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Our life of Romance TERRY AND LINDA THORPE
In the Beginning ....
Linda and I met in April 1971; she was a teacher, who had migrated to Long Beach from New York
and I was an undergraduate student at CSULB. During that time I would take off and travel all summer. We left for
Mexico in late May in my beat-up VW bug. Since we had little money, we camped a lot.
What
made the trip different was our almost daily lunches.. We would find a beach (we spent most of our time in Puerto
Vallarta) and spear fish for lunch. The process we used to cook it on the beach is something we will never forget..
We would dig a hole in the sand, find the dried outer shells of coconuts and start a fire in the hole, and then I would
find the branches from a palm tree -- using a machete, I would remove the leaves from the branch.. We then cut up the palm
tree branches to make a grill, we would put the grill over the fire, clean the fish, cook and eat it right there on the
beach. These experiences led to our love for each other and being part of nature. Which takes us to the next chapter
in our lives, our marriage.
Our Wedding ...
Our
marriage was one that we arranged around our lifestyle and life values. It was not meant to mock traditional
marriages or religions, but represented what was important to us. We were married in a swimming
pool in Long Beach, in the apartment complex we lived in, June of 1974. The wedding took place at the
shallow end of the pool with my brother as best man. The minister was our neighbor that lived right next
door to us, we were all wearing swim suits. About 20 feet from the pool we had small area with benches and tables, we had
our reception there.. The wedding reception menu consisted of Hot Dogs, Beer, and Wine.
Our Romance Continues ....
Linda
and I have known each other since 1971 and been married for over 40 years. Over that period of time we have fallen more
in love, with a side benefit, she is my best friend. Let the romance continue!
| ORAN & LINDA GRIGSBY KNOWLES |
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"KEN &
BARBIE" (MR. & MRS "O.K.") July
8th, 1967 was very, very hot as you would expect. The wedding reception was at the Lakewood Country Club. We left the reception
late in the early evening and headed for our Honeymoon at Lake Tahoe. Our first night together as husband and wife was in
Miracle City, CA at the Miracle City Hotel. It was a fortuitous choice of stops, because 45 years later we are still celebrating
marital bliss in Paradise.... Oran & Linda Grigsby Knowles
************************************************************ BILLIE & BEN - STILL
AN ITEM!
| BEN & BILLIE GOEHRIG PALMER |
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| MARCH 18, 1972 |
Ben and I met in Sitka, Alaska in July, 1969.
I was volunteering at Sheldon Jackson College to change the library from Dewey Decimal System to Library of Congress System.
Ben came on campus looking for lodging in exchange for work. All of the girls adored his English accent and gentlemanly
ways.
After
two weeks he went back to UK and at the end of summer, I went back to Long Beach and started teaching English at San Pedro
High School. We exchanged letters occasionally, but were only friends. In 1971, I decided to do a whirlwind tour
of Europe, and met up with Ben, his father and uncle (who were studying plum growing along the Rhine River.) Ben was
a fourth generation fruit grower. Mid summer, I went to England and visited Ben on the farm, and then finished my tour
of Europe. When I got home to LB, there was a letter asking me to marry him (he was too shy to ask face to face!)
I knew I would never meet anyone nicer so I said yes. It was very hard to leave Long Beach and my family, but it was
the best decision I ever made. We now have 4 children and 7 grandchildren -- the first 6 were boys
but we finally have a girl! -Billie Goehrig Palmer
| BEN & BILLIE PALMER, 2012 |
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Before Ben came along, Billie had a mad crush on
Wilson football star George
Lawson (class of '62.) George attended our Friday reception for our 50th reunion, and Billie got to meet him and tell
him about her long-ago unrequited love.
