Class Bulletin Board

Ann (McNamara) Bagford, 94, of Iowa City, passed away peacefully early in the morning of Friday, June 28, 2019 in her home at Oaknoll Retirement Residence.

Ann was born on March 29, 1925 in Streator, Illinois, the daughter of T. Earl McNamara and Gladys (Jones) McNamara. She spent her growing up years as the middle child of the J.A.M. sisters (Jean, Ann & Marge) in a wonderful, loving & caring family. One of her very favorite memories was to gather around the piano for a family sing-a-long, while Aunt Irene played. After high-school graduation (1943), Ann worked at the Owens-Illinois Glass Company as a secretary while our country was at war. Ann’s dad, Earl, was the person that was the most influential in her life. She learned so much from him and passed those lessons on to her children and grandchildren.

Ann received a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Illinois. She worked her way through college as a residence assistant and eventually became the Dean of Freshman Women. She then headed to the University of Indiana to begin work toward a Ph.D. Ann never completed it as that is when she met the man of her dreams. Just a short 4 months after their fortuitous meeting on Valentine’s Day, they were married on June 5, 1962. She would always say, ‘Maidenhood to motherhood in just 4 months.’ You see, Jack had been widowed and had two young children (Jeff and Becky) and she gladly chose the role of motherhood over her degree. The new family set off for Jack’s job at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and never looked back.

Ann was a natural leader and played that role in nearly every organization she was a part of, and there were many! Here are a few that stand out; Ann was instrumental in starting the Coralville Public Library and then the ‘Friends of the Iowa City Public Library’. She was an active member of the NN (No Name) Book Club, an officer and member of P.E.O. for 70 years. Here are a few of her favorite things: playing golf, swimming for fun and exercise, reading, bridge with friends, bird-watching with Jack, volunteering for anyone that needed a hand and cheering on the Hawkeyes. She was the most proud of her four children and cherished those times when she could have her whole family together.

Ann was a very caring and compassionate person. She had a zeal for life and learning about every single person she EVER crossed paths with – truly, she never met a stranger. She had a curiosity about life and was a life-long learner – reading daily and attending lectures and programs of all kinds. Together with her best friend Jack, they were always learning new things and teaching life lessons to all whose paths they crossed. At heart, she was a writer and a historian. She corresponded with her family regularly and continued to honor that McNamara tradition by sending holiday notes to her nieces, nephews and their children. Ann’s family is comforted knowing she is back together with Jack, holding hands.

Ann is survived by her children, Jeff Bagford, his wife Michelle and children Lisa and Travis of Martinez, CA; daughter Becky Page, her husband Tracy and children Katie, Amy, and Molly and great-grandson Casen of Lubbock, TX; daughter Jane McCrill and her husband Mark and son Thomas of North Andover, MA; and daughter Pamela Page, her husband Roger and children Sarah Dougherty, Megan Dougherty, Garrett, Erin, Natalie and Arianna Page and great-grandson Lincoln of Overland Park, KS.

David,

Thanks as always for your work in keeping us all up to date. I enjoyed reading Judy’s article. It made me realize how my own thinking has evolved through the years. 

I recently was in Nigeria do some volunteer work with an NGO  called Childvoice Intl. Here is a link to a blog post that I wrote for that organization about one of my experiences while there. I thought you and our classmates might enjoy it. 

https://childvoice.org/all-blog-posts/do-something

Best  regards,

Larry

Norma Harriet Nolte Ferguson

Coralville – Norma Harriet Nolte Ferguson, 92, passed away on May 28, 2019, at home in Polk City, IA, where she lived with her son, Mark, and his wife Susan. 

Norma was born near Sargeant, MN on October 8, 1926, a daughter of Otto T. and Mary Harriet “Hallie” (McCord) Nolte. She graduated from Harmony, MN High School in 1943. She attended college in Winona, MN for one year and graduated from the University of Iowa School of Nursing in 1948. On February 19, 1949, she married her soul mate, Roy Merle Ferguson, at the First United Methodist Church in Iowa City. They lived in Coralville for many years and she was a member of the Coralville United Methodist Church for over 57 years.

Norma was the last surviving sibling of her generation and was preceded in death by her husband, Roy, in 2004, her parents, three brothers, David, Charles and Allen Nolte; three sisters, Doris Schmidt, (Julia) Marian Rodemeyer and Eleanore Horning; all six of their spouses and numerous cousins.

Norma is survived by her three children, Neil (Debi) Ferguson, Kennesaw, GA; Mark (Susan) Ferguson, Polk City, IA and Lori Ferguson, St. Louis, MO; seven grandchildren, Eric Dunbar, Ahoskie, NC; Amanda Baskin, Sarasota, FL; Whitney (Kevin) Maher, Woodstock, GA; Scott (Shani) Ferguson, Acworth, GA; Krista (Nick) McCleish, Johnston, IA; Valerie (Alex) Willcox, Bozeman, MT; Brian (Samantha) Ferguson, Olathe, KS; and seventeen great-grandchildren, Paul Gregowicz, Jacob and Noah Dunbar; Charlotte, Grace and John Baskin; Roy, Madeleine, Nathanial, Philip and Aubrielle Maher; Miles, Mason and Micah McCleish; Eleanore Willcox, Dominic Fu and Damian Ferguson.

