High School Newsletter The Early Years, Classes of 1947 to 1965 Fall 2012

View of Heidelberg and the Schloß from above the Philosophenweg, copper engraving by Matthäus Merian, 1620

Memories of HHS and Beyond Cindy Beck Fox ’61

Dear Early Years Staff, My husband, David, and I look forward to the Newsletter, and reunions. Although Dave isn’t an Overseas Brat or DOD Alum, he was in the Air Force for 21 years and we were stationed at Hahn AFB, (where I taught Kindergarten for two years); Itazuki & Hakata, Kyushu, Japan (where I substitute taught with my former 6th grade/Camp Drake, Tokyo, science teacher, Worth Gurley), and Tachikawa AFB, where I taught in the Middle School. So Dave definitely has a sense of my past experiences, added to the new ones we shared. I taught in the countries where I had attended school in my “army brat” years. And we did attend the Heidelberg, Germany reunion in 2006. We both love the stories you include in the Newsletter. Our favorite was Tony Donovan’s “A Quick Side Trip Down Memory Lane”. Who doesn’t remember Miss Fowlkes’s purple hair and her Shakespeare drama. Ms Kay was my homeroom and English teacher, and, if I recall correctly, the class of 1961 advisor. The fearsome Algebra and Geometry teacher that Tony spoke of was likely Ms Clauson. She was probably my favorite, because I loved math...and ultimately became a high school math teacher. Every time my mascara was too thick or I wore a pretty scarf, I thought of her. She was a very chic dresser, and had pretty blonde “coifed” hair. My boyfriend Steve Waters and I almost always did all the extra credit assignments because we enjoyed the challenge. I remember Mr Bova, 10th grade; Mr Schulman, 11th grade Chemistry (he taught us with the NY City curriculum & their regents exams), and Physics, Mr Tait, in 12th grade, who taught us the U of Maryland curriculum & books. We had pretty great teachers. As luck would have it, most of my friends were at HHS from 10th through 12th, so it was pretty wonderful. I will always cherish my wonderful Heidelberg High memories and experiences. Such wonderful memories and friends. I would love to hear from some of our classmates, who went on to the military academies. I know that sadly we lost Dean Matzko, USNA, in a plane crash early in his career. I saw Geoffrey (Alfie) Akroydd in Tokyo when he was the pilot for a general stationed in Korea (1974). I read that Tommy Swain was an Army General. I have seen names like Joe Colquitt and Karen Houlihan, who signed on-line to “classmates”. I stay in touch with Sally Bless Roberts and Clare Downey Graham. It would be great to hear from more of the class of 1961. [Call Cindy at 410-757-9220.]

Speaking of the class of ’61: Cary Bowen ’61 is a lawyer and a farmer in the Richmond, VA, area and is looking for information on members of the classes of 1961 and 1962 who might be in his area. He is at [email protected].

HHS Early Years Newsletter 1 Fall 2012 Breaking news (October 8, 2012): Randy Loftin ’60 is running for Congress in the 5th Congressional District of California (around Sacramento). Is this a first for someone from HHS? Details at www.loftinforcongress.com.

Additions to the Heidelberg Bookshelf

Mary Williams Schaller ’61 wrote to Bob Hines on January 24, 2012: Shortly after Joan Dickson died in 2006, you telephoned me, singing the praises of my memoir HEIDELBERG DAZE that you had found among Joan’s papers. At that time, you suggested that I should get it published. Since I was working on two books, I demurred and shelved the idea for “later.” Then, after the wonderful Reunion 2011 in Heidelberg, my fond memories prompted me to pull out my memoir and glance over it – but I was up to my ears with promoting my latest book and felt I had to shelve it until “later.” Now that the New Year has arrived and I am facing my 69th birthday, I realized that “Later” had better be “Now” before it got to be way too late. In preparation for re-writing my manuscript, I have taken a long and poignant stroll down memory lane through my back issues of the Early Days Newsletter, beginning in December 1994. What a wealth of background information! Thank you, Joan, Glenda, and now Jan and you, for preserving so many great stories! In going through the more recent issues, I realized that my name did not appear among the “Donations.” I grovel in embarrassment! Enclosed is my check together with my apologies and gratitude for the fine job you are doing for us aging Lions. I have not yet started the re-writes for DAZE, but I plan to do so in the next week or two. I hope to interest my publisher at the University of South Carolina Press in this book. Word of caution: do NOT hold your breath. My most recent book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL: A Southern Belle in Europe at the Outbreak of World War I, took me fourteen years to pull together, sell and get published. I am hoping that HEIDELBERG DAZE will be much faster. My publisher hopefully will be open to this new idea as DELIVER US FROM EVIL is selling very well. I did an author-invitation-only Book Fair at the National Press Club in DC in November 2011 and was very gratified by the reception that my book received there. So, I will strike while the iron is HOT. Yes, I will keep you informed, but first, I have to re-write the darned thing. Hope you all are doing well. I look forward to the next Newsletter – and again, thank you, Jan and all of you for such a wonderful gift as the Newsletter. GO LIONS!

Hudson (Bill) Phillips ’52 has a new book of poems out, published July 25. While growing up, Bill traveled extensively as the eldest son of a military family. At the age of eight, he experienced a wartime evacuation from the Panama Canal Zone at the outbreak of WWII. As we from HHS know, he attended high school in Heidelberg during the post-war period of occupation. Following his graduation from Colgate University and Colgate Rochester Divinity School, his work led him through the breadth of American life: the ending of segregation in the South, the peace movement and the draft, the emergence of the counter culture, and extensive work with developmentally challenged youth and people with special needs. His poems are informed by these experiences. The book can be ordered from createspace.com. Your editor ordered hers right away and in August was able to take it to Bill and Betty’s home in Austin for signing. We had a great visit, remembering the fears, dangers and damages of war, but also the warm friendships forged between former enemies in the war’s aftermath.