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| GEORGE LAWSON MEETS A FAN, BILLIE GOEHRIG PALMER |
After the reunion, Billie sent along this postscript
and picture: Here
is the doll my sister gave me Christmas '61. So he is 52 years old. I had a mad crush on George Lawson so she
gave it to me as a joke. It originally had number 43 on him which was George's number. My Dad made a stretcher
for him after a game when George got carried off the field. We had great fun with the doll and to actually meet George
at the reunion was such a treat. Love, Billie
And finally, an email received from George himself
(the human one, not the doll):
It was so nice to meet Billie at the reunion. I
feel honored that she remembered me. She made me feel special, and that is
nice at any age.
George
Lawson
***************************************************** Paulette & Ron ... The Story Lives
On
A bevy of Bruin Bridesmaid Beauties surround
Paulette Gehrke on her wedding day in 1967. From top left, sister Patti Gehrke, Mitzi Hinrichs, Mary Hinrichs Van Holt, cousin Carolyn, sister Pam Gehrke, Nancy Christensen Conatser, and Molly Turner.
| MR. AND MRS. RON GRIFFIN |
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Ron and I were married 3/18/67 - 45 years!
We have 5 children, 4 girls and 1 boy, and 10 grandchildren, - 8 girls and 2 boys!
We started taking our family
on summer trips in 1978. We'd leave the day that school got out and come back the day before school started.
Our first trip was in a motorhome for 9 weeks - traveling 18,000 miles. We toured across Canada and most of the States.
We did the same the following summer covering all the States. We then started renting condos in Maui for the summers.
We spent 4 - 5 summers traveling to all the islands. In 1987 we exchanged our home with a family in England. We made exchanges
every other summer, in England and Europe, until the kids didn't want to go anymore. We then had to stop trading the house;
too many people in it!.
We started traveling with friends to the U.K. and Europe going bed & breakfast style.
We always drove. Our last trip was for 6 weeks in the summer of '09. We went to Germany and Austria. I think that will be
our last trip outside the U.S. Ron has health problems and doesn't travel very well anymore. It's a good thing
we started traveling when we were young and didn't wait until he retired --we would have missed out on a lot! - Paulette
Gehrke Griffin
| PAULETTE & RON NOW |
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JOHN & JOLYAN:
THE
SECOND TIME AROUND
John & Jolyan's vows witnessed by (L to R )
John's daughters Lynette Dodson & Lisa Graham, Jolyan's grandkids Malayni & Reece Van Elgort, daughter Amber
Van Elgort, sister and Matron of Honor Barbara Pratt Bannerman (also a Bruin!) and '63 Classmate and Best Man, Rock Raun.
Officiating was Ken Swatman.
 Yes, it’s true.
Sherlock put us together and we really LOVE her for it. A long, strange road took us here, but we
are about to celebrate our 4th anniversary.
Jolyan (Pratt) and I (John Graham) weren’t romantically involved at Wilson
, but really good buddies. I took her to the prom in 1962 and we had one other date. We
enjoyed each other’s company, but she wasn’t ready for commitment at the time, and it went no further. About that time, a cute little blonde from Millikan caught
my eye, and Janis Collins & I were married in 1965. We had two wonderful daughters,
Lisa and Lynette, and a great life for 40+ years. We attended several Wilson Reunions, including the 40th.
We moved around but ended up in Oregon in 1985. Unknown to us, Janis had an appointment with a higher
authority and on May 29, 2006 we lost all but spiritual contact. A wonderful girl, mother and friend. I
went into a cave for a short while, then realized my family didn’t need me to surrender to the past.
About
six months later, I started visiting the Wilson 63 website and – no romance intended – asked Jeri if she knew
where Jolyan might be. She was on the “missing list” but Jeri started looking again.
I wanted to know that she was safe and happy. A couple of days later, Jeri called with the news
that Jolyan had been located and would be happy to hear from old friends. When I heard the area code number,
I almost fell off the chair. She was in Ashland , OR , a town I go thru very often while traveling or for
work. I made
contact, stammered something, and she was very sweet – said I didn’t sound like a “complete idiot”
(that was nice) and we clicked like we had never been apart. She was single after 25 years of marriage
. She had a daughter and twin grandkids living in Canada . Our respective Sprint bills went from $12/$15 to over
$225, proving that we were at least compatible over the phone.
