Class of 1956 Alumni Website.
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Welcome to Sycamore High School's, Class of 1956, alumni website. The purpose of this website is to keep you posted on upcoming events and to stir up old memories. Sponsors of the website hope you enjoy your visit and if you have any suggestions or information you would like to share please contact us.
Please sign the "Guest Book" be you classmate or visitor. Thank you and enjoy.
NOTICE: If you have changed your email address recently and would like to continue to receive notices of class functions or happenings, be sure to let me know what your new email address is. I noticed the last couple of times I sent emails out to our classmates, that some came back undeliverable.
Send updates to jaxson4801@sbcglobal.net
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What's New
February 2010:
1. Updated "Welcome" page.
2. Updated "Upcoming Events" page.
3. Updated Birthdays & Anniversaries for Feb.
4. Changed monthly featured classmate.
5. Fred Sibley's Memorial added to "Memorial" page.
6. Added "Pete Johnson" page.
7. Check the "Blog" page. It is a good place for comments and to receive responses.
8. Added "Ode to America" to "Our Veterans" page. It's a good read.
9. Scroll down on this page for cute article on kindergarten.
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THIS MONTHS FEATURED CLASSMATE:
Bert Fredrick
Graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in education. Also graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.S. in business.
I have two children: Bryan and Suzann and seven grand kids.
Bryan lives in Holland, MI. He has two boys and one girl. Suzann lives in Cincinnati. She has three girls and one boy.
I retired from teaching school in Sycamore after 32 years.
In 2001, I married Kay Fields.
I work part-time as a flower delivery person for Kar-Fre Flowers in Sycamore.
I enjoy hunting and fishing and going to Northern Illinois University and Sycamore football games.
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Coach Pete Johnson
An effort is underway to raise funds so that a life-sized bronze statue of Pete Johnson can be erected on the campus of Sycamore High School. I thought you would be interested in knowing about this effort. Two of our own, Bert Fredrick and Elmer Troutman, are on the fund raising commitee.
An article, which was published in the on-line DeKalb Chronicle on November 27, 2009, provides details:
SYCAMORE – Pete Johnson tells the story of a man who once told him of the two most important people in his life.
One was the man's mother. The other was Johnson, who had been his football coach at Sycamore High School.
That type of accolade is what has prompted a small group of Pete Johnson's admirers to establish a $50,000 fundraising campaign in order to build a life-size statue of Johnson, which will be placed on the campus of the high school.
The school's Hall of Fame is already named after Johnson, but a group of his former students felt more needed to be done, Sycamore High School Principal Tim Carlson said.
Harry Spell, who has a bronze foundry in Oregon, Ill, will do the life-sized statue of Johnson, which had a tentative completion date of the spring and a dedication date in October 2010
"He didn't say much at all," Clayberg said of when the group told Johnson of their idea over dinner. "We said, 'Pete, this is what we want to do, we want to honor you.' And he said two words: 'I'm honored.' And he didn't say another word for quite a while."
How to Donate
Donations to the Tribute to Peter L. Johnson fundraising campaign can be mailed to Don Clayberg at 219 Rowantree Road, Sycamore, IL 60178--
Condensed from the Online DeKalb Chronicle.
Check out Gene Behlers article regarding Pete on the "Pete Johnson" page.
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February Birthdays
3 - Elsie Wavelet Voltz
4 - Louise Emenheiser Bower
14 - Gary Holland
15 - Elaine Benson Lock
21 - John Florent
27 - Barb Miller Stone
February Anniversaries
14 - Boyle & Phyllis Gorbet Bradley
Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays and Special Events have now been entered on the "Calendar" page for the entire year. Just click on "Calender" to view them. You can look up any classmates birthday or anniversary if you know what month it is in.
If I don't have your birthday or anniversary, let me know and I will post it.
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Reminder
Monthly - Class of 1956 Dinner. Last Monday of each month - 6:00 PM at the Parkway Restaurant in Sycamore. All classmates and their spouses are invited to attend.
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WHAT'S UP
Jackie and I just returned (on November 14, 2009) from a week at Disney World. We were there with our daughter, her husband, their two children (Ray 4, and Eli, 1), and my son-in-law's parents, the Reverend and Mrs. Bill Cash. Jack asked me to write a little about our experience.
It was our first trip to Disney World. It is a first class operation. Facilities were immaculate, everything was well organized and efficiently run, and Disney employees (called "cast members") were, without exception, friendly and helpful. There were attractions available that appealed to most every taste and age.
I was surprised to see so many seniors there. Many were, like us, part of extended families. However, there was a large group of others who were obviously there on their own.
I don't recall ever being on my feet so much. It was mainly walking as we tried to keep up with my daughter and her family. They started out early each morning and didn't quit until well after dark. I rented an electric scooter for Jackie after the first day. All of the walking was too much for her bum knee. It cost $45 a day but was well worth it. As a side benefit, the scooter put us in the "handicapped line" for most attractions which often significantly reduced waiting time..
Disney World does an excellent job of facilitating the handicapped. We could go almost anywhere with that scooter.
The food was generally quite good and ample. However, menus at the main restaurants never varied from day to day. More variety would have been appreciated.
