WAGNER - CLARK AB - CLASSES 75-80

Musings of a Viking Wanderer - Part I

Like most of us, my sister, Elin, has the wandering gene - the urge to travel and see new and interesting places. As a family, we traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Far East, and Elin continues that tradition. Journeying to the four corners of the globe, there are few places she hasn't been! This summer she is in Iceland, my mother's homeland, helping with an elderly aunt and taking advantage of the opportunity to visit places she hasn't seen on previous trips. During college, she spent a summer at our aunt and uncle's farm on the east coast and learned the language (an easy task for her) and the ins and outs of sheep farming. Since many know little of Iceland, I convinced her to post a few travelogues of her wanderings around the land of our Viking ancestors.

Just a few facts about Iceland: It was originally settled by Norwegians around 874. Over the next centuries, it was populated by people of Nordic and Gaelic origin and ruled by Norway and Denmark. Iceland gained its independence from Danish rule in 1904. Iceland has some of the world's highest levels of economic freedoms as well as civil freedoms. The total population is roughly half that of San Francisco! As of 2007, Iceland is the most developed country in the world with fellow Nordic country Norway according to the Human Development Index and the fourth most productive country per capita. In 1980, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the first woman in the world to be elected the head of state in a democratic election. The Icelandic language remains little changed from the Old Norse - the old sagas can still be understood when reading them today. Try that with old English! (I still shudder when recalling Chaucer on Carmone's reading list). Called the land of Fire & Ice, Iceland is a mix of glaciers and lava beds due to its location over the Mid-Atlantic ridge and makes for a dramatic landscape unequaled on earth.

By Elin Pierce '78

Greetings from Isafjordur, Iceland!

Iceland really has to be SEEN and experienced in person. No matter how much one reads about Iceland, nothing compares to walking the rugged landscape and feeling the mist on your face from the thundering waterfalls. My writing and pictures may bring a limited sense of familiarity of my ancestral home, but you really have to come here and experience it in the 3-dimensional, using all 5 senses - to get a true impression of this amazing country.

I am now writing from the town of Isafjordur, which is in the wild and rugged northwestern-most region of Iceland. The Vestfjordur (West Fjords) region is a really exciting place, truly out of the beaten path of most tourists, yet it has some of the most dramatic landscape in all of Iceland. It has several huge peninsulas, each criss-crossed by fjords, inlets and bays, mountains everywhere, many of them topped with glaciers or snow, with sheer cliffs steeply dropping to the sea. Waterfalls are everywhere, many of them cutting into the terraced, rocky layers of the mountainsides. The northernmost of the peninsulas can only be accessed on foot or by boat. Imagine that! On the map of Iceland above, you can see the West Fjord region is the peninsular area that juts out toward the NW, connected only by a slender neck that is about 8 km wide, just south of Holmavik. Below, you can see on the map where I am now, in the town of Isafjordur, which means Ice-fjord, and is just about the furthest northwest you can get to by car here in Iceland. It is considered the capital of this region, being the largest and busiest town, but is tiny by our standards (pop. 3,946). This map makes West Fjords look small, but don't let that fool you. It's nearly 8,600 sq mi of rugged countryside!

So I'm now sipping a good cup of coffee in a little guest-house (otherwise known as a bed & breakfast place) in Isafjordur, having just had a great Icelandic breakfast: smorgasbord style, with all kinds of delicious things to eat including typical Icelandic foods like skyr (a yogurt-like dairy product uniquely Icelandic) which I LOVE, pickled herring and fresh bread and even cod liver oil for your good health! By the way, Iceland & Norway make the best and most effective cod-liver oil (source of vitamin-D and the good omega-s) in the world. Sure wish I could eat enough to last me all day!

I made the journey to Isafjordur yesterday - it took me all day to get here by bus and mini-van from Borgarnes, which I did not get to see at ALL as it was pouring rain and very windy - the worst weather I've experienced this summer. Fortunately for me, the owner of the place I stayed in gave me a ride into town. Actually this gesture of kindness has been really typical of all my stays around the country so far - people are extremely helpful and generous. Don't know whether it's because I can speak the language (but am obviously a visiting half-native) or whether they would be so kind with most tourists, but I have been very fortunate, and thus have enjoyed myself immensely! Even the bus drivers have sometimes given me their own "special" cut-rates, and asked me to sit up front with them! What a blast.

Anyway, yesterday's journey was memorable. Got into Borgarnes in the pouring rain, and caught the bus (full-size this time) - just to find that I would join a whole troop of US Boy Scouts from Northwest Georgia on their way to a Scout Jamboree! They were of course, in complete awe of the country and were convinced I was a local (I didn't crush that image). I pointed out on the way a couple of places of interest, like I was the expert (!), such as the side-valley where Erik-the-Red ("Eirikur Raudi") actually used to live and his homestead. Erik-the-Red was the first European to settle Greenland, and contrary to what most people learned in school, his son, Leifur Eiriksson, the first European to explore America. An hour's drive to the north from there, I jumped off the bus at the cross-roads and waited for my connection to Holmavik in the NW, while they continued NE to Akureyri.

The bus that travels from the cross-roads at Bru to Holmavik in the north is just a 16-person mini-van, and as usual, there were very few passengers -- only 2 Icelanders and me. About 10 km up the road, the pavement ended and I felt that I was back off the beaten path -- I love that! The road hugs the coastline here, and there are no towns, just a farm here and there along the way. Sheep farms mostly, each with their own name-sign (no street numbers here)! Most names are based on the landscape characteristics, like "Red Delta" and so on. The rain stopped and the sun came through the clouds now and then, creating a dramatic backdrop. Lots of seabirds, especially eiders along the way (literally 1000's), which Icelanders in these parts appreciate because many farmers regularly harvest their down for commercial use.

