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Jim Barger (1963)

Jim Barger (1963)

My first Thanksgiving away from Home in 1968.  Mineral Wells  Texas,  Fort Wolters, Texas in Flight School with my Fellow Lieutenants in the US Army and Marines.

Joel Childers (1966)

Jim Barger. Mineral Wells is a memory jogger. Little town outside of Dallas-Ft. Worth. There might have been more people at Ft. Wolters than in the town itself during the Vietnam era. I was there in 1983 well after the helicopter flight school had closed. While working for the U.S. Coast Guard Design & Construction Center in Seattle, I was sent out to Mineral Wells to check out a metal fabricating factory that was low bidder on a project to provide four 600 ft LORAN navigation towers. I remember that the car rental agency had only one car left, a relatively new Lincoln Continental, which we got for the economy car rate. We were cruising through Texas like 3 oil barons. Incidentally, there had been a lower bid from an Indiana company which I checked out and rejected. But before I could award the contract, I received a letter from then Senator Dan Quayle insisting that I award the contract to his rejected Indiana constituent. Thanks to Mr. Quayle, I had to waste a month writing letters to D.C. bigwigs before awarding to the Mineral Wells guys. The job went pretty cleanly except that our government inspector smashed his car into an elk near the Eastern Montana tower site. Well, the guests should be here soon for turkey etc. HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING ALL YOU WOLVES.

Jim Barger (1963)

Jim Barger (1963)

Thank you Joel for remembering Mineral Wellls  Texas.  Small Town in West Texas.  I learned a lot besides how to fly helicopters at Fort Wolters, Texas.  I loved staying there in Mineral Wells for Six Months.   Jim B

Gary Tibbals (1965)

I see an OH-23 at the front Gate there Jim, Crew 3 of them while at Fort Carson, 1966-67 Happy Thanksgiving.

Theresa Eve (1964)

Moving into Christmas after a good storm with RAIN.  Now let us save that water!!!   Wishing everyone the very best of the Season.   

Jim Barger (1963)

Here is my Photo of the 128th Aviation Company Totem Pole near the Orderly Room in Phu Loi, Vietnam in 1969 all llight up with Christmas Lights.  We celebrated Christmas as best we could.   Jim Barger

Jim Barger (1963)

Tom Stewart (1969)

I hope you all have a very meaningful and fulfilling Christmas season and remember the "reason for the season". 

Mike Miller (1966)

Never saw a Christmas light when I was in Vietnam.

Orval Hughes (1964)

Rick Gonzales (64)  my wife Candi Hughes ( Keehn, 66) and I attended Bill's memorial service in Pleasant Hill.

It was a very good get together.  I said a few words about how Bill and I worked at the Brownie for my parents  Orv and Eileen. We got paid in hamburgers!!

Rick did a great jobs speaking about his relationship with Bill all the way from grade school through high school.

Bill was one of a kind and will be missed by many.

Theresa Eve (1964)

Oval and Rick:  Thank you for your good attenance and words for William Hiddleson; another member of our close Class of 1964; good memories.  It is so good to hear that others take the time to stop and give to those who have passed,  I appreciate all you have done for the memory.  I am sure others also appreciate this gesture of kindness.   

Kathy Thornsberry (Ellinghouse) (1968)

Do you remember PAUL HARVEY?   His famous “The Rest of the Story” segments lasted from 1951 to 2008.  He reached as many as 24 million people per week.  I would hear him every school morning while I made my lunch.

I had a “Paul Harvey Moment”  I’d like to share.  

In the late ‘80s I had a real estate office at Cool, Ca. at the intersection of Highway 49 and Highway 193 between Auburn and Placerville.    

One June day in 1987 a couple pulled their van in front, came into the office, and asked directions to Placerville.  I gave them a map.   Just as in life, there is an easy way, and a difficult way to get to Placerville. Either highway would get them there.  I encouraged them to take Highway 49.  Without further conversation, I bid them well and they were off.

In October that same year, my husband and I took a trip to the east coast.  We stayed at a 2 bedroom Bed and Breakfast in Boston.  The host took us up to the 3rd floor and explained the only 2 bedrooms there shared a hall bath.  The lovely bathroom had gorgeous leaded glass windows, (one for each bedroom) up near the ceiling.  The host explained the windows allowed guests to know when the bathroom light went out, the bathroom was vacant. The host went on to explain breakfast was at 8 am downstairs but because one of the guest rooms would have to wait their turn to use the bathroom, everyone would wait for breakfast until all were present.  The host also explained the 2nd bedroom guests were on their way from Kentucky and wouldn’t arrive until late that night.

The next morning, the Kentucky arrivals got the bathroom first…..meaning they were already seated at the round oak table when we entered the breakfast room.  When I saw the couple,

I grinned ear-to-ear……and said, “I remember both of you!  You were in a tan Volkswagen van at my real estate office in Cool, California in June.  You stopped to ask directions to Placerville!”

The couple laughed with disbelief.  We close to 3,000 miles from Cool….in a 2-bedroom place, nearly 4 months later….what are the odds?  The fellow was a pilot with Lufthansa Airlines.  He 

piloted a flight from Germany to Florida where he and hs wife rented the van, then spent 4 months touring the US.  They dropped their rental van in Kentucky and flew to Boston to catch their flight back to Germany.

I call theses “God Winks”.  I’ve had several of these “intersections” during my life.  I’ve come to believe it is God putting his arms around me as if to say, “Kathy, no matter where you go, I am with you”.  