Midnight Shower, or High School Hi-Jinks Chick Williams ’55

For reasons that I can’t remember those of us on the second floor of the dorm planned a midnight raid on the seniors (class of ’53) down on the first floor. We set our alarms for midnight then went to bed and got up for the clandestine meeting in the shower room. The two guys in one room on the second floor were assigned the corresponding room on the first floor and one guy would carry the waste paper can full of cold water and the other guy would be his door opener. The idea was to skulk down the steps to the corresponding room below and wait for the signal. When we got the signal one guy would quietly but quickly open the door and the other guy would throw the cold water (winter time) all over them. Then we ran like hell back to our rooms and locked the doors. I don’t recall any repercussions that night or later on. Among those that we doused were: The Roosma brothers, Gross (Lucky) Jenison, Hal Lyon, Bill Henning, et al. PS - In the Heidelberg graduation video, that is my sister in the first close up. She was in the second pair to enter the seating area. That was also her that got up to get her diploma: Anita S. Williams. She is on your list and got the last newsletter. HHS Early Years Newsletter 2 Fall 2012 More Memories of the 1952 HHS Graduation

Hudson (Bill) Phillips ’52 (June 27, 2012): Some have referred to the class of ’52 graduation as having been filmed on the “grounds of the Schloss and ... filmed by the Armed Forces Network.” This is not quite the way that it happened. Actually, the graduation ceremony was filmed in a closed building. We did go up to the Schloss for a Stateside version. It was better P.R. for the television audience. This happened about a week before the actual graduation. We all went in a bus. (I remember we sang a rousing rendition of “There’s a pawn shop on a corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.” Why that song, I don’t know.) We went through the motions of a real graduation, but without the speeches, and some were called forward as if getting diplomas. (I think this was when Jim Skelly was filmed overlooking the city.) I mentioned the Schloss version when Donna Musil was producing the documentary, Brats: Our Journey Home, and I believe the Schloss graduation photos were retrieved from the archives. Incidentally, other shots taken of our class at the time are used in the Brats film. I recognized Jim Partin, John “Tony” Phillips (my brother), Shirley Archibald, and others. We originally asked General Eisenhower to be the graduation speaker. David Kendal (now deceased) contacted his headquarters and was told that Ike was unable to come, but General Handy would be the speaker. This was my recollection of this event. Some of this may bring other memories. Jim Skelly ’52 (July 2, 2012): Jan, I enjoyed our phone conversation of last week regarding the 1952 Heidelberg graduation ceremony discussed in the Summer 2012 Issue of the HHS Newsletter. The graduation shown in the video was not the actual graduation. The real graduation was held inside the Schloss in the evening, probably not on the same day as shown in the video. The video was strictly a staged event for the benefit of the Armed Forces Network. As I recall they were putting together a film depicting the activities of American dependent teenagers in Germany. The so-called graduation ceremony was just one part of it. After showing me looking out over the city of Heidelberg, there were then flashbacks of the various activities of American dependent teenagers. I don’t remember how much of the graduation ended up in film or who might have been involved in the other parts of the film. I believe after the flashbacks, they showed me again walking away probably to conclude the film. The program came across on TV in Columbia, Missouri, one weekday afternoon in the fall of 1954, when I was at the University of Missouri. I was standing outside in the front yard of the Phi Psi house, when some of the guys came out and said, “Hey Skel, Heidelberg High School is on TV”. I said, “I’m in that film!”, and we rushed in to see it. I was sometimes known as “Baron Von Skel” around the fraternity house. Every now and then during our weekend parties, they would start a chant in my honor, if you want to call it that: “Go Heidelberg – Beat Munich”, which we in fact did most of the time, especially with our basketball team of 1951-1952. So much for this. In regard to the “heavily bandaged thumb”, not too long before the end of the school year, we had moved from the old German school building on the north side of the river to the new (current) school building. I was turning off a porcelain water faucet handle in the restroom of the then new school. It broke and sliced about a third of the way through my thumb. It took four or five stitches. Thus, the “heavily bandaged thumb”. Isn’t this interesting stuff? I’m sure whoever bothers to read this will remember it for at least thirty seconds or so. I try not to dwell on the past, but every now and then the scar on my thumb reminds me of my days in Heidelberg. Cheers.

Remembering Bob Hines ’54

Mike Bogart ’54 (July 9, 2012): Terrible news about Bob Hines. I lived next door to him at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart and we were good buddies for a time. You can save a little postage by no longer sending me the newsletter about HHS. I attended there in my sophomore and junior years, but was a graduate of Stuttgart in 1954. Not too many familiar names left anymore. Thanx. [Mike is at 4502 Dewsbury Court, Lakeland, FL 33801, [email protected]] Bob Hoagland ’54 (July 5, 2012): I was very sorry to read of the loss of Bob Hines. He was in my class, 1954. Or should I say I was in his class? I think the place Bob would want me to make a donation in his honor would be to the Heidelberg High School Newsletter, so a check is enclosed. As usual, the entire newsletter was very interesting. I was glad to see that mini-reunions are being planned for the South Carolina area. This means much less driving for me. And here’s a secret – don’t tell anyone else: Both prices and the weather are better down here than up north! Chick Williams ’55 (June 27, 2012) Jan, I just got the newsletter and I was so very sorry to read about Bob Hines. I know he was an invaluable worker on the reunion groups - starting way back with Joan when she first cranked up the Heidelberg group. I among others am truly grateful for your untiring efforts. Cindy Beck Fox ’61 (July 2012): I’m so sad about Bob’s passing away. My husband Dave joins me in sending condolences to Bob’s family. Mary Williams Schaller ’61 (June 22, 2012): I am so sorry to hear that Bob had died. Though I had never met him personally, we spoke on the phone several times. He was charming and he will be a great loss to all the HHS alums. Thank you for all the great work you are doing to keep our newsletter going. Like many others Brats, I “lost my heart in Heidelberg” when I was 14 and the memory of that wonderful time still warms my heart and romps in my dreams. The newsletter is such a great way to stay in touch with those happy days. Roar on, Lions! HHS Early Years Newsletter 3 Fall 2012 Heidelberg High School’s very last class will graduate in 2013

