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Current News & Photos

This is where we will post any news or photos from our classmates.

From Jim Schaberg

My wife Susann and I celebrate our 47th anniversary next week, and we have 10 grandkids, and counting. Our four adult children spend the summers close to us up north, and two families live close by year-around…so unfortunately we rarely make it downstate. My Dad in Okemos passed away in 2008, and I think I’ve only been in EL/Okemos 3 times since. I’m on the MSU Dept of Economics Alumni Advisory Board, but typically do the meetings remotely. 

Thanks again for keeping the Class of 69 alive for so long. That 1965-69 time in our lives was 95% great memories for me, except for losing some golf balls in your backyard on the old Indian Hills course.

 

Best regards, Jim

From Debi Hohl Gorga

Debi (Hohl) Gorga ~ attended Okemos High School in 9th grade, before moving to Bloomfield Hills MI. Married to Ron Gorga in 1973 ~ 4 children, Nick, Andrea, Jessica and Stephanie, 9 grandchildren ! I am a wild life artist, and have had my work used by many conservation causes ~ I graduated from Andover Bloomfield High School in 1969, and attended Eastern Michigan University.

 

 

 

From Stephany Duncan

Thinking about you all this weekend and hoping the reunion was a great success.  Sorry I couldn't be there to say hello to everyone.

 

I know you've seen my brother, Jim, in Minneapolis recently.  He says hello.

 

After graduating from Michigan State University and The Eastman School of Music I moved to New York City in 1979.  The first 20 years here were spent pursuing a career as an opera singer.  Then, a second career in the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP from which I will retire in December.

 

Thank you Sky and all of the others who so diligently work to create new memories for the class of '69.  

 

Best,

Stephany

 

 

From Glenn Skalland

Sky and other 69ers

Thanks for all you do and have done.  I had hoped to see you this weekend, but won't due to distance, timing, yada, yada, yada.

As a brief update (for anyone interested), I've retired from Los Angeles Unified School District after 33 years in elementary education.  I was a bilingual teacher for 18 years, mostly 2nd and 3rd, but also had 1st and a 4th/5th grade combo once.  Then a bilingual coordinator for the last 15 years.  Yes, I owe a huge thank you to Ms. Lyons (she wasn't Bernard yet), who let me go on the Spring Break excursion to Mexico City even though I wasn't taking Spanish that year.  That trip inspired me to take Spanish yearly until graduating from U of M in '73, and going into Peace Corps in Guatemala from '74-'76.  After getting a MA in English from ASU in '82 I thought I'd be an Adult Ed ESL teacher and had a job lined up in Medellin, Colombia.  Everything was packed and while waiting for the work visas, the narcos came out, guns blazing, affecting every city in Colombia.  We stayed in Arizona.  Tiring of part time adult ed jobs, we came to California in 1985.  And there you have it.  Becoming a teacher must be karmic payback for all the torment I caused over the years!

Fondest Regards,

Glenn

From Bill Dean

Below is a message that I would appreciate your somehow being able to communicate to the alumni who return. It is with regret that I am unable to attend but am hopeful you can either post or some how distribute my greetings to the Class of 1969. Bill

 

Greetings to the Class of 1969!

 

How happy I am for you all as you gather during this celebration of your 50th year since graduation. Family, friends and our own travel make it impossible for Barb and me to join you but we send our best to you long distance.

 

The Class of 1969 was my first class as a high school principal and the Class of 2006 was my last class as superintendent of schools. But my most memorable and fondest recollections as an educator are of you and your teachers. You, and they, taught me many important life and leadership lessons for which I am forever grateful.

 

Incidentally, your superintendent of schools at the time of your graduation was Dr. Ken Olsen. He and I have remained in touch as friends since our days together in Okemos. I am attaching a photo of Ken and me taken this spring in Utah where Ken and his wife ReNae live. 

 

I hope you have a wonderful 50th reunion recalling and reminiscing about your days at Okemos. I also hope the memories you take from this reunion will be special and meaningful. 

 

Enjoy your time together. I will be thinking of you. 

 

Bill Dean

 

 

From Kim Hetrick

Sorry I can't come to the 1969 class reunion! My health doesn't permit me to get out much, and pain levels won't allow me to drive that far. I wish everyone a lovely reunion, and have a beautiful life!
Peace and blessings,
Kim B. Hetrick, Okemos H. S., Class of 1969
(pix below of me, with my spouse, Comfort, & my grandkids, Erasmus & Eowyn - and our service dog, Quiche)

 

 

 

 

From Bryan Benedict

Sorry, due to family maters, I won't be able to attend the reunion but I will be thinking of all of you ! Strange how I only spent 4 years at Okemos , (and 4 at MSU and 4 at U of M), but I have always considered Okemos my "Home Town"

Just retired,, photo of my last shift in the ER, a great crew to work with. Strange feeling to be one of the "old" guys,, wasn't I just recently one of the new guys ??

