hunting shack with two buddies for fall hunting. I play golf , however my game needs a lot of work! Jo retired last summer, so we are trying to remain active and enjoy each other.

It's been such fun reading about your lives and seeing photos! I've so enjoyed seeing all of the senior pictures........is it possible that it's been over 45 years? Many of you probably don't remember me, but I was part of the Brainerd Class of '64 through my sophomore year. My parents had a way of moving at the most inconvenient times for me ( I had moved TO Brainerd at the beginning of eighth grade), so off we went to Minneapolis, where I started school in my junior year at the largest high school in the city. I had nearly 900 classmates, and it was such an adjustment!

I married Jerry Hixon in 1968 (I met him at our senior prom, of all places). We spent most of the years to follow in the Minneapolis area.....mainly in Bloomington. I worked at Honeywell in the residential division for several years. Our two daughters were born in 1972 and 1974, and when they came along, I became a stay-at-home-mom.....which I dearly loved being! During that time, my husband managed several large printing companies, and I was fortunate to be able to travel with him all over the United States. I returned to work in 1990, and sold residential real estate for Edina Realty for 11 years.

In 2003, we sold our home in Bloomington, put everything in storage and went west to explore the possible locations for our retirement. Our daughters both live on the west coast......one in Seattle and one in Los Angeles, and we were getting tired of the Minnesota winters and wanted to be somewhere a little closer to them, as well. We lived in Henderson, Nevada for a while, and were going to try Arizona next, but an illness in my husband's family called us back to Minnesota. Unfortunately, we had to stay in Minneapolis, as we learned that Jerry had a very aggressive form of cancer. He died in 2006, and I'm still living here. My mother is 93 years old, and lives in Bloomington, and I will stay here as long as she does. Some day I may end up out west, but no definite plans for now. I don't have any grandchildren.....my daughters are both working on their careers for now. Amy owns a vintage clothing shop in Seattle, and Anne is an aspiring actress. She has been working as a script supervisor for a show that airs on the Animal Planet. All actors have a back-up plan, but that is where her heart is.

I guess that you might say I'm "retired"........although it's not official. I spend time with friends and, of course, with my mom. Life is quiet, and, for now, that's good.

When you read this profile you may think I'm bragging or exaggerating but I have crammed five lifetimes into the last 45 years so as Sergeant Friday use to say "just the facts".

I have 4 educational degrees: Communication BA - Winona State; Broadcasting - Brown Institute; Horticulture - U of M; and Electronics - Devries Institute.

I am retired but still own three active companies for which my oldest son Dan (42) is president. He left Microsoft as a chief Financial Analyst after 12 years (he also has 4 degrees). I have owned and operated over 20 businesses including a resort, a bar, a sandwich shop, a landscaping company, a sand & dirt pit, a root beer stand, a video company, an ice cream franchise, a mechanic shop, a car wash and so on. All were successful and I turned a profit selling them. In addition to running all those businesses, I have also held a plethora of jobs. Several factory jobs, road construction, a rock jock (radio), a sports play by play announcer, a TV producer, a TV sports anchor, and a high school teacher (12 years) where I coached football, girls fast pitch softball, girls basketball along with being a volunteer wrestling coach (remember I did that for the Warriors). I also officiated at the high school, college and city level - football, basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball.

I am married to my 3rd wife who was born the year we all graduated and I finally got it right in that category. I have 2 sons, 3 step children, and 8 grand children with two more on the way. I recently started playing Senior slow pitch softball after a 15 year hiatus. During my playing days I played in 11 state tournaments and 3 national tournaments. My team took 17th place in the nation in a national tournament in San Antonio, Texas in the 80's. I use to play over 150 games a season (slow & fast pitch) traveling to different towns nightly and every weekend to tournaments all over a 4 state area (the main reason for my first divorce).

My main residence is in Rochester, MN (since 1969) on a 100 acre hobby farm from where my three businesses are operated. I spend most of my summer at my lake home near Spooner, Wisc. We go south for the winter, mostly Arizona where I still have a house with my son. Last year we rented a house on Strom Thurman Lake near Augusta, GA and loved it. I hauled my boat down and fished nearly every day all winter long.

I am a huge sports fan and have attended many major sporting events: Kentucky Derby, Phoenix Open, World Series, Super Bowl, Final Four, Baseball All Star Game, ect. I still have it on my bucket list to attend a football Pro Bowl. As a part of my radio broadcasting job I covered the Twins in Spring Training (2 years) including their World Series in 1991 (lotz of stories, ask me). I have interviewed many big name athletes including Bud Grant, Bart Starr, Kirby, Jack Morris, Kent Hrbek, Tom Kelly, Joe Garagiola, Karl Kassulke, Bert Blyleven, Paul Molitor and many others. I have done TV interviews with Billy Crash Craddock and David Hartman. When I was working as a rock jock in 1970 I co-hosted a concert for Frankie Valley and the 4 Seasons and partied with them after.

