How to manage your virus risk

Jerry, thanks for posting. I only saw the overtime, but that was enough for me. Great plays by both teams in overtime, but the defenses were exhausted.

02/19/19 01:49 PM

#214

John Moreno

Mary Y McGarr and Dianne: Thanks for your very nice posts. I don't log in very often as you can tell.

Dianne, glad you were able to help your friend and get her and her husband's name added to stones in the national cemetery.

03/18/19 09:45 PM

#215

Jerry Barrett

Hello Friends,

I was visiting my brother in Mesa, Arizona when I broke the T8 vertebra in my back on February 18, exactly 4 weeks/1 month ago. At about 6:15am I had gotten up to visit the bathroom. After doing that and returning to the bedroom, I fainted. The fall resulted in the bone break.

My path has been to the Emergency Room, then a Rehab Hospital, to my current digs at an assisted living facility in Mesa, luckily 0.2 miles from my brother's abode. The back pain is lessening though not eliminated. I have been wearing and am still wearing a back brace. I discovered several other medical issues on this journey that I will not go into. Seems when it rains, it pours.

Today I had my appointment with the neurosurgeon who determined / found the break through X-rays and CT scans. I learned two things from the visit. One is that my back seems to be healing on schedule. "Complete" healing will take 6 weeks, a comparable duration to any other broken bone break. In 2-3 weeks I have another appointment with the neurosurgeon, and before I see him, I am to have my back X-rayed so that a before-and-after comparison can be done to ensure that the bone has healed.

The second thing I learned is that I am released to travel. The neurosurgeon follow-up can be done in Austin as I can bring the CT scan and X-ray images taken here in Mesa to give to an Austin neurosurgeon for comparison purposes.

I am not sure when I will return to Austin, as there are a number of factors to consider. I would like to return as soon as possible, but there are a number of other factors to consider, As soon as I go through the options and make a decision I will let you know.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

Jerry

03/19/19 10:46 AM

#216

Mary Yates (McGarr)

Jerry,

Sorry to hear about your accident. Your recovery should be quick as you have stayed healthy and active all these years!

We'll be thinking about you, and we wish you well.

Mary McGarr

03/19/19 03:55 PM

#217

Ruben Rosario

Jerry, that’s awful! Considering all of the places that you have visited and all of the physically challenging activities in which you have participated, I immediately reached the conclusion that Tempe is not a physical health-friendly place to visit. (Just kidding with a bit of gallows-like humor). How-some-ever (Mary Yates, please do not critique my use of made up words), as I often tell my children: ageing is not for the faint of heart; I too have many age-related physical ills, of which I do not speak.

I have no doubt that you will soon be back at running marathons through Death Valley with flip-flops, free-climbing Half Dome, and negotiating the most dangerous place on earth: the mall parking lot. All of that said, stay safe and get healthy.

Before I forget, happy upcoming birthday!

03/19/19 07:23 PM

#218

I'm so very sorry, Jerry, to know about the bad turn of events this past year! We're all cheering for you and looking toward new reports that point to a good recovery.

03/19/19 09:12 PM

#219

Jerry, we are so very sorry to hear of your health misfortunes. We pray for a quick recovery and return home to Austin. Please take care. If you need to come to Canyon Lake or New Braunfels for any reason, we'll have a nice firm bed for you.

03/19/19 11:12 PM

#220

Dianne Koelbl (Wilson)

Hi Jerry, I’m sorry to hear about your accident and broken back. I know your pain,I broke my back exactly a year ago tomorrow while in Flagstaff, Arizona visiting my son and his family. I’ve had physical therapy, taken a fall prevention class, worn the brace and used a walker but have recovered well. I’m sure you will too. My problem is just that I move too fast and don’t pay close enough attention to where I’m walking. Luckily, I had a husband along to get me back to Oregon when I could travel. I think it might be ARIZONA that caused our problems. I’m sure you will recover nicely but I can tell you and I’m sure you will agree, I never had anything hurt so bad! Take care and get better.

03/20/19 06:27 PM

#221

Sherry Shutt (Reed)

Jerry,

I'm so sorry you are going through all of that. What a way to spend your birthday! Even so, I'm wishing you a Happy Birthday and I'll be praying for your recovery and whatever else you are dealing with. I hope you get to go home soon.

