An email from Wendy Walenski Pang

I do hate posting bad news, but I asked Wendy if she would mind if I posted her email below. We both thought it is not a bad idea to remind everyone of our own mortality as well as that of our loved ones. Her most recent email to me asked if I remember a group of us going smelt fishing in high school. How could I forget, Wendy! What great times those were! Wendy promises to be a subsequent Class of 1974 get-together. Our prayers are with both you and Steve, Wendy. God bless!

From: wrpang@aol.com [mailto:wrpang@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:57 AMTo: Cathy EckersSubject: Re: Time for an East High Gathering!

Hi Cathy,Unfortunately I will not be able to attend. We are arriving back from a European vacation the night before. Mary Seering Bodmer did ask if I would join her and come along. We would have great fun but the timing will not allow. I will hope and plan for the next one! My husband has been recently been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. We are trying to adjust to this and my doctors that I work for are sending the two of us to Europe to fulfill a dream of Steve's. He has always wanted to go to Germany but would not take the time or spend the money(?)...a true achiever in the banking industry. Life is so short and I have never reflected that school of thought. I have been to Europe twice before :) so, the absolute love of my life will slowly slip away before my very eyes...I can hardly bear it. Please pray for us as we face these uncertain days ahead. He is having difficulty walking and with upper body muscle function as well as speech/swallow involvement. Please pass along that once again, the reminders of how short and truly special life is needs to be noticed and honored. Love life each and every day for tomorrow may never come and it may come with incredible challenges. We continue to smile and be so thankful for the blessings that we have enjoyed and continue to experience. Have fun and give my greetings to all. Wendy

A message from Bob Brisk

We were lucky enough to have Bob meet up with us several years back. He sent me a picture taken in Moscow I thought I'd share. Bob will be in Moscow through the end of the month. He is really a fun guy!

Greetings Cathy!
I am once again working on the road. This time in Moscow, Russia. Unfortunately I will not be attending this drink up.... er... event. The last time I saw this crew I enjoyed seeing my old friends & wish I could attend more! With this, I should be passing through possibly late July or early August. I can let you know when the dates are locked in & perhaps there will be another event during that time. My wife is determined to buy a home near Baileys Harbour. If that is the case I would have a destination to be near by more often.
Till we cross paths again -

Peace & Happiness
Bob Brisk

Email tidbits

Here's an email from Andy (we knew him as Jim) Busch. I thought it would be nice to share with you all. If you have pictures or things you would like posted, please forward them to me! Cathy

From: Andy Busch [mailto:buschatmc@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 4:30 PM
To: Karen Wyman
Subject: FW: Time for an East High Gathering!

Karen,
I would love to be able to meet with y'all at the Ten-O-One--maybe someday. Keep informing me, please!

Here's my "line" telling you how I'm doing: Great! My wife, 3-year-old son and I live in Galesburg, Illinois. My full-time work is in Rock Island, IL, about an hour away, as a hospital chaplain, and my part-time work is as a parish pastor about 20 minutes away. My three older kids are 27 (Dave), 25 (Pete) and 21 (Jean). Dave is single, living and working near Rock Island, Pete is married, living and working in Bloomington, IL, and Jean is a junior at ISU in Normal, IL. In my spare time, I play with my 3-year-old and our puppy, a malti-zu (designer dog: a maltese/shi tzu), and I play music: guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

I hope you're well; thanks for keeping up with us!
Andy (Jim) Busch

Mini-Reunion at the 1001 Club

Hi all! It's time to make some more great memories and have some laughs with classmates. We are meeting Saturday, April 26th, at the 1001 Club on Main Street after 4 PM. Anyone is welcome! If we haven't seen you in a while, just let us know you are there in case we don't recognize you. :) This is a very casual meeting, so feel free to bring anyone. I'm sure that some of us will order something to eat at some point during the evening. Hope to see you there! Cathy