Norma’s career in nursing was spent in the Obstetrics Department at the University of Iowa Hospitals, with the last ten years of work prior to her retirement spent as the Clinical Nursing Consultant for the statewide Perinatal Program, traveling throughout Iowa doing outreach education for the obstetrics departments in other state hospitals.

Norma enjoyed her annual fishing trip to Minnesota with Roy, sports, especially Hawkeye football and basketball, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, reading, crossword puzzles, playing cards, cribbage, traveling, dancing and spending time with her loving family.

Funeral arrangements are made with Gay and Ciha Funeral Home, 2720 Muscatine Ave. in Iowa City. Visitation from 4-8 pm on Friday, June 14, 2019, at the Funeral Home. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Coralville United Methodist Church, 806 13th Ave. in Coralville, IA. Lunch will follow at 11:30 am, with graveside services at Memory Gardens Cemetery, 2600 Muscatine Ave. in Iowa City at 1:30 pm.

The Reverend David William Jurgens of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away at his home from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, on Sunday, March 24, 2019, surrounded by family. In agreement with his wishes, cremation has taken place. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at First Presbyterian Church of Marion, Iowa, where the family will greet friends from 10:00 a.m. until the service on Saturday at the church. The Reverend Dr. Howard B. Chapman will officiate.

David was born May 15, 1930, to Toby and Stena Jurgens of Chapin, Iowa. He attended a one room country grade school and graduated from Chapin High in 1948. David went to Central College in Pella, Iowa, graduating in 1952. He married Dixie Mae Morton of Coulter, Iowa, on June 17, 1952. In the fall of 1952, David and Dixie drove to New Brunswick, New Jersey, where David was enrolled in the Reformed Church Seminary. In 1955, he graduated with a Masters Degree. New Jersey is also where his daughters were born.

David answered God’s call to serve the West Ghent and Stuyvesant Falls Churches in upper New York state for six years. Feeling the need to return to Iowa and be closer to their parents, they moved to New Sharon, where they served the First Presbyterian Church for six years. Wanting to further his education at the University of Iowa, David moved his family to Iowa City, and was an assistant pastor in the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and then First Presbyterian Church from 1967-1975 respectively. David wanted to experience other church work and was elected as the Stated Clerk of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, where he served a three year term.

His family thought he should have been named Jack, as he was a Jack of all trades, and unlike the saying, he was master of all. David was a carpenter, electrician, plumber, mechanic and computer technician. He was always willing to help anyone when needed. David became an assistant at the Jim Larew Law Firm in Iowa City, setting up Jim’s office with network equipment and also did research.

In 1983, he wrote and published The Least, a contemporary interpretation of the judgment in Matthew. Several years later, he wrote and published A Dog Named Louie, who was his very smart, favorite farm dog, illustrating it with photos from the 1940’s. David read religious books for a publishing company and wrote reviews for the same. He had unique knowledge of the historic Jesus and a historically contextual understanding of scripture. He was a learner of the word his entire life and wrote a very detailed paper on the Lord’s Prayer and its’ origin and uniqueness for many different denominations. While living with one of his daughters, David became quite fond of her cats, “Buddy” and “Raz”. They were wonderful therapy for him. David was a loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather and a wonderful, devoted husband of nearly 67 years. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

David is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife, Dixie (Morton) Jurgens; two daughters, Emile Jurgens (Simeon Dzamov) of Dayton, Nevada and Ruth Noth of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Rebecca Dzamov (Alex Lomvardias) of San Luis Obispo, California, Christopher (Jordan) Noth of Marion, and Michael Noth of Colorado Springs, Colorado; great-grandchildren, Katya and Kosta, and Baby Noth due in July; and a host of extended family members including many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; five siblings; and one son-in-law, Tom Noth.

In lieu of flowers, the family has respectfully requested that any memorial gifts be sent to the family, expressing your preference of First Presbyterian Church (where they were members for 24 years); Mercy Hospice; or Witty Kitties, Inc., (who cares for sick and hard to adopt kitties). The family will collect the memorial gifts and send them to each organization with a cover letter.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to their Mercy Hospice team for the wonderful care given to David and the family.

2018 Holiday Greetings from the Bryant Family 

Anyone who knows our family will not be surprised to learn that it was a contentious election season in our household.  We survived and are greatly relieved that the relentless stream of ads, mailings, and phone calls have ceased.  Ben voted for the first time.  Sam canvassed for a friend of the family running for re-election to the state house.  

Sam was very enthusiastic about his fall political science classes at USF and is doing quite well.  He works out daily at the gym and creates conditioning plans and videos for others.  He and a friend spent several months this summer helping to renovate a condo near campus that we bought for the boys.    Sam’s efforts ripping up old carpet, painting, and laying flooring resulted in a great-looking, comfortable home, plus he’s got some useful new skills.  Sam lives there with a roommate and Ben will take it over next year.