During this Holiday Season, at the end of one year and the beginning of another, please take a look at your life, examine your many blessings, and if you don’t believe in God, maybe one day you will.  It is a very special season…..Believe!

I hope all of you, your family and friends have a wonderful Christmas Season.  If any of you have had theses “God Winks”, would you share them?

Donald Daily (1961)

Kathy

I enjoyed your story. post nore of them

Theresa Eve (1964)

Each season it is amazing how the children turn into adults with their own way of doing things, and branching out into their adult lives.  Love to see them so strong and bright, but hate to see them go out into the world.  Thankful for them taking the lead in Thanksgivng and Christmas dinners shared.  Here are Eve and Brian fixing Thanksgiving Dinner.  A total blessing for us all.  A good man in the kitchen is the best, with a sweet gal by his side!  Thank you Kathy for the stories which makes us look around at this season. 

Anna Lopez (Northam) (1963)

I love the GOD Winks 

Orval Hughes (1964)

I apologize. Wild 
Bill Leake was also there with his daughter 

Tom Stewart (1969)

Kathy (Thornsberry) Ellinghouse,

I love your post....really awesome.  Are you Stan's sister?  If so I used to come to your house pretty often. 

Lois Takimoto (Kawata) (1969)

Kathy, I also loved your Godwink story. I have read most of the God Winks books by SQuire Rushnell. He has a website where you can contact him and he might use your story in a book or movie. I have thought about it because I have God-incidences which I consider to be the same as his God Winks. I saw that there's a God Winks book of Christians Stories. I guess I have a week to read it. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Lois Takimoto (Kawata) (1969)

Oops. Looks like I blinked on the wrong word in word predict. The book is actually God Winks Christmas Stories. I won't be able to read it, unfortunately. I am a member of Bookshare which provides electronic books for the disabled for $50 a year. They didn't have it on their website.

Kathy, you asked us to share our God winks so here's one I thought of that involves my classmate, Jim Northup. I just checked my emails. On July 14, 2019, I asked Jim if he had contacted Bookshare. I also asked if he was eating foods that were easier for him to eat. I told him that I had done a search in Bookshare for "Holy Bible". The first few results were Bibles. And, then there was The Dysphagia Cookbook. Why was that there? I was curious about it and read the synopsis. It was written by a woman who had a friend with ALS. Was it random or was it God?

Tom Stewart (1969)

Lois Takimoto (Kawata) ,

I continue to be inspired by your life and story.  We share a graduating class and experiences at MYF in Woodland.  I have often told your story to others in church meetings.  Very few have much to complain about compared to what you have lived through and in your own way.....conquered.  Keep encouraging those around you and keep the joy and peace you have in your heart.

Blessings,
Tom

Kathy Thornsberry (Ellinghouse) (1968)

Lois, I loved your story!  Naw, I don't think it was coincidential, do you?  Ha!  Please post more!                                                    

Tom, yes, I am Stan's sister....one of them....He has 3!  

-----------------------                                                                                           

Without recalling the exact year (maybe 2005?), my husband and I bought a lot in Chico to build a new house.  We found a builder but wanted to see some of the homes he had completed.  Jim made arrangements to show us one of the homes completed recently.  It was a couple of miles north of Chico nestled on almond orchard acreage.

Jim, the builder, said, “You will really like these people”, as we pulled up in front of the newly completed home.  It was nestled perfectly on the lot.  The trees reminded me of where my family had lived in Madison when we first came to Northern California.  We lived in an almond orchard not far from Crowder’s Pool.

When I got out of Jim’s truck, I was mesmerized by the metal gate.  It had a large “V” on it.  My assumption was the fellow’s last name started with “V”….but I never knew that many people with a last name starting with a “V”.  I love genealogy.  Last names are a great connection to times, people, and places.  

Just as my husband and I started up the walk, Jim got a phone call and told us he would be with us in a minute.  The owner and his wife had pulled the gate open and warmly welcomed us into the courtyard.   We introduced ourselves as “Bob and Kathy”, as I pointed to the gate and said, “Your last name must start with a “V”?

“Yes”, the man said.  “My name is Tom Vickery”. 

“Oh, I had a choir teacher named VICKERY…..Mrs. Vickery.  She was a teacher in Woodland, California at  Harriet Lee Elementary School”.

“Oh my gosh!”  Exclaimed Tom.  “That was my mother!”…..”Come inside.”  He commanded….He took Bob and I to a magnificent piano with lots of framed photos on the top.

“This is my mom’s piano”.  He said with gleaming eyes.  Her photos were scattered over the top of something she had really loved.

We had an incredible, enjoying time with Dr. Tom Vickery and his wife.  He grew up in Woodland…..I bet he went to Woodland High School too!  He might have graduated about 1960?

There is another story I have about that road Tom lives on…..There was an 8 acre (?) lot my husband and I made an offer on about 6 months prior.  After we found it had a large agricultural easement around all 4 edges, and that part of the property went into the creek, we passed on the lot….but for sure that lot had another God Wink connection!

Happy Holidays to all!      

Kathy

Melanie McKinzie-Petersen (Rued) (1967)

There was a Tom Vickery who was a pharmacist at Woodland Memorial Hospital. Great guy!

Joan Richter (Lucchesi) (1960)

Kathy, I Love your stories, keep them coming. Tom Vickery graduated in 1958. Mrs. Vickery also taught at Beamer before going to  Lee when it opened.  His father, Tom Sr. was the pharmacist and owner of Corner Drug. Melanie, he may have gone to Woodland Memorial when he sold the Corner Drug. I was living in Hawaii at the time and can't remember. Someone correct me if I remember this wrong.