The class of 2013 is selling commemorative T-shirts and hoodies. To support the class or just to have the T-shirt (right), go to http://threadheart.bigcartel.com/. The deadline for the first run was Aug. 15, but the vendor will make a second run in the spring to cover any orders after Aug 15. Thanks to Luke Williams ’58 for this information. The class of 1976 also offers a polo shirt with the school’s dates and the “new” Lion (from about the mid-60’s). Luke says, “Seen one and it looks nice.” Contact Mike Cannon ’76 at [email protected].

Report on the summer 2012 HHS All-Years Board meeting, by our representative on the Board, Luke Williams ’58:

With the school closing next year, the question of what happens to 67 years of history and memories comes to mind. Some background: The American Overseas Schools Historical Society, a non-profit organization whose mission is to collect, record, and preserve the unique history of education American children abroad, is the repository for that history, with its headquarters in Wichita; web site aohs.org. The hope is one day to set up a DOD Schools museum, but so far there is no money to do it. At present there is only a warehouse, no museum as such. I talked to Chris Kyrios [ ’75 and the son of HHS Principal Alexander Kyrios], who is a board member of the AOSHS. A couple of opportunities are underway. One is the new US Army museum in Ft. Belvoir, which has expressed some interest in providing space for a DOD Schools exhibit. Chris will meet with them in October to discuss the possibilities. Another is a former educator who has set up an archive in Albuquerque and is interested in yearbooks and such. DOA instructions on closing a school include provisions to ship historical items to AOSHS at government expense. The school Principal should appoint a faculty member to coordinate and collect items to go to AOSHS, but the problem Chris has encountered is actually getting someone appointed and then that someone actually getting the job done. When Karlsruhe closed, Chris and about 15 alumni went to the graduation and found that nothing was being done. They actually took the yearbooks out of the library and carried them back. His suggestion was that the HHS Alumni Association contact the Principal to confirm the process of sending stuff and to request contact information for the coordinator person. He also suggested that the best was to volunteer to help with the sorting and packing, which means having a contingent there at graduation. He said that at Karlsruhe, by graduation the staff had already started to throw stuff out. The HAHS Board is now taking up the communications. The Board is supporting a mini-reunion for the graduation June 6 to include helping with the sorting and packing. If enough participation is indicated, events can be arranged, such as a dinner dance and river cruise. The first castle illumination is June 1, so that would fit. Plans are underway for a dinner dance and river cruise IF enough alumni attend. If you plan to attend, please contact Luke Williams, [email protected] or 864-963-2764 as soon as possible so a decision can be made on the events. Planning and reservations have to be made very soon for summer in Heidelberg. The HAHS Board also discussed future reunions. The next scheduled reunion will be 2016. The question is Do we return to Heidelberg without the availability of the school and have a reunion, or do we plan for a Stateside event? The Board is leaning toward returning to Heidelberg but would like to hear from the Members on their preference. Again, contact Luke Williams, [email protected] or 864-963-2764 with your thoughts and vote.

Vielen Dank: Brad Brucker ’58 sent a contribution this spring to Bob Hines but your editor missed it in the Summer 2012 issue. Sorry, Brad, and thank you! Donations with sympathy and thanks for Bob’s efforts have come from Bob Van Horn ’54, Bob Hoagland ’54, Elaine Koup McNeil ’55, Ken Keene ’58, and Mary Williams Schaller ’61. Thanks also to Luke Williams ’58 and Sally Irwin Williams ’59 for addressing and stamping the envelopes for our Summer 2012 issue, and to Summer 2012 envelope stuffers Joan Wauchope Orvis ’51, Rita Wycoff Zener ’54, Steve Johnson ’55, Kathy Truex ’62, and Joan Reading Asboth ’63. They and Bob Muschamp ’54 are helping stuff for this Fall issue.

A Return to HHS Years Later

Bob Van Horn ’54 (June 27, 2012 to his classmate Rita Wycoff Zener): Just received the latest HHS newsletter and as usual, put everything aside until it was read – cover to cover. Still feels great seeing familiar names remembered from two years living in Heidelberg and attending HHS. In 1971, on returning from a second tour in South Vietnam, I spent 3 very enjoyable years working at Autobahn Kaserne with USACEIA-EUR as a telecommunications-electronic engineer. While there, I attended the University of Maryland being taught at HHS and sat in some of the same class rooms that I had sat in in 1953 and 1954. Brought back many memories. HHS Early Years Newsletter 4 Fall 2012 Inveterate HHS World Travelers Tell Their Stories

Rita Wycoff Zener ’54 and Karl sent us a postcard of African pawprints: “7/24-8/6 2012: Southern Africa was the trip of a lifetime. We wish you could have gone on our three generational trip. Wildlife, history, culture, and Victoria Falls.”

