From Ed Miller: Ed loves Karaoke! He imitates Elvis, Dean Martin, and Conway Twitty and has been doing Karaoke for about 6 years. He currently entertains near his home in Florida at the Moose Club, Eagle Club, and the American Legion where he is a member of each. He has plans on moving back to the Colonie area where he can be closer to his son and daughter and we may have the opportunity of hearing him sing in our area. He is currently in town for the month of June and has made plans to be at the Elsmere American Legion Post to sing on Saturday, June 15th where he hopes he'll see some familiar faces in the audience.
Ed sings two of his favorites, "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" and "Can't Help Falling in Love" at the American Legion Post on June 15th, 2013. (My apologies for the shaky camera - Brian Warner, we needed you!)
An update from Kurt LeBesco: I am 70. (Sept '42). Married to Gloria since 2000. Gloria was born in Toufen, Taiwan in 1948. She came to America in the early '70's. I am her second husband. She is my third wife.
I have two children with my first wife the former Peggy LaRose of Troy, NY. My older daughter Kathleen (1970) is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. She has provided me with one Grandchild. My younger daughter Pauline (1971) is a Sr. Probation Officer for Rensselaer County. She has provided me with three Grandchildren.
After somehow managing to Graduate from BC, I spent some time in college, and working, before enlisting in the Army. I spent the first year there in school and then was assigned to two different Nike Hercules batteries for the duration of my enlistment. The Nike Hercules
System was an air defense weapon system employing tactical nuclear warheads. My function was to maintain the various RADARS and the computer that constituted the Fire Control area. Until this experience, I could not begin to fathom the power of computers and the career
path and life journey that would follow.
After my military service I became a programmer. I liked doing this. I was good at it. During the early years there were just not enough people with this skill and I would job hop for more money. In my late 30's I realized that I better find the job I could retire from. At age 39 I was hired by Hitachi Data Systems, I was no longer a programmer, but rather a systems engineer and then a sales engineer. The run at this wonderful organization would last until age 51. Things always change, the computers we once sold for $4 million were going for 15% of that. Then someone figured out how to replace the industrial strength disk drives on the large computers with PC disks. Custom made became commodity and thousands of mainframe computer marketing reps and engineers (IBM, Amdahl and Hitachi) had to hit the pavement. I was one of them.
A week or so later I was approached by one of our customers (the NYS Court System) and offered a job. It was for a lot less money and I wanted to be a systems engineer again. I passed on it. That was a bad mistake! If I had taken that job then, I could have been retired for five years by now.
I currently live on Berncliff Ave In Albany. The 23rd place I have lived since finishing B.C.
My plans for retirement: Finish the book I started writing in he Summer of 2000. Become conversant in the Hungarian Language. Move to a warmer place. Visit Rio and Patagonia. Live longer than Queen Elizabeth, and lastly (adding a couple of things to Will Rogers famous quote) I would like to run out of air, money, good wine and Viagra at the same time! I would also like to die in my sleep but it would seem quite difficult to accomplish both?? A memorable photo from a few years back... Emperor for a day in Taiwan 2006 (Click on photo to enlarge).
From Pat Ballo: I'll be up in September or October - waiting to hear when my son and his family will be here. He was supposed to go to Afghanistan in August but they canceled it - budget cuts. Thank God!
Pat
From Louise Calisto: Daughter Beth and I took a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil in December - just the two of us - and we had a great time going out with old friends and shopping. I hadn't been since 1998, so it was great to see everyone. I love that city, but for Beth it's her home town.
Take care, Louise
Tidbits
From Larry Scarborough: ...Back from Georgia, here is a walkway newsletter. You don't have to read it all, just scroll a bit. To view click Here >>>
Jon Van Derpoel ...is the Corresponding Secretary for the Dutch Settlers Society of Albany.
Recent Website Updates
An update to the website not included in the Newsletter can be found for award winning play-write Jean Reynolds in the Classmates Section. Login Required >>>
Classmate Contact Updates
There have been updates to the contact information in the 2011 Reunion Booklet for Dave Allen, Bonnie Andorn, Pam Caparaso, Pat Carl, Betty Chestney, Vance Everett, Val Farny, Elaine Ham, Ray Harbeck, Jim Hulihan, Bill Kemp, Bob Kibbey, Tom Korns, Paul Kositzka, Mike Kunz, Kurt LeBesco, Nanci Mullens, David Utz and Brian Warner. The new contact information is available on the Classmate page and Here >>>
And on a sad note...
We've learned that two of our classmates have recently lost their spouses. Jennie McNab's husband George Piazza (class of '58) passed on May 25th, and Mike Arnold's wife Mary passed on May 28th.
Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to both of them and their families.
Did you know...
...that Albany is the birth place of Modern Electricity? This historical marker is located in Academy Park commemorating the work of Joseph Henry, who discovered the electromagnetic phenomenon of self-inductance. The Joseph Henry Memorial is located in Academy Park and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Henry was also the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. (Click on photo for larger image)
...that Sander's in Slingerlands is now an Italian Restaurant? Here are photos that show the evolution of the Sander's Gas Station site in Slingerlands from the mid-1940s thru the present. (Click on the photos for a larger image)
Above left photo from Ed Miller, dated mid-1940's, above right from the Bethlehem Library from 1957 and current occupant of the site is the Mangia Italian Restaurant. The restaurant uses the remodeled old Sander's building and the Sander's residence in the background of the 1957 photo was torn down for restaurant parking.
Recent Class of '61 Lunch Attendees
Pete Bauer, Bev Everingham, Val Farny, Sue Fuller, Linda Fuhrman, Dean Hartley('60), Gordon Henry, Ray Harbeck, Marilyn Jones, Kathie Jorgensen, Bob Kibbey, Kurt LeBesco, Jennie McNab, Bill McMillen, Ed Miller, Mary Myers, Dave Newell and Vince Williams
Please let us know if you are changing your email address or home address. Your contact information can be updated securely via the website Here.
Bethlehem Central High School, Delmar NY -- Class of 1961
Please email us at: support@knightworkshosting.com if you have any questions, comments or Classmate Updates.
Ed loves Karaoke! He imitates Elvis, Dean Martin, and Conway Twitty and has been doing Karaoke for about 6 years. He currently entertains near his home in Florida at the Moose Club, Eagle Club, and the American Legion where he is a member of each. He has plans on moving back to the Colonie area where he can be closer to his son and daughter and we may have the opportunity of hearing him sing in our area. He is currently in town for the month of June and has made plans to be at the Elsmere American Legion Post to sing on Saturday, June 15th where he hopes he'll see some familiar faces in the audience.
Pete Bauer, Bev Everingham, Val Farny, Sue Fuller, Linda Fuhrman, Dean Hartley('60), Gordon Henry, Ray Harbeck, Marilyn Jones, Kathie Jorgensen, Bob Kibbey, Kurt LeBesco, Jennie McNab, Bill McMillen, Ed Miller, Mary Myers, Dave Newell and Vince Williams