NEWS

Summer Fun is coming for the class of 1953 TIME CHANGE - PLEASE NOTE

Next up on our schedule of get to gethers is the summer pot luck, at the home of Patsy Munger Lehr. This is coming up on Sunday afternoon, August 1, at 2:30 p.m. (new time). Patsy's group of close chums from school days will be gathering to celebrate their "big" 2010 birthdays (yes, that's the same one we are all celebrating this year), and so we have scheduled the summer potluck to coincide and hopefully some of her "out of town" chums will be come early giving us a chance to visit with them as well as the "locals." More information will be added here and via email. (Good time to mention that we'd appreciate if you would keep us up to date on address and email address changes so we don't lose you.)

A note about our email messages: When email messages, i.e., news of classmates, obituaries, etc., are sent they are sent to you BCC. We do this to spare you the nightmare of having 125 email addresses dumped into your system, which would happen if we sent the messages TO or CC. If you suspect you are not getting emails from us, your system may be dumping them into your SPAM folder or into a JUNK MAIL folder. You may find those missing emails there. To help the situation, be sure to program your preferences to allow BCC mail from us - primarily babsfayth@aol.com and mnhill@cpinternet.com. Thanks.

EXTRA! ! ! The tall ships are coming to Duluth again this summer

Coincidentally, the Duluth Maritime Museum Festival will be celebrated between July 28 and August 3. During our 55th 
Gathering in August of 2008, three tall ships came through the Aerial Bridge and spent several days in Duluth. The event drew 125,000 to Duluth. This year the group has confirmed that EIGHT tall ships will be coming to Duluth as a part of their 2010 celebration. Not all 8 ships will be in Duluth at the same time, but spread over the week-long celebration. Keep checking www.duluthnewstribune.com for the latest plans. At least two of the ships that visited in 2008 will be returning along with several new entries. 

(As a side note: Interstate Highway I35, which cuts through Duluth from Thomson Hill to London Road will be undergoing MAJOR work this summer and the highway will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Could spell traffic tie-ups if the same number of folks show up this summer as traveled to Duluth in 2008. But - you are Duluthians. You know other ways to get across town besides I35. Grand Avenue and Superior Street, and London Road may be your best bets.)

It was a grand afternoon . . .

We had a marvelous time as always at Patsy's wonderful home on the banks of the St. Louis River. Her home was still aglow with holiday decorations and her table would have rated an A++ from Martha Stewart. The size of this year's group permitted everyone to be upstairs around the main table and it was - in a word - grand. 

The pictures worth a thousand words. . . what more can I say.

We are INCORPORATED!

At the final 55th Reunion wrap-up meeting, held in mid-September 2008, your Reunion Committee voted to incorporate as a non-profit corporation in the State of Minnesota. We are designated as an Alumni Association. Several benefits will be ours as a non-profit corporation. First and most importantly, we were able to obtain an Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS and with the EIN assigned we were able to open a checking account on which we will pay no costs or fees. The cost for printed checks was minimal and a supply that will last a long, long time was ordered. At the next meeting, the committee, now designated as the Executive Committee elected Milt Hill and Barbara Humphrey, Co-chairs, Joanne Cameron Robson, Secretary, and Milt Hill, Treasurer. As a Committee we are very excited about this next step in our organizational growth. The State of Minnesota provide a beautiful, suitable-for-framing certificate, which will be on display at the Holiday Potluck in January. Should you have any questions about this action, any one of the members of the Executive Committee would welcome them. Please contact any member. They'd be delighted to hear from you.

