Class Reunion Update: Since the last edition of Checkpoints the date of the reunion has moved to 30 Sep – 3 Oct, which is on the Navy game weekend. However, at the time this article went to press the big question was whether or not the reunion would actually happen this year. Everyone is living in the same bowl of mush so there’s no sense in going into a discussion of the issues at hand. We’ll know when we know. Jeff Hackett has his finger on the pulse, and since you’ll be reading this in September he’s already passed the word through the Squadron POCs to crank up the defibrillator or pull the plug.
A Fred of All Trades: Fred Weems, CS-12, checked in from Laramie, WY, where he’s going after a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics at the University of Wyoming. He uses a skateboard to transit between classes because, apparently, that’s normal behavior for someone who wants to regain years lost marching on the terrazzo. Fred skis in the winter and logs a few hours with a local flying club in his free time. In 2015 he earned a BA in music from Missouri Western State University and then put it to use as a playwright and composer of “Dark Fairy,” a ballet staged in the Missouri Theater in Saint Joseph, MO. In recognition of his eclectic approach to life after the grind, Fred wins this quarter’s Doing Retirement Right Award. If you haven’t heard of the DRR Award it’s because it was created by the Scribe’s keyboard a few minutes ago. No medals, plaques, or certificates, just what you see here. I envision an overwhelming response from classmates vying to claim the award in the future…or not.
Mini Reunions: Mike “Flash” DeHart, Steve “Bear” Brown, Charlie “Beamer” Beam, Dave “Bert” Ferguson, Larry Colletti, Otto Dieffenbach, Jim “Burr” Burling, and Jack Storer attended the 5th Annual Grim Reapers Ski and Snowmobiling Reunion last February in Colorado. There is no official report on the number of sitzmarks left on the slopes of Beaver Creek and Breckenridge during their raids on the resorts, but the photo they sent in shows no broken bones or open wounds. Larry gets kudos for honchoing the trip and Bert for his culinary skills. The pack, gaggle, pod, colony, conspiracy, band, or whatever one calls a collection of Grim Reapers, has vowed to continue meeting on the slopes as long as their knees hold out. Given the advances in artificial knees the limiting factor could be getting the ski racks that can hold their walkers.
Zooming: CS-23 held a reunion on Zoom on June 4th, and, as a participant, your barely literate Scribe highly recommends it as a way to reconnect with squadron mates. Virtual will never replace in-person reunions, but it was the largest gathering of ’75 Barnstormers in the last 45 years, and it was w-a-a-a-y better than watching classic football on the 70” flat-panel brain cell destroyer on the wall.
Class Trivia Challenge: Last quarter’s trivia question asked which three ‘75ers appeared in major Hollywood movies, and what movies did they appear in? The winner of the contest was…drumroll…no one…but Wayne Willis came the closest. He named two of the three actors and got one of the movies correct. The answer was: Mike Straight flew in “Top Gun” and made it into the credits; Mark D. Holmes was a pirate in “Hook,” sported his own beard and had lunch with Robin Williams; and Jeff Krumeich was an extra in a bar scene in “Fargo.”
Aspiring Extras: Although no one took the gold in the trivia challenge, some classmates sent in accounts of movies and magazines they were in, although they weren’t documented on 75bestalive.org so who would know? Ron Doeppner flew a helicopter in the 2002 version of “Mr. Deeds,” and John Saxman’s mug is in the background of some shots in “Red Flag: The Ultimate Game.” Gary Whitfield gets an honorable mention as one of the pilots in the T-38 formation on the cover of Air Force Magazine that may have ushered in the Aim High slogan, a slogan that was so good it was brought back a generation later. The picture was also featured in Air Force recruiting ads in Time and Flying magazines. Gary swears he wasn’t out of position.