Sherry

04/10/19 03:55 PM

#222

steve@cowestassociates.com

A sad day for Irvin alumnis, received this notice from Karla Onick via the Irvin 1968 website email. My heart and prayers go out to Karla and their family.

My husband, Bob, passed away Monday. He had been ill for awhile and his heart finally just stopped. I have been trying to call and notify people, and I thought that a group e-mail would help me to do that. I know that not all of you knew Bob, but we had been together since I was a sophomore at Irvin. For those of you who live in El Paso and would like to attend, we will have a visitation from 5:00 until 7:00 on Monday, April 15 at Sunset Funeral Home on Hondo Pass followed by a Celebration of Life from 7:00 until 8:00. On Tuesday, April 16 we will have graveside services at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery at 11:30. Thank you all for being part of the greatest class ever at IHS!

04/11/19 09:21 AM

#223

Steve Clemens

I do no know anyone who did not love Bob. We lost a truly great guy. All my best to Karla.

Steve Clemens

06/12/19 04:03 PM

#224

Unfortunately we have lost another classmate Susan Condit. I received this email from Teri Wiley Stanley.

Deceased Classmate: Susan Condit
Date Of Birth: Oct -5-1947
Date Deceased: Feb-2017
Age at Death: 69
Cause of Death: Alzheimer related illnesses
Classmate City: Bloomsbury
Classmate State: MN
Classmate Country: USA
Was a Veteran: No
Survived By: Sue has two children, Kim and Stephen, and 2 or 3 grand kids.

Susi and I were best friends thru High School. She was from Minnesota as was my family. She was dating Lewis Quick and I met her on a double date with Jim Perry. We were sophomores and became instant lifelong friends. She was my maid of honor when I married in 1969 and we visited often... her in Minn. me in Pa. She and I attended the class of 66 40th reunion at Irvin and had a BLAST. She was always a fun gal to be around, made you laugh and was a true friend. She is dearly missed.

07/19/19 07:45 PM

#225

I am sorry to have to pass this on to our classmate, we have lost another great classmate Glenn Trittenbach. Karla Zanelli posted the below message on Glenn's facebook. As Karla said Glenn you will be forever missed. If you select Glenn's name below it will take you to his facebook page.

July 16 at 9:01 PM ??

It is with great sadness that I share the passing of my uncle, Glenn Trittenbach. Glenn was such a kind, sweet, and gentle man.
He loved planes, photography, and traveling. He loved his family and friends. He loved his country. He also loved painting. In recent years he turned his passion into art and became a self taught, successful artist.
Please keep our family, especially my mother, Christine, in your prayers. We are currently working to handle his affairs and memorial service. Information will be forthcoming.
Glenn, I???ll miss your contagious smile when you were around family...your interest in photography, your Facebook posts to share a new canvas you were working on (you were so talented!!)...your lifesaver candy books at Christmas....????????...and much, much more.
Thank you to those who have reached out....for all your prayers and kind words. Glenn was truly a great man and will be forever missed.

07/20/19 05:57 PM

#226

We are shocked and saddened by Glenn's passing. It was wonderful to see him at our 50th year reunion in 2016, and we thank him again for donating one of his art pieces to a lucky classmate. We were also fortunate to stay in contact with Glenn through Facebook - as he had many interesting and thoughtful posts and showed us his art. He was just getting better and better. We will miss Glenn's friendship and talents. We pray for his eternal rest and convey our deepest sympathies to his family. RIP dear friend.

09/10/19 09:20 AM

#227

Please see the following from Pam Cotten and Bryson McCool, thanks

We hope everyone had a great summer. Just a reminder as we are about five weeks out from the annual 2019 Irvin Alumni Rendezvous at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso 14-17 October 2019. Below are the Alumni and friends who have signed up so far to attend (if you have already contacted us and your name is not listed below, please let us know – sorry). Time is getting short so if you are still thinking of attending, you can up until the week of the Rendezvous as long as you can reserve Ruidoso lodging. The Rendezvous information packet can be found on the home page of the irvin66 website. The highlight of each day is Happy Hour at 5PM at Wendell’s Lounge in the Inn. A fun time is guaranteed!!

