Reunicon 2

When the fun is just too much - Scott snoozing.
Jill, Scott, Brenda, Patricia, Mark, Me, Steve, Lisa, Robin (above)

Above: Me, Steve, Scott, Jill and Robin at Knott's.

Above: Robin, Steve, Scott, the Princess from Medieval Times, Mr. Boege, Elaine

I love my friends. I have lots of them. But the ones I love best are the crazy ones who make me laugh. Jill, Patricia, Robin, Brenda, Elaine, Steve, Scott, Mark, Lisa and I got together over the weekend of September 26-28 in Buena Park for a lovely gab fest. It included lots of going out to restaurants and talking talking talking. We also had a lovely trip to see the Newport Temple and view the ocean (it whispers to Scott... don't ask.) I can't remember laughing so much in years. When you got off the elevator on the 6th floor of the hotel, you just had to follow the noise to find us! I sure hope we didn't ruin anyone else's vacations!

It was especially nice to see Patricia, Scott and Steve who flew and drove in from faraway places, like Snoqualmie, Washington; Indianapolis, Indiana and Scottsdale, Arizona. We missed some people who couldn't make it, but it was great catching up with the people who did. Most of the time I masquerade as a responsible adult. It was fun to be silly again.

We did Knott's chicken dinner, Medieval Times, and Po' Folks, too.

It was particularly good to see Patricia, whose sister passed away on the morning of the 26th. I was so happy to be able to give her a big hug in person.

Friends are so important in life. I'm lucky to have some of the best friends in the world.

September Song

It seems this year is just chugging on by so fast! I can't believe we're

well into September. My mother would have been 83 tomorrow, the 17th. It doesn't seem possible she will have been gone 31 years as of October 11th. Time flies. I was 18, blinked twice and now I'm well past 50. There are so many things I still want to do and see and I feel time just slipping on by.

I was looking at pictures of the devastation left behind from

Hurricane Ike and it really hit me how fragile life is. You can have

your world turned upside down in the space of hours - or minutes!

Legacy

From Left to Right: Kenneth Maloy, William E. Wells, Jay Evensen, Paul Maloy.




















Ever have a truly terrific teacher? One that really made a difference in your life? Bill Wells was that guy for many of us who passed through the portals of the East Phoenix area's Longview Elementary School in the 60s and 70s.

Mr. Wells made it cool to play an instrument and participate in band or orchestra. So cool, in fact, that little Longview Elementary's marching band played in the major parades - we're talking Fiesta Bowl, etc - and did so because they earned their place there! The school's auditorium was eventually renamed the William E. Wells Auditorium. It's still standing. However, the old Longview school was torn down some years ago and rebuilt in a rather awful, multi-story, boxlike "improvement". The Osborn school system, back in the day, got excellent funding from the Central Avenue business corridor tax money. Now, there is no funding for these inner city schools, no music program and no people of Bill Wells' ilk to carry on the banner. Longview School's music program produced a fair amount of professional musicians, and a lot of us just regular folks, too, who had the opportunity to learn and perform and grow under Mr. Wells' enthusiastic baton.

My brother Jay had a chance to see Mr. Wells again recently. The man is well into his 80s now (we had thought he was dead!) and still full of stories and life.

We need more 'Mr. Wells' in the world.