Dave Jared:  

After graduation, I decided to turn down that grant to Franklin College and joined the Army instead (not noted for a gigantic IQ). I served two years in Korea as an Intelligence Analyst and returned to attend Language School at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, where I learned to speak, read, write and understand Arabic. Upon graduation, I was sent to Vietnam, which everyone knows was just crawling with Arabs. I was recommended for a direct commission to 1st Lieutenant and came back to the States to learn to fly helicopters at Fort Wolters (now defunct) at Mineral Wells, Texas. I met a girl there on a blind date for the solo party. We'll celebrate our 42d anniversary August 12, 2008. She raised my son from a previous marriage from age 2. He's now nearly 44 and living in Dallas with his wife and son. We adopted a daughter at age 9 days. She's now 29 and is to be married on August 9th--the anniversary of her intended's proposal which occurred at sun-up just as they reached the summit of Mt. Fuji! In the meantime, I'd resigned from active duty after my second tour to Vietnam (and my third time being shot) in order to go back to school. I received my undergraduate degree in Business Admin. from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX and started an Masters from there also. During those years, I worked as Chief of Detectives for the Mineral Wells, Texas PD, served two years as an Assistant to City Manager, and then taught Criminal Justice and Sociology at a Jr. College in Weatherford, TX until shortly after adopting our daughter in 1978. I took a job as a Land Management Agent for Mobil Oil Corporation, moved to Oklahoma City in 1982 where we've lived (except for two years in Liberal [By God], Kansas) ever since. I retired from Mobil in 1996, just before it's merger with Exxon, and have worked off and on as a paid consultant all over the place, but mostly in Shreveport, Louisiana (though I still officially lived in Oklahoma City.) I recently was offered a consultant's job with OG&E, the local power company in Oklahoma and have (finally) been living at home and sleeping in my own bed for the last couple of months. Hope this finds all my old classmates well and happy. I was made aware of the passing of Ron Noble and was in Indiana on a business trip a year or so before he passed so got to visit with him before he died. I hear from Barbara Williams from time to time and she keeps me updated on Bob Williams' health situation--which thankfully seemed to be improving at last report. Every so often, I make contact with Barry Eller, who, oddly, also lives in Oklahoma. We've been planning on a golf outing for some years now but can't seem to get our schedules straight. Maybe now that I'm back home in Oklahoma City, though......... Larry Pellum, who runs the alumnae association's website, told me of the passing of Sampson Marr early this Summer. Sam was quite a guy and a life-long member of the Bandidos motorcycle gang, who paid for his funeral & burial in their own cemetery in Dayton, OH. I heard from Sue Nighbert once when she and her family were living in Alaska but have more or less lost touch with everyone else. Hope this piques your curiosity and you take the time to contact me. Have a happy! Yesterday, August 31st, 2008, my wife and I had lunch with Mr. & Ms. Barry Eller of Stillwater, Oklahoma (also DCHS class of 1960) and with Mr. & Ms. Mark Townsend (DCHS class of 1959) who were passing through on their way to Las Vegas. It was a delightful visit. Last Fall, Bob and Barbara Williams came to Oklahoma to visit with Barry and Linda Eller and my wife and I drove up to Stillwater to see them, too. While the men played golf at Barry's club, the women went shopping. Later we had dinner at the Eller's and enjoyed a very nice visit. Funny, but I've seen more of my old classmates in the last year than in the last 40 years! Nothing much new for 2009 (except my disgust with Congress). I blew out my left knee (again) in August, just stepping off of a curb. Had surgery in September and was off work for about 4 months--back at it by mid-December. Today is New Year's Day, 2010. Let's hope it's better than 2009. It'll be our 50th Reunion year...which I intend to TRY and attend, but health concerns may prevent that. Plus, if the economy goes as I fear, NO one who lives outside of Indianapolis may be able to attend. We're facing massive inflation before long, I fear, mostly because the bug-wits in D.C. don't seem to have a single, functioning brain cell among them. Here it is late February of 2011 and the economy is sliding further into massive inflation and unsupportable debt--to China, of all places. Wow! Already late Summer of 2011. We set records for heat all over the place here in Oklahoma this year. My July A/C bill was $325, which is gigantic around here..at least for a house the size of ours (about 2,500 sq ft, single-story.) I stayed pretty much off the golf course this summer because of the oppressive heat. My lack of exercise is showing around my waist, too. Didn't, of course, make the 50th reunion. In fact, I was working on a major project when it came around and couldn't take the time off. I'll probably keep working until I drop in the saddle, I suppose. I've known lots of guys who've retired and dropped dead within six months. Someone once said the the number one ...Expand for more