Take care,

Pam Cotten - pgcotten@gmail.com Bryson McCool – brymccool@gmail.com

John Ambrose (’63)

Vernon ('61) and Marsha Bolstad

Merriellen (Grant) Bonem ('61)

Mike and Nancy (Johnson) Braskett ('68)

Monica ('62) and Alvin Bruns

Paul ('65) & Margo Caigoy

Bill ('63) & Patty (Laugherty) ('63) Coberly

Marston & Pam (Davis) ('62) Cotten

Mike Dickson ('63) & Gwen (Dillon) ('63) McLaurin

Jim Dunlap ('63)

Dennis and Linda ('62) (Campbell) Ferdinand

Kelly Force (Stephanie Myers) ('65) & Jim Pirch

Kathy Gammon ('64) (maybe)

Phyllis Gill ('62)

Glenn ('66) & Marge Gonzalez

Joe ('65) & Marsha ('67) (O'Leary) Hendrus

Ginger (McCarty) Henry ('67) & Tracy Rice

Wes and Bertha (Jurey) ('68) Hernandez

Frank James ('63)

Ernie Jiron ('63) and Martha Jiron ('62)

Bryson ('61) & Chris (Laffler) ('65) McCool

Steve ('65) & Joie (Campbell) ('67) McRae

Gary ('68) & Mary (Knight) McGarr (faculty)

Jackie (Pierce) ('61) Mitchell

Mary Murray Orella ('63)

Donnie and Norma (Johnson) Reagan ('68)

Clark ('63) and Sue Schadle

John Schmidt ('66) and Liz Jensen (will not be able to attend)

Toni (Ricciardelli) Sim ('66)

Detlev Steklis ('63) and Sylvia Gee

Jimmie Vaughn ('63)

John ('61) and Sandi Shaw

09/11/19 12:19 PM

#228

Thanks John, for posting the update reminder of this year's annual multi-grad class mini-reunion in Ruidoso, October 14th-17th. This will be another great one!

12/10/19 03:06 PM

#229

Gary McGarr (class of 68) posted this about his brother and good friend to a lot of us. I just saw the posting, sorry for being so late. We will miss you Mike.

Posted on: Nov 03, 2019 at 12:25 PM

It is with heavy heart that I must tell you that my brother Mike passed away on October 31, 2019. Michael Nicholas McGarr, Mike to all of us, passed away from complications of the blood disorder he had fought for close to twenty years.

Mike is survived by his wife of fifty years, Carolyn, his daughters Kristin, Terry, and Rachel, six grandchildren, Mary, me, 3 nephews and a great many friends..

Mike was a member of the Irvin High School Class of 1966. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso, and worked for many years as an engineer for Mountain Bell Telephone Company.

Being very handy at building things, Mike started with his ’29 roadster hot rod as a teenager. Among other projects over the years, he built his own house in Silver City, and had just redone a cabin for his wife and him in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The view out their window was the Grand Tetons.

His latest hobby, which he loved, was flying model airplanes.

Mike had a great many friends, and all of them knew him as a man who would come to their aid whenever called upon. He was a brother, friend and mentor to me! He will be missed.

Gary

- Attached is a picture of Mike and Carolyn in the original hot rod my son Shay had restored from May 2019

07/04/20 07:46 PM

#230

2020 MINI-REUNION: We have a disappointing update regarding the annual Irvin "Ruidoso Rendezvous". We have decided we must cancel the event this year due to the uncertainty and other issues caused by Covid-19. If everything gets back to normal in time for 2021, we are planning next year’s Rendezvous to occur as usual, the third week in October 2021(Monday-Thursday). The Classes of ’65 and ’70 both cancelled their Reunions this year, and we hope they will be a part of next year's Ruidoso mini-reunion.

We look forward to seeing you all then! Meanwhile, stay safe and healthy.

07/05/20 01:56 PM

#231

Hi Pam, thanks for keeping us informed. Cancelling the Rendezvous at the Inn of the Mountain Gods this October is the right decision. Hopefully, things will be better next year. Hope to see you then, if not sooner in Fredricksburg. Take care and stay cool.

