Get Togethers – Page 4 – Iowa City West High Class of 1973

Don Rinehart and Jeff Bagford Small World Experience

Don and Jeff had a great “Small World” experience.

Don wrote:

Hi Dave:

Had a fun “West High Experience” this weekend, quite by accident. Went to pick up Tami’s dad at the airport here in Phoenix and started talking to a couple with Iowa Tee Shirts on who were waiting for parents. Turned out to be ’73 classmate Jeff Bagford and his wife!!! He works at the Phoenix Veterans Hospital and moved to Phoenix the same time we did…only we didn’t know it!

Also, turns out that Tami’s dad and his folks have been Iowa football season ticket holders for decades and sit near each other at Kinnick Stadium! Jeff and I also frequent the same adult beverage establishments here in Phoenix as well, but have never run into each other there! Small world!Have a great Thanksgiving!

Don

Jeff added:

I was so pleasantly surprised, and Don is one of the West High School students that I got to know during my senior and only year at West High.

Jackie Dague Paul Roberts Update

Hi Dave,

How have you been? I haven’t heard any West High news lately and I was hoping all is well. I plan to be back in Iowa City end of August. Paul Roberts is in a play called “Smoke on the Mountain” and I was hoping to meet up with some West High people and go to the play.

I saw the play last Christmas and it’s REALLY good! Paul does a great job playing his banjo, singing and acting. The play is put on by the Iowa Theatre Artists Company in the Amanas. Their web site is: www.iowatheatreartists.org. Anyway, I was planning on going to the play the weekend of August 28th or 29th (fri or sat) I haven’t ordered any tickets yet. Let me know your thoughts and again, I hope all is well! Take care.

Best Wishes,

Jackie

Bonnie Tappan Weldon Update

Dave,

It sounds like you had a good holiday season so far. We have freezing rain here again today………..with more snow predicted. Amazing but we had 50 degrees at midnight last night and it got rid of much of the snow and ice we had. Of course, here we go again.

Annette Hanson, Sue Hansen, Brenda and myself had breakfast yesterday. We had a picture taken, so if you want to put it on the web site, go ahead. I am forwarding it to you.

Have a good New Years and 2009 has got to better than last year.

Thanks

Bon

Annette Hanson, Sue Hansen, Bonnie (Tappan) Weldon, Brenda (Schrock) Bradley

Paul Roberts Update

Hi Dave,

Thanks again for keeping us all connected! I have some more news for our West High web site: Paul Roberts and I met at the Fiddler’s Picnic in Sept. and jammed all afternoon at the 4-H fairgrounds. It was great fun playing with Paul and all his friends! He can really play the banjo! Iowa Public TV was there recording the event, which is put on by the Friends of Old Time Music.

Take care,

Jackie (Dague) Nicholson

Ted Hyde Update

Hi Dave,

I just (finally) figured out that you have a class site. Way cool of you to do all this. Here are a couple of pictures that might be ok to publish. That’s Dave Kacina and Kevin Kelly with yours truly. I must point out that I am still the least heavy of the group, although we all have a little middle girth to consider. Ah the ravages of time.

I just returned from a wonderful trip to visit my little brother who has a beautiful house on Lake MacBride.

Peace

Ted Hyde

Steve Riggan Wedding Photos

Dave

Finally got around to sending you some photos of Steve Riggan and Tracy Lacina’s wedding on New Years Eve. Kevin Kelly was the Host of the reception.

David

Dave Kacena, Steve Riggan, Kevin Kelley at Steve Riggan’s Wedding New Years Eve 2007

Mark Ferguson Update

Hi, Dave:

I thought I would let you know that I ran into a former West High graduate from the class of 1972, Dave Hughes. He had a younger sister, Diane Hughes, who played oboe in the band with me. I don’t think I knew Dave while he was in school with me, but he recognized my brother Neil’s name.

Susan and I went to Summerset Winery near Indianola, IA with another couple for their “Margaritaville” winter bash. At our table sat Dave and Mary Beth Hughes with another couple they knew. As we chatted, Dave and I found out we both went to West High together. I thought I would enclose a picture of our table and our outfits. Dave Hughes and his wife are sitting next to Susan and me (We have the maracas). We all had a great time!

Dave said he attended his class’ 35th reunion last summer seeing some of the classmates that he hasn’t seen since graduating I hope we have as good success with our upcoming reunion.

Mark Ferguson

Edith Sieg Trip to Des Moines

Hi Folks,

Here is a sample of the pictures from Edith’s trip to Des Moines. I’ve included pictures of Mark, Edith, and Laura. If you are interested in seeing Edith’s nature photos from the wetlands, Dave Kaplan from the Class of 1974, and more pictures of Glenn and Laura dancing, I’ll share them with you individually.

