Can You Believe It

updated 10/3/2010
While looking for classmates and working on our 50th class reunion booklet, here is a list of things that happened...

….First, I got lists of emails around the middle of August from Cheryl Edwards, Glenda Harvey, and the 2001 reunion booklet.  Some of the emails were good; some of the emails were returned “undeliverable”.
….then the detective work began.  I used 411 people, usssearch, people search pro, white pages anywho, white pages, spokeo, radaris, people 411, switchboard, facebook, classmates, my life, and ancestry to find classmates.
….I was going to scan in everyone’s picture from our 1961 annual….but I had over the years written notes across everyone’s picture as I got news of some life event….so Cheryl Edwards agreed to scan the pages for me.
….I called one person’s ex-wife to get information
….I sent an email to an ex-husband to get information ~ Sherry Regester and Walt Oxford ~ Sherry was very illusive but we finally found her ~ many facebook notes to various people on facebook with one reply telling us that Sherry was having computer problems.
….Glenda Harvey got in on the fun and she and Charley Rusk started helping with the searches.
….Janice Phillip contacted a few people and forwarded emails to me.  Janice was also contacted by Ted Hempel in Alliance.  Ted volunteers at the Military Museum and was wanting info about veterans.  We sent him information about Danny Caruthers and John Anderson.
….On 8/13, after I had nearly 100 email addresses up on the blog, Glenda Harvey mentioned that someone from Lexington NE, had been getting on our blog three to four times a day.  I became concerned that we had a “stalker” on our site.  I wrote to a couple of Nebraska classmates (Paul Nelson and Peggy Rogers) to see if it showed Lexington NE when they logged on the blog site (answer was “no”).  I took all the email addresses off the post, only to receive an email the following day from Eleanor Austen ~ subject of email “I think I’m Lexington”!  I put the email addresses back on the blog and Eleanor continued her “obsessive compulsive” behavior of getting on the blog site at least once a day.  I also got on at least once a day, as did Glenda Harvey.  OK ~ to be fair ~ Eleanor also accused me of being obsessive compulsive ~ and I have to add Glenda to that OC list!!
….Carolyn Cole suggested we add Bob Dahl to our list.  Carolyn emailed Bob’s brother.  I called four wrong number Robert M Dahls (one of these wrong Roberts called me back because they had seen my cell number come up on their phone)…left a message for another after getting “no answer” for days…tried to leave another message on a machine but the memory was full….Glenda talked with Wally Seiler (Bob’s sister was visiting at Wally's home at that very moment)….but before Wally could get the information we needed, I connected with Bob Dahl by telephone.
….I made phone calls to numbers I had found on the web.  I think it was a brother-in-law of one of our classmates that I called once (he was amused to hear me ask if he knew Mabel Retke from Alliance ~ Mabel is now known as “Marie”.)
….On 7/6/2010, Glenda and I began corresponding by e-mail about the reunion and finding classmates.  By August 31, after all but a couple had been found, Glenda and I had exchanged over 500 emails.  Most of these emails were on two separate week-ends in August (when long distancing calling was free ~ and most of the locating of classmates was being done).  One Sunday, Glenda even skipped church to keep helping me!  Good thing we didn’t have video email ~ we were both in our pjs well into one of the “working mornings”.
….It was suggested and decided that we would request a current photo from everyone for the booklet.
….Dick Graham and I emailed back and forth a few times ~ enough for him to send me a picture of a cobra on his local golf course….and to let him vent about the US Ambassador to Thailand’s daughter (who was accidently killed in New York City).  Dick was close friends with the whole family in Thailand.
….It was suggested and decided that we would get more information and more up-to-date pictures from our deceased classmates to add to the booklet.
….In the middle of all of this, I had to change my email address because of Verizon being bought out partially by Frontier.
…I think I personally talked with all of these classmates and probably more ~ but confusion has set in ~ the highlighted ones were at a later date ~ when I started calling to get everyone's birth date for the monthly birthday blogs

highlighted ~ September contacts and information
highlighted ~ October contacts and information

