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12/03/19 01:39 AM #1422    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

...chat. He was from Iraq. Iraq?? He told me that everyone on the block was an immigrant, from so over the world. I was stunned. Later on driving around town, I did notice that there seemed to be many more halal

12/03/19 01:46 AM #1423    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

restaurants than Jewish deli's. Who would have ever thought? The world changes yet remains the same too. Each of the newcomers on my block was well employed and each kept their houses and yards up at least as well as the former residents in the 1950s/60s. It felt good to see this slice of the American promise apparently working. Sydney feels much

12/03/19 01:51 AM #1424    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

the same. Perhaps "the future" might not be quite the scary place I sometimes fear. Chicago, Skokie, Sydney all give me hope for at least some parts "working out OK". We can only hope.

12/03/19 02:56 AM #1425    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Jack, it is wonderful to hear news from down under with your message of optimism and hope.  You bring light and good cheer to the Forum.  Enjoy and be safe.  Please keep us posted about your adventures, observations, and touchstones on old stomping ground(s).  We're holding down the fort here.

 


12/03/19 10:26 AM #1426    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

I received a phone call and texts from my grandchildren in Oshkosh:

There has been an officer involved shooting at Oshkosh West High School.  The school is on lockdown.  A student, armed with a weapon, confronted a school resource officer. 
The student and officer were both injured and transported to local hospitals.  Lockdown remains in effect. 

 


12/03/19 02:57 PM #1427    

Stewart Myrent

Holly, it was so nice to hear from you & I really liked your story.  (I also liked the fact that you are faculty adviser for the NHS at your school.)  The two best things about the story are: (1) the story has a happy ending, and (2) it gave you a great story to tell your old classmates.  There is obviously a 3rd benefit, after 35 yrs., there is something meaty in your personnel file.  Congrats!  I want to add another thing; I really did like your suggestion of "one message forum for all things people say."  Also, I agree that "lurker" does have "a snarky tone to it."  I think when I came off the sidelines, I said that "lurker" had a connotation that I wasn't crazy about.  And, David, thank you for the quote of the Elie Wiesel Nobel acceptance speech in 1986, over 30 yrs. ago.  However, for more seditious, snarky, conspiratorial & self-serving political rhetoric, please go to USER FORUM, Part 1 - "Current Events & Politics (New). 


12/03/19 06:55 PM #1428    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

I respond here rather than individually at the Message Center.

Oshkosh is fortunate that it seems we suffered no loss of life today.

Three gun shots at Oshkosh West High School, TWO were injured and transported to local hospitals - the armed 16 year old student and the school resource officer (there were versions of the story that grew beyond my report of 3 injured as I posted earlier).

The armed student confronted the officer and stabbed him in an attempt to get his gun.  The officer (who is a retired Navy SEAL) shot three times - the story is he shot himself in the hand, and he shot the student in the knee and in the chest... so much for arming teachers.  The student attacked the officer in a soundproof area in one wing at the school so very few in the school community heard the shooting.  The armed student's plan was to go on a shooting spree with the officer's gun.  Students and teachers in distant wings of the school fled the building on foot enroute to the nearby middle school and administration center.  Students in closer proximity to the shooting were evacuated on buses with a police escort.  Police were everywhere - a large area of Oshkosh was paralyzed by traffic congestion and parked cars.  Families hiked significant distances to begin a well organized and orderly reunification process which included verification of required identification to release the high school students.  There was food and water for the high school students who were assembled in the middle school gym to await release.  The high school campus and perimeter remains on lockdown.  Students who were in gym class at the time of the shooting were evacuated in gym shorts and t-shirts - their personal belongings are in gym lockers at school.  Unless students were in the music wing at the time of the incident their musical intruments remain in the music wing.  Because of the size of the campus many students do not use their hall lockers - their backpacks are their lockers and they carry their outdoor gear from class to class.

The administration has maintained regular communication with parents by email and robocalls. 

All the other schools in the Oshkosh K-12 district were immediately put on soft lockdown when the shooting broke out at the high school.

School is cancelled tomorrow for all students in the K-12 district.  Oshkosh West will re open on Friday.

At the regular time, my 5th grade grandson entered the house with the announcement, "There was a shooting at West."  He did not know his siblings were home.  He is happy they're OK and wondered if they heard the shots - further conversation was delayed 'til Mom and Dad were home... a day in the life of American school children and their parents and teachers.

Counseling services will be made available to the school community.

The student and the school resource officer are both in stable condition.

The incident has been turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation.

 


12/03/19 07:43 PM #1429    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

A school shooting is defined as when, "...a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims (including zero), time, day of the week, or reason." 

"Our country deserves leaders who are willing to step up and address the constant prospect of terror and violence when our children attend school or go about their lives in public space."