Carolyn Sartain ’54 (February 13, 2012, to Bob Hines): I remember you – and “Dugie” – sorry he died. I was one of the 7-day “dormers”, since we lived in Greece. I remember catching the Friday bus with other “dormers” to – I had a best friend at F. H. S. and I went up there several times a month. Her dad was a 2 star general & her parents were so occupied with their other obligations, and left us very much alone. On weekends when I stayed in town, my roomie, Suzie Pryce Collins, also ’54, and one of the new arrivals from the big flap in Trieste, Fall ’53, and I would all hop on a train & travel to a neighbouring town for a few hours – This became our usual Saturday “adventure” – I remembered her name, but it’s temporarily “lost” – It’s said that memory is the first to go! But the rest still works pretty good. I was married for 28 years to an alcoholic, diabetic, unfaithful JERK – We were also military and spent 7 years in Spain, where our 2 girls were born. They had dual citizenship till they were 25. My son was born in California, joined the Army, was out for a while, then got called back – sent to Iraq, and eventually died. - They WERE doing germ warfare too! After my marriage ended it was really great to be on my own, and I actually had a job for 15 years, but they didn’t like that I used up all my leave time traveling overseas to weird places! Yes, I still have a terminal case of “itchy feet”! Right now I’m getting ready to take off again – meeting my best friend from Australia in the Ukraine – we were roomies when we did the Silk Road for 5 weeks, a few years ago. We hit it off so good that we try to travel at least a month every year. After Moldova & Crimea, we plan to return to the UK and do the Offa’s Dyke hike – we will spend 2½ weeks doing this, since it’s 177 miles long! I’m hoping to detour to Chester and walk the Walls again. My daddy & I did it in ’55 when we were “PCS’ed” at Burtonwood AFB. As you can see, I’m still a “jock”, and play a lot of tennis and work out at Gold’s Gym about 4 times a week – Am still in pretty good health, altho I have asthma. My daughter couldn’t make it in Utah, so she is living with me, and working in pest control. We have 3 indoor cats. Actually, my daughter is a bug’s worst nightmare!! I am looking for Ross Petzing ’55. [He is not on our mailing list, but we found addresses for him in Montana, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, and California through zabasearch.com. His phone number in Montana is 406-293- 3492, and Montana may be where he is now. Is anyone in touch with him? – Ed.] P.S. I just remembered something else I did – rather stupid – One day I skipped school & hopped on an Army bus with a friend. We went to Mannheim for the day – actually rather boring! What was bad, was that my parents showed up (from Greece) without telling me! I wasn’t in school, or sick in the dorm, or in the hospital! Yes, they were quite upset! Since we didn’t have a washer/dryer in the dorm, I’d just box up all the dirty clothes and mail them “home” (Greece!). Yes, my mother would wash, dry, and send back! Postage was cheap then thru the APO. PS (February 20, 2012): Well, it’s taken a week, but I’ve remembered the name of the girl who joined us in the dorm after the Trieste fiasco in Fall 53 – it’s Caroline Emory or Emery? – class of ’55 – I do believe she should be listed as “missing” [she is not on our HHS mailing list – Ed.] – I’ve also remembered a few other things that happened way back in 54! Just before we graduated, the Dads Club – remember them? They had a luncheon or dinner, and I got a 1st place award from them for art work – I think it was a really cool pen & pencil set – Well, I’m still in the arts – Did a lot of covers for the O.W.C. monthly mag. when we were PCSed at Randolph in the 70s – I went back to college & got a BA in music – classical guitar major, flute and horn minor. I studied guitar when we were in Spain for 7 years – However, it’s kinda morphed into travel photog & I’m really good at it. A few $ enclosed for “whatever”.

Ken Keene ’58 (July 2, 2012): To all those involved in the Early Years endeavors: Thanks so much for continuing to carry the newsletter torch. As a result, I find I am more in touch with my high school friends than contemporaries who were born and raised in one community. Enclosed is a long overdue contribution. I continue to actively practice law in Colorado Springs, with no plans to retire. My practice is limited to trusts and estates, which affords me the opportunity to avoid litigation and enjoy flexibility in scheduling. For me, that flexibility translates to travel – to Egypt in 2010 (fortunately, shortly before the “Arab Spring”), taking my 3 kids, their spouses and 5 grandchildren on a Mediterranean cruise in 2011, and to Botswana and Zambia in southern Africa this year. A bachelor for 21 years, I hang out with a wonderful lady with whom I enjoy an active social life.