The Next Step: Adopting a set of by-laws is the Executive Committee's next step following the incorporation as a non-profit. Just as a bit of information for those of you who are knowledgeable in this area, at the present time, your Executive Committee has not interest in pursuing 501 (c) (3) tax exempt status with the IRS. The benefits of that status to us would be minimal and the additional "book work" huge. We are content with the non-profit status we have from the State of Minnesota as it suits our needs. The first reading of the Proposed By-Laws will occur at the next meeting of the Executive Committee at 1:00 p.m. on August 1. The final approval will occur at the next meeting, probably in January 2011. Any of the members of the Executive Committee will be happy to take questions about this action from our fellow classmates: Barbara Humphrey, Milt Hill, Joanne Cameron Robson, Patsy Munger Lehr, Mary Haug Larson, Marilynn Hauer Kessler, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Bizz Boyd Nelson, Faye Bjork Hietala, Roberta Donaghy Finch, Clyde Rogers, and Helmi Lepisto Hammer.

Duluth News Tribune articles offer updates on schools project

The Duluth News Tribune runs articles regularly about the progress of land acquisition and the red plan in general. Read the Duluth paper regularly to keep up on the changes. www.duluthnewstribune.com 

Losses

• These recent years have seen the passing, not only of several of our classmates, but of those loved ones that mean so much to all of us. We have noted the deaths of Arlie Kartvedt Moen (precious best friend of Patsy Munger Lehr); Ray Hammer (beloved husband of Helmi Lepisto Hammer); Robert Kelpatz, Jr. (treasured son of Robert Klepatz, Sr.); Floyd Turcott (precious husband of Caryl Rilling Turcott); Don (Toby) Oie, the dear son of Gloria Moen Oie; we mourn with Alex and Bobbie Sisto the death of his sister and our sophomore class colleague, Shirley Sisto Thibault; the life partner of Ed McParlan, Dr. Nina Kostraba. On December 20, 2006, Robbie Robson (Mr. Wonderful), husband of our dear classmate Joanne Cameron Robson died quietly at home after a long illness; and on March 5, 2007 Dick Seymour, husband of our classmate, Joan Glapa Seymour, died after a long illness. We mourn with David Mohr the death of his sister; Barbara Whitely Engstrom on the death of her brother Mark, Ted Keppers on the death of his sister Rose Marie and Sharon Konsti Doyle on the death of her brother, Dennis. And we must acknowledge the death of our classmate Jack Stauty two years ago as reported by his cousin, our classmate Larry Stauty. Sometimes life's challenges are pretty overwhelming. Just weeks before their daughter's diagnosis of breast cancer, Roger Anderson's sister Margaret Swenson died in San Diego. Margaret loved to sing in her church choir, attend as many dances as possible and was crowned Homecoming Queen prior to her graduation from Denfeld High School in 1945. We recently learned of the death of Dorothy Carter wife of our Classmate, Dick Carter. And just within these last few months, our dear classmate Faye Bjork mourned the death of her husband of 53 years, Ryan Hietala. We have just received word that John Olaf Olson, husband for 50 plus years of our classmate Charlene Wick died on December 27, 2008 after a two year struggle with Mesothelioma. John was a member of the Denfeld class of 1950. We learned of the deaths of Eli Miletich's sister, Barbara, and the husband of Mary Ann LaFlamme, Jim Fitzsimmons, to whom she had been married for more than 53 years. The spouses of two of our class mates passed away recently: Charles Fairbrother, husband of Joyce Ekstrom and Gerald Mitchell, husband of Dolores Zacher Mitchell. Our sincere condolences to those whose family members have passed.  
• A blizzard was raging in Duluth but that did not stop the friends and classmates who came to pay their respects to Bill (Wild Bill) Nelson, Denfeld Class of 1952. Bill was married to our dear classmate Bizz Boyd for more than 53 years and it was a tribute to them that the weather did not keep their friends and family at home on that sad day of farewell. Roads were closed in some parts of the state, including those on the range, which prevented some friends and former team mates from making the trip to Duluth. They were there in spirit. Bill was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December, a vicious, painful form of lung cancer. Keep Bizz in your hearts. Just days later, Bizz's cousin Bob Boyd, Denfeld class of 1951 also died. Bob was married, as you may remember to Charlotte Anderson, also class of 1951 alum. Sad times for the Boyd family.
• Since our reunion in August, 2003, several of our classmates have mourned the loss of one or more of their parents. By listing those whose mothers or fathers have recently died we will surely miss one or two, and for that we apologize: we remember David Karpeles, Marcy Rendulich Gannucci, Joyce Ekstrom Fairbrother, Dale Asperheim, and most recently Elaine Pederson Hill. Loss of a parent at any age, whether it is at 53 or 96, is devastating and to those whose parents have recently passed, we extend a particular sense of sympathy and understanding.
• This past year has brought the sad news of the deaths of the children of two of our classmates. Jon Alan Lepisto, age 44, died on Sunday, June 7, 2009 in Duluth. Jon was the son of our classmate Kay Hultman Van Rossen. His family shared this message, "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Jon taught us so much." Just this week, an email from Gayle P. Johnson told of the death in Wilmington, North Carolina of his daughter Kelli, aged 42,  on July 8, 2009. There is no sorrow like the sorrow of a parent whose child pre-deceases them. Our sincere sympathy goes out to Kay and Gayle. Take some small comfort knowing that your classmates are holding you warmly in their hearts. 
• We recently learned of the death of Theodore Pollard who was the older brother of our classmate Virgil Pollard and his younger sister Harriet. Our deepest sympathy goes out to them.
• On Sunday, July 11, 2011 the beloved husband of our classmate, Betty Jorgenson, Albert Poehling, Jr. succumbed from the affects of Alzheimer's Disease. Our sincere condolences to Betty, their daughters, grandchildren, and all family and friends. 
• Typically when a classmate dies, we post the facts on the In Memoriam page. This time, however, we have lost a classmate that was so special to so many of us, it bears mentioning here. Billy Hussey succumbed to the pancreatic cancer that had been ravaging that great man for so many years. Those of us who were lucky enough to visit with him during his last days found him in great spirits and at peace. From the moment of diagnosis he knew he was fighting and unconquerable foe. But he pressed on, spirits high, courage on full speed ahead, unvanquished by what had befallen him. Death came on October 21, 2009. Bill was very proud to be a Denfeld Hunter. He proudly displayed his Denfeld Hunters Alumni TShirt and delighted in the visits with classmates. He was a gentle giant of a man. There will not be another like him.
    