 


12/04/19 11:30 AM #1430    

Stewart Myrent

Janis, I'm freaking out about your story on the shooting at Oshkosh West H.S., which I believe I saw on the news on Mon.  I did note, from your story, that the retired Navy SEAL was only moderately succesful in his attempt to ward off the student attack.  But, it's still got to be nerve-wracking to experience it in your own community, with your own children or grandchildren, despite seeing stories like this (on an almost daily basis) in other communities.  In your following post, you stated that "There have been eight shootings in Wisconsin public schools in the past three school days."  How is that possible?  The reason I've been freaking out, is that in my years as a student at Lincoln Hall & Niles West (or even during my career as a college student), I don't remember even one school shooting occurring, ever, or even hearing about a mass shooter at any other school.  So, it seems to me that, being a school student (at any level) today, is something I am totally unfamiliar with, compared to my own experiences.  It is difficult for me to comprehend what being a student today must be like, compared to the good old days, when I actually was a student.  Eight shootings in 3 days, & in Wisconsin?  It seems improbable & illogical.  Holy cow!


12/04/19 12:41 PM #1431    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Stewart, in the heat of the moment, conflated news reports were aired.

What is going on? Fears of school shootings hit eight Wisconsin high schools in three days.   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  December 4, 2019

Gov. Tony Evers: "Though the threats in schools across the state weren't similar in seriousness - they are emblematic of the terror lurking as shooters continue with horrifying regularity.  It's impossible to ignore the fact that in addition to today's officer-involved shooting at Oshkosh West, the Sparta School District is closed due to security threats, and that this happened just a day after we had another school shooting at Waukesha South.  

"The last two days tells us that we can't keep pretending that this only happens in other communities or in other states - it's happening here, too."

The school shootings at Oshkosh West and Waukesha South high schools are among the threats in Wisconsin high schools that did not result in gunfire.  In all, teenagers in at least eight high schools across Wisconsin were stung with terror within three days this week (starting on Sunday).

The school shooting Monday at Waukesha South was the eighth school shooting in Wisconsin this decade; the school shooting yesterday at Oshkosh West, the ninth.

 


12/04/19 06:59 PM #1432    

 

Paul Richard Hain

Yesterday, Maxwell and Marcie, our two standard poodles took a walk with me as the day was transitioning to nighttime.  The sun had set about fifteen minutes earlier.  The sky was a beautiful mix of deep colors, cloud   formations and the dark azure above me.  It was a magnificent moment that faded over the next five minutes or  .  so.I was so grateful to have lived to see it.  My dogs pay little attention to the sky.  They like sniffing the leaves along the edge of the road.  They are my companions, though and we enjoy each other's compan.

Another of our tribe of Niles West Indians has left us.  I got a call from Cathy, Tom Hansen's wife who told me that he passed away yesterday as the day came to an end.  He was in the Cleveland Clinic, awaiting a heart transplant when he lost his battle.  This must have happened when I was watching the sky.  I don't know if it's soulfulness, sentimental, wishing or if there is something more to it, but the sky holds a mystical magnificence to me and it is my hope that those who have passed somehow are enjoying the same beautiful view, as me.

Tom was a sprinter in high school.  He could run, and after a race, his heart-rate would be in the 50's. We joked about how that was possible.   About five years ago, his heart would go so slow that he began to black out.  That began treatment including a Pacemaker and heart monitor.

His career had been a professional black smith in southern Illinois.  Cathy retired as a school librarian and Tom sold the black smith shop.  They headed west to Placitas, NM and personally built a beautiful desert hacienda bed and breakfast called The Blue Horse.  They ran it for about 15 years.  About a year ago, they decided to sell The Blue Horse and move to Cleveland, OH where their oldest daughter and family live.  Good thing.  Because Tom's health problems got worse and were well-served by the Cleveland Clinic.  Tom and Cathy have two daughters, Laura and Carrie and four grandchildren.  

Tom and I were friends for more than sixty years, and I will miss him dearly.  No arrangements are made at this point.  For those of you who knew Tom and want to send a card, please contact me for the address.


12/05/19 01:00 AM #1433    

 

David Steinberg (Noel)

Great  memories about Jack and Paul!

 

All the Best to Jane Stenson grads, 

David Steinberg Noel


12/05/19 05:35 AM #1434    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

Its always difficult to hear of a classmate's
passing, especially when it is a "home boy" from the hood. Tom lived a block over from me on Grove St. We attended Jane Stenson when it was brand new. My most vivid snapshot memory of Tom will always be freshman year PE, when

12/05/19 05:48 AM #1435    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

the coach (I think it was Mr. Phipps) had us all line up at the starting line to see which of us could run and who couldn't. Within a couple seconds Tom was carlengths ahead of the pack. Then it became trucklengths. As he crossed the finish line, he gave the astonished Coach a big salute and kept on running... Despite Tom's athletic prowess

12/05/19 05:57 AM #1436    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

he was always very humble and an all around nice guy. I will remember him more for that than the salute. And from what Paul tells us, Tom led a very happy and interesting life...blacksmithing? building and operate a bnb in New Mexico? And having a loving family to shared it with. These are all things that say very successful life.

12/05/19 05:59 AM #1437    

 

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

R.I.P. Tom Hansen...from the boys in the Hood.

