I was particularly moved by Carol Kretchmar Riffner’s remembrance of Wendell, words that infused life through thoughtful details of recollection. Wendell, aka Del, (more often the other way around) thought his given name too bookish and definitely “uncool.” He was what we termed back then a “greaser” (though definitely not hard core) whose handsome face, incisive but playful sense of humor and keen intelligence may have been overshadowedby this label and the usual stereotypes. More Fonzi than Richie in high school, he opted for madras and Weejuns at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, where he majored in astronomy (no less) and minored in beer “tasting” and fraternity mischief. After graduation, he accepted a job offer from the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Sadly for all who knew him well and loved him deeply, he succumbed to acute renal failure only one insufferable year after he graduated. Honestly, I think the nascent symptoms of the condition that eventually took his life began emerging in the latter years of high school, but he celebrated life too vibrantly to heed the warning signs. In over four decades, the days I haven’t thought about him—and missed him—are rare. Thank you, Carol, (I remember our friendship fondly) for so eloquently keeping my brother’s memory alive.
Nancy Gwendolyn Carlson (Armstrong)
I was particularly moved by Carol Kretchmar Riffner’s remembrance of Wendell, words that infused life through thoughtful details of recollection. Wendell, aka Del, (more often the other way around) thought his given name too bookish and definitely “uncool.” He was what we termed back then a “greaser” (though definitely not hard core) whose handsome face, incisive but playful sense of humor and keen intelligence may have been overshadowed by this label and the usual stereotypes. More Fonzi than Richie in high school, he opted for madras and Weejuns at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, where he majored in astronomy (no less) and minored in beer “tasting” and fraternity mischief. After graduation, he accepted a job offer from the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Sadly for all who knew him well and loved him deeply, he succumbed to acute renal failure only one insufferable year after he graduated. Honestly, I think the nascent symptoms of the condition that eventually took his life began emerging in the latter years of high school, but he celebrated life too vibrantly to heed the warning signs. In over four decades, the days I haven’t thought about him—and missed him—are rare. Thank you, Carol, (I remember our friendship fondly) for so eloquently keeping my brother’s memory alive.
Glen Martin Zimmerman
I was a friend of Wendell and rember him from school.
Bruce Grossman
I remeber Del from Little League and then at West, he really was a good guy