Jan McLin Clayberg ’59: Great lunches this year with Morris Pelham ’61 and Jo and with Jim Moyers ’54 and Cora. In September, after Berlioz concerts in France with Choral Arts, I drove with German-English friends down the Neckar to Heidelberg, then past MTV (glimpses of HHS). In Hockenheim we visited Christa Mohrig (her late husband Günter was PHV Protestant Chapel organist and choir director 1955-1978) and their daughter Christina, also an organist. We sang Schubert and Schumann together. I also had a fine visit with their other daughter Cornelia, an artist, in Hannover. HHS Early Years Newsletter 5 Fall 2012 Cindy Beck Fox ’61 (March 23, 2012): Jan, Bob, Rita and Luke: Thank you so much for THE EARLY YEARS. After I read it, I pass it on to my husband Dave. I really enjoy all the news of our Heidelberg family. We were so disappointed not to be able to attend the 2011 Reunion in Heidelberg, but I was fortunate to receive many photographs of the events. Both my husband and I had surgeries the week of the Reunion, which was immediately after our return from 15 marvelous days in Israel. That is a trip recommended to everyone - every ethnicity, religion, etc. What an amazing country, both so modern and high-tech (read: Start-Up Nation) and still a walk through history and archeology. We swam and snorkeled in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, kayaked down the Jordan River, sailed on the Sea of Galilee, and floated on the Dead Sea. I had my Bat Mitzvah on Masada. We used the cable car to get up the mountain and then we walked down the mountain and joined a Bedouin community for an authentic lunch/seated on the ground and “enjoyed” a camel ride!! We participated in archaeological digs, wandered through underground sites, visited Churches, Synagogues and other historic sites. Visited Tsfat, where all the artists do their painting, weaving, jewelry- making...and Madonna has a home. Tsfat is the “home” of Kabalah. We didn’t see any famous movie stars when we were there, but we saw the homes where most of them stay. We bought shoes at the Naot shoe factory, located on a Kibbutz. We fell in love with Jerusalem, Haifa, Golan Heights, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Eilat, Tiberias, Caesarea, the Negev, and Mount Hermon ... just to name a few places we visited. From many of the locations we visited, we could see Syria, Lebanon, and/or Jordan. Israel is a very small country. Every day was exciting, fascinating and educational. We were a group of 39, ages 5 to 77. We had an awesome guide whose knowledge of the Bible and archaeology was exceptional. We were never bored. The eleven children (5-20) enjoyed each day as much as the adults. Since it was June and dry, we were required to drink at least 3 bottles of water daily, which we supplemented with the most delicious iced coffee (like a “smoothie”) at least once a day!! We even took a side-trip to Jordan, to visit Petra. There, Dave rode on another camel. We have been keeping busy. Spring of 2010, we traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia on an 18 day tour. It was very fascinating, we would recommend the experience. We were warmly welcomed throughout the two countries, and we found the people friendly and the country very beautiful. This Fall, we headed East again, to China and Hong Kong. We were last in Hong Kong in the summer of 1973, while we were still stationed in Tokyo (Tachikawa AFB). Mainland China was not yet open to visitors. Interestingly, Hong Kong, although it is now under China’s flag, does not warmly welcome residents of Mainland China. They must enter on rather limited Visas. They aren’t considered “high class” enough to gain residence in the sophisticated, cosmopolitan “City” of Hong Kong. After 14 days in Mainland China, climbing the Great Wall, visiting the Pandas, seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors, cruising on the Yangtze River, etc., and traveling on 5 different airplanes to the major cities of China, Hong Kong by comparison was like going to New York City. I enjoyed High Tea with some lady friends, while my husband joined the men shopping in the electronics markets! But there is nothing like being home in the USA. Like most “brats” who have lived in other countries, we have had the opportunity to see how people live in different parts of the world. Living and visiting other countries has been such a privilege and an amazing experience. I imagine we will continue traveling to different parts of the world, but it is always nice to come home. Although I loved living in Japan as a kid (my dad’s dependent) and as an adult/mom (my husband’s dependent), I think my closest ties remain with my German friends in Heidelberg, as well as my Heidelberg HS classmates. I continue to correspond with the children of my parents’ early Heidelberg friends from 1946-48. We returned 1958-63, but after graduating from HHS in 1961 and returning to the US for college, I visited the summer of 1962. Dave and I married immediately after my college graduation, 1965, and he was already stationed at Hahn AFB, Germany. So I lived there again through 1967. Our return to Heidelberg for the 2006 Reunion was also a reunion with my German “families”. And, on that trip, I was reunited with an old friend, Ursula, whom I had not seen since 1948. Her parents purchased the requisitioned home I had lived in, and I met her summer 2006 when my other German friend wanted to take her elderly mother (my Tante Gisela) to see the home in Neckargemünd where I had lived so long ago. Now I have many friends my age from Heidelberg. We look forward to returning to visit again. Maybe the school and the base might still be there? We also look forward to another East Coast Heidelberg Early Years Reunion. We attended summer of 2010 and very much enjoyed “catching up” with all the attendees. We really are one extended family. Thank you again for keeping the Newsletter going strong.

Kathy Truex ’62 is another world traveler. Wally Boyce Ziegler ’62 found her in the HHS newsletter - Kathy says, “I haven’t seen Wally in 51 years but remember her very fondly from our youth!” - and in March they exchanged life stories: Wally: Hey Kathy, remember me? I saw your name in the newsletter and had fond memories of you. I am in Wimberley, TX now. Drop me a line if you have a chance. Kathy: I certainly do remember you! Thanks for getting in touch! Hard to believe this year is our 50th high school graduation year! I’m so glad I hooked up with a few Heidelberg folks in the DC area through the newsletter and now get to help fold the letter at mailing time. Haven’t found anyone around here from our class, but it is fun to talk with people who were there even though earlier than we were. What have you been up to in life? I came to DC for graduate school right out of Stanford and never left again. Married, divorced, no children, retired a few months ago after 44 years HHS Early Years Newsletter 6 Fall 2012 with the government, most at DoD, and live right on Capitol Hill. Love international travel and still regularly visit my best German friend from Heidelberg days and her family (they all live in Sandhausen). Currently taking German language classes at the Goethe Institute here to get ready for another trip to Deutschland. Have family in Norway and good friends in St. Petersburg, Russia, so tend to hang out in that part of the world, but have a passion for the poles so have made a number of trips to the Arctic and Antarctica. Plan to try out Africa this summer for a change of pace and Vietnam/Cambodia in January. Meanwhile have gotten involved in too much volunteer stuff, but love it. How about you? Wally again: Wow! You are one traveling girl. We went to El Paso, TX from Heidelberg. Started my teaching career there, married in ’66, 2 kids and 4 grandkids (2, 4, 6, 8 yrs old) - Had them all last weekend and it takes me awhile to recover. My husband, Ed, went into the army after law school. We had 2 tours in Germany, and were in Hawaii, Tacoma, Charlottesville, Colorado Springs, and finally San Antonio where he retired from the army. Moved to College Station. He practiced law and I taught there - longest we have lived anywhere at one time (11 yrs). Finally both retired and now live in Wimberley, TX, between Austin and San Antonio. Kids are close - daughter in Austin and son in Houston. Kind of on a downward spiral now - Ed has been dealing with cancer for 6 yrs now and things are not going well - no light at the end of our tunnel. But we are hanging in there. Seeing your name on the list made me smile. Howard Burd [’62] has been here - he seems to be in touch with my brother Craig (in Ft. Worth). Nancy Heard Birchmeier [’62] has been here to visit also. When you decide you want to go someplace without the need of a passport - you certainly are welcome. I will try to keep in touch. Kathy: Thanks for the update and sorry to learn of Ed’s illness – I’ll be holding good thoughts for you and your family. I’ll definitely look you all up if I make it down your way and hope you’ll do the same if you end up in this part of the woods. Take good care and please do keep in touch now that we've discovered each other again! Wally: Please feel free to forward my email address [[email protected]] or whatever. My home address is 421 Stoney Creek Vista, Wimberley TX 78676. Always a treat to hear from someone from Heidelberg.