12/05/19 11:09 AM #1438    

Stewart Myrent

Paul, saw your post about the passing of Tom Hansen, your friend of 60+ yrs.  I don't remember Tom, but I'm pretty sure we had a graduating class of 450-500 students, & I'm sure I couldn't possibly have met everyone in the class.  I seem to remember having closer relationships with those who attended grade school with me, in my case Lincoln Hall.  One of the weirdest things about being in your early (mid?) 70's, is that, you can know a person for 60+ yrs.  The first thing I think of when I hear of a couple celebrating a 50th or 60th wedding anniversary, is that they BOTH lived long enough to reach that milestone.  My parents were married for 35 yrs., but my mother passed in 1976 (over 40 yrs. ago) from breast cancer, at age 53.  My father made it to 90.  I'm fairly confident my parents would have made it to a 50th or 60th anniversary, if my mother had survived.  Which is why I've been thinking for the longest time, that if you're in a long-standing relationship with another person, you would prefer to be the first to go.  At that point, any problems you had are done, over.  For the one who's left, however, it's a totally different story - any problems are still there, & you have to deal with the loss of this very important person in your life.  But, Paul, I really liked the story of Tom & his wife moving to Placitas, NM (wherever that is) & building a hacienda bed & breakfast - The Blue Horse (good name).  Sounds fairly idyllic to me.  So, he had a good life - and you & his wife & his 2 daughters are left behind to deal with this loss.  Sorry to hear about it, even though I don't remember Tom.


12/05/19 01:26 PM #1439    

Stewart Myrent

After my last post, I realized some of you, maybe not many, have already reached, or are fast approaching, a Golden Wedding Anniversary, & are looking forward to a 60th.  Congrats!  You are truly blessed.  And, also very lucky, of course.   My marriage lasted 22 yrs. & I am still very close with my ex-wife.  She is one of the all-time great girls!  (Although she is 63 now - maybe I shouldn't refer to her as a girl.)  But, that's another story.  So, I started thinking about these long-standing marriages, 50 yrs. plus, & I started wondering, after the first 20 or 30 yrs., is part of it, in fact, habit?  I realize part of it, is acceptance.  None of us is perfect - even though we are looking for that perfect person (the one that has 0% chance of actually existing) & we finally realize that THIS other person, is as close as I'll ever find.  So, it's OK if they're 95% of my ideal.  I'll just have to accept them with their (few) flaws, or faults.  So, I am curious, first of all, how many of you have already celebrated, or will soon celebrate, a Golden Wedding Anniversary?  I would also appreciate any feedback on my thoughts about long-standing marriages.  I would be very interested to know.


12/05/19 09:12 PM #1440    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Crossing the threshold - our children are messengers to a future we will never see.

Condolences to Tom Hansen's family and friends.


12/06/19 10:06 AM #1441    

 

Nancy Doyle (Sudlow)

My granddaughter is a junior at Niles North and participates in several choral groups at the school.  Last night was their winter concert.  They ended the program with the Hallelujah Chorus just as we did at our winter concerts over 50 years ago.  It was wonderful.  Such good memories.


12/06/19 02:55 PM #1442    

 

Beverlee Ann Arpan (Marshall)

Nancy,  I also remember our Christmas concert senior year when a member of concert choir, with Mr. McGee at the helm.  Funny what the mind retains. I remember singing with Snookie Perri, Pat Bateman and Janis Kliphardt in the alto section.  My twin brother, John, and Len Bennett sang in the base section, Kerry Kenney and Lee Miller we’re part of the tenor section, and Amy Gabriel, our best soprano, years later, sang with the Chicago Symphony.   Nancy Doyle and Holly Thompson accompanied the choir and orchestra on the piano.  The Hallelujah Chorus was the highlighted finale. Thanks for the fond memories, Nancy, who remains a close friend to this day.


12/06/19 07:06 PM #1443    

 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

 

   What will money buy?

 

 


12/06/19 07:46 PM #1444    

 

Paul Richard Hain

Some of us who were part of the Concert Band joined the Orchestra and Choir to perform the Hallelujah Chorus. I remember it well, the antiphonal sound and blends of voices and instrument. A few concert band members that come to mind are Jack Bookwalter, Nancy Novak, Scott Mermel and Mike Hansen. I'm sure I am missing others. That program was always a highlight for me each year.  Was it just my perception that Mr. Magee barely tolerated us band members?


12/06/19 08:33 PM #1445    

 

Beverlee Ann Arpan (Marshall)

Anyone have a guess what Janis’s post of a banana duck taped to ? with the caption “what will money buy?” means?  I haven’t stopped laughing.

 

 


12/06/19 09:28 PM #1446    

 

Scott Mermel

The "Hallelujah Chorus" will always be a fond memory for me (even though I'm Jewish!).  If you remember, we had band members in the balcony and along the sides of the auditorium, so the sound produced was incredible!  Every time I hear it played during the holiday season, I remember the times we performed it during the Christmas Concert at West.  It's become more poignant recently as when I hear it, I remeber recent the losses of Mr. Groeling and our classmate and trumpet player, Larry Burkhardt.


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