Also at USF, Ben is working through the basic coursework for his biomedical engineering program.  He is playing sousaphone for the marching band which will appear this month at the Gasparilla Bowl game.  He switched to baritone for the pep band that plays for basketball games.  After his freshman year in the dorms, Ben moved into an apartment with 3 friends from the marching band.  He joined a larger group of friends from the band on a Birthright trip to Israel in May and found this a transformative experience.  Despite his busy academic and band activities, he has assumed a leadership role in Phi Mu Alpha, his music fraternity.

Ben isn’t the only one who travelled this year.  Sam drove to Charleston with some high school friends to attend a fourth friend’s graduation from the Citadel.  Dave had fun at Bike Week in Daytona and attended polygraph conferences in Sarasota and Orlando.  Judy visited her Aunt Eva and cousins from Arizona, New York, and California in Tempe.  Our family trip included several highlights.  There were a couple days in North Carolina at the farm of an old friend of Dave’s from Tampa PD where Sam befriended what was reputed to be an ornery donkey and we enjoyed war stories from other TPD alumni who were also there.  We visited Dave’s Mom as well as cousins and friends in Webster, NY.  Ben (who was taking summer courses) flew up long enough to attend the Bryant Family Reunion in southern New York.  There were more good stories, great food, a wonderfully cold night, and activities that included shooting potatoes from a compressor-powered PVC-pipe gun.  Ranger had a terrific time on this trip, mostly because he spent all of his time with us.

Judy was honored with another teaching award from USF.  In addition to a plaque and handshake from the President of USF, it came with a check.  More significantly, Judy was elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in recognition of her distinguished career as a researcher and teacher.  Dave lectured on polygraph and interrogation at three universities this year including one in Wyoming via Skype.  He testified in federal court as an expert witness for the second time and in state court again.  Last May, Dave retired from his law enforcement career.  He still does police applicant screening for an academy and one local agency but is no longer sworn.  He summarized his feelings in a long Facebook post which got lots of nice responses.

Fall 2018 has seen a major transition for Judy and Dave with both boys moving into their own places.  We are not quite empty nesters, though, because we see them often and Ranger keeps our parenting skills honed.  

Dear Class of ’73

Dec 2018

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All

After being retired for 11 months and doing something most days, it is hard to believe we got so much done on the weekends prior to retirement.  Doing chores and fix ups at our own pace seems to get a better result and allows us to make better decisions.  We  spend at least 2 times a week playing golf and enjoying our time together.  We also try to do things we never had time to do previously.

We sold our house in Sunrise and we bought in Ocala last August.  (Webmaster’s note: the new address is available upon request) The house we purchased was in very good shape but needed to be updated.  We moved in,  and immediately started totally remodeling.  We gutted bathrooms, kitchen and other spaces.  We are supposed to be done in about a week, we shall see.  It has been a challenge living in a construction zone for 4 months, but some how we have survived.  We are especially looking forward to having a kitchen sink.

Our kids are doing great.  Ben, the oldest, is still in DC working as an engineering analyst for the FDOT.  He is such a prolific reader, the job fits him to a tee.  We have visited there a number of times and always find some new and interesting things to see or do.  I highly recommend DC as a vacation spot.  Many really great museums are free and so are other interesting places to visit.   Ben is still unmarried but has been seeing a lady for some time, so who knows.

Quin, the youngest, is in Orlando working in IT for Hilton Hotels.  We do get a savings on friends and family at their locations.  He is currently living with a long time girlfriend.  They bought a house in one of the suburbs and seem to be happy.  We see him whenever we go to Orlando.  He is also our dog sitter when we travel.

We have not taken a long trip yet, as we are still working on our new home and we have  a 13yo Golden Retriever  that does not travel well at his age.   He still wants to be a puppy but just does not have the strength or stamina.   Whenever we travel  we do drop him off at Quin’s, but he has his life and is not always available. We have never had our dog at a doggie daycare feeling it would just kill him.

Our lives have been really great since we got married 42 years ago.  We have traveled a lot and enjoy each others company.  We tend to think in a similar fashion and are willing to do things together.  At the end of May , we went to St.Louis for a niece’s graduation.  At the end of July we went to a family reunion in northern South Dakota.  We took Julie’s dad with us.  That we a real challenge, as he is a grumpy old man and generally did not have a lot good to say.  The  adults from Julie’s family are all got together at a VBRO.  We then went to IC for a family get together with my family.  A lot of fun to see families and young babies.  Unfortunately, we had to be back in Florida to close on our new house, so we could not stay for the C/O ’73 reunion.  We will make 50 as it will be a special event, I’m sure.

Again Dave, thanks for doing this website for all these years.  You have done a wonderful job, and as I may speak for the entire class of  ’73, you have done a great job of keeping us informed and together through this site.

Hi Dave :  Greetings from frosty Cedar Rapids!  Now I know why I live in Arizona!  Brrr!  Cross Country kids finished 6th in the nation for men and 7th for women at the NAIA National meet here on the 16th!  We were also recognized for having the 3rd best combined men/women program in the NAIA (over 300 colleges).  Quite an honor.  Now the old coach will retire a happy man after track season!  Hope everyone has a warm winter!!!