I don’t know if this is a good logo for Sarasota or not but it’s all I could find today. My brother, Mark, lives in Birmingham, AL and emailed me yesterday to point out that Sarasota is a “mean city.” So I did some checking and you can read a story about it here. Basically some homeless advocacy group claims that the city’s anti-lodging ordinance makes it the meanest city in the country.

What I’m very impressed with is the fact that the Sarasota City Manager, Michael McNees, is blogging and has already written about it. You can see his post here. Responding to the story he writes:

We tried to engage this agency in a conversation over the actual state of the issue here in Sarasota, but they did not respond to me at all. If they want to label us “Most Persistent City in America in Adopting a Practical as Well as Constitutional Ordinance to Protect Private and Public Property from Destructive Trespass” then I’d say we’d gladly be #1. But Meanest City? Please.

I’ll get better at this “now & then” thing. Give me time. Here’s Diana (Wilcox) Layman as she was then.

I just got some pics from her. So, here she is now.

This is her family and what she writes.

. . . our family has recently moved to temporary quarters in Bozeman, Montana. We are moving again in 30 days into our permanent home on a mountain just outside Bozeman. I will provide new address, email, etc. as it becomes available. We moved to Bozeman from New Jersey, where we had been living since being married 16 years ago. My husband is a psychiatrist who just took over the major mental health facility here in Bozeman. We have two children, girls (10 and 5) adopted from China. Along with a partner, I am a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. We are known as the Small Business professor and write for Scripps Howard News Service under the slug, BIZPROF. Go to : http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=BIZPROF-01-04-06 for my latest column about Sam Adams Beer. I am also working on a book and The Small Business Professor commercial website which will support the book.

Thanks Diana. Got some spare time to write for our website? If so, I can set you up with a user account.

This is to notify everyone about the current plans for our 30-year reunion and how to “stay in the loop” without having to pay website fees.

First: the reunion will take place in Sarasota from October 6-8, 2006. Second: in order to register for future updates, please make note of and visit the following websites, which will serve as the official information vehicles for reunion information: rhsspiritof76.com and ramsreunion2006.com. (The first site listed is our official reunion site where we will be providing all details about the reunion and ultimately be able to take credit card payments for events. The second site is our web blog.) Currently, the reunion committed has set the date, is working on ticket prices for the various gatherings, and beginning its HUGE classmate search. Also, everyone’s senior portraits from the yearbook have been posted on the first site and we want everyone to “sign in” with current contact info, life news, and photo.

Please spread the word!

It’s obvious that our brain cells aren’t working very well since some of us seem to remember “something” about a time capsule but not the specifics. This is not good. If there’s no record of it with the school office and we’re depending on people who graduated almost 30 years ago then we’re in trouble.

Does anyone know anything about a time capsule? Here’s a message from Sharyn. Anyone able to help us out? Post a comment or email me.

Hi! Happy New Year everyone! I just learned that RHS will begin building a new school (same location) sometime next year. They are aware of a time capsule that was planted, but don’t know where to dig it up. Wasn’t that planted our senior year? Anyone remember where?

Sharyn Quiros

Nancois Tatom thought you might enjoy this:

George Carlin On Aging – (Absolutely Brilliant)

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

“How old are you?” “I’m four and a half!” You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key.

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

“How old are you?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50
and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; “I Was JUST 92.”

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. “I’m 100 and a half!”
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay “them ”

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets,keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

In the spirit of the blog I’m posting some personal pics for you.

This is just to encourage you to send them in and load them onto the Reunion Website.

As a bonus picture here’s the last time my whole family was together this summer before 2 daughters went off to college. In the picture (l-r) is my wife Cindy, Carly, Me, Caitlin and Chelsea. The dogs are Crash and CJ.

The house is a little quieter with 2 of them gone. We’re getting used to it. It just means there’s more time to work!

And another one from Jeff. Keep them coming. His description of the photo is:

This is Ed Wilson in 1976, apparently after graduation, proudly sporting his RHS cap & tassel. He’s also wearing a “Groucho Marx” T shirt, in which we used to do a poor imitation of the “fig newton” dance for puzzled audiences. Ah, misspent youth. But whose hands are those coming from behind? Is that Scott Mackie in the background?

Thanks Jeff!

Here’s a New Year’s eve photo submission from Jeff Swain. His description of the photo is:

This is Doug Vaughan (and I think Linda Laudano in the foreground), I believe outside the old Brewmasters where we would go for a meal and a few Cokes, which were all you could drink if memory serves. Doesn’t he look dapper in his polyester shirt? Too bad the weather was warm or I’m sure there would have been a leisure suit in this picture!

Thanks Jeff!

Here’s part of a message from Nancy Tatom, our organizing leader:

Hello, Everybody!

I hope you have had a nice holiday season and are looking forward to the upcoming New Year. I’ve recently taken a position in Sarasota and will be moving back “home” in the next few months, which will certainly be more convenient in terms of getting to and from work as well as working on our reunion. The local committee and I have been making a lot of progress and are very excited about the plans for this big event.

The reunion dates are set and we’ve got a good lineup of events and venues, too. The reunion will take place (for the most part) on dry land from October 6-8th, 2006 (we do have a cocktail cruise set for the initial kickoff event on Friday evening). We are currently working on: 1) determining ticket prices for each event, 2) assembling the master list of classmates which we’ll be dividing up among volunteers for the purpose of locating as many of our 630+ classmates as possible, and 3) getting everyone’s senior photos (!!!) placed on our website. Our next meeting is planned for Saturday, January 7th and at that time we’ll be assigning the second task to whomever wants to assist us. If this is something you can help with, please let me know.

