Tom O'Brien

A late Birthday greeting to George Brown. The first of the year so you are  number 1.

Wishes for the best  in 25. Keep safe and keep the cake and ice cream flowing.

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Janet Flick (Stickel)

HAPPY 2025!!

This is an auspicious year since many of us will be turning 80 years old!!!  

I want to wish us all a Happy, Healthy 80th birthday whether you have already celebrated this milestone or if it is still to come.   

Let us remember our classmates who have passed with prayers and fond memories.  Let us give thanks for the blessing of being part of the Shrine HS Class of 1963!

CAKE AND ICE CREAM FOR US ALL!!!!!

Lorrie Olesak (Bookbinder)

Janet ... Totally DITTO ... how very fortunate we are to be members of a group of people that still look forward to  any piece of info that takes us back to those wonderful days (at least I think they were, better than today when it's hard to get from the dining room to the bathroom without an accident) ... to hear from people about their lives since graduation ... to be grateful that we are remembered after all these years just for being ourselves ... gosh, I could go on, but I'm sure you all get the picture ... Thanx Lucia, for this blog and its ability to somehow feel like we are still only a desk away from each other ...and OB, had I known there would be cake at the last reunion, I would have risked life and limb on Detroit freeways to enjoy a piece ...

A very Happy New Year to all ... I will pray each day in thanksgiving for the privilege of having known each and every one of you 

Arlene Vachon (Forrester)

Praying that OB and all of our classmates that moved to California are safe and out of harm's way.  OB please let us know.

Tom O'Brien

Hello to all. All well here, we are about 3 hours drive time to where ttje burns are. The problem with that area is the homes are old. And the power lines are above ground and with the winds they are suseptible to sparking. In our area the utilities are under ground. There are areas where the power poles are still above ground. two years ago SDGE San Diego Gas and electric got tired of being sued when their powerlines would start a fire. so now when the winds start up they warn everyone they will shut off your power until it's safe. So if your in that particular area you are without power until they say it's safe.

The only one here who could be in jeopordy would be Jean or Charollet Gray in the valley just out of LA

Sorry for all the mistakes but I am having an eye problem with one eye.

Thanks for thinking of us. Prayers for the survivers.

Janet Flick (Stickel)

Tom,

Good to hear you are ok.  Thanks for letting us know.  Prayers for our classmates in harms way and the thousands who have been impacted.

Tom, has the smoke and cinders come your way????

Lucia Lenhard (Johnson)

Thanks for California news, OB. What a horrible disaster for all involved!  What a shame it takes multiple lawsuits to get action from the public (underline public) ulitlities to meet the basic safety requirements for the public. 
Glad you are clear of danger present danger and hope to hears the rest of our CA denizens are also safe. 

Lorrie Olesak (Bookbinder)

Good to hear Tom .. my niece lives in LA and is, so far, in no danger ... possible smoke inhalation, but she and family are fine for now ... depending on which way the wind blows 

Mike Young

To one and all - I just got off the phone with Collette (Greye) Prentke, she, Jean Stariha and Joe Woodall (Class of '61) are all out of harm's way as they are several miles away from the fire.  However, high winds of 20 to 30 mph are predicted for Tuesday which could send some smoke and ash their way.  Very slim possibility of the fire getting to them.  But....she was in good spirits, thanked us for the prayers and asked to keep the prayers coming.  Collette did tell me that Jean's husband passed away last year.  I tried Pam's number and the call went straight to voicemail.  We can make of that what we will - she wouldn't be the first woman who did not return my calls.  Lorrie and Janet, you have hit several nails on the head, as usual.  We have been blessed.

Thomas Hughes (Hughes)

All well in California I am  almost 500 miles north of the fires.

God Bless

Tom Hughes

Arlene Vachon (Forrester)

Thanks, OB and Mike, for the news that our classmates living in CA are safe.  What an incredible, horrible tragedy.  May God watch over all survivors.

Robert Radofski (Sullivan)

So good to hear that all are safe in LA so far. And also that so many are stepping up to the plate and helping those who lost everything. Thousands need our prayers in such a crisis. 

Ireland so far has only been freezing and wet and snowy, no catastrophies, so I'll count my blessings.

Happy and peaceful New Year to all of the class of '63, and keep the posts coming. Great to hear how you all are faring.