We circumnavigated every bay, fjord, and inlet until we got to Holmavik - and I took tons of photos (in between the pot-holes and washboard stretches of gravel). It was just grand. At Holmavik, the wind was blowing strongly from the SW and bitterly cold, so most folks packed into a cramped cafeteria at the town's only 2-pump open gas station. My bus from there was with the local West Fjord bus company, owning a huge fleet of all of 4 minivans, all unmarked!. The driver was very chatty and animated, rattling away in Icelandic with me about all kinds of subjects. What a ride - the landscape was most dramatic and in some places, the gravel road made very steep ascents and windy descents with a sheer drop-off to one side (absolutely no guard rails anywhere along the way), and I was glad I am not afraid of heights!

The mountains rose steeply around us on all sides, and I could have spent the entire day there just photographing. The waterfalls cascaded down the mountainsides in small rivulets in so many places, I wondered how they kept the roads designed so that the water didn't gouge them out! If you take another look at the map, you can see how we looped in and out of each fjord on our way NW to Isafjordur. At last, we reached one of the peninsulas where the big glacier north across the fjord, Drangajokull, appeared, crouched among the craggy mountaintops. I was focused on that and asked the driver what the huge waterfall below it was called. Just as he was pointing out the scenery, up jumped a young sheep from the ditch beside the road.

These sheep are all over the country and are left to wander freely in the summer to graze outside of the farmed pastures of grass that are harvested for the winter when they are kept indoors in barns. Unfortunately, they are not smart about traffic (or anything), and drivers frequently have to slow down and honk to get them off the roads. This one was too quick for the driver and it somehow seemed to dive right under our minivan - and then - a big clunk somewhere right under my feet! UGH. Well, a bit of drama, but at least the sheep was dead instantly on impact and the owner notified (to be later compensated). The driver however, seemed not to be so well for the rest of the drive, and at one point, I seriously considered taking over as he vacillated between having a hard time staying awake and being very fidgety!!

I wondered, as we drove up and down the steep mountains and sharp curves at breakneck speeds, why in the world I didn't have a will. Then again, what the heck do I need a will for - the only thing I have of value is my life, but I don't particularly want to give that away to anyone, least of all not this driver!! As we were rounding the last peninsula and Isafjordur came into view, I knew we were going to make it alive, and I could finally relax a little bit. Just as I started to ease back into my seat, I heard a loud SWOOOSH! Right over our heads, a commercial plane came swinging over, angling steeply down. (I must have said Holy Shit, even though I almost never swear!) I had been so busy looking at the town across the fjord that I didn't see the little airport tucked on the only flat point of land in the fjord.

Exiting the bus on slightly shaky feet in Isafjordur, I was exhausted, needless to say, and putting up the tent in the campsite was definitely NOT an option. And thank goodness I did not, because the wind later in the evening turned into a gale and that little tent would have been flapping so loud I might as well have tried to sleep in a war-zone! My driver kindly drove me to the nearest ATM (as his company only took cash!), and then to the nearest B&B.

And now, I am in a little wooden house and very cozy. Like so many places in Iceland, this house has a lot of history behind it. Everything on this isolated rock in the middle of the Atlantic is used very frugally, which means nothing is thrown away or used only once. This house, for example, was built as the local hospital in 1896, and was very small - so small that in 1926, they had to build a bigger one. For many years, this fishing village was the hub of the region and was actually considered the capital of Iceland. In 1900, this hospital was visited by the King of Denmark, which ruled over Iceland at that time, and there are some old photographs of that on the wall here. The house was eventually converted to a home and is now a B&B. Last night I shared a dorm room here with 3 others - two young Italians on a work-volunteer vacation here, and a Chinese woman neuroscientist now living in NY, having completed a PhD in Stanford & Harvard! It’s amazing to me the variety of people I run into on my travels – stay tuned for further adventures from Iceland!

Pictures: #1 - View of Isafjordur from the mountainside coming into town  #2 - Map of Iceland  #3 - Inset of the rugged northwestern region of Iceland  #4 - Another view of Isafjordur #5 - Elin and one of our cousin's daughters with an Icelandic pony at their farm in Egilsstadir #6 - A view of the glacier, Dragnajokull from across the bay  #7 - A view of Dragnajokull in winter (by Oddur Jons - Flickr) #8 - The rugged terrain of our cousin's farm on the eastern side of Iceland.

Mars & Venus Revisited

Summertime is here - the weather is gorgeous and everyone is out and about doing outdoor stuff instead of spending time at their computers - which is as it should be! In fact, I've got that song by Will Smith in my head - Summertime - it's so catchy isn't it? So I'm gonna cut you all some slack about contributing stuff to the site and instead dig into our archives and repost a few great articles from the past. We've been around since January of 2005 and have a lot of enjoyable reads posted, including the following two that Myrna did on the differences between the sexes from a parent's perspective.

Check it out as Myrna interviews Mark Anderson '78 and Ed Welch '77 about whether raising daughters makes women more understandable to them in Women Are From Venus: Two Martian's Views.

Then check out the counter-point article, A View From Venus: Men Are Definitely From Mars!, where the following moms talk about raising sons: Marie Bissell '77, Lynn Eby '76, and Yolanda Fisherman '76.

Have a great weekend!

Parental Pride and Awe, Part 4: Motivated and Inspired

by Myrna Nickelsen, '78

Figuring one’s vocation or calling is key to happiness in life. But it's not an easy thing to do. It’s so tough that there are those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s still trying to figure out what they want to do when they grow up. Some never figure it out. So you can't help but admire the young people who have already identified their life's vocations. Here are a few young people who are so motivated and inspired that they don't even think of themselves as making sacrifices while pursuing their dreams -- even when it's clear that that's exactly what they're doing. 

Cheyenne Wilcox
Proud Parent: Lisa Ramos Wilcox, ’77

It’s bad enough when your child graduates from high school and goes out on her own to live in a dorm or her first apartment, but when that child heads to another continent…?

Such is the case for Lisa and oldest child, Cheyenne. 

