James A "Jim" White

TERRY BOONE asks "Why aren't more comments and conversation going on the website?" That is a good question and it has been asked by ROBIN LOSTETTER and more. It is because of these reasons, I think:

1. Many classmates do not have the curiosity or heartfelt desire to know "What ever happend to ........?"  [for that, we are truly sorry because we do want to know, including what is happening with you]

2. Many classmates do not think others want to hear their thoughts or happenings in their family.  [We really do want to know. You and your family are important to us]

3. Many classmates or their family members are suffering from some disease and are tied up with it.   [but we really do want to know so please, please tell us so we can offer our thoughts and prayers]

4. Even I have backed off of comments because few, if any, would respond. It was getting where 5 out of 6 comments posted were posted by me. I am one of the administrators. This is NOT a Jim White website, it is a website for graduates (and almost graduates) of Roswell High and Goddard High Schools.  [Please, if I throw out something about my life, as I will in the next few postings, that is to jog memories so you can post about your life, which we want to know about]

Now, please read future comments which will be forthcoming.

James A "Jim" White

KAREN McCARTY FINK just remarried and is now KAREN McCARTY MESSINA (I hope I spelled the name correctly but she can correct me). Karen has probably dated John for two years. He is a nice guy, likes to dance and dearly loves Karen. They are having a lot of fun, except for the part when Karen had to sift through her life, house and furniture for the past 50-years and get rid of a lot to move in with John. Karen, I beg your forgiveness for stealing these photos. Please let us know what is going on.

Wow .... John really, really wanted Karen to say "I do."

What is not to love? Two lovers on a Florida beach at sunset. Karen laughing, John Smiling, John wearing Marine Corp cap .... I like him already.

James A "Jim" White

After 29-years, LINDA HENRY CROWDER left beautiful Austin, Texas and returned to the "sunny slopes" of Ohio where her children and grandchildren live. Sorry, could not find a picture of our visit with Linda in Austin. Please update us, Linda.

Widower BOYCE McFARLAND married his sweet, Swedish, first wife, Annie. It was destiny. As a young Airman in the USAF in England, he met this Swedish blond bombshell. Their friends and family from back in the day in Sweden, loved their getting back together.

JILL WEBSTER REED is still struggling with dementia. She did remember me when I visited a few months ago. She is kind of locked in the the 1980's and back. Her husband, H.D., has been an amazing support during this journey. She loved you. How much? She drove from D/FW to Roswell early before a reunion in order to call on classmates who we had an address, but had not heard from. She loved this class that much. Please drop her a note at

Jill Webster Reed - 225 Brookview Drive - Hurst, TX 76054

Other questions: Did I hear TOMMY ALEXANDER had an accident on his motorcycle or was that a figment of my imagination? 

Will DR. JIM BROWN ever finish the museum he is building and plans to donate?

Did the Ruidoso gang (MARIANNE, DOREEN, BETTY, KAREN and others) get together this summer?

Yes, ROBIN LOSTETTER did retire from the ministry .... for the umpteenth time.

Please, everyone, drop us a note and let us know what is going on?

James A "Jim" White

A little about what is going on in Jim White's life recently.

Kathy and I spent time on the Washington coast.

There is a lot more but those that might be interested see those pictures (along with the above ones) on a Facebook Group, Jim & Kathy's Excellent Adventures.

Karen McCarty (Messina)

Hi Everyone!  Yes, I did get married last weekend and I am now Karen McCarty Messina. Yes, Jim, you did spell it correctly.  We took a short honeymoon to Anna Maria island in Florida and it was beautiful!  It stopped raining long enough to enjoy a sunset cruise which was beautiful!  And yes, I married a marine!  I never thought I would remarry at this age, but I have to tell you all that it was the green alien blow up doll that I brought back from our reunion that cinched the deal!  Hahaha. John was mesmerized by a woman that would come to a neighborhood BBQ and bring an alien!  So he proposed in January and gave me a ring on my birthday on February 14. Now we are busy planning our month long honeymoon to Niagara Falls and points beyond. We leave on September 25 and drive up the coast. No worries
about coming back to go to work anymore!  Don't you love retirement!  I hope everyone is having a safe Labor Day weekend. 
 