David Unger

We are so happy to hear that all our Shrine classmates in California are OK for now.  It is very hard to comprehend how so much damage can be caused so fast.  Our prayers go out to everyone who is in  the path of these fires.  I just hope that those affected can get the help they need.  I often think of the people who were in the last hurricane and their road to recovery.

Our family took a trip to Scotland last December 2nd to the 12th.  It was a trip that our daughter Janice and Tracy were planning to celebrate Tracy's  50th birthday.  Tracy did most of the planning as she had been to Scotland several times with Janice.   Barbara and I along with our daughter Wendy, her husband Steve and our granddaughter Zoe had a great time.  We stayed in Old Town Edinbourgh which is an area where most of the buildings are 500 years old.  A main part of the trip was a family memorial for our daughter Janice who had passed away in 2023. 

This was a very special place to her and it meant a great deal to all of us to do this for her.  Both Janice and Tracy had become good friends with a Scotish group, The Proclaimers.  Charlie Reid and Steve from the band were able to join us to remember Janice.  Robert, I understand your comment about the weather.  We had 30 to 40 degrees and damp with some wind added in. 

Happy New Year to All and to all a Goodnight. 

Tom O'Brien

Glad to hear the west coast group is well and not in the way of the fires.

Jean. so sorry to hear about your husband, i'm sure he took the express upstaires

No smoke or embers here. The good thing about  the smoke, the winds are blowing everything to the ocean.

Now here's some for you. People in the fire areas are already being approced about selling there properties.

Also the homes for sale in Orange County having started selling to people from LA and they are starting to come down to San Diego. Not that I would increase my price.

Speaking of coming togeather. they have 1200 fire engines in LA and 15.000 firefighters there.

Some firefighters that were on leave, vacations and days off went to their stations , got their gear and drove themselves to LA to help.

Tom O'Brien

Happy Birthday to Janet. finally made it to the magic number. Now the fun begins.

Enjoy the year and look forward to the next ones also.

And be sure as your looking forward the cake and ice cream should be flowing.

Enjoy

Tom O'Brien

Happy Birthday to Thomas Hughes..

Another year and another candle on the cake. Be sure you have the ice cream to go with it.

Keep safe with the fires popping up all over,

Enjoy the year and many more to come.

Tom O'Brien

Happy Birthday Gayle Walker.

Wishing a wonderful Birthday and wishes for many more to come

Hope your cake and ice cream was good.

Tom O'Brien

Jayne,

Apology for being late.

Hope your day found you well and ejoying the big 80. Seems we are all or will be the magic number this year,

Wishes for a good year for you and your family. Hope there was plenty of cake and ice cream to go around.

Are you still in contact with Mary Ann Sllavonic?

Mike Young

A Happy Birthday To Kathy Kehoe, artist extraordinaire despite Lizzie Lou's tutelage.  Of course, being such a sweetheart is what we'll think of when we think of you.

Mike Young

Mary Strauss, I hope your birthday is as special as you are.  Keep sharing those smiles and brightening so many other people's days.  Looking forward to seeing you this August.

Mike Young

Happy Birthday, Lucia!!!  Thanks for all of your efforts in putting this forum together and maintaining it.  It's good to have a link with our class.  Also, thanks for your demonstration of Mrs. DeClercq's teaching how to pivot on the basketball court.  We can all use some more laughter.

On another note - the Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, has a very small population and they are all males, being Catholic clergy.  This makes it the planet's only stag nation.  Do I hear groans???

Bonnie Ellison (Zook)

Happy, Happy Birthday Lucia. Hope you have a wonderful Birthday, and Thanks for all you do, for our class.

Robert Radofski (Sullivan)

And a very happy birthday Lucia and Mary from Ireland. And to all the Pisces this month. Best of all the Zodiac signs, I'd say. 

So, since St. Paddy's day is just on Monday, add a pint of Guinness to that cake and ice cream. (goes great with Hagendaas chocolate)

I'm the old guy in blue with the Irish Bouzouki. 

Mike Young

And a very happy birthday to you, Rob.  Great picture - We're pleased that you can indulge in your favorite activity whenever the pubs are open - Guiness ain't too bad a companion/supplement to the music either.  Haagen Daas seems to go with everything, at least in my diet.  How many instruments do you play, Rob?  Will green Guiness be served this week?

Lucia Lenhard (Johnson)

Thanks for birthday greetings everyone. Official old lady now! Lovely to see the Irish contingent!