Thomas Krask

Richard, best known to his friends as "Silver Tounge" will always be in my memory for the many times we spent together in the hallowed halls of Chicago Vocational in classrooms, on the Senior Boys Council, ROTC events, Senior Varieties, Student Council, etc. In the classroom he was at his best for well composed questions and comments for our teachers and impressing all with his excellent command of the language and a few choice words that perfectly matched the thoughts and sent some to the dictionary to be sure the word was indeed appropriate for its use. As far as I know they always were. In ROTC, we were chosen one semester to actually teach a subject from one of our manuals or accounts of military history with the freedom to add from our own readings or from what that we had from some additional knowledge or from personal sources. He did something on the American Civil War and me on the battle tactics and my father's experience as a Seventh Armoured Division medic in the "Battle of the Buldge" in WWII. Our Army Sgt. Parmentier was impressed and became friend to us and got our assistence when he and his family needed to take a new assignment and asked for some help packing up for his move. Sorry Sgt. for scratching some of that furniture in getting it down the the outside back stairs!

After school perhaps not everyone knew that Richard had a very strong interest in pipe organs; those musical instruments in old fashioned theaters and many churches in the USA and Europe. That interest was so strong that he followed it lifelong and expressed it best in being the top person in the American society devoted to the appreciation of these musical wonders of man's creation. I can still recall driving home from suburban Chicago traffic listening to Public Radio station WBEZ and hearing him being interviewed and talking so lovingly about some of the places he had traveled in the states and abroad to promote wider appreciation and support for efforts to keep these pipe organs maintained and preserved as operating historically important artifacts of engineering, mechanics, and aucustical marvel. Richard, you will be dearly missed by many. Thank you for your military service and friendship.Bless you for it all.

No longer live in Kohler, Wisconsin. For last three years are snowbirds splitting our time between Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Surprise, Arizona.

Posted on: Oct 17, 2019 at 3:33 AM

I'm so sorry to hear of Warren's passing. He was a good buddy to those of us majoring in Electonics. Always eager to help and spot on with technical advice to solve a problem. To my mind he was the most knowledgable about his field in our major, aply demonstrated by building from ground up a complete Ham radio base station on a 19 inch rack system. 

Once in the post college workforce I would see him at what was Sears tower on the Observation Deck which had windows into the radio stations broadcasting from there where he was Chief Engineer. He was living his dream on a daily basis. I would be there a few times a year when hosting overseas customers in town to visit us on business. I'd knock on the window and he'd kindly come over and spend some time answering questions and impressing everyone with his thorough knowledge of all the details of commercial radio broadcasting at high power. He will be missed.

Posted on: Oct 17, 2018 at 3:33 AM

Posted on: Oct 17, 2016 at 3:33 AM

Posted on: Oct 17, 2014 at 3:33 AM

Hi Phil,

I remember you from the Senior Boys Council and a few classes we had together. I'm seeing many of our classmates retiring to Arizona and am curious about Buckeye. What drew you there? Also, did you pursue your career in your Print Shop major? I had a brief summer job at RR Donnelly as a proof reader.

Posted on: Jun 08, 2014 at 5:24 PM

Fellow graduates, it's about time we recognized all the hard work and dedication John has devoted to putting this site together, contacting folks, and trying to get up enough interest from our classmates to surface themselves and support a 50 year reunion. I'm frankly very surprised at the number who have evidently gone underground (sorry, don't mean dead), but so disconnected from their own legacy of CVS and memories of those tender years of discovery, growth, new beginnings, first cars and dates, etc. By the way, did you know that John had a 1965 Nocturne Blue Pontiac GTO when they came out that year and was notorious for blasting it through the underpasses of our 94th street neighborhood. It was a lot faster than my '65 Austin-Healy. What we wouldn't give to have those classics back today!

Posted on: Jun 08, 2014 at 5:07 PM

Hi Bob, Great to hear your story, many blessings, and your enjoyment of being semi-retired. Believe it or not, had you asked me what I thought you'd be doing I'd have said a doctor. You had the smarts and impressed me with your thoughtful judgments, essential traits for the medical field (or tax accounting). Now I know who to call when I need a trusted second opinion! Stay healthy partner.

Hi Warren,

Remember you very well from our Electronics shop courses and for knowing more than our instructors about radio. I saw you up in the tower several times when I had business visitors in town and was able to tell them that I went to school with the man behind the glass amping up the signals and changing out the vacuum tubes. Hope to see you at a reunion!