Karen McCarty (Messina)

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

Thank you so much for the pages honoring our lost service man and women on this one day. I would like to say I have no  the strength to go to the ceremonies, to the graves, but the truth is I know I would end up weeping beyond control. My military connections run to my core. The honor and respect in my heart came from even when I was in first grade.

One of my deepest loves, I always call him "My Marine.:" Twenty five years have passed and I still cannot visit his grave. The blunt truth is that he told me more than once that he didn't want me to go there. His values in life were based on how people treat each other while they are living. The poem, "Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep," was engraved in my heart.

The song where he says they were mere children resonates over and over.

So as I struggle through this day, representing so many lost, I stay in reverense for their passing., every single one of them. I am so proud to have known them. And, to each and everyone of them that came home with a war still in their heart, I pray we treat them well.

I love you all.

James A "Jim" White

Starting this Memorial Day weekend with another night out with CHIP and BONNIE KING. 

Chip King - Bonnie King - Kathy White - Jim White. In this part of Florida, it would be difficult to go eat and have it not be at a waterside restaurant. We are loving it and dreading to head to Georgia next week.

Bonnie and I look like we color coordinated our dress this evening. Yes, neither of us are wearing socks. Oh, and did you notice how Bonnie bends her legs so she does not look that much taller than me. How sweet!

Margaret W. "Peggy" Ware (Koger)

Jim, you and Kathy look tan and fit! This lifestyle obviously suits you both! 

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

That's our beautiful...and still beautiful Karen McCarty Fink looking lovely. But, you are going to have to help me out with the guy because even though his face looks familiar to me, I can't think of his name for the life of me...ha. Funny how I have a history of remembering the names of all those guys!! Luv N Hugs

Karen McCarty (Messina)

Oh my goodness! The cat is out of the bag now! I was looking for a picture of my Dad in his uniform for a Memorial Day service and I knew I had one in my childhood photo album. Well, one thing lead to another and along with the photo of my Dad I noticed some other high school memories such as Prom pictures! I went to the 1963 Jr Sr Prom with “Kenny” but I failed to write his name down in my album so I thought I would ask Bill Leggett if he knew him since that was the year he graduated. I had no idea he would go one step further and actually POST the picture on our website! Sorry about that folks! To make a long story short, I now have his full name (Kenny Hasler ‘64) (so Mardi, did you know him?) and it is now written in my photo album for posterity. Bill tells me Kenny is alive and well, happily married and living in the LA area. For those of you with inquiring minds, we met because our parents were friends in the square dancing club in Roswell. My sister Debbie and I joined this group of dancers which also included teens. So, Kenny and I met and enjoyed square dancing together. He was two years older than I was so it wasn’t long before our interests changed and he graduated and I was still in school. He was a very nice young man and I enjoyed dating him at the time. Remember the proms of that era were in the high school gym?! I was on the decorating committee for two years and enjoyed making the decorations for the theme. For 1964 it was called “Sea Fantasy”. We hung netting, shells, fake fish etc to make it look like it was underwater. We hung long Shiny streamers from the ceiling to simulate water. There were a few “Treasure chests with jewelry and “gold coins” as treasure. I saved one of the coins which we made from cardboard wrapped in gold foil. Those were the days, right?! As you all know, our children “graduated “ from that to going out in a limo, going to an expensive restaurant and holding the prom in a fancy hotel! My daughter had her prom in San Francisco at the Hyatt Regency! I hadn’t even been there as an adult! Lol I wonder where the proms are being held nowadays!?? Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Bill Leggett. (Now take down the picture...)

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

Karen thank you for the GREAT story, I recognize the name with the person now. A lot of people I knew but they don't remember me, and that's fine. I was just "miss busy body" as I never knew a stranger and I am still that way. Ha...I went to school to socialize. The education part of it was totally secondary...ha!! My sister Madge, the honor student, as my mom often reminded me, was the education minded person...ha. I loved, loved, loved the prom memories and story. I surely do welcome all walks down memory lanes, they are just great and very enjoyable to me. So, feel free to post. My sister and I have an argument to this day....one of those things that she is so sure she is right and I am so sure I am right. I always thought she was Mom's favorite because my Mom and I argued constantly. Well, I got invited to my first prom date by a guy in class of 65, and I "sort of" remember going in a beautiful blue satin dress. I can't find a picture so I can't confirm it. But, my sister insists that I got the first prom dress and it was passed to her, and I insist the opposite. I remember a beautiful blue dress and I remember seeing her in it, not me. So, we agreed a while back that we just disagree on the issue....ha.

