Saturday, August 04, 2007

It's a Male thing....


Classmates Scott Naylor and Donna Piltz began dating in August 1972 and were married in February 1974. During her first pregnancy, Donna prayed for twins, but it wasn’t to be, and their first son, Phillip, was born in Wood River in 1975. A short while later, the new family’s journey to Ohio began, but it was a long, winding trip with several stops along the way.

The journey began when Scott was offered the job of assisting his Dad, who worked with Beall Manufacturing for 50+ years, with the opening of a new plant for Beall in Cordele, Georgia, a town in South Georgia known as the watermelon capital of the world. Scott worked for Beall for nine years and then transferred as assistant plant manager to another manufacturing facility in Cordele. During this time, Donna stayed very busy being Mom to Phillip and Matthew, their #2 son born in Cordele in 1978. The young Naylor family celebrated the watermelon harvests and all that is good about the South, content with life with their two sons. But God was flipping through his big book one day and remembered Donna’s prayer for twins (she forgot to retract the request). Their twins, Timothy and Thomas, were born in 1981.

Five years later, the family journeyed to Mesa, Arizona when Scott took a plant manager’s job in a facility owned by the same company. After about three years in Arizona, this business was sold, but Scott was asked to stay with the company. This would mean a move to Findlay, Ohio, the hometown for the parent company. A few years later, the company asked Scott to be Operations Director for their small start-up company that they had acquired. This company’s Australian based process, (Rib-Loc pipe, basically used for re-lining existing infrastructure pipelines) afforded Scott the opportunity to travel to Australia for a while. Donna threatened to stow away, but that was not in the cards for her or their young family. After a few years, this business was sold, and Scott was asked to use his computer and manufacturing background to work on a company wide, multi-year business software implementation (Enterprise Resource Planning - ERP) for fourteen U.S. company facilities. This led to an offer from IBM for Scott to implement this software as a consultant with IBM and that is what Scott is doing currently. He is generally off work Friday through Sunday. With 2 or 3 of his sons, he plays Ultimate Frisbee nearly every Sunday afternoon at a local college and also enjoys playing basketball, golf, and disc golf. The down side of his longer weekends is a lot of travel Monday through Thursday, travel that has taken him many places in the US, as well as England, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Donna has not been able to travel with him as much as she would like (yet), but has made a few trips including Canada and Puerto Rico. Earlier on, Donna did the Cub Scout den mother thing and she currently volunteers in the elementary school library, along with tons of babysitting for the grandchildren.

Moving around as the Naylor’s have has allowed their family to stay close to each other, play hard together regularly, and camp all over the country…although camping in their current fifth wheel trailer would hardly be considered “roughing it.” Their sons have all graduated from college. Timothy, one of the twins, has degrees in Culinary and Hospitality and he is a chef at two local businesses. His wife is Coral. Thomas, the other twin, majored in Computer Technology and he currently works with engines and emissions in an EPA office in Michigan. He spent eight years in Army National Guard Reserve--luckily didn't have to go overseas. His wife is Erika and they are expecting their first child in late October (don't know if it is a boy or a girl). Matthew majored in Turf-Grass Management and currently leases and manages a small local golf course in Ohio. (free golf when they find the time) He and his wife, Beth, have four sons: James 6, Caleb 5, Eli 3, and Asher 1. Phillip, #1 son, majored in Communication, is a sales manager/actor, and is "living single in L.A." He does mostly local theater and a few movies that haven’t made it to the big screen (at least yet). He was a model for a basketball video game, but you have to get deep into the game to see him and his moves. They also changed him to a 7' black guy. Go figure.

The Naylor’s present home sits on five acres with a big shop (for the big boy toys) and several barns in a rural area in northwest Ohio. Donna longs for a grand-daughter in the future but the boys say “no way” – each son has a plan for four sons of his own. Donna dries her tears at the thought.
In the family picture: back row--Phillip, Erika, Coral, Beth
middle row--Thomas, Timothy, Scott, Matthew
front row--Donna, Asher, Josie(dog), James, Eli, Caleb
Donna and Scott WILL be attending the reunion! Also, they must keep us all in touch in October when the new grandbaby arrives.