In the Fall of 2007, Cheyenne graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins with a degree in Health & Exercise and headed for Greece. She is currently in Vicenza, Italy and will remain in Europe for another two years.

Lisa knows she shouldn’t be surprised by her daughter's sense of adventure and love of travel. When Cheyenne was only 11 years old, she traveled solo from Denver to Japan and back. (She was there to visit Lola – Tagalog for Grandma.) While in school, she also spent one summer in Kenya helping out at the Tumaini orphanage, the same one where Heidi Young Johnsen (78) and family has been volunteering every summer for years now.  Still, it’s not easy for any mother to be so far away from her child.

Cheyenne is in Europe with Young Life, a Christian non-denominational outreach ministry directed at middle school and high school students. “It’s sort of like God Squad,” Lisa explained. Last summer, Cheyenne drafted a proposal to work as a camp counselor in Europe for Young Life and have it count as credits towards a graduate degree. It was accepted, but since it was a “free” internship, she would have to either earn the money or raise the funds to support her while living there. Cheyenne headed to Greece to work as an au pair for a woman who owned a chain of hotels, with the plan to earn enough money to support her while she worked in Italy. Unfortunately, nasty people come in all shapes and sizes and exist in all economic groups, so Cheyenne lasted only a month.

Cheyenne works with American military kids living overseas. “The truth is, military installations are insulated American bubbles of community with little to no outreach being conducted towards youth. Considering the average military family moves every few years, I question how kids are able to build significant relationships with anyone and more importantly - how they are ever introduced to the Life Giver,” she writes on her blog. She’s committed to working with them for another two years.

She’ll be home next month to raise money for her living expenses in Europe which amounts to around $700 a month. If you’d like, you can help her raise these funds by making a one-time contribution or a monthly one during the next two years. It’s a charitable contribution that’s fully tax deductible. I figured that those of you who benefited from your God Squad experience may well be interested in helping Cheyenne in her quest to help teenagers know God. You can help her ministry by giving online or via snail mail. Here are the instructions:

To give online, click on this link: https://giving.younglife.org/starthere.aspx.  Select “A Young Life Staff Member’s Ministry” under “Gift Designation," which will bring up a Search button. Click on this and type Wilcox, and you’ll see Cheyenne’s name listed twice! Select the first one which has “X998” next to her name. That’s it! They’ll make sure her account is credited.

Alternatively, you can contribute by writing a check(s) payable to "Young Life" and on the memo line, write " X998 - Wilcox" so it can be credited to her account. Their mailing address is: PO Box 2920, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-2920. You’ll get a receipt either way so you can remember to take the charitable deduction on your 2008 taxes.

Photo is of Cheyenne (right), taken during a trip to London in May.

Matthew and Marcus Smith
Proud Parent: Mike Smith, '78

After finishing his first year at the Metropolitan State University in Denver, Matthew, now 22, was pulled over and ticketed for making an illegal right turn. Convinced it wasn’t warranted, Matthew fought it. In the process, he came in contact with a few defense attorneys. The violation was reduced to a lesser charge, but more importantly, Matthew discovered his interest in the law. He is now a senior pursuing two degrees: pre-law and business.

Like Mike, Matthew was a good basketball player in high school. But unlike his dad, he had no interest in playing college ball nor did he have any fantasies of playing professionally. “He felt that the demands of school would require as much time as he could give it and thought his education would suffer if he was also in sports,” Mike says. “What I’m most proud of in Matthew is that he is extremely hardworking, independent, and has been extremely supportive of his family. He has fortitude and perseverance.” 

To date, Mike and wife Gina haven’t had to pay a dime for Matthew’s college. His first year was financed with scholarships from The Colorado Aviation Education Association, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and The Tuskegee Airman, Inc. To earn some spending money, he began working part-time for UPS in August 2005. He now works 32 hours a week as an International ODC Supervisor, a position to which he was promoted in April. While it means an 18 month commitment to UPS after graduation, UPS has been reimbursing Matthew’s tuition since 2006. Depending on course availability and schedules, Matthew will graduate in December 2008 or May 2009.

Younger brother Marcus, 20, with whom Matthew is very close, just finished his sophomore year at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where he’s pursuing a double major in business and pre-med. He’s on track to graduate in May 2010.

That he’s pursuing a business degree isn’t surprising. “For as long as I can remember, Marcus has been selling a product or a service,” Mike explains. Just after his ninth birthday, Marcus bought a $650 Lawn Boy mower and started a lawn mowing business. Mike would laugh when he’d tell me how much money Marcus was making and socking away. “He’s all business but funny to be around,” he’d say.

Grandma Smith who was a teacher and a program director at a senior citizens’ home sparked his interest in medicine. Marcus now has visions of being a hospital administrator, designing billing software, or pharmacology. Meanwhile, he’s attending summer school at Metropolitan State “to knock out some credits and save money in the process.”

Like his brother, Marcus received several scholarships. Together with money he saved over the years from his lawn mowing business, financial assistance from Mike and Gina is nominal.

Because of the strong work ethic and focus they developed at an early age, Matthew and Marcus have freed their parents from the worries of paying for the high cost of a college education – which, in itself, is impressive. Add to that the fact that the boys are so close that they imagine themselves one day owning a business together. What more could a parent want?   

Photo: Marcus is on the left, Matthew on right.

Send me or Nina an email about your kid and why you're proud of him, her, or them. While we're focusing on those who have already graduated from high school, don't hesitate to talk about those who are already making extraordinary accomplishments. Don't forget to include a corresponding photo.

Parental Pride and Awe, Part 3: Twice Blessed

by Myrna Nickelsen, '78

I do not have one friend with more than one child who, at some point, didn't become puzzled or awed by how different two kids from the same parents in the same household can be. One might be neat, the other a slob. Another might be shy, while the other seeks out the spotlight. Still another might be uber-responsible and never has to be reminded to do his/her chores or homework while the other, well -- it's as if they're living on another planet and hear and see nothing! But eventually, they do grow up, and the parents discover just how much both children make them proud, differences and all. Here are two perfect examples.