I know, my goodness, now days prom night right. really runs up the cash register!! Wow, a lot of money for one night, right? I would love to see it go back to the original creative days, how about you?

Luv N Hugs, Mardi

Karen McCarty (Messina)

Karen McCarty (Messina)

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

Thank you Karen, I am happy when someone likes my ramblings....ha! Yes, if walls could talk about our growing up "doing's" with our siblings...yikes!! Especially, when my sister refers to when I was "in a mood." She usually stayed clear of me until it passed. Those moods usually came when my Mother would let my sister, who was only one year older than me, do something and when I would ask to do something similar she would give me a flat, No!

Glad I am far away from the gaiters!! I guess, however, according to the Kerrville, TX news, I was not far from the 3 UFO sightings at 1:30, a mere 3 or 4 blocks from me. I tell people it is a sign that they have found me, since I was born in 1948 and my sister was born in 1947 and my Dad was stationed out a Walker during that time and could have kept some of their secrets. If someone saw me in person they would see that my body is now shaped like I am carrying a 10 month old baby....ha. I love to laugh and tell them that I am waiting for my alien baby to be born..and I am not sure when that could be!! I tell people that when I get broke I can call up one of those tabloid newspaper's and tell them I will take $10,000 to let them take a picture of me carrying my alien baby!

I have lived through 3 or 4 or those tornadoe's in "tornado alley." I was in Western KS where there is nothing but wheat fields so there is nothing to block those storms. I've lived through 2 floods in Roswell growing up. I've lived through many blizzard's both in KS and CO.  I lived through an earthquake, although I didn't even know it until the following afternoon. The only reason I knew I had been through it was I was standing in line and I kept hearing people talking about an earthquake. So, I asked the person in front of me where the earthquake occured. They looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Right here, we had an 3.2 earthquake hit about 12:30 last night." I thought, "Wow, I must be sound sleeper."

Sending Luv N Hugs

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

Bill you are so right about the dust/dirt devils. I remember one time when I was driving into Roswell and I was about 15 miles out North. I drove into a "mud-out." It was a combination of terrentil rains and high winds which made visibility zero. The solid brown mud was all you could see with the wind shield wipers on the highest speed. We crept along at a snails pace for 45 min. before gettng into town. It let up eventually but I passed trees that had been uprooted laying sideway and plenty of dubrees. It was scary because with no visibility I couldn't even see enough of the road to pull over. I had no idea if there was anyone behind me or in front of me. I didn't know if I would get hit from behind or if I would plow into the back of someone in front of me.

I remember in the mid 50's, I want to say. Roswell had a flood so bad they sent the big military trucks around to evacuate people. We lived down close to Cahoon park and most of it was under water and rising when the trucks came around. We stayed and just "rode it out." My Grandmother, who lived in our home, was confined to the bed and my mother knew she was scared about being evacuated and how they would do it. Thankfully, we were okay.

At one time I lived on the corner of KY and 12th.....812 No. Kentucky. Our home was directly across from the ________river, (can't remember the name) but it was mostly dry. One particular big rain, the thing filled clear to the drop and was touching the bridge. We were praying hard that the rains would let up because our basement was on the verge of being flooded....whew, it did stop but it was a really close call.

Yes, there were def. some weather memories in Roswell for me, for sure. Luv N Hugs

R. E. Herky Veatch

That was in 1956 and the river name is the Hondo.

I lived on the hill, on North Kansas about 8 blocks from NMMI, other than the rain, we were high and dry. I remember seeing all the turcks and we eventually drove by the Blossom Shop and it was still under water.

Funny what you can remember.

Deborah Pike

Hi Guys,

I remember the dust storms that would come up  all of a sudden and it would be almost night!  I think the worst thing about it was that we girls had to wear dresses and when it blew, the sand and little rocks it carries sure hurt our legs!  That was the worst.

I also remember when we would go downstairs at Goddard after lunch the building would have dirt all over everything. I had Bio II right after lunch and Mrs. Eachs's classroom would have dissecting trays full of sand. Fetal pigs are bad enough by themselves but try to take the dirt off that paraffin in the tray. 

Still wish I could do it all again!

Debbie

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

Yep exactly right Herky...thanks for helping my memory out...ha!! It could use a lot of help. They say to keep it active and you won't lose it but they don't say anything about losing your mind...ha!!