Heidelberg and Karlsruhe: Close Ties, Past, Present, and Future

Gail Butler Newchurch, Karlsruhe class of ’65 wrote us on March 8, 2012: I picked up the paper one Sunday morning and almost fell over when I saw a picture of teenagers in prom clothes outside what appeared to be a German castle. In the summer of 1988, the Frankfurt “early years” alumni held a reunion here in New Orleans. I rushed downtown to meet Dick Persons, the organizer (who has since passed away). He told me of other alumni activities, about a guy named David Thatcher who started keeping a database of overseas alumni (OSCAR--Overseas Schools Combined Alumni Registry) and another young fellow named Joe Condrill who had a newsletter “Overseas Brats”. The rest is history. In 1990, Karlsruhe held its first (and largest to date) all-years reunion here in New Orleans!! It was then that I learned about the history of Karlsruhe American HS: How high school students had to bus to Heidelberg daily, so they were unable to participate in extracurricular events, and how they made their case to finally open a high school in Karlsruhe in the Fall of 1958. Since that time, I've always referred to HHS as “our mother ship.” In 1995, we had a “homecoming” in Karlsruhe, at the last graduation and closing of Paul Revere Village.

Left: At the Karlsruhe Rathaus, 2009: Frau Gisela Kyrios (widow of HHS principal Alexander Kyrios and mother of two KAHS alumni, Chris ’75 and Lisa ’72), Lord Mayor Heinz Fenrich, and Gail Butler Newchurch ’65

We were invited by the Lord Mayor to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first KAHS graduating class of 1959. Part of our events included a visit to the Heidelberg Castle, where our tour guide spoke of the olden days (of real Knights). He revealed that Heidelberg and Karlsruhe had a very close connection back then. So, we are truly bound by historic events from long ago, as well as our ties as military dependents! I first met Joan Dickson back in 1988 at my first Overseas Brats Gathering in St. Louis. I know she would be proud to see that the HHS alumni traditions, newsletters and events continue. I've been on your newsletter list for quite some time, and I very much enjoy the read.

HHS Early Years Newsletter 7 Fall 2012 The Spring issue I received recently brought me to tears and I had to write. “Remembering the Late Keith Walters ’52” was a heartwarming and beautiful testament by his daughter Alta. When I got to the part where her parents got divorced, I gasped, then burst into tears. They seemed so perfect for each other, I thought “no, no, say it isn’t so...” Then I breathed a sigh of relief reading further. Thank you for a remarkable story, Alta!! I met Luke and Sally somewhere along the way at an OSB Gathering....maybe Wichita? I’m not sure. But my friendships with other alumni have greatly enhanced my life...that I know for certain. In 1988 is when I first realized I was “not alone” in my quest to reunite Karlsruhe Knights. It’s a passion that hit me around 1973, when I began to yearn for a 10-year class reunion of my own. When alumni brought memorabilia to the St. Louis Gathering, I was surprised and delighted to see Joan’s copy of the LIFE Magazine story on “Americans in Heidelberg.” I came back home, determined to find myself a copy of that! I now have two. When you reviewed the LIFE issue in a recent newsletter, I was enthralled to learn about the real people behind the pictures and story!! We DID make an impression in our travels overseas. As Joe Condrill of OSB says, we were “junior ambassadors.” I wanted to attend your 2011 Reunion as I had promised a trip to Germany to my oldest granddaughter as her HS graduation present. We finally made it to Germany on January 1, 2012 (exactly 48 years to the day that her Oma landed at Frankfurt airport and drove to Karlsruhe to spend an unforgettable adventure and life-changing experience). Blessed be the ties that bind! We all have an amazing, unique heritage! Ein Prosit!! By the way, not sure if your group has had a reunion in New Orleans, but as one who worked on the National D- Day Museum project (now the National WWII Museum) from 1998-2003, please put it on your potential reunion sites. I would be honored to help plan and carry out logistics for my fellow brats! It’s something every American should see, especially us Overseas Brats! It’s truly a jewel in the crown of New Orleans (my adopted home since 1965). Gail Butler Newchurch ’65, Kenner, LA, President, KAHS Alumni Association, www.kahsknights.org