Karen Moore (Wilson)

Congrats Karen on your Marriage.  Looks like a very nice man to spend your life with.  Have a ball!

Karen Wilson 

Margaret W. "Peggy" Ware (Koger)

Congratulations, Karen! It is so nice to hear of love finding you again after losing a spouse.  I am tickled to death for you!  Migr Niagara Falls sounds wonderful! Much love and blessings! 

Margaret W. "Peggy" Ware (Koger)

In response to us not posting.....this has been a summer of the doldrums for me. Hotter than Hades here. No energy. Can't wait for Fall and .Winter.  

Doris Flood (Burton)

So happy for you, Karen.  It seems that finding someone to share you life with just "out of the blue" is more than any of us could hope for.  I know there are a quite a few of us "old ladies" who have found that second love.  I wish you all the happiness in your new relationship.  If you are ever out western Nebraska way on I-80, please stop in and see us in Kimball!

Linda Lee Henry (Crowder)

Hi all!  First of all, I'd like to wish Happy Birthday to my amazing, long time and wonderful friend, Jim White! Wishing you the very best day because you deserve it!! And secondly, Karen, I wish you and your new hubby the very best!! Have fun!! 

Karen McCarty (Messina)

Thank you to all who sent best wishes!  I am still in a little bit of a shock that love would find me again at my age.  BUT I am happy it did!  It has been extremely hot in Florida as well and the added humidity hasn't helped at all. I'm with all of you who are waiting patiently for fall and winter to come!  Happier days ahead and many blessings to all! 
 

My great granddaughter Khloe who was the flower girl (age 9) 

Barbara Dell Buzbee (Thompson)

Such fantastic news all around. I'm so happy for all of you. Have a fantastic marriage. Sounds simply marvelous. Kisses hugs & great traveling & birthday yes. Indeed. Whites do biggy ne if you are the desert way. I would love it. Each person blessings in every way. 

Barbara Dell Buzbee (Thompson)

Can't spell or edit. You guys get it. Immjystvhsioybtobtead yiuf post. No worries, Peg. We'z all making it at the Alamo. Rest well. Take goiod care. Be happy no matter  what.

Barbara Dell Buzbee (Thompson)

Can't spell or edit. You guys get it.  No worries, Peg. We'z all making it at the Alamo. Rest well. Take goiod care. Be happy no matter  what. I love you very much and always want you to be happy, Peggy.  High school sisters.  I wish all if you were here with me. We here take the heat as a pain remover. It is so different not working in the heat. Living here retired: a whole new different fire. Lo. Have a great September. I share 40 long years of sobriety this month. I'm ever so grateful for my loving family & friends. I'm keeping all the folks in prayer who have asked!  How truly blessed we are to be warriors FOR one another. Yep, like the 80 year old Caleb says:

"Yes! I can take this mountain. As the young 17 year old Shepherd David said : " This is no Giant to me just a Philistine. I can take him as he looked at his fathers expression of shock and concern. Yes. Indeed one sling shot done! I adore victories. Riding winning horses. Marriages & birthdays 🥳 in the middle of the movie.
God favor all of us. What a quick time this last 74 years has been. Swimming. Dancing. Laughing. Joking. Truly. The losses be as gains. The deepest sufferings create An ERNEST gratitude. We clothe ourselves with this cloth fear as it weighs nothing: and not one of us are able to

carry it anywhere. Much happiness all. Your best friend.

As one of my grand daughter's ends her mail with me: 

 "your favorite grand daughter🐠!" 
 

Robin E. Lostetter

Hey Jim -- Belated happy birthday!  I missed it, but now that I know it's the same date as my dad's, maybe I can remember next year!