Nancy

Hopefully you’re up and at ’em on this New Year’s day. Take a couple of Tylenol if you have to and post some comments or email in your pictures. Give me something to do!

Merry Christmas and I hope you have a happy new year celebration. Not much to report right now. I’m just getting caught up after taking a few days off.

Anyone have any information they’d like to share?

Now I can let you in on the new website. Let’s call it the Spirit of ’76 to make it simple. You can use the link or type: http://rhsspiritof76.com/ into your browser.

Please visit even if you aren’t planning on attending the reunion and add your information to the Classmates section where there’s a link to a form to add your own information so we know what you’re up to. It’s painless. Trust me.

Let us know what you think.

Attention Rams Reunion fans. We’ve got another website for you. But I can’t give you the link yet until it’s ready. This is just a tease. Basically, this site will handle our registration and other duties of managing the reunion.

Our committee will be meeting again next week. Maybe I can post it then.

The planning committee is meeting as I’m writing. In fact, I’m dialed in on a conference call. Nancy says she’ll send me the actual meeting minutes and a picture of herself that I can share (don’t forget now).

Plans are firming up as I posted previously. I really don’t have much new to post right now. I think the main thing you can help with is to spread the word to any of our classmates that you are still in contact with and we’ll probably post lists of people we’re looking for too.

That’s all for now.

Here’s the latest scoop from our fearless leader – Nancy Tatom.

We’ve been pricing out a very lovely cocktail cruise for Friday evening (Bennie’s found some larger vessels that originate in the Tampa Bay area and that will come down to Sarasota to dock at Marina Jack’s); for Saturday, we are looking into having a golf tournament, organizing a photo session at RHS, and hosting a dinner dance event at a great new place in the Lakewood Ranch area that will be catered by Morton’s (formerly Marabel’s Market); Sunday will involve some sort of casual get-together – hopefully near the water (this is the most vague event so far). The October timeframe will give us more time to plan and will also provide better pricing for some of the lodging and events we’ve looked into. Plus, the weather will be much more pleasant. We’re still working on the ticket prices per event, but should be able to lock this down by the first of the year.

The committee will be meeting again this coming Tuesday so please send us your input. Email me or Nancy or feel free to post a comment.

Hello Rams Fans. This is a call for your assistance. I think we’ve been getting good feedback on the idea of our “Now & Thens.” In order for me to do them I need a current picture of you. Please don’t be shy. Inquiring minds want to see what you look like after 30 years. Be proud of your maturity.

Besides sending me pics another very useful thing would be to let other class members know about this website. Please pass it along and encourage them to visit.

Even if you don’t want to send me a photo (I promise I’ll make you look good) just tell me what you’re doing so I can let our other classmates know. And feel free to suggest things I can write about.

It’s Now & Then time. I know, this pic isn’t the best quality. Hey, I’ve got the cheapest Epson scanner they make. Want better ones? Buy me a new scanner. Please.

Now this is Mark Norrell as we once knew him. And yes, he looks different today. (There does seem to be more “up top” Mark in the old b&w yearbook pic)

Mark sent in this photo of him with his kids. As he put it “The boys are Logan (14) and Sam (6). This mural picture was taken in Kinsley, Kansas, which is EXACTLY midway between New York and Los Angeles. Exciting?

BTW. Mark suggested Kansas as a location for our reunion. Please let him know what you think of that idea.

Mark also sent in this bonus picture of his wife, Susan, who graduated from St. Stephen’s Academy in Bradenton.

So what’s he up to today? I’m chief operating officer for the 200-bed hospital here in Hutchinson. We lived in the Idaho Rockies for ten years before coming to Kansas.

There you have it. A great Now & Then. Want to help me out so we can have more fun? Send me your photos!

I don’t have the minutes from the reunion planning committee meeting yet but I do know this much. The reunion will be held the weekend of October 6 – 8, just prior to Columbus Day (October 9).

That’s all I know at this point but we can put it on our calendar! See you there.

Server issues. Hello again folks. Some of you may have noticed that the site was down for most of the last day. No one seems to know what happened but it seems to be working now.

As soon as I get an update from our committee on the results of their meeting last week I’ll have more for you. Sorry for the problems.

Hello Rams Reunion fans. We need your input on reunion ideas. Our coordinating committee will be meeting next Tuesday to try to make some final decisions. Here are some of the ideas that have been proposed:

1. After an opening night event of some kind on a Thursday evening, shuttle everyone to Miami for a 3 day Bahamas cruise. The shuttling can be done by bus.

2. Stick to our previous reunion format which has included a Friday and Saturday evening event and Sunday family barbeque.

3. Do something completely different but what?

A tentative time frame is in October the weekend before Columbus Day. That would make it Oct. 5 – 8.

So we need your input asap. Please comment here or email Nancy.

Some questions you may want to answer are:

How does that date work for you? Got a better one?

What do you think of the cruise idea?

If not a cruise where would you like reunion events to take place?

How many events should we have? What kind of events?

How much should it cost? What’s the limit on price?

Any other input?

Thanks for you help!