Always so good to see people recalling and sharing their stories. I love that. Luv N Hugs

Gilbert "Butch" Colbert

That is correct.  I lived not too far from the Hondo river and spent time playing in it as a child.  I once watched a wall of water coming down the river from rain to the west of town.  As far as I can remember, the Hondo never flooded but it sure was full at times.

The Spring river, however, did overflow the banks at times and must have been quite a nuisance to people.

MaryLou Wilson

I lived at 706 S Lea across the street from The Blossom Shop. The Hondo was the bane of my parents’  existance. We were constantly told the stories of the children who drowned in the Honda by flooding from up river. A school friend live on Lea one block on the other side ofthe Hondo. We had to have parental supervision to walk to each others’ house. 

Deborah Pike

Your posts reminded me that when I was first married (1969), we lived on South Penn in some apartments and our back porch was on the edge of the Hondo. I remember watching the water rise and get to just the top of the bank but luckiy it stopped. 

Fun times.

Debbie

William Samuel "Bill" Sloan

I admit I looked up the year. In 1953 my family moved from North Delaware to the new homes on Davidson Drive. The Hondo runs in between the back yards of Davidson Drive and Rancho Road. One of the floods was the next year 1954. I remember my dad putting sand bags around the back door and our street filled with a foot of water as we drove to the Dan Carpenter's home on the east side (Orchard). When we returned home a couple of days later we did not have any damage. I was too young to understand the "What if's" of the situation. However, the Hondo was an absolute great play ground when it was dry. Usually when the river started to run with water it started with a small flow - just enough for us to try and construct sand dams and see how long they held. I look back on those play times and some other stunts I pulled in my hometown and wonder how I ever made it alive to graduate from RHS!
 

R. E. Herky Veatch

Bill, once again you got the details in order, thank you.

I heard on the news about the explosion in at Walker. Terrible that those men were injured. I hope they will be okay.

Herky

Deborah Pike

Bill,

 Thanks for the news reports. I'm glad that no one was killed. 

Do you remember back in 1959 (I think) when one of the b-52s crashed at Walker Air Base and it destroyed the runway they usually used for those round trip flights to the Russian border "just in case." so they started to use a runway that had the jets go right over our house. (Excuse the run-on sentence. I write just like I talk!)

Debbie

Karen McCarty (Messina)

Mardi Gonyea (Nicklin)

Oh WOW that's priceless, Bill. Dagwood was the first comic strip I would read in the Sunday comics. Relaxing with a cup of coffee and enjoying the Sunday paper, what memories!!

Priceless also, Pie Town, NM!! So many crazy towns I've been to also come to town....names like, Weed, NM, Slapout, OK, Foreplay, CO, Hays, KS, Beaver, OK, Nowhere, CO, Nothing, AZ, Greasy Corner, AR, Neutral, KS, Hooker, OK, also a Hooker, SD, Jot Em Down, TX and one more, W.

Is life great or what!! Luv N Hugs

Diana M. Codling (Reed)

Mardi, you missed Blue Ball and Intercourse....both in PA!

Diana M. Codling (Reed)

It always surprises me how mant Amish live in that area.  But with no electric in the homes, you gotta do something!

James A "Jim" White

On this Father's Day, I post this picture of KEITH BURKE from a picture his daughter posted on Facebook. Please pardon the theft, Keith, but we think it is a classic and salute you and all fathers on this day. 

For others wondering where Kathy and I are, currently in North Carolina. Yes, we did swim at the beach where the teenage girl lost her leg 2 weeks ago to a shark. Yes, we did see the wild horses, called Banker horses, living on the outer banks (Nicholas Sparks territory). Yes, we are where the 914 lb. Blue Marlin was caught yesterday in the fishing tournament. The heaviest to that point was 589 lbs.

In the next two weeks, Kathy and I will be pulling the 5th-Wheel into Durham, NC, Charlottesville, VA, Hershey, PA then Gayles Ferry, CT. Anyone live near those places? BOYCE McFARLAND is now in South Carolina but headed to Calgary, Canada soon. MARY HUSEMOLLER has not told me in ages where she is or what she is doing. I hope you do not mind me calling you out, Mary. MARIANNE COONS McCULLOUGH is still in Roswell and DOREEN WILLIAMS is still in Albuquerque. DORIS FLOOD BURTON moved to Nebraska, HERKY VEACH has been found in SE Houston and MILDRED ANDREWS FORD is quiet, as always (like she is hiding out). Classmates, please let us know where you are and what your doing or where you are going. We really would like to know.

Jim (flunky), Kathy (saint), Kevin (Lt. Col. USAF), Brad (Exec. Chef), Lyndee (Opera Singer)