Now I'd like to clarify . . . You wrote, "Yes, Robin Lostetter did retire from the ministry .... for the umpteenth time."  Actually, I retired only twice, and that's a Presbyterian pension thing, not a matter of indecision or a flighty approach to my career.  When I "retired" the first time, it was only a status change in our Board of Pensions. The reason was purely monetary because I took a year off, and paying in as an "at large" member of a presbytery was prohibitive.  What I did last January was hang up the robe, file away the sermons, put my feet up, read novels, play Words with Friends, and watch wildlife in my backyard.  (Notice, no mention of cooking.  I still wish for a live-in chef!!)  And if it appeared I retired more than that, remember, we pastors move around. There are fewer 20-30 year pastorates these days. My first call was 10 years, then over the next 12 years I served 3 different churches in NJ and NY.  Not once did I retire from one until January!

And last - thank you for keeping us on our toes, keeping us connected, visiting so many, and personally supporting the website at times.  We do appreciate you. I think we all just get busy or preoccupied with other things.  (And maybe a little forgetful, too!)  Keep nudging us.

Blessings to you and your wife!

And congratulations to Karen and her husband!

Prayers continue for Jill and H.D.

And prayers for the safety of all who are dealing with extreme heat, wild fires, and flooding. It's massive, and I worry about all my friends in the West, Southwest, and South.  

Robin

Barbara Dell Buzbee (Thompson)

By the by, Katen!  You really did it beautifully!  Really astounding. Awesome choice, dress,  location needless to say Action. Just do very sweet and again beautiful. Congratulations. 🎊🎉 

James A "Jim" White

Roger Carl

Many kind wishes for all those sneaking up on the big 75 like me!

I think often of the good time seeing so many in Roswell last year.  I have had a couple of smaller 'body shop' repairs since the big one last year and all three have been significant improvements.  So much so, that we have talked ourselves into another little trip across the water.  A little apprehensive about airplanes and airports, but if we are delayed--so be it.  We have always enjoyed the low-key time of self-enforced leisure time in foreign realms.  Like most old men, I don't say a lot when I am home, but we do a lot more talking and remembering good times when its just the two of us.  As we have gotten older, we also are more likely to strike up conversations with hosts in restaurants and B&Bs.  We will be returning to spots in Greece where so many of those in the tourist industry speak excellant English.  So many have relatives in USA or have visited here that it is easy to have a few minutes of mutual admiration.  It really is a big happy world when we get to smile and joke with folks who are more like us than different.

Roger

William Samuel "Bill" Sloan

Greetings all,  Margie and I are currently dry and safe in Lakeland. My opoinion is we will weather Ian okay. We have stored up water and broken out the 2 burner propane camp stove which has been unused in the camping "box" for 10 yesars - just in case we have no power for a couple of days! Thanks Jim White for reminding me I should let people know we are fine.

I will provide a short story of our spring sojourn to Spain (April), Italy (May), and Germany (June). Spain -  flew to Madrid then off to Bilbao and San Sebastian Basque country. Very beautiful countrside, Great family restaurant close to Bilbao airport Gozkoetxe Jatexea, Goskoetxe Bidea No 1, Loiu, Spain 946.673.647.  Had a 50 Euro lesson on not tracking down the well hidden parking stations in Bilbao. We used Eurail passes for the 3 months. Back to Madrid with side trips to Toledo and Segovia, then Seville for most of Holy Week. In a BNB old town Seville pleasantly surprised by the 6 or 7 parades each day by each church/ religious organization from 2 in the afternoon to 2 in the morning with drums, trumpets, religious memorabilia and thousands of cheering people crowding the narrow streets.

Then to Malaga and the King's Way (catwalk) and side trip to Gibraltor which is very different from my last visit in 1985, Grenada and the Alhambra, Valencia was really special. I visited there in 1884 and 1986. Tasted my 1st mango sorbet (more later). Lladro Museum and factory, cathedral is special to me among all of the magnificent cathedrals in Spain. On to Barcelona and the Cathedral La Sagrada Familia among many other sights.

A planned short stop at Figueres on 29 April enroute to Italy turned into a 4 days stay due to the only challenge we had with Eurail passes and ticket reservation mix ups.. But this did allow us to travel to Cadaques and Port Ligat to see Salvador Dali's museum and home! St. Pertersburg Florida has a Daali Museum so we were very glad we "found" the opportunity for this side trip.