12/04/20 08:10 AM

#232

Jerry Barrett

How to manage your virus risk

From the New York Times

The most effective public health messages don’t merely tell people what not to do. They also tell people what they can do with only a small amount of risk.

This sometimes feels counterintuitive, because it gives people permission to take some risks, rather than urging maximum safety all the time. In the long run, though, a more realistic approach is actually the safer one, many experts say.

Human beings are social creatures. Most aren’t going to sit inside their houses for months on end. And pretending otherwise tends to backfire. It leads people to ignore public health advice and take needlessly big risks. “We need different, more nuanced, and more practical messaging about coronavirus safety,” Sarit Golub, a psychology professor at Hunter College, has written.

(Federal officials took a step in this direction this week by shortening the recommended quarantine period after virus exposure.)

Today, I want to give you a three-step guide to risk minimization. It’s based on a Times survey of 700 epidemiologists as well as my conversations with experts and colleagues, like Donald G. McNeil Jr.

1. There is one behavior you should try to eliminate, without exception: Spending time in a confined space (outside your household) where anyone is unmasked.

Don’t eat indoors at a restaurant or friend’s house. Don’t have close, unmasked conversations anywhere, even outdoors. If you must fly, try to not to eat or drink on the plane. If you’re going to work, don’t have lunch in the same room as colleagues. Group lunches have led to outbreaks at hospitals and elsewhere.

2. This next set of behaviors is best to minimize if you can’t avoid it: Spending extended time in indoor spaces, even with universal masking.

Masks aren’t perfect. If you can work out at home rather than at a gym — or do your job or attend religious services remotely — you’re reducing your risk.

3. Now the better news: Several activities are less risky than some people fear.

You don’t need to wear a mask when you go for a walk or a jog. Donald, who’s famously careful, bikes without a mask. “I consider keeping six feet distant outdoors more important than wearing a mask,” he told me. “If I had a birthday candle in my hand and you’re too far away to blow it out, I can’t inhale whatever you exhale.”

You can also feel OK about doing many errands. About 90 percent of the epidemiologists in our survey have recently visited a grocery store, a pharmacy or another store. Just wear a mask, stay distant from others and wash your hands afterward.

The big picture: I find it helpful to think about the notion of a personal risk budget. I don’t spend any of my risk budget on supermarket shopping, because grocery delivery works well for my family. But I do take occasional unmasked, distant walks with one or two friends. They help keep me sane as we head into a long, very hard winter.

For more: The survey of epidemiologists — done by Margot Sanger-Katz, Claire Cain Miller and Quoctrung Bui of The Times — has much more, including how they’re thinking about a vaccine.

04/16/21 12:07 PM

#233

The annual "Ruidoso Rendezvous" always proves to be an unforgettable special time of reuniting with friends of various classes.

It's now April ....... And So far, we're definitely planning on this year's 2021 multi-class mini-reunion (if COVID-19 conditions continue to improve like we all hope). Some of our '66 grads have already been attending each year, and we look forward to seeing you again and the entire class of '66!

Contact Bryson ('61) or me ('62) with your contact information if you plan to attend. But remember it's a "no-host" event, so be sure to make your own hotel or RV park reservations at the place of your choice. This year we'll offer a "Stump the Irvin Alumni" photo contest, and we hope you'll choose to join in the fun. If so, in advance send (via email or U.S.mail) a Jr. high or early high school photo of yourself to Bryson's email or his U.S. postal address in Las Cruces. In the Ruidoso Rendezvous flier on this site, scroll down for more info about the contest. It should be lots of fun!

Hoping to see you at the Inn of the Mountain Gods next October!

04/17/21 11:00 AM

#234

K. Gail Browne (Phillips)

Hi Pam, thank you for the reminder. John and I will pass the information to our '66 classmates and hope they can attend. As for Marge and me, I am not certain at this time if we will attend. Marge's recovery from covid and other pre-covid ailments is taking longer than expected. I will let you know for sure later. Of course, you know I love to attend these gatherings. You and Marston, take care. Saw Almost Patsy a few weeks ago at Alstadt Brewery. Hope to see you soon. Glenn

04/18/21 11:04 AM

#235

Hope to see photos of Roundup! One of these years...the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise. Have fun!

04/19/21 09:10 AM

#236