Dave

Mark Ferguson
Glenn and Laura (Walters) Anspach
Edith Sieg with Louise Walters and Laura (Walters) Anspach
Norma, Susan, and Mark Ferguson, with Edith Sieg
Mark Ferguson and Edith Sieg

Edith Sieg Update

Great Trip!

Stayed with Laura Walters Anspach and her family (husband Glenn and son Nick) while in Des Moines last week. Laura and Glenn are quite the ballroom dance couple. I love watching them dance. I even got to experience a private dance lesson from Glenn what a treat. They’ll be competing in Kansas in August I think. Got a chance to visit with Laura’s mother Louise Walters. We’ve been in touch all these years, ever since I stayed with them as a High School exchange student back in 72/73 and while at U of Iowa in 73/74. My son Eric got along well with Nick and their current house guest Lindsey. It seems there is often someone staying at Laura’s. Over the years, they have hosted several foreign exchange students.

After attending U of Iowa Entrepreneurial camp for a week, Eric now has a business plan, business cards, a flyer about his business and is “set to go” to teach Hip Hop and Jazz dance lessons to those young folks who wish to learn some cool moves and impress others on the dance floor.

Dave Caplan (class of ’74) came for a visit from Iowa City and showed me around the stomping grounds of his youth. His parents grew up in Des Moines and he used to make frequent trips to Des Moines to visit grandparents. We visited the Art Museum, just down the street from the Entrepreneurial Camp, with its beautiful rose garden and the adjacent wetland. I love being out in nature and once introduced to the wetland, I spent time observing wildlife at the wetland virtually daily for the rest of my week in Des Moines. Nothing big came my way just birds, dragonflies, damsel flies, caterpillars, frogs and tadpoles and little 4 legged creatures rustling the cattails. I happen to like that sort of stuff.

I met with Mark and Susan Ferguson, and Mark’s mother Norma, who happened to be visiting from Iowa City. We spent a wonderful evening together talking and catching up. Mark and Susan have gotten wanderlust and some glorious travel stories to tell, as well as stories about their wonderful children. We got the waiter at the restaurant to take a picture of the 4 of us. So yes, I have a couple of photos from my trip and they’ll be coming.

So next week, I’m off to Germany. Anyone in the Frankfurt/ Essen/ Hamburg/ or London England area?

Tentatively it looks like I’ll also be traveling to Phoenix, AZ & Sedona in October and San Diego in November. Anyone out there wanting to get together? How about the Chicagoland area? That’s where I live when I unpack my suitcase. Meeting with friends and acquaintances from the past was SO MUCH fun. I don’t want to stop now.

Edith Sieg

Save The Date for 2008

Folks,

Bonnie Weldon has asked me, on behalf of the “Powers that Be”, to ask everyone to SAVE THE DATE for our next class reunion.Bonnie has asked all of us to save the weekend of July 19th, 2008 as the date for our 35th Reunion.

The time is Saturday Night July 19th, 2008
The place is The Speak Easy Restaurant and Bar.

Bonnie says it is in the old Wardway plaza on Riverside Dr and Hwy 1. Bonnie says it is a quiet kind of place. It has a wonderful private room with a bar and pretty large area for parties, bigger than Charlie’s was at our last reunion. There is no cost to rent it as we know the owner and it has appetizers, pizza and whatever anyone would want to drink. There’s lots of free parking and they even let people park their cars overnight if they drink too much. Also real close is a motel , so people could stay there if they wanted too.

So, there we have it! I want to personally thank Bonnie for graciously volunteering to plan this nice, casual, easy to plan and execute. Planning a big, formal affair is always more work than you think, and we’ve never been the class that has followed tradition and convention.

However, this does NOT have to be the only event that weekend. This event was put on Saturday night specifically to allow other events that weekend. If someone wanted to plan, say, a golf outing on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning for the guys, that would be super. We’re anticipating that folks might get together with their “crowds” Friday night for their own dinners, to catch up with the people they care a lot about.

I can see a lot of “self organizing” going on for this whole weekend, and I would be delighted to publicize whatever you want me too. Our motto has always been “Have Fun and Stay Connected”, and I’ll help “get the word out” in whatever ways I can!

Oh, yes, and if you are wondering who the “Powers that Be” are, Bonnie let me in on this “secret” a while ago. Bonnie told me that every month or so, the “usual gang of girls” get together for breakfast. Over the years, this “gang” has become the Caring Heart of our class, and these are the wonderful women who have organized every class activity since we’ve graduated.

I want to thank each and every one of them for sharing their time and energy for our class, and for being that loving bond that has helped hold us together over the years. That’s all for now. Please save the date, and I’ll keep you posted.

Dave Gerlits