Allen, Lucille
Andrick, David
Ashby, Jan
Bauer, John
Behm, Dolores
Berry, Twila (more than once)
Bolinger, Roland
Boness, Barbara
Brown, Barry
Chandler, Myrtle (more than once)
Christensen, Larry
Cornette Rosa Lee (to get her 5 year old picture)
Cotes, Judy (called second time on 9/28 to get her 5 year old picture)
Cowles, Richard
Dahl, Bob
Davis, Jack (talked to Jack's wife, added to list 9/18, called again 9/25)
Feese, John
Fodnes, Jean
Greathouse, Mary (called a second time 9/28 to get her birth date)
Hahn, Terry
Heckman, Leonard ~ called to get his birthday on 9/19
Heinlein, Betty
Herman, Konnie
Hitchcock, Janet
Huck, Clyde ~ called to get his birthday on 9/19
Jacqua, Carole
Jesse, Lester, 9/28
Kettelhut, Jim
Lotspeich, Mark
Magnuson, Steve ~ called again to get birthday on 10/3
Matejka, Paul
McCollom, Bill (more than once)
McFall, Joanne 10/2
Moore, Dale (added to list 9/18)
Myers, Dean (a second time on 9/26 I talked with Dean's sister, Marta, and arranged to visit her in UK next year)
Nelson, Paul
O'Leary, Judy, 9/28
Oxford, Walt, 9/28 talked with his wife, Margaret
Pierce, Charlotte
Reno, Mary Lou, 9/28
Retke, Mabel
Roberts, Ruby ~ called 9/28 to get her five year old picture
Rogers, Peggy
Rusk, Roger
Rust, Gary (more than once)
Connie Sherlock 9/27
Snyder, Linda ~ called to get her birthday on 9/19
Stroud, Judy
Loren Studt, 9/28
Stull, Cheryl
Sutton, Andy (added to list 9/18)
Tanquary, Neal (more than once)
Taylor, Dyna, 9/28
Thiessen, Paul (talked with daughter-in-law Trish more than once)
Todd, Bill
Tucker, John
Van Dusen, David
Voss, Rich (more than once)
Wilkins, Lonnie
Young, Doug

…Glenda Harvey personally talked with
Gorder, Jane
O'Leary, Judy
Sallquist, Sharan
Sherlock, Dixie
Snyder, Linda
Smith, Larry
Studt, Loren
Taylor, Dyna