  Our friend, Bill Hussey
  
• These deaths are mourned by us all. Please let me know whomever I may have missed.

DHSAA Board of Directors

The following are members of the Board of Directors of the Denfeld High School Alumni Association and their year of graduation from Denfeld:

2009 Denfeld Alumni Association Board of Directors

Marilyn Monson (Goneau, 1946)
218-722-9470

Rudy Monson (1947)
218-722-9470

Ruth Thorpe (Van Kleek, 1956)
218-624-4692
ruthvk @ denfeldalumni.com

Adrienne Thureen (Bergquist, 1957)
218-525-5664
adrienne @ denfeldalumni.com

Karin Swor (Henson, 1960)
218-348-5843
karin @ denfeldalumni.com

Linda Paulick (Seger, 1963)
218-628-9224
linda @ denfeldalumni.com

Richard Swanson (1966)
218-722-0796
swanny @ denfeldalumni.com

Joe Vukelich (1977)
218-628-0519
vuk @ denfeldalumni.com

Anna Montgomery (Jimenez, 1979)
218-624-3582
anna @ denfeldalumni.com

Mandy LeGarde (Roman, 1988)
218-628-2584
mandy @ denfeldalumni.com

Tim LeGarde (1988)
218-349-1580
tim @ denfeldalumni.com

Russell Salgy (1989)
218-624-0178
russ @ denfeldalumni.com

Andy Ensign (1991)
218-624-2086
andy @ denfeldalumni.com

Drew Bloomquist (2006)
218-626-2390
drew @ denfeldalumni.com

Last updated: July 15,  2010