Jessica and Jackie Anderson
Proud Parents: Mark Anderson, '78, and Liz Wilson Anderson, '79 

For years, every new picture of Jessica that Liz and Mark would send would make John and I say, “Wow!” Her beauty was growing with each passing year. Okay, so it should have been no surprise that Liz, who was always one of my prettiest girlfriends and Mark who is no slouch, would have beautiful children. But I first met Jess when she was a toddler, and while she was adorable, I wasn’t expecting her to end up with movie star good looks. That she’s also incredibly intelligent and kind makes her such a spectacular human being that I’ve taken to bragging about her to mutual Wagner friends for several years now.

In May, Jessica graduated magna cum laude from The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she majored in English and business and minored in French. Graduating with honors is an impressive feat no matter the university, but I think it’s worth noting that William & Mary, being one of the original Ivy League schools, is one of the most selective universities in the country. Former U.S. Supreme Court associate justice Sandra Day O’Connor is its chancellor, and the school’s  notable alumni include former presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler; US Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall; current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; numerous congresspersons, and funny man Jon Stewart.

While Jessica was there, she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority as well as the school choir and an a capella group. She also spent a semester in Aix-en Provence, France during the spring of 2007. She doesn’t consider herself fluent in French, but she did win the award for being the best French speaker at the International School that semester. 

All this is great, but what makes Jessica really special is her generosity and kindness of spirit. For years, she has tutored reading to elementary school children living in impoverished neighborhoods. She also spent her last college spring break in Mississippi helping build homes for Katrina victims.

Before graduation, she was actively recruited by several companies before accepting a job as an event coordinator for Centra Technologies, a government contract company in Arlington. Immediately after graduation and before starting the new job, Jessica took off with four girlfriends on a 3-week backpacking trip in Italy, Romania, and Austria.

And then there’s younger sister, Jackie, whom Jessica adores and of whom she's extremely protective. Jackie graduated with honors from high school a few weeks after Jessica graduated. While in high school, Jackie was heavily involved in theater (like father, like daughter) and also worked as a reporter for her school newspaper. She received several merit awards for outstanding academic achievement during the graduation ceremonies. What makes these achievements noteworthy and incredibly impressive is that Jackie accomplished them despite learning disabilities and encephalopathy.

Next stop for Jackie: the College of Southern Maryland. She doesn’t yet know what she wants to study. Whatever she decides, one thing is certain: Jackie will give it her all. That pretty much would make any parent proud. 

Charlene Gray and Justin Thompson
Proud Parent: Liani Cubello Thompson, ’80 

I first heard about Charlene and Justin in May when a dozen of us Wagner women gathered in Las Vegas. While the split between the number of women with children versus without was nearly 50/50, many conversations revolved around the kids.

Liani beamed with pride when she talked about Charlene and Justin.

Charlene graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in psychology last year. She immediately began working on her master’s degree in psychology only to decide shortly after that she didn’t like the idea of being a therapist after all – at least not the mental kind. Her lifelong love of sports steered her towards physical or occupational therapy. This summer, she headed back to Texas Tech to become an occupational therapist. Liani reports that Charlene is now taking her first class and loving it.

Son Justin, on the other hand, had no idea what he wanted to do when he grew up. After graduating from high school in May 2007, he simply hung out. Liani was unfazed. It took her a while to figure out what she loved, so she knew he'd have to get there on his own time.  When Justin's friends started heading for college, boredom quickly set in, leading him to finally give thought to what he might want to do. He was certain of only one thing: he didn't want to to be at a desk from 8 to 5. One day, after watching something on TV, it hit him. He was going to become a chef. From that point on, he began researching the field and sought out culinary schools. He is now at the Texas Culinary Academy/Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. “The more classes he attends, the more he loves it,” Liani tells me. Now, when Justin comes home, mom is often treated to a culinary feast.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Send me an email telling me about your kid and why you're proud of him, her, or them. While we're focusing on those who have already graduated from high school, don't hesitate to talk about those who are already making extraordinary accomplishments. Don't forget to include a corresponding photo. 

DC Reunion Contest Update July 2008

by Nina & Myrna

It's time to revisit the DC Reunion Contest standings. If you don't know anything about the DC Reunion contest, just click on this link and check how you can earn a free trip to the next 75-80 Wagner Reunion in Washington DC.

Going over the stats, we've learned a few important things....

• We have faithful readers and while not all comment on a regular basis, you're out there!
• Thanks to those who comment on a regular basis because feedback is important! Also, this is a great way to earn points toward entries in the DC reunion contest. Check out the Contest Standings  and see why Dana Williams '77 is in the lead!
• This website is a great way to get back in touch with folks you haven't talked to in a long while - we've managed to find quite a few alumni because they've stumbled onto our site. We try to include email address links whenever possible so people can find you.
• Since the inception of the site in January of 2005, we've put up 529 posts, there have been 1,469 comments, we've had 198,085 hits with an average of 150 hits per day.
• Sending in a response to a Wagner memories survey , Turning 50 survey or an update on your kids (or life in general) is a great way to earn points toward the DC Reunion Contest. If you haven't done either survey, please click on the link to get the questions and send them in!
• Everyone loves to hear about your Wagner memories or what you're doing now, so take a few moments and send them in. If you've got something to say about your kids or your life, or just want to write an article about a subject that you think others would be interested in, email either Myrna or Nina and we'll gladly post it for you! Don't forget to include pictures!

So thanks to all who keep in touch and who send in survey responses and updates on themselves and others in the Wagner community. We'll update you soon on the progress of the next reunion and in the meantime, keep those comments and entries coming!