Our president Rita Wycoff Zener ’54 wrote back to Gail (March 9, 2012) with her own Heidelberg/Karlsruhe memories: What a touching story and a lovely photograph. Thank you so much for sharing both. I was a Karlsruhe “brat” from 1952 - 1954 and made those weekly treks to Heidelberg. At that time there were not so many of us -- our own high school would have been impossible. I’m amazed that just 4 years later there were enough to do so. Thanks to the graciousness of our friends (and their parents) who lived in Heidelberg I was able to stay over for many of the extra-curricular activities -- sometimes riding the German trains at the most ridiculous hours to finally come home. I spent many a weekend in Heilbronn with Mike Rohaly and friends during my senior year. Stuttgart did not have their school my junior year so I spent many weekends there as well. Really the best part was living in a dormitory at school 5 nights a week. That experience changed my life so much for the better -- disciplined lights out were a blessing that I did not realize at the time! The friendships were so very deep with so much time available together. When I first found my Heidelberg alumni, it had been 40 years since I had seen most of the ones who came to the reunion in DC. Yet the bonds were indestructible! The other benefit was in being off during the weekends, I was able to make many German teen age friends. I even went to a Saturday Night Dancing Class in Karlsruhe one year. I would not have got so much of the language without that experience. Thanks again for writing, and I am so glad you enjoy our newsletter. We feel privileged to be able to get it out to everyone. Rita Wycoff Zener ’54, President, Early Years Heidelberg Alumni

The Latest on Mannheim and Heidelberg Closings

Prof. Christian Führer’s book on Mannheim’s American community from its beginning to its end is due out in early 2013, with hundreds of photos and many, many memories. Besides his profound thanks to all who sent him material, he sends news from the ground (July 19, 2012): Mannheim as a garrison has almost completely disappeared in the meantime even though there’s still life in some installations (mostly Coleman and Spinelli Bks.). I drove through Benjamin Franklin Village yesterday (our major housing area) and was greeted by a huge sign reading “Commissary and Burger King still open”. Alas, there weren’t too many customers for either facility left - I encountered a single person during my ten-minute ride. Very sad, this is really the end of an era. The chapel closed 6 May, followed by the elementary school on 8 June. By 30 September, the housing area will be all empty. Nearby Heidelberg is also closing very fast even though there are still many units left, including USAREUR headquarters. By the summer of 2013, however, most of these units will have left, too, turning Heidelberg’s American housing areas into ghost towns. An American friend of mine who works at USAREUR headquarters and I are already drafting plans for a history project on Heidelberg. [Emphasis added; send your memories and pictures! – Ed.] I'll keep you posted and will let you all know as soon as we’re inching closer to the book release. My salute to all of you. Greetings from Mannheim, Germany, Christian Führer [email protected] HHS Early Years Newsletter 8 Fall 2012 A Death in the Family

Helen Hunt Valence ’52, on June 5, 2012. Shirley Valentine Irvin ’52 heard the news from her sister in San Antonio and wrote to us and Bill Schoonover ’53: “We were together with her at the last Conroe reunion that I went to, Bill. When was that? Four, five years ago? … Our ranks are thinning.” Helen’s obituary, provided by her family says, “She was preceded in death by her husband, Ret. Col. Edward Valence Jr. and her parents, Richard and Helen Hunt. She is survived by her brothers Lawrence and Richard Hunt, her children Helen M. Callahan, Kathleen D. Martins, Edward R.L. Valence, her 4 grandchildren, and her 4 great-grandchildren. She enjoyed traveling, bowling, horses, her associations with ADA, DUSA, TRA, and her church choir. She graduated from Heidelberg High School. Duty, honor, country, and love flourished at USMA where she met her husband. They were married on April 13, 1957. As much as she cherished and loved others in life so will we love and cherish her memory.”

Address Changes

1947 Sarah Simmons Everitt, Brandywine Senior Living, 1587 Old Freehold Road, Suite 216, Toms River, NJ 08755, 732-506-0206 1948 Carolyn (“Cookie”) Akin Gray, 5 Aspen Drive Apt. 125, S. Burlington, Vermont 05403, 407-997-7676 1948 Margaret Johnson Thurman, 158 Wesley Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390-0705, 423-977-6048, [email protected] 1948 Jacquie Robinette Davis, 13722 Pebble Oak Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78231 1949 Thomas C. Nelson, 9707 Rosalte Court, Granbury, TX 76049-4626, 972-931-0206, [email protected] 1950 Karla Johnson Edwards, 12 Whispering Trail Court, Chapin, SC 29036-9119, 803-788-6817 1951 Fredric Brown, 6200 Oregon Ave. NW, Apt. 254, Washington, DC 20015-1549 1952 Will H. Horn, 9060 Acadia Park Drive, Bristow, VA 20136-2100, 703-330-2987 1952 Joseph Tisdell, 669 Washington St., Apt. 320, Auburn, MA 01501-2798 1952 Shirley Valentine Irvin, 8113 East Ct., Austin, TX 79759 1953 Bill Henning, 560 Tanacrest Circle, Atlanta, GA 30328 1953 Al Howard has two e-mail addresses: [email protected] and [email protected] 1953 Carol McManaway Stenson, 488 Pebble Lane, Pocatello, ID 83204, [email protected] 1953 Bill McNair, 9076 Belvoir Woods Parkway, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-2702, [email protected] 1953 David H. Rogers, P.O. Box 37457, Raleigh, NC 27627-7457, 919-787-7025 1954 Evelyn James, new e-mail [email protected] 1954 Joe Orth, 4900 Whitby Mews, Williamsburg, VA 23188, 757-259-7923 (home), 703-980-1725 (cell), [email protected] 1954 Constance Saunders Giese, PO Box 1163, Seeley Lake, MT 59868 1955 Phyllis Boyd Mitchell, new e-mail: [email protected] 1955 Bob Hobson, 1251 North 650 East, Orem, UT 84097 1955 Joan Kiernan Schminke, 922 Dorchester Place N.E., Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-7344 1956 Lary Banks, 1431 Wheelwright Court, Mesquite, NV 89034-1014, 916-771-4247 1956 Carol Babb Vrazel, 3821 Abbott Rd, Saint Hedwig, Texas 78152-8205, 713-466-6349 1956 Constance Taylor Fischer, 418 Grandview Drive, Verona, PA 15147-4000, 412-396-5073 1957 Paul Jennings, P.O. Box 1056, Bonifay, FL 32425-1056, 850-267-1938 1958 Roger Collins, 305 NW 42nd St., Oklahoma City, OK 73118-8401 1958 Jan Powell Brauneisen, 2118 Naura Court, Yuba City, CA 95991-8332, 530-749-2955 1959 Anne Bruce D’Hondt, 35 Princeton Lane, Brevard, NC 28712, 828-884-4301 1959 Ed Healy, 4959 Talbot Lane, Apt. 180, Reno, NV 89509-6517, 530-265-5644 1960 Joe Brennan, 883 Parklin Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95831-1559, 916-691-4638 1960 Wulf R. Lindenau, 4147 Ancient Amber Way, Norcross, GA 30092 1960 Carol Muzyk Kaylor, 1100 Vista Place Apt. M, Wenatchee, WA 98801, cell 715-307-4555 1961 Elizabeth Adams, 3736 Wonderland Hill Avenue, Boulder, CO 80304, 727-642-5841, [email protected] 1961 Terrence A. Bedell, 359 Oaks Bridge Place, Pleasanton, CA 94566, 510-225-9025, [email protected] 1961 Diana Ey Bragg, 930 Pine Grove Road, Roswell, GA 30075-3211