I have done a lot of volunteer work as well. The Rochester Mayor appointed me vice chair of the cable commission which I held for 12 years. I coached youth sports for over 20 years (basketball, football, and baseball). I coached one player, Chris Bosio, that made it to the major leagues for several years and threw a no-hitter. I was lucky enough to do a tv interview with him and his manager Harvey Kuehn (Harvey's Wallbangers). I also coached a player that played for the New York Islanders of the NHL, Denny Vaskey. He was a baseball catcher for me.

I was drafted into the Army in 1965. Most notable happening, I won the top award in the battalion (approx 1000 soldiers) for physical fitness. Side note: my son Dan accomplished the same feat when he was in the Army. Guess he got tired of the old man bragging. While I was stationed at Fort Ord, CA, I was assigned to the same barracks as Bobby Vinton when he wrote "I'm a lonely Soldier". I came down on orders for Vietnam twice but both times they were changed and I never had to go but my unit did and were involved in the My Lai Massacre where my company commander and some other friends were killed. The American public never heard the true story but 3 soldiers were court marshaled, 2 of them were close friends of mine, Captain Medina and Sergeant Mitchell. Both of them were found innocent but Lt. Calley, who I never met, was convicted as the scapegoat.

One other thing, when I went into broadcasting my boss asked me my air name because he wasn't gonna have anyone named Herman Smude on the air. He asked for my full name, Herman Jerome Smude, and he came up with Jerry Herman and that is what everybody knows me as.

Not a bad trade!

With my main business I have written and starred in all my radio and TV commercials for about 15 years, so in southern MN, western WI, and northern Iowa most people recognize me. It is both a blessing and a curse.

I met my future wife, Sharon Cook (also of the class of '64, who attended Harrison Elementary School through 4th grade, then moved to Bemidji to become a Bemidji Lumberjack) at the junior college in 1966 and we were married in 1967. We will celebrate 42 years of marriage in December. We have two sons and 4 grandsons. The grandsons are ages 12 years to 4 months.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of Boy Scouting since 1979 to present. Both my sons got their Eagle Scout rank.

Also enjoy working as a Minnesota Firearms Safety instructor for the last 20 years.

I went to work managing Billing and Accounts Receivable for Delta Consultants (Shoreview). They are an environmental consulting firm. It takes only 10 minutes to get to work. I am down to 3 days a week as I unwind towards full time retirement. Just 2 years to go.

In 1960 our family moved to Brainerd.  I was positive as a 14 year old my life was over.  Much to my surprise those years in Brainerd and Washington High School were to change my life forever and in a positive way.  I met the love of my life (Judie Rice, also a '64 grad), attended a great high school and have my life molded by great teachers and friends.  There was a "Keen Teen" organization that met every Wednesday during lunch in a church across the street from the school.  As a result of those influences my course was set.

Following graduation I set off for Pillsbury College in Owatonna, Minnesota.  I finished with a degree in Communications and Bible and a promise of a teaching position there following graduate school.  Judie and I packed everything we owned and headed to Greenville, SC.  Two years later with another degree in hand we turned down Pillsbury and accepted a teaching position at fast growing Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

During the next 15 years we added four children to our clan, finished a second Master's degree, changed fields and began my education all over again.  I was asked to be the administrator of their elementary and high school.  Since none of my education was in Educational Administration, I was back in school for a Master's and Doctorate degree.  I really enjoyed classroom work so the task was not as painful as you might expect.  We saw the academy grow from 300 to over 1,100 students.  I also was able to teach graduate administration courses.  In 1985 we left TTU for a new challenge.  We started a new private school across town.  Grace Academy was born and is now one of the largest private Christian schools in the south.  We spent 12 wonderful years in that ministry after which we both retired (1997).  If I could have spanked parents, I might still be in administration.  During those years we purchased a lot of rental properties which now occupies some of my time.

We bought a small farm and added to our meager family a few cows and some goats.  Our new directions was to devote our energies toward helping on mission fields around the world.  We help with construction projects and also with foreign Christian schools needing advice and direction.  In March of this year Judie and I took our third group to Egypt and Israel. One of our trips included Jordan.  In June I went with a group of men from our church to Wasilla, Alaska to build cabins for Indian children.  What a thrill! 

I owe much to Brainerd, Minnesota.  Thanks to all of your for your valuable input - Doug and Dennis - GREAT JOB!  It has been a great joy to read your bio's.  God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.  We will miss not sharing in the reunion with many of you.   Hope to be back to Brainerd next summer.  

I enjoy aviation activities, have built two airplanes and fly all the time, have a thousand skydives, love golf, fishing and running the dogs Mikey and Hope. Molly and I travel when we can. We have a time share in Hawaii and Colorado as well as a home in Colorado. I get back to MN and WI a couple times a year.

Steve and I have been married for 45 years. I was fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom. We have three children and seven grand children. Life for us has been wonderful and interesting at the same time. We have moved 18 times but have only lived in five different states. We live in Mauston WI, which is 25 miles north of the Wisconsin Dells and we love this area. All of our children live within a two hour radius, so we are together often. Being part of their lives is very rewarding.