Between Christmas & New Years of 2006 we joined residence in Portland . Whirlwind?
Yes. But right? Yes, very much so. I travel a lot for business, and Jolyan came along and discovered the
American West. We traveled 45,000 miles the first half of 2007. Since we got along well
traveling extensively, I asked her to marry me.
Below, With Jolyan's daughter
Amber and sister Barbara. "They Do"
On September 1, 2007, we were married at the Wildwood
Recreation forest park on Mount Hood . (We invited the class of 1963 on the Bruin Den Message board.) Two
classmates made the journey: My best man (Rock Raun, and wife Verna) and George Beavis. We
were joined by about 150 friends and family members, and our honeymoon was an Alaska Cruise. We still travel extensively, and join up with school friends whenever
possible. We will share some of our travels in the near future in the “Traveling Bruin” section.
We also had a great time co-hosting the Wilson ’63 Pacific Northwest Reunion in 2008.
Anyway,
that is my “love story” and I am sticking to it. Jolyan has been to both of my weddings and
we are very happy together.
.John's granddaughter Taylor,
Amber and her twins, and Barbara.... and "introducing: Mr. and Mrs. John Graham" AT LAST!
| BOGEY WITH RHEA AND CHRIS CASWELL |
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| AT A MALTESE FALCON ANNIVERSARY EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO |
REUNITED -- RHEA and CHRIS Rhea was my girlfriend after Wilson,
met her Easter Vacation '64 when I was a college stud with a Porsche, she was a high school junior (Glendora High). Inseparable
for a couple of years, then she went off to become a famous jazz singer and own a couple of French restaurants, while I became
a writer, traveled, lived in Europe, and became a magazine editor. Married other people, divorced other people, and discovered each other
18 years ago. Inseparable once again. We now live in West Palm Beach, FL, but not retired or snowbirds. I write for a lot
of magazines plus nine books, she's an artist appearing in galleries. We'll definitely be at the next Wilson get-together.
Cheers!
Chris
Caswell .
| LARRY AND DONNA ROSEN COHEN |
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DONNA LOVES LARRY, FOREVER AND EVER
Larry
and I met at Temple Israel in kindergarten. We became friends around 13 years old. I always thought he was the handsomest
and funniest boy I knew. In high school he had a girl friend and I had my Poly boyfriend,John Hanna, but Larry would
come over and hang around with my parents and I would always be happy to come home and see his car there.
When
we went to UCLA we dated other people but he was the one I wanted. Took him 3 years to realize that I was the one HE
wanted! We married in 1966 while he was still in dental school. I think the reason we have been in love for almost 44 years
is that we started out as best friends. We have lived in the same house in Palos Verdes for 36 years. We have two grown
daughters and five grandchildren. The same rooms our girls slept in as children are now the bedrooms for their children.
Larry has always been the love of my life, and always will be...
Donna Rosen Cohen
| JUDY JONES, PAUL KARTINEN, AND THE GIRLS |
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INTO THE SUNSET Although
they had known each other since kindergarten, and grew up together in Belmont Shore, Paul Kartinen and Judy Wilson Jones only
crossed paths a time or two over the years. Shortly before the 2008 reunion, Judy wrote of her plans for the next 5
years "Start dating. He's got to like animals."
Paul looked forward to seeing Judy when he came
from Washington for the reunion. But who knew? They hit if off so well, they fell in love and since February,
have been together. And, ever anxious to meet Judy's specifications, Paul bought a horse so he could keep up with
her.
Judy
says "Lucy and Snip are both Quarter horses. There's 24 miles of trails (around the property in Laguna Hills) we
ride almost daily. Paul loves
it more n' more everyday. YEA! I turned the surfer,/racquetball / baseball player into a cowboy!"
Lucy and Snip, like
true sisters, fuss at and sass each other through the fence. But on neutral turf out on the trail, they are joined at
the hip and they watch each other's backs.