HHS Early Years Newsletter 9 Fall 2012 1961 Tom Hennesey, 19375 Cypress Ridge Terrace, Unit 719, Leesburg, VA 20176-5188, 703-993-2271, [email protected] 1961 Ken McCormick, 2510 Shalimar Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80915-1031, [email protected] 1961 W. Hue Rainey, 1299 Hwy 17, Sautee-Nacoochee, Ga. 30571, [email protected] 1961 Michael V. Tallman, 2257 Towne Park Drive SW, Huntsville, AL 35803, 205-883-4952, [email protected] 1962 Arlene Abbot Matzko, 529 Stafford Circle, Castle Rock, CO 80104-5317, 602-992-8435 1962 Dorothy Ammon Egbert, 1406 Blossom Circle, Upland, CA 91786-2525, [email protected] 1962 Dorothy Goering Pratt, 6406 Cedar Brook Lane, Warrenton, VA 20187-4721, 301-345-9075 1962 Dick Raleigh, 1397 Spanish Point Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32225, 904-221-9140, cell 502-553-8036, [email protected] 1963 Pat Dubie Boyle, 3316 Tiara Point Circle, Las Vegas, NV 89146-7921 1965 Juanita Wright Allen, 94-1005 Kihikihi Street, Waipahu, Hawaii 96797-5457, 703-799-3416, [email protected] 1965 Nancy Bell Hart, 801 Gage Road #2, Bethel, VT 09032-9665, 803-777-2897, [email protected] 1965 Don Conner, 1310 Rook Drive, Port Angeles, WA 98362-2777, 505-823-9808 1965 Barbara Goldman Starken, 48 Buttonwood St., Mount Holly, NJ 08050-1881 1965 Brian Harvester, 9580 52nd Way N, Pinellas Park, FL 33782, 813-899-2171, [email protected] 1965 Keith McCarty, 3705 Corrotoman Rd., Glen Allen, VA 23060-7253, [email protected] 1965 Terry Patton, 3128 Bonnie Brae Lane, Amissville, VA 20105-1746 1965 Dorothy Werner, 27 Kite Ct., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-2638, 609-258-5451 Faculty: Margaret Luke Lee, 11510 Sunvalley Place, Auburn, CA 95603-6032 Warren Ruppel, 5807 Richard Place, Sarasota, FL 34231-6011

New e-mail addresses needed (the ones on file don’t work) for Keith McCarty ’65, Don Connor ’65, Joe Brennan ’60, Paul (“Red”) Jennings ’57, Joe Tisdell ’52, and Carolyn Akin Gray ’48.

LOST (last known location): Teri Scotton Bell Norris ’63 (Charleston, SC), Dorothy Nelson Simmons ’52 (Schertz, TX), Mary Carlquist Lemmon ’51 (Huntington Park, CA), and Mary Margaret Ellis McCollum ’49 (San Antonio, TX). If anyone knows them and can reach them, please let us know.

This newsletter was founded in 1983 by Joan Dickson ’58, who edited it devotedly until she died in 2006. Glenda Casey Petrini ’54 succeeded her as editor until her own death in 2007. Past issues of this newsletter since 2003 are posted at www.HHSearlyyears.com.

Please send items to the editor by February 1, 2013 for inclusion in the Spring 2013 issue.

Corrections: In recent issues, lines of uneven length caused the addresses at the end to shift, resulting in garbled versions of several addresses. The correct addresses follow. In future issues, when space permits, we will list all our Early Years Board members and their e-mail addresses. Feel free to write or call anyone shown below.

Heidelberg Lion by Luke Williams’s daughter Julie, from his letter jacket

Rita Wycoff Zener Joan Wauchope Orvis Jan McLin Clayberg Luke Williams President Treasurer Editor Archivist 3001 Veazey Terrace NW 14479 St. Germain Drive 5316 Little Falls Road 103 Linwood Court #425 Centreville, VA 20121 Arlington, VA 22207 Simpsonville, SC 29681 Washington, DC 20008 202-537 7030 703-815-9392 703-533-0333 864-963-2764 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

HHS Early Years Newsletter 10 Fall 2012