In closing for today - mango sorbet! I evaluate italian restaurants on how well they prepare and serve calamari - so now I have my referen e tool (taste) for ice cream/ gelato shops! Returning to central Florida this summer for mango season I have started preparing my own. The reecipe I really like is to add 3 or 4 tablespoons of Grand Marnier to the not quite frozen sorbet so the alcohol keeps the sorbet from freezing into a solid block. It also helps the preparation if the cook (blenderer) partakes a pre- and post- jigger of the Marnier.

More about Itlay later.  Hope you all are well! Bill

James A "Jim" White

FLORIDA NEWS:  Thank you, BILL SLOAN, for (1) letting all know you are okay and (2) letting us know a little about your travels. You, ROGER CARL and others have really had foreign trips all of us wish to experience. Okay, here is the news on Florida classmates. Actually, we only have news on two: BILL SLOAN who has already written and BONNIE KING, CHIP KING'S widow who MIKE TURNER and I both checked on. Bonnie is doing fine although the water just raised higher than her boat dock for the 2nd time (as of 2:00pm EST).

Bonnie and Chip King about three months before Chip died. Bonnie, like Chip, has personality to the ceiling. They were competing radio hosts when they met. Bonnie once told me that when I am in Palm Springs, look up the Prince of Palm Springs and tell him "Hi". One night this entertainer (sorry, I forgot his name) that bills himself as The Prince of Palm Springs was entertaining at the American Legion Post we were at. He was up on the stage so I walked by with a napkin that read "Bonnie King says Hi." He jumped off the stage, came to me, and immediately dialed Bonnie on Facebook Messenger Video and she answered. It was really funny and thrilling to all of us to have connected.

MIKE TURNER, who lives in San Diego, and I connected twice while I was in Yuma (where I also met with MARY MAULDIN GARCIA). Mike lived near Chip in Roswell and they were lifelong friends, as he and I are.

As for the other class members that are FLORIDA RESIDENTS, I tried to call all of them but no answers or disconnected numbers. If you know them or where they are, please advise us.

JOHN SMITH

SHARON DAUGHENBAUGH SMITH

NANCY GARDINER

GEORGE GARDNER

RAY GRIM

EDDIE MARQUESS

KAREN McCARTY FINK MESINNA chose to exit Florida before the hurricane for a 2nd Honeymoon Trip (in two months) and is in far northeast United States.

BILL SLOAN already reported in

SCOTT ALDEN (DECEASED)

Hey, everyone, when BILL SLOAN moved across town recently, he changed his information on our website. Please follow his example. We had somewhere near 150-200 cards we mailed for the 55-year reunion that were returned due to wrong addresses. Please check yours. Everyone keep safe and healthy.

James A "Jim" White

MARY HUSEMOLLER and her husband, BILL, were kind enough to come visit Kathy and me at the Wines of the San Juan (Turley, NM). We had a wonderful visit and since they had been under-the-weather recently, were glad to go out in the country for a glass of wine and to dance. I have some videos with MARY getting jiggy which I may post sometime. :-)

JIM - MARY (still looking too darn cute for her age) and BILL.\

Yes, MARY and BILL enjoying the two bands we had that day. 

James A "Jim" White

HOW EMBARRASSING!!  Kathy and I visited RODNEY WESTENBARGER in Idaho recently and he showed me a couple pictures of TERRY BOONE and I being weird. I am not certain which reunion, probably the 20th, or WHY we had our shirts off, but here we are in all our goofyness.  Do you have any embarrasing photos to post?

Jim showing he is fatter than Terry. Even Craig Sutherland in the background had to turn his head.

Rodney Westenbarger - Jim White - Terry Boone trying to give the "stink" eye.

James A "Jim" White

James A "Jim" White

With help from Elizabeth Gwartney a few years back, I want to say Happy Birthday Terry Boone. We loved our time in Las Vegas (i.e. Cliff Sanders, Jim White, Jim Brown and Terry Boone). 

Dennis R. Hunter

Jim doesn't look like the right depends are fitting correctly ... HA!!