Both of us are retired and snow birds. We have been going to AZ for three years and last year bought a home in Apache Junction. So this year we will be spending six months in each place.

After spending two years at Brainerd Junior College, I transferred to Bemidji State and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. At the start of our senior year in Bemidji, Bill Smith (also from Brainerd) and I married; we will have our 42nd anniversary in September of this year.

We both graduated from Bemidji State in 1968.

After graduation we lived first in Grand Forks, ND for about 1 1/2 years; Bill worked at UND and I taught 2nd grade in East Grand Forks. We then moved back to Bemidji for Bill to work on his masters degree. Our son David was born there in 1970. We next lived in Brooklyn Center, then back to Bemidji, then Brewster, MN where Bill taught for a year. In the fall of 1973 we moved to Alexandria, MN where Bill started a 25 year teaching career as a computer programming instructor (main frame languages) at Alexandria Technical College.

We moved to a 20-acre hobby farm near Farwell, MN in 1974 and our daughter Kim was born in 1975.

I forgot to mention that I finally became a horse owner in 1964 and my horse was the main motivation for living on a hobby farm. I was a stay-at-home mom for a few years, working part-time at a western store for awhile plus doing a limited amount of substitute teaching. I had a couple of horses from 1964 through most of 1998.

Even though my degree was in elementary education, it became very clear to me after teaching for a year in East Grand Forks that classroom teaching was not my best career choice. Once the kids were older I started working part time in a real estate office, eventually getting my certification as an appraiser, especially enjoying the research in small county court houses. I worked full-time the last few years there.

Horses were always important to me and I found a small group of like-minded horse people and joined the Northern Minnesota Arabian Horse Association. For many years I served as show secretary and in various officer positions although I did not compete myself. This is the same group Jenny (Larson) Johnson has been active in - see her bio. In 1979 I became a licensed steward and later also a dressage technical delegate with American Horse Shows Association.

Although I have not owned a horse since 1998, I get my 'horse fix' by being part of what is termed the 'hay crew' for the local handicapped riding barn. This means I clean stalls, feed horses, do whatever else is on the list for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours every other Sunday morning year round. They need the help and I need the 'horse fix'. Other the activities I enjoy during my spare time are playing the Mt. dulcimer, making baskets (both skills learned here in KY), reading, gardening (much longer growing season here!), genealogy, hiking in the woods, and occasionally riding my bike.

As for me?.... I attended BJC for one year and moved to Florida with my family in ’65. Vern and I were married in 1968 – we moved back to Minnesota permanently in 1969. We have a son and a daughter who have given us five beautiful grandchildren. The youngest granddaughter, who is four years old, began waterskiing this weekend!

I worked with graphic design out of my home studio for ten years before returning to school in 1988, at UWRF (River Falls, WI) for a BS in secondary English education and pre-K through grade 12 art education - in 1998, went back for a MA through St. Mary’s U in Winona.

This week I’m heading back to Greenwood Elementary in River Falls, to begin my seventeenth year as K – 5 art instructor. It’s my dream job – I feel fortunate to have a job in my main interest – and lucky to have a job.

On the side, Vern and I enjoy….traveling - as in road trips, ATVing out west in the canyon lands, hiking in MN, Utah, & the CO mountains, our church, our friends, and our families!

While I was attending Business College, I started dating Merlyn again. We married in May 1966 and have been married for 43 years now. We had two boys, Matthew and John. Matt lives in Ft. Myers, Florida. He is an Operating Partner for Stir Crazy (Oriental cuisine) in Ft. Myers. John is working for Concur a software company in Bloomington.

Kaye is a Preschool teacher in Coon Rapids. In 1980 Merlyn went to Bogotá, Columbia to get Kaye. She was 6 1/2 yrs. old. It was a great thing for us. She has opened our world to helping others. Because of our adoption, our social worker asked us to become foster parents. We have been foster parents to over 40 children.

We fostered a family of 3 teenage girls, ages 12,14,and 15. They are still connected with our family. They are all married and each has 3 kids. So we are the grandparents to nine foster grandchildren ranging from 22-10. We have a foster grandson who just came home from Iraq. Thank God!! It was a trying 15 months for the grandparents. We still have one foster son, Dan . He is Downs Syndrome. He is a joy and keeps me on my toes as much as he can. His favorite saying is "Knock it off Terry"!! Oh Well!

Our daughter Kaye had twin boys on 4-25-01. Josh and Jon are the cutest and smartest boys, just ask the grandparents. They are living with us and we feel very blessed. Merlyn's sister Linda also is in our care. She lives only 4 blocks from our home and comes to our home for supper each day.

I have retired from working outside of the home. I worked for 18 years as a job coach for people with disabilities. It was a very rewarding job. It does look like Merlyn and I will never have an empty nest.