Harry and Mary Wilson were at the party but somehow didn't end up in the photograph. Here's hoping I got everyone's name correct. During the festivities the legend of the "Class Box." was carefully explained to me by Bud and Dick Guild. The story goes . . . It's a cardboard box with liquor of all types (including Jeremiah Weed) in it that surfaces whenever there is a social get together of Class of 1963 types in the Washington area. It dates to 1993. That year, Joyce and Bud hosted a pre-reunion party at their house, and Dick Guild said he would provide the booze. He showed up with a box filled with the aforementioned variety. After the party, there was most of it left, and when Bud tried to give it back to Dick, he declared that he didn't want it back, but Bud should bring it to the next Golden Boys social event. So, it has been passed around and kept by someone and reappears regularly for the past fifteen years. Here's the amazing thing: it's like the loaves and fishes, it replenishes itself. It still has the same variety and plenty of it. Nobody has ever said anything about it, but obviously, the keeper of the box or someone else has replaced bottles whenever one got low. Probably the Washington Crowd has become more wine oriented over the years, so the rate of consumption/depletion on the Box is probably lower than it would have been 40 years ago.

The next photograph was sent to me by Tom Fryer. Tom and Dick Troy held a '63 mini-reunion lunch in Kansas. Tom wrote that Dick's daughter and son-in-law are stationed at nearby Ft. Riley. Tom and Angie were at the Change of Command for the Commanding General and, as it turned out, Dick and Carol were also there. They were visiting from PA as they have a new granddaughter-their first! A luncheon was set up and as you might imagine, Tom and Dick spent a lot of the time talking about the old times. Both were in Fighting 4th Doolie year. Although most of the talk involved their Air Force lives, a lot of bragging about grandchildren was going on! Turns out that Angie and Tom have a new grandson born Jun 29th.

Mini-Reunion in Kansas

When you think of mini-reunions you also think of Bob Hayes our reunion guru. Bob recently sent out a notice for this year's mini-get together during the Wyoming game-October 20th. Please put the date on your calendars and help get the word out to others that might be interested in being there (ed. note: several enquiries on this year's event have been received). Our fall tradition for the last several years has been to come together at either the Navy or Army home football games in October or November. This year we decided to forgo the really cold weather of November and hold the mini during the Wyoming home game. It's a day game so we'll have the opportunity to tailgate as well as have dinner at the AOG post game and then turn the cups of those who died since October of last year. This is really a warm up for the 45th reunion in 2008 at the Navy game so try to make plans to come.

Planning for the 45th is underway. The committee confirmed the date as October 1-5, 2008, and the location as the C-Springs Marriott (same place as the 40th). A mailer was sent out in July and included a tentative schedule. Drue DeBerry is heading up the Class Gift effort and you may make suggestions regarding the class gift to Drue at drue.deberry@comcast.net. Information on the reunion can be found at the Class Web site: http://www.usafa63.org/.

Lou Matjasko contributed the following: "After Karen and I moved to Northern Illinois last year, we found that John and Myrna Borling are living just 20 minutes away. I am retired from the everyday work life style and we are here to enjoy our four grand kids who live in the nearby area. It's been great to renew my friendship with John, while the four of us get on fabulously. John invited us to the Decoration Day ceremonies in Chicago. He was coordinator and master of ceremonies for the program, which took place at the foot of the magnificent bronze statue of General John Logan. Logan founded Decoration Day, now Memorial Day, after the Civil War. It was a beautiful event, attended and supported by many local patriotic citizens."
 

Lou & John

We received a few telephone/e-mail changes since last time: Norm Schulze, new e-mail, normschulze@bellsouth.net; Doug Hardgrave, new home, phone (678)455 7197; and Pat Caruana, new email, patcaruana@verizon.net.

In closing, this from Jimmie Butler: "I have been busily working on the national reunion of the FAC Association (http://www.fac-assoc.org/) scheduled for the same weekend in Colorado Springs as our 45th reunion. A major focus of the FAC reunion will be the dedication of the 2008 FAC Memorial at Memorial Park east of downtown Colorado Springs. The central feature of that memorial will be a monument listing the names of more than 250 FACs/crewmen who died in Southeast Asia. Three of those names are ours: Park Bunker, Doug Butterfield, and Bob Rex." Jim Diffendorfer, says Jimmie, agreed to using funds from the DVD effort as a class donation. We are about $350 ahead so far and he suggested we give $300 in the names of Park, Doug, and Bob. So, thanks to the guys who donated for the DVDs.

That's it for this time. Thanks for all the inputs and we'll see you in October to watch the Falcons trounce Wyoming.