Parental Pride and Awe, Part 2: Oh, the Places They'll Go!

by Myrna Nickelsen, '78

It's a rare child indeed who in high school knows exactly what s/he wants to be when s/he grows up. But regardless of when the kids figure it out, the "choice" can be a source of pride and sometimes, consternation for the parent -- or both. In the second of these series, we meet two "kids" whose dreams were codified at a very young age indeed.

Alexa Shusterman
Proud Parent: Peter Shusterman, ‘77

Peter dotes on his girls, Alexa (17) and Chelsea (6 or 7). A few days ago, Peter called to calm my nerves about the current state of the financial markets (he's our financial advisor), and as always, after the "business talk," we'd put on our friendship hats to talk about life. This time, the subject of Alexa dominated the conversation.

Peter can be pretty liberal about a lot of things, but perhaps because of his profession, he can also be extremely conservative. And when it comes to careers, he has a tendency to lean towards the "safer" paths. Not surprisingly, he’s always planned on Alexa going to college after high school, but now that she’s about to enter her senior year, he’s learning that while not eschewing it altogether, she has her own ideas. Peter laughed when I asked him what that meant. She wants to be an actress. What’s wrong with that? Nothing, except that she had no plans on getting there because she’s been convinced that she’s going to be discovered! Being a numbers guy, he, of course, told her of the odds. It’s not gonna happen if you're waiting to be discovered, he had insisted. Peter told me that the best he could do was succeed in convincing her to take an acting class this summer.

Within weeks, the acting teacher told Peter that Alexa was good, that she has talent, and that she ought to audition for a role in a short movie (30 minutes) about teenagers that was being made by an independent film company. It would be her very first audition. It would be good experience. But it proved to be more than that. Alexa landed the lead role. She will be Marisa in “The Quickening,” and filming begins in a couple of weeks.

As I’m wowing, Peter is lamenting. “It gives me great angst that she was offered a role in her first official audition,” he told me. “It just reinforces for her the idea that these things are easily obtainable!” 

Peter is shocked, proud, and apprehensive at the same time. Still trying to wrap his arms around the idea of his daughter being an actress, he’s been emailing the director with his “obsessive, overprotective, disturbed parent questions.” It was the final scene that freaked Peter out: the jealous, boyfriend-stealing teen played by Alexa lying in bed, “making out” with her love interest as the camera pans away. “Have you any idea, Myrna, how frightening it is to have to ask the director whether your baby daughter has a nude scene?” There is no nude scene, so Peter has resorted to saying, “Oh well…see you at the Oscars.”

David Dreshfield
Proud Parent: Sue Eby Dreshfield, ‘78

Like many parents, Sue hesitates to “brag” about her kids. “It makes me feel goofy,” she says. But it would be hard not to brag about David.

He graduated from high school in 2007. Early in his senior year (I’m going by memory here so it might have been sooner), Sue was telling me about David’s love of history, his interest in learning Arabic, and his desire to one day end up in the intelligence field. He should talk to Mark Anderson who’s built a career with the CIA, I told her, that I had no doubt that Mark would be more than happy to talk with David. Soon after, Mark told me how impressed he was with David’s seriousness, intelligence, and eloquence – all of which he gleaned from the letter David sent him. He was so impressed that he read me parts of it. Naturally, Sue was thrilled to hear this.

After graduation, David headed to Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California to major in International Relations with the intent to focus on the Middle East. While Sue was sad to see her first-born go, she was also extremely excited for him. She missed him terribly. When he came home for the holidays, she couldn't believe how much he'd grown up. “He couldn’t stop talking about politics!” she told me with pride and amusement, as the views he was forming differed from hers.

The highlights of his first year in college include hearing Bono and Anderson Cooper speak on campus, starting his own current events/political blog, and going on a 10-day trip to India with two friends at the start of summer. Guided by another friend, Rajat, who lived on the same floor and who is from India, the boys traveled from New Delhi to Agra (Taj Mahal), Kuchesar (Mud Fort), Nainital (hill station), Lucknow (Rajat's home), then back to New Delhi. It was a trip of a lifetime for David, who now feels that reading about India in books or online in no way compares with the actual experience of being there. According to Sue, David developed a fondness for North Indian cuisine.

David is home for a couple more months. He’s spending the rest of his summer getting a leg up on his Arabic language studies and trying to nail down a summer job (paid or otherwise) with the Barack Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago. He’s been jumping through hoops to do this for several months now, but it seems that it’s not as easy as it might sound. One can't help but admire this young man's determination.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Send me an email telling me about your kid and why you're proud of him, her, or them. While we're focusing on those who have already graduated from high school, don't hesitate to talk about those who are already making extraordinary accomplishments. Don't forget to include a corresponding photo.

Parental Pride and Awe, Part 1: Athleticism is Definitely Genetic!

by Myrna Nickelsen, ’78

I’m one of the few Wagnerites who chose not to have children, but it doesn’t mean I don’t like kids. To the contrary, I love kids and am genuinely fascinated by them – especially by what makes them tick. I’m always looking for patterns, particularly the influences that shape the people they become and the choices they make. Consequently, many of my conversations with friends are regularly dominated by discussions about their kids. Nina’s Commencement story inspired this series of articles about the kids of Wagnerites from the classes of 1975 to 1980. It’ll be a great way to help Nina keep the website fresh (please, please write stories for her!), and since I’m childless, you can be sure that I'm being completely objective! 

The first two or three in the series are about friends’ kids – since I already know their stories, and we'll start with a few who were born with brains and brawn.

Caitlin Baker
Proud Parent: Nina Pierce Baker, ‘77

Nina was on the cross country, swim & track teams at Wagner, so it shouldn't be surprising that her daughter, Caitlin, is also an athlete.

In her Commencement article, inspired by her daughter Caitlin’s graduation from high school, Nina focused on why she’ll miss her. But while she told us that she’s helping Caitlin shop for her dorm room, she failed to mention what her daughter will now be doing after graduating from high school last month.