 

 

From Laura Cheney Gladwin

Attached are some photos of my family to share. 

 The two men in my life, my son Ken and Husband Steve enjoying the Colorado River near Laughlin.

My daughter Lindsay, husband Dave and Grandkids (Tyler, Grace and Lily) along with grand dogs Daisy and Nash

My daughter, son-in-law and Steve and I at a Country Celebration Fundraiser for girls softball.

 

Thanks so much for posting these and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

From Bruce Nelson

In advance of the upcoming reunion I figured I’d weigh in with some amusement — namely a shot from UCLA followed by a recent picture. 

I included Ron in this exchange since he shouldn’t be deprived of an early laugh at the end of this long weekend. 

All the best from your old pal,

Bruce 

Note: I don't know why the first picture is sideways

 

 

A recent picture of Earl Downes

 

A note from Karen Vogt Beery:

Sadly wont beable to come as my son & his family are staying us this month from Germany. My past is as graduate of MSU, and additional degrees in Art and masters degree in education. Im happily married 46 years. I was a teacher and involved in the schools in Special Olympics and Odyssey of the Mind. I send my hello to my classmates & will be thinking of everyone and hope you have a good time visiting with each other.

Kelly, I'm sorry that three of the pictures are sideways. I tried and tried but couldn't get them turned here on the web site.

 

From Kelly Curtis Tompkins: 

Here are some pix. Me, husband Don and grand-kids; Me and husband Don;  just me;  me and grand-daughter Ellison; and me and my two kids, Matthew and Emily. It’s probably too many. Please feel free to select whichever you want! See you on the 20th!

Kelly


 

 

 

 

 

Okemos Community Church Belfry Choir around 1961-1962. Probable names are pictured below. Thanks to Elaine Johnson.

 

Correction to some of the names labeled below:

Skylar:   Great picture of our youth choir at OCC from around 1961.   A couple things  -  Front row next to Faye Firnhaber is "Janet Moe" and to the right of Nancy Heerdt is "Ginny Katke."   I do not think the lad next to Ginny is Randy Butts.   Joan Hull appears to be inaccurately labeled as "Betty Jo Croxton" (who I looked for but didn't see, unless she's the one y'all are calling Kelly Curtis).   I think Kurt Balzwhite is behind Whitmore, but he appears labeled as "Kurt Waltz" (who I don't recall going to our church while we were in Elementary School).    I might notice/recall more given time, but thought you'd appreciate these updates.   **   Looking forward to probably seeing you on Friday night the 19th at "Henry's" in Okemos ... what's it near?   Regards, Charley Van Dien

 

From Laurel Winkel:

Top row: from left, Paula Brown, Sue Ralston, next one looked like Mary Warner until I zoomed in.....then not so much. Bottom row: second from left looks like a girl named Wendy Wilkinson, lived at front of Tacoma Hills and left Okemos way before high school. Or not.

 

 

From Bruce Nelson:
Went to UCLA, studied cities and discovered by sheer luck, advertising.  Taught myself the business and began as a writer, worked in LA for four years then moved to New York.  Became a creative director very soon after.  Worked in New York for 37 years, lived there before kids, moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, in a Leave it to Beaver little town for 12 years before a divorce.  Two great kids, as I wrote in the Okemos profile.  Moved back to downtown Manhattan right after 9/11 and lived a block away from the Ghostbuster firehouse.

Moved from the creative side of the business to global strategy for multi-nationals to then helping to run marketing companies in the holding companies' portfolios.  A good ride.

Retired from corporate life seven years ago.  Met Bri Schulz 12 years ago, a sweetheart from Nebraska, who's a women's fashion maven.

We moved out here four and a half years ago after some brutal winters in New York.

Enjoying being back in Los Angeles immensely --- we live in an area of the Hollywood Hills called Laurel Canyon, made famous by every major rock&roller who lived here in the Sixties and Seventies.

The only irony being both my kids ended up moving to Brooklyn once we left.  

Such is life.

Bruce Nelson

 

 

Kathy Wood Jewett, her husband Steve and family. They can't make it to the reunion this year. Have fun in South Africa!

Here's a little background on the pictures; edit as you need. Thanks again!

The family picture was last December in Johannesburg; son John, wife Trianna, and sons Joseph (8) and Daniel (5) coming from Tucson, Az where John is a prof of organic chemistry at UA, Steve and me, and Sara (lecturer at Wits), Reynaud, and Lincoln (5), who live there. Steve and I have been living in Middlebury, Vt for 30 years, retired from being a minister (Steve), and teaching chemistry/biochemistry labs at Middlebury College (me). Life is interesting!!! My email is kjewett@middlebury.edu, if anyone wants to contact us. I'm looking forward to other writeups/pictures. Thanks again, Kathy (Wood) Jewett