No doubt, Judy and Paul have what it takes to
"ride off into the sunset" together. Love is a Many Splendored Thing!
| LOUIE AND JACKIE HALVERSON GONZALEZ |
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THEY LEARNED TO SAY " I DO "
I
actually met my husband, Louie, at a Cinco de Mayo Party at Disneyland in 1975. He didn’t speak a
lot of English ( he had been here from Guadalajara for about a year ), and I didn’t speak much Spanish.
We both took classes and had a lot of help from our friends. We were married after just a year,
quite a leap of faith, and had our daughter, Jennifer, a year later in 1977.
Most of our free time is spent traveling to different countries in Europe, but we also enjoy the nearby deserts and
casinos. We are fortunate to have a group of friends that usually join us in our travels. I
just retired after 40 years of teaching for Long Beach, but Louie is still working for the city of Long Beach.
Jennifer was just married this past November 1st, and we had a great time. We are also
crazy about our new son in law, Ryan, and wish them as many or more years of happiness as we have enjoyed. This
year we celebrate our 33rd anniversary. Louie and Jackie Halverson Gonzalez
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NOT TO BE OUTDONE,
JACKIE’S DEAR FRIEND BETTY OHR MAXWELL SAYS...
I
met Leon in 1965 and was first attracted by his baby blue eyes. We dated
for about two years and I found that in addition to his blue eyes, he was kind, honest, trustworthy and all those other “boy
scout” things – and kept me laughing besides. We were married in August 1967. We have five wonderful
sons and a beautiful daughter, all of which are married and have given us 19 grandchildren. (Our youngest son, who is
working on his doctorate at Cornell, just started his family, so we’re not done at 19 :-) I’ve worked
for an airline for almost 28 years, and we’ve been able to travel all over the world to places I had never dreamed of
going. Leon recently retired from the insurance business, and I may retire some day soon. We look forward to more
time for continuing our travel adventures, visiting old friends and enjoying our grandchildren.
| TOM AND PAT WONG ELAM |
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PAT WONG FINDS MR. RIGHT
We
all know how shy Pat is, so I decided to share this event with you all. Pat Wong Married Tom Elam on April 4th.
They have known each other over 40 years. He was her husbands best friend. When they both became widow/widower
it just came naturally. She has now moved to Dallas. They went on a honeymoon cruise of the Hawaiian Islands.
And are a beautiful couple and everyone is so happy for them. You can look forward to meeting him on our 50th reunion...(submitted
by Evelyn Goehrig Wanner)
You got to pick someone
who likes the same stuff as you do. Like if you like sports, she's gotta
like it that you like sports and she should keep
the chips and dip coming."
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| Half of the Sweethearts Poster |
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| RON AND LESLIE TUCKER WALKER '67 |
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RON AND LESLIE
I met my husband Ron Walker in
Spanish class when we were freshmen at the University of Redlands. Our first date was on May 15, 1964; we went to the
movie "Tom Jones" in San Bernardino. We hit it off really well right away, and kept dating throughout college. After
graduation we got engaged and then married on November 24, 1967. Ron became an English professor and
we lived in LA, North Carolina, Maryland, Texas, and Mexico before moving to Illinois in 1986. We have sons Matthew,
33, who has a PhD in Astronomy and is doing research at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England, and Ryan, 30, who
is program director at the public access TV station in Columbia, Missouri. I retired from managing a small independent
bookstore in 2002 and Ron retired in 2005. We will celebrate our 42nd anniversary this year, and find that marriage
just gets better and better since retirement. We love to travel, and are planning
a trip to Brazil this summer. We hope to visit Valeria Aguiar and her family there. The pictures show Ron and
me as we're leaving on our honeymoon and with our sons on a cruise ship in 2003.
| LESLIE AND RON WITH SONS, 2003 |
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THIS JUST IN !
Happy 42nd Anniversary to Us!
And thank you all for your good wishes. Still
having a good time.
Charlie & Chris Arce
Taken on Whale Watch near Newport Beach
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| And here's the other half! Click to enlarge |
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