Caitlin is headed for Wilmington College in Ohio where she plans to major in psychology. She’s also an athlete, playing volleyball and softball in high school and will be playing softball for the Wilmington Quakers. Her brains and braun earned her a merit scholarship, which makes mom extremely proud! Nina also told me that Caitlin who, I swear, looks like Aunt Elin, was one of 24 freshmen selected for the  Freshman Leadership Plunge, the group that organizes outward bound type of activities for the rest of the class for the entire school year. She took off on July 9 for the first activity. 

Wilmington College was perfect for this mother-daughter pair. The school is 200 miles southwest from where Nina lives, which means that Caitlin is close enough to visit every now and then, but far enough away that she can’t feel guilty for not coming home every weekend!

Ray Polk
Proud Parent: Susan Corey, ’78

If you’re a college football fan, you might have already heard about Ray Polk. Susan Corey’s only son, this handsome, smart, and athletically gifted young man has been making headlines on sports pages since he was in high school. He was a track star and considered one of the country’s top hurdlers. But his real passion was football, and by the time he was a senior, he was ranked the 11th running back in the country by Rivals.com. He was also one of 14 running backs named to the Western 100 team by the Tacoma News Tribune. He was recruited by several Big 12 universities, and Ray chose Colorado in Boulder. Next month, he officially becomes a Buffalo or “Buff."

Within days of graduating from Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, Ray headed to Boulder for Summer Workout and quickly began making headlines. Click here to read the story published yesterday. Is it any wonder that Susan is so proud? I’m so thrilled for her and Ray that I’ll be watching Colorado games on TV for the next four years and rooting for his team even when they do play the Longhorns. So what if the Longhorns are my alma mater's team? I know from my Wagner days that sports take on a whole different meaning when you actually know at least one of the players! So when Ray is in the NFL (I know that’s where he’s headed), it'll be goodbye 49ers, hello Ray's team!  Keep an eye out for this truly delightful and talented young man!

So where does all this talent come from? Susan is the first to acknowledge genetics' role. While she'd never claim to be a world-class athlete, Susan was on the track team at Wagner and at Oklahoma State where she met Ray's father, Raymond, then a cornerback, and definitely a world class athlete. Raymond was picked by the Los Angeles Raiders during the 12th round of the 1985 NFL draft, later being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he tore a hamstring that ended his pro career. Those are some serious athletic genes in my non-athletic, wimpy world. 

Kaeli and Colby Kluesner
Proud Parent: Becky Moore Kluesner, ’79

Kaeli just completed her first year at the Air Force Academy – and she did a bang up job! She made the Superintendent’s List and now wears a "special" pin on her uniform. It’s a major accomplishment given that to get on this list, you apparently have to maintain above a 3.0 in academics, military, and physical. (This clearly is military academy talk – so one of you who went there will have to explain what these mean to us civilians.) It’s difficult enough to maintain that GPA across the board, but for Kaeli, it was compounded by the fact that she’s also on the swim team. That meant swim practice was added to her day, and she had to travel for the swim meets! Kaeli’s time in the 200 backstroke is now in the AFA Top Ten. She also excels in the 400 Individual Medley.

Becky is understandably proud of Kaeli – so much so that she is convinced that her daughter will one day be “General Kluesner.” And every now and then, Kaeli also makes her nervous. Yesterday, July 8, Becky drove from Denver to Colorado Springs to watch Kaeli make her first jump out of an airplane. “I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to watch her jump out of an airplane, but when it came down to it, I was very excited for her,” Becky says.

And then there’s son Colby. While still only a sophomore in high school, he already knows he wants to go to the Air Force Academy. He, too, is an athlete, winning the state championship in Greco and Freestyle wrestling two weeks ago. (Okay - I have no idea what these are, so we'll need those of you wrestling fans to describe these for us.) Like his sister, he’s fluent in French and recently completed his third trip to France as an exchange student. But unlike his sister, he also speaks Spanish and hopes to be an exchange student during the next two years so that he can immerse himself in the Spanish language and culture.

In Kaeli's and Colby's cases, the athletic gene comes from both sides. Becky was a swimmer at Wagner, the kids' dad a bicycle racer in college and for years after, and the grandparents on both sides were also college level athletes.

And so I will stick with my theory that athleticism is genetic. I'm sure there are others of you out there with children whose children are athletically gifted, and you'll just have to email me about him, her, or them.

But we all know that not everyone can be an athlete, so while you'll likely hear about other "jock kids" these coming months, we'll have many more whose kids have taken very different but no less interesting paths.

Click on any image to enlarge.I look forward to getting your emails and updates regarding your children so that I can feature them in future stories. Just don’t forget to include a photo.

Commencement

by Nina Pierce Baker '77

Thirty-one years ago I walked across the stage at the Bobbitt Theatre and received my high school diploma from Mr. Taft. Some days it feels like forever ago and I can barely remember the young girl I was back then. On other days it seems like yesterday.

A few weeks ago my eldest took her turn walking across the stage to receive her diploma. She’s officially an adult now, ready to tackle the world. My job, for the most part, is done. Like any other parent, I still try to give her advice now and then, whether she wants it or not, but really, how much is she going to soak up at this point? Already I can feel her slipping away, gently snipping at the tethers of the parent-child bond, preparing to face the next step of her life on her own.

My daughter and I joke around about the fact that I’ll be left behind with two 14 year old boys (one of them being her father) and an abundance of testosterone in the house. Who will go shopping with me and give me fashion advice?? Who will watch chick flicks with me?? I’ll be outnumbered and subjected to the male pleasures of Family Guy and the Sci-Fi and History channels. My only solace is that they’re not into wrestling! Although I’ve been preparing her for this moment and am excited for the opportunities she has, I will truly miss her sarcastic wit (wonder where she got that from?), her radiant smile, and her headstrong ways. I won’t, however, miss doing her laundry!