We had an especially great breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. Pooh's breakfast lasagna (pudding, cake, fresh fruit) was exceptional. Supper at The Garden Grill at Epcot was outstanding. The dinner entree, served family style, was steak, roast turkey, and fish. Dessert was something they called "Blueberry Buckle". A warm cake with blueberry sauce and whip cream. It was great. Low cal, of course.
Reservations were almost essential for places that featured Mickey, Minnie, etc. as meal-time attractions. They came around to each table, hugged anyone who wanted to be hugged, posed for photographs and signed autographs. Our grandson, Ray, loved it. Prices at such places were a bit high, I thought. But watching Ray's reactions as he talked with Mickey or Pluto made it all worthwhile.
I thought crowds were large. However, people told me that there were nothing when compared to crowds during holidays, spring break, and the summer.
Because I am retired Army and my son-in-law is a first lieutenant in the Army, we were able to stay at the Shades of Green Hotel. It is owned and operated by the Armed Forces. I think it is the only non-Disney facility actually on Disney World grounds. It is a very good hotel and quite reasonably priced compared to the Disney hotels.
The Children's Miracle Network PGA Golf Tournament was held at Disney World while we were there. I was surprised to find that our hotel room looked down on the first tee. It was about 40 yards away. We were able to watch those with early morning tee times tee off from our balcony.
I never heard a single cuss word, never saw anyone get angry, never smelled alcohol on anyone's breath, and only saw one person smoking. It was a great atmosphere for children but obviously not the real world. It was expensive but nothing we hadn't anticipated. -- Gene Behler --
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I recently moved from Palm Springs to Tucson, AZ. It is cooler here , believe it or not , as I lived here before in the 80's so I know. Still traveling in the summers & wintering in warm climates.
George Thomas
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Oz Kendall is headed back to Anchorage, AK after spending some time in the lower 48. I told him he was nuts; that he should be heading south for the winter not north.
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I received an email from Laurie Maveus Currier and she says she will be moving to Bloomington, IL the first week of December.
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SEND A CARD
Bonnie Erickson Lindgren (Bob's widow) just recently underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor. She has another one that can't be removed and will be undergoing radiation and chemo.
Bonnie entered an Acute Care Rehab Hospital (Van Matre's) in Rockford on Nov. 3rd. She is progressing well and will be able to go home this Friday, Nov. 13th. She will continue to have out-patient visits to rehab.
Her address is:
11636 Deerpath Road
Sycamore, IL 60178
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Nancy Reh Little is not doing too well. She is on oxygen. I'm sure she would enjoy hearing form her old classmates. Her address is:
Nancy Little
P.O. Box 1643
Lakeside, AZ 85929
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Roberta has a new wheelchair that she can maneuvers with the tilt of her head. She is quite pleased with it.
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Mark wishes to thank his classmates for the many cards, emails and prayers he received. The support has come from family, friends and the lord and could not be more appreciated. He is now in his own apartment and continues to do his daily workouts and is making good progress. May 3rd will be one year since his first stroke and his goal is to be as close to normal as possible by then. He hopes to be driving again come spring.
Mark's cell phone number is (512) 825-5623.
11/03/09
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I understand John Florent is also undergoing chemotherapy treatment. You can reach John at johnflorent1@clearwire.net.
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I was also informed that Janice Erlewine Askeland's husband Blaine is at the
Shabbona Healthcare Center.
West Comanche Road
Shabbona, IL 60550
I'm sure they would all like to hear from their friends and classmates.
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All I Ever Really Needed to Know
I learned in Kindergarten.
by RobertFulghun, Kansas City Times
Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at the nursery school.
These are the things I learned: share everything, play fair, don't hit people, put things back where you found then, clean up your own mess, don't take things that aren't yours, say you're sorry when you hurt someone, wash your hands before you eat and flush the toilet. Warm cookies and cold mild are good for you and live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, draw and paint, sing and dance and play and work some every day.
Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup -- they all die. So do we.
And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: "Look". Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The golden rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.
Think of what a better world it would be if we all -- the whole world -- had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
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For Your Information.....
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In case you might be interested, the Sycamore School District (www.syc427.org) website lists links to class websites. On that website, at the top of the column at the left, you will see "Alumni info". Click on it for a list of class websites. Presently listed are the classes of 1988, 1977, 1979, 1957 and of course the class of 1956. You can also just click on the year (1988, 1977, 1979 or 1957) in this paragraph to link to their website. The class of 1979 has just gotten their website up and running.
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If anyone is trying to locate someone they might have served with in the military, a good website to check out might be "Together We Served". Just type in the branch of service and togetherweserved. com. Re: www.airforce.togetherweserved.com
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Sponsors
The following class members have made this website possible by their generous contributions. Sponsors of this Alumni website are Gene Behler, Louise Emenheiser Bower, Dorothy Becker Brown, Colleen Campbell, Karen Hilstrom Duffey, Carol Stroberg Foster, Alta Kuntz Hough, Jean Askins Keister, Jack Lindstrom, Elaine Benson Lock, Salley Davis Mathews, Nancy Neiwold, Joe Peplow and Barb Miller Stone.
We thank you all.
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I would like to extend a special thanks to Gene Behler for the numerous articles he has written for this website; some of which, can be found on the "Archives" page.
I would also like to thank Joe Peplow for the pictures he has supplied. He is becoming the websites official photographer.
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