Friday, August 03, 2007

August Birthdays


Happy Birthday to you All!
8/08 Mike Harkey
8/20 Karen Ballard Trimm
8/21 Brent Augustson (cool - AUGUSTson was born in August)
8/24 Sharon Todd Isringhausen
8/25 Terri Hohnsbehn Smith
8/30 Pam Jeffreys Stewart

Debbi (Miller-Mitchell) & Trooper Joe Stambaugh




Wednesday, August 01, 2007

It's Taco Weekend!

The first weekend of every month is taco weekend at No Man's Land in East Alton. People pack the little tavern on Friday and Saturday to enjoy Don and Marsha Cobb's homemade tacos. Then again, the to-go orders might outnumber the "eat in" number of tacos sold on this weekend. The Cobb's taco tradition is over 12 years old now. They have also added a taco salad and a chimichanga to the menu. Delicioso!

The building was built in 1936 by Lavina "Pete" Mourning as a gas station. It was named No Man's Land because at that time, only county services were available to it as it sat on the border of East Alton and Wood River. Pete and her husband later added the tavern section to the building and for a while, both the gas station and the tavern operated together. The gas station stayed open as long in the day as the tavern and truckers could fill up at midnight. Eventually, the gas tanks were removed and a kitchen was added inside the building. Around 1980, the business was sold to Carl and Charlotte Wallace. Their specialty was BBQ pork steaks on the weekends; for many years, if you took a drive-by the building, you would see smoke under the canopy from the BBQ grill.
Today, the canopy serves as a nice patio area for patrons to sit down, enjoy a cold beverage, and watch the traffic wiz by on Edwardsville Road. No Man's Land is also famous for their washer tournaments, so on any given Sunday, there's a crowd pitching washers on the side street by the building. We recently snapped this photo (okay, it was last December!) of a couple of our classmates at No Man's Land.
Don and Marsha have donated a prize to our reunion! Stop by and enjoy a famous taco and say "thanks."

Postcard from Reunion Van, 8.01.07


The New Alphabet

A is for apple, and B is for boat,
> That used to be right, but now it won't float!
> Age before beauty is what we once said,
> But let's be a bit more realistic instead,

> Now
> The Alphabet

> A's for arthritis;
> B's the bad back,
> C's the chest pains,
> perhaps car-d-iac?
> D is for dental decay and decline,
> E is for eyesight, can't read that top line!
> F is for fissures and fluid retention,
> G is for gas which I'd rather not mention.
> H is high blood pressure--I'd rather it low;
> I is for incisions with scars you can show.
> J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend,
> K is for knees that crack when they bend.
> L is for libido, what happened to sex?
M is for memory, I forget what comes next.
> N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low;
> O is for osteo, the bones that don't grow!
> P is for prescriptions, I have quite a few,
> just give me a pill and I'll be good as new!
> Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?
> R is for reflux, one meal turns to two.
> S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears,
> T is for Tinnitus; there's bells in my ears!
> U is for urinary; big troubles with flow;
> V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy," you know.
> W is for worry, NOW what's going 'round?
> X is for X ray, and what might be found.
> Y is another year I'm left here behind,
> Z is for zest that I still have-- in my mind.
>
> I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed,
> And I am keeping twenty-six doctors fully employed!!!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Congratulations to Elaine Terry Sherwood Lam!


Congrats to Elaine Terry and Robert Lam who were married on July 27, 2007.
Elaine, this cartoon picture stays put until you send us some pictures!
Elaine and her sweetie pie will be taking their delayed honeymoon over the Labor Day Weekend and will be out of town. Elaine says to tell everyone hello. Her address and phone number on the contact listing will remain the same - only the names have been changed...

Monday, July 30, 2007

THE CLOCK IS TICKING!

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY MAILED YOUR CHECK TO RESERVE A SPOT AT THE REUNION, PLEASE DO SO TODAY. JULIA'S BANQUET CENTER IS EXPECTING A FINAL HEAD COUNT BY AUGUST 8.

SEND CHECKS PAYABLE TO CMHS 1972 REUNION FUND, C/O GWEN VOLLINTINE, 302 MONROE ST, EAST ALTON, IL 62024-1436. THE PRICE PER PERSON IS $28.00.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU AND HOPE TO SEE YOU ON SEPT. 1!