I look at my vibrant, intelligent, athletic, and beautiful daughter and remember myself at that age – full of dreams, a little apprehensive, but ready to conquer the world. And after 31 years, I know that life is full of love and happiness, hope and despair, heartache and pain. I want to protect her from the bad and make sure that she only experiences the good, but I know that’s not possible. I hope that Keith and I have done our job and given her the know-how and independence that she needs to live her life in the best way possible – to be true to herself, to be happy, confident, and content and yet to continue to strive for the best.

As we shop for the necessary things to equip her dorm room, I’m reminded that commencement means the beginning of something. And this is a significant beginning – living without parental supervision in a new place, new friends, new teachers and a new softball team. But this commencement is also the end of many things – the safety and comfort of home, seeing her close friends nearly every day, her mom doing her laundry! However, her college is just three hours away, so when she gets too homesick, it’s just a short drive home. Or if I need to get away from the testosterone, she may just find me camped out on her doorstep!

I think back to those of us at Wagner at commencement, knowing what a truly big leap we took as we headed back to the states, many of us leaving family a half a world behind, to face an uncertain future without the comfort of knowing we could pop “back home” to see friends and family. I remember being ready for a change and eager to start and now I think that it’s a wonder we weren’t all scared to death!

I am amazed that after all the years, we’re still a close knit group. That despite being flung to the four corners of the world, we still travel great distances to see each other every few years to rejoice in our memories and share our triumphs and tragedies. I hope my daughter and her friends do the same years from now. That special friendship and bonding is why I love going to the Wagner Reunions - because despite the added pounds and wrinkles, we still see each other as those young kids, ready to commence and take that journey into life.

Pictures: #1 Nina accepting her diploma from Mr. Taft in 1977  #2 Nina's daughter, Caitlin, accepting her diploma June 2008  #3 1978 graduation with Elin Pierce & Paul Tsatsos in gowns, sister Alyta Pierce in red dress  #4 Caitlin with her brother, Cam  #5 Doreen Trevino and Nancy Ward graduation 1976.  #6 Waddy Vining at mid-term graduation in 1978.  #7 Eileen Burke, Patty Garber, Carol Bews '77, Brenda Johnson & Kala VanZwoll at graduation in 1976. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

To read Sue Eby's well written story about her son's graduation and Letting Go, click here.

Been to WHOA Lately?

If you haven't checked out our sister site (whoa.org) lately, it's time to do so! There are great old photos, back issues of Falcon Criers, Yearbooks, the Alumni directory and all sorts of other fun and interesting stuff on there. Several folks from the classes 75-80 are part of the gang instrumental in keeping up the site: Lena Davis McClellan '75, Gary McClellan '75, Debbie Goldey Wardick '76, Karen Jimerson Hasan '76, Karen Rogg '80 and Don Detwiler '80 among others.

Gary is the webmaster, Lena takes care of the mailing lists and works with Karen Jimerson on the Memoriam Pages, and Don does the online newsletters. Karen Rogg works on image management and scanning so send her all your old photos and Debbie maintains the WHOA directory so keep her updated on any email or snail mail changes.

The Class Pages are probably the most fun since they contain a lot of old pictures that will surely unleash a flood of memories. Check it out! Here are the folks who've contributed Pages from the classes 75-80:

1975 – Gary McClellan, Margie Barnhill, Craig Brown, Lena Davis, Clyde Zuber & Ross Clardy

Photo from Ross Clardy's album: John Meinhold, Stephanie Deibert, Ross Clardy & Nancy Ward jamming themselves in John's car trunk.

1976 – Judy Seals, Debbie Best, Debbie Goldey, Mark Eliason, Cathy Forren, Karen Jimerson, Ernie Segovia, Charles Slaton

Photos from the 1976 class page and Ernie's album - 1976 Powderpuff Team and "cheerleaders" - David Muerer, Mike White, Tom Kruggle, Harvey Navas, Rob Breckenridge, Carl Nagel, Ernie Segovia, Eddie Gonzalo and, kneeling, Kent Johnson & Jon Barnhill.

1977 – Jerry Wilson (former Falcon Crier photographer with a ton of great pictures in his album), Salli Di Bartolo & Eleanor Hawkins

Photo from Jerry Wilson's album - '77 Powder Puff team practice led by coaches Darrell Jamison, Ric Trillanes, Peter Shusterman & Scott Covington.

1978 – Carol McClellan, Bob Levison & Jerry Weed

Photo from Carol's album - the 1974 Dolphin Football Team Cheerleading Squad (Carol's in the middle with the girl on her back)

1979 – Donna Bomgren, Bobby Luther, Jackie Prescott & Wendy Sevenandt

Photo from Wendy's album - New Year's Eve 1976 - Tim Maryland, Tim Griffith, Linda Gunhouse & Terryl talking to DeeDee Smith in the Senior Teen Club. Debbie Harold walking in the back.

1980 – Jenny Cranfill, Don Detwiler, Ann Weed, Gary Wiley

Photo from Jenny's album - Senior Prom '80 with J. Brown '81, Diane Castillo '80, Jenny Cranfill '80 and Ken Griffin '81

Wagner Memories - Victoria Readnour '77

Vicky, as I knew her, was a "jockette" like me in high school. Although we were busy with each of our sports and didn't hang out much together, we were very much alike and I always enjoy seeing her at the reunions. I admire all that she has accomplished and that she values the important things in life. Vicky lives in the Bay area, loves to travel, does consulting and is an Arbonne Skin Care Consultant. Here are her Wagner Memories...