….Charley talked with Mrs. Andrew Nace who very kindly gave us information on Andrew.  When Charley received the obituary, that is when we decided to include more current pictures, if possible, of the deceased.  Andrew looked so happy in the picture and we thought all our classmates would like to see this.
…I talked with Mrs. Danny (Joan) Caruthers.  She was very gracious in getting the information needed for our deceased classmate.
….While looking on facebook, I noticed Rich Camarillo listed himself as a 1961 AHS graduate.  After checking with some on the reunion committee, I added his name to our reunion list.  Then I never saw him on facebook again.  Glenda tried by contacting Dan Kinser’s wife because she thought Dan’s brother Ivan had married Rich’s sister (see how confusing this whole endeavor was).  The rest of the story….he didn’t graduate with us but was last seen in our 1960 annual.  Glenda and Charley are now in contact with Rich on facebook and we have his home address but no email.
….Roger Brooks was one of the first to respond with booklet information as well as additional information on two of our deceased class members ~ John Anderson and Steve Brooks.
….Found Roger Rusk by “googling” his sister “Charla Rusk” to find a site where Charla had signed a sympathy note at an Alliance funeral home for Erma Hawley….Charla was a little shocked when I called her.
….located Neal Tanquary at his place of business
….at first attempt Glenda found there were 1,663 people with the name Betty Walker (Betty Heinlein) in the United States.
….Finding Paul Thiessen was an experience…I called a father of a daughter who was a daughter-in-law of Paul’s.  The father wanted to be sure that I let his daughter and son-in-law know that he was trying to get in touch with them also.
….Cell phones seemed to be a problem…some of our classmates have taken out their landlines and gone to cell phones only.
….found Steve Magnuson in Gilroy CA by calling his son Seth (found on internet).
….finally reached Doug Young at his work.  Called many numbers (over 20 ~ some disconnected, some the wrong number).  I even called Gus’ Sporting Goods in Victor, CO because Doug had mentioned that in his write-up in 2001.  I believe Charley Rusk called the police department.  Finally Cheryl Edwards got in touch with Doug’s younger brother who was married to Diana Smaha’s younger sister and got a work number for Doug.
….Eleanor Austen suggested Dean Myers (another classmate that didn’t graduate with us but one we should try to locate).
….At some point in our detective work, Glenda suggested I look at our diploma (within the diploma are our names and middle initials which was a great help in locating the illusive classmates).
….Found Rich Voss’s daughter and got Rich’s cell phone number from her.
….Dale Moore proved to be nearly impossible (or impossible depending on when we publish this post).  Cheryl Edwards actually talked with Dale at Art Reynolds’ funeral, and got his contact information but misplaced it….so the search was on.  Jerry Reynolds (Rich Reynold's brother) had an address and phone number but phone number was incorrect (woman at this phone number was not happy to keep getting calls for Dale Moore).  Eleanor knew some information about Dale’s wife working at the police department.  I called the police department (of course they can't give out personal info, but the girl I talked with knew Dale’s wife, Susan ~ she agreed to call Susan and give her my phone number).  I waited a few days and called back ~ unfortunately the police department didn’t have a working number but said they lived just behind Dairy Queen.  I found Dairy Queen’s address, looked on mapquest to see what street was behind Dairy Queen and snail mailed a letter to Dale.  To date, I have not had a reply.  So....Dale Moore
has been found ~ 9/18.  P.S.  My cousin (Judy Mann) got an address for Don Moore (Dale's older brother) from Leona Reynolds.  I finally talked with Don and he gave me Dale's cell phone number.
….At some point in our search, Glenda nicknamed me Detective Singleton.
….Glenda heard from Dick Stephens after their 50th reunion in Alliance ~ asking for contact info for Jim Kettlehut which she was able to provide.
….Dean Myers suggested we try to find Steve Grantham who left Alliance early (in the 8th grade, I think), but a couple of our classmates remember Steve’s dad being a candy distributor ~ Eleanor found Steve on an alumni site for a Florida high school.  I emailed Steve, not sure he will be interested in our 50th….he graduated from a Florida school.
….tried to reach Rich Laursen through a brother (Ken).  Got Ken’s email from my sister in-law Janet Laursen Phillip.  To date, I have not heard from Rich....but we know where he lives.
….When I suggested to Ken Lincoln via email that he probably had a lot more to say for our booklet than the two lines he sent, he immediately sent back the first chapter of the book he is writing.
....To date, 9/12/2010, we have had over 1,500 visitors to the blog site.

If you read all of this, you can see that Glenda, Eleanor, and I had a great time “finding our classmates”.  I think they both have a degree in Psychology because whenever they complimented me on what a great job I was doing, I just worked all that much harder.

Arnold Jensen has been found....I think he lived in Hemingford all these years....but I have now heard that he recently moved to Wisconsin to buy an RV campground.  P.S.  My cousin's (Judy) husband, Larry Mann, heard from Judy that we were looking for Arnold....he knew he had Arnold's business card and found it.  Judy sent me the information....I have emailed the camp ground...but no response so far.  I called the RV campground on 9/18, left a message.  Arnold was out on a tractor working at the RV Campground where he is part owner.  I got a better email for Arnold, but still have not heard anything from him.

Someone left the phone number for George Koester at the Mission in Alliance run by Cheryl Edwards and her husband Todd Harris ~ up to that time, George's contact information was unavailable to us.

posted 9/30/2010