What was your first impression of Clark and Wagner? My first impression of the P.I. was that it was hot and humid. I didn't like being spread eagled against a cyclone fence at the airport and sniffed by a police dog. But like any other military family, we were raised to make the best of any situation, so we were destined to love the P.I. When we arrived at our new home, I was a bit nervous about not having walls in my bedroom, just shutters that gave me an all too vivid view of the giant flying roaches climbing the outer screens. I quickly waxed the floors in my bedroom with RAID. My room was probably toxic, but I had no roaches! And of course, day one, we were warned of the “stealy boys” lurking outside the perimeter waiting to steal whatever you may accidentally leave outside. Soon after arriving my parents bought a guard dog (probably the same one from the airport). The good news is that our house was never compromised by the “stealy boys." The first day of school I met one of my very best life long friends, Tammy Tapman. Some of my fondest memories are from Clark AFB and Wagner High School. Through my work with the school newspaper and off site tennis tournaments, I met many people in nearby Angeles City and in Manila. I saw riches for a few and, for many, I saw real poverty up close, for the first time in my life. I saw an unbridled spirit and faith in the people of the P.I. that I had never seen before. I learned to respect the things that many had to do to survive and how hard many worked to succeed. I learned to appreciate more and to have great gratitude for the simplest things in life. We saw the beauty of the rain forest terrain, we tasted the sweet sugar cane we grabbed as the buses drove by and when it got hot, we cooled down in the mountains of Baguio. We swam the turquoise waters at San Miguel islands and canoed the swift waters at Pagsanjan Falls. My impressions of the Philippines, whether first or last, are embedded deep within my soul.

What surprised you the most about the Philippines? What did you like best about living there? I suppose the surprises were the things I had never been exposed to prior. I had never seen such poverty. The desperation in so many lives that drove people to crime, to sex for money, to martial law and ultimately to government corruption. Most of our families did help support the honest economy by hiring “yard boys”, “sew girls” and “house girls” but at $3.00 a day for their labor, I am in awe of their spirit, their work ethic and their resolve to live an honest life so that their children would have better opportunities to improve their economic well being. Their religion, their hope, and their love for one another, seemed to carry them through each difficult day. Having them in our lives was certainly a pleasure. During those days the dollar was strong and I cashed in my savings bonds to outfit my first apartment prior to leaving the P.I. The wonderful handmade items, whether it be furniture, baskets or original oil paintings still adorn my home today, 30+ years later. I still enjoy them.

Did you really miss anything from the States and if so, what? I missed my friends and family and Taco Bell. That was the first restaurant we went to when we got back to California. Though I love Filipino food, I definitely missed Mexican fast food. And yes, I still enjoy it every now and then, especially the morning after a night of margaritas and dancing with friends.

Who were your good buddies? My best friend was Tammy Tapman ‘78. We could talk for hours together, she always made me laugh and she was the kindest person I had ever met. She had the most beautiful hair! Remember? We were basically inseparable. Most of my best friends were from the tennis team since I practically lived on the courts, Janette DeMeyer ‘77, Kelly Starbuck ‘77, Jennifer Deak ’77 and so many others.

Where did you hang out? I played tennis 4 to 8 hours a day, so my hang out was the courts. Second to that, was the O’ Club pool. Third to that was a curb between Tammy’s and my house where we would meet in the middle and chit chat for hours.

Who was your favorite teacher/class? The classes that ultimately had the most impact on me, believe it or not was Mr. Hilgers typing class, with the introduction of computers and all the writing I do, typing fast was a Godsend! Second was learning the keypunch machine and how to wire up the compiler. This was of course the pre-cursor to programming computers and this early experience gave great insight to modern circuitry. Top on the list is also Mr. Edgerly’s speech class, as I have been conducting presentations ever since. Plus I thank Mr. Carmone’s career class for providing us with the “Kuder” preference exam, as this helped me to narrow down my many interests and ultimately choose a career that leveraged my skill sets and my personal interests.

Did you have a part time job - what was it? In the P.I., I worked at the base photo lab with Terry Swatloski ‘79. We earned one dollar an hour. It was fun, but as you can imagine, we processed some very distressing military photos. Some deaths were worse than others. I vividly remember processing the photographs of a young Captain who fell unconscious while in a steam room. He was found hours later and the photograph of his body still haunts me to this day. He had a wife and two children. I later worked at the BX as the ID checker.

Did you have a crush on anyone? I always had a crush on Jake V., but then who didn’t? But once I met Jim Vadney ‘77, it was love at first sight!

Have you become closer to a Wagnerite that you didn't know well in high school because of a reunion? Yes, one of my best friends now is Diane Seabolt-Elrod. We knew each other in high school, but we each socialized with a different crowd. Now I see her quite often and we have become very best friends.

Do you think your experience living overseas made you a better person? Talking with and working with the people of the P.I., in addition to all the other countries we toured as a military family, has enriched my life immensely. The more we see and learn of different cultures the more understanding and accepting we are of all people in the world. This is why the military communities are so special, because we are a blend of people from all over the world, our fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters have learned to stand by one another, defending our country in life and death situations. Growing up with such ethnic diversity and military commonality, we have learned to love one another for the “content of one’s character and not the color of one’s skin.” In the world of Wagner and our subsequent reunions, I think the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of is a reality. Sometimes I think it odd, that such peace and community comes from the military, which was obviously born from war. I feel honored and lucky to have grown up in a military family.

Give us a brief update on your life now: Having lost someone most dear to me in May 2006, and soon after, three more, I decided to take a sabbatical from AT&T and travel the world. In the last year, I have visited almost everyone I love. I have traveled to Europe (twice), South America and Africa. I bought an RV and have taken a trip up, down and across the USA. I am building a library of digital photographs. I am writing a children's book series. I launched a skin care home based business. I am doing miscellaneous consulting gigs. I serve on the board of directors for two non-profit organizations and have been very successful in raising funds to help the disabled and to help those in need during an emergency situation. And of course, I am still trying to lose that damn weight I gained after the car accident. (-: Life is full these days! I intend to enjoy these days while they last!

Pictures: #1 Victoria's Senior Picture  #2 On the tennis team in 1976  #3 At the San Diego reunion with Teresa Teator & Doreen Trevino  #4 Chatting with Travis Wallington, Doreen Trevino & Diane Seabolt at the San Diego reunion. To read Vicky's After Wagner Story, click here. To contact Victoria, click here.