Register, log in, or view classmates

Jim McElherne

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Gainfully retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: Where do I begin? In 1980 I got married to Jean Ullerich from Shenandoah Iowa, and we immediately moved to Colorado. 10 years of the automotive parts business in Boulder, Golden, and Gunnison (ah, the Elway years)! After our children were born, we decided to move back to Ames so that they could experience a proper education. Aaron became an Ames High/ISU grad, and lives in Las Vegas. Laura was an Ames High/Univ.of Iowa grad,and lives in Glasgow,Scotland.

Forward to 2007. After working as parts manager at Toyota of Ames, we decided it was the right time to get away from Iowa and it's cruel weather. We moved to Las Vegas, where we currently reside. I became personal assistant to world famous landscape photographer Peter Lik. He held the record for most expensive photograph ever sold in the world until 2022. I maintained his numerous mansions, our corporate headquarters, and our 4 galleries here in Vegas. Daily coffee runs, helping on photo shoots, getting the oil changed on the Bentley and numerous other exotic cars, doing his laundry, giving him spiritual advice when needed, and numerous other chores, for which he gave me the title of "legend", was my life. I retired in 2020.

We enjoy traveling to London/Glasgow/Australia to see our 2 grandchildren, and our other grandson who is only 12 miles away. I spend my time in the pool, golfing, and going on photo shoots (which is work, but in the most beautiful locations). I feel very blessed and grateful for all the people I have encountered in my lifetime, including all my fellow classmates, and am looking forward to sharing tales with you at the reunion. CHEERS!

Carol Smith (McFarland)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Widowed
Children: 4
Occupation: Retired

Doug McGinnis

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: I worked in geology/geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing and inspection which evolved into a position in facilities management at UC Santa Barbara. I also operated a computer consulting business for 35 years. I have two kids and two grandkids :) and travel whenever i can!

Flora McMartin

Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 0
Occupation: Retired Educational Researcher
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: My life for the last 50 years has been dedicated to: living a life of no regrets.

As I’m getting used to the retired life, I’m enjoying lots of delayed travel, reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, and finding and experiencing adventures that will keep me moving forward to the next one.

I had a fun and interesting career studying the impact of innovative teaching in higher education. The word ‘studying’ implies I got a few degrees along the way, and so I did. A BS in Applied Art from Iowa State somehow morphed into an MS at ISU in Higher Education Administration, which evolved into a Doctorate in Education from UC-Berkeley. Held a few jobs which got me vested in the California system. (Yay! A pension!) Eventually formed my own evaluation consulting company. I managed to put my art degree to good use working with faculty from the sciences and mathematics. Go figure. They were a great bunch of people to work with and challenged my thinking all along the way. My favorite phrase when working with them was: “I love being proved wrong: do it.”

Got married in 2003 when it was finally legal in nearby Canada to Becky Dowdakin. While this year marks 33 years of being together; I had a big decision to make: 20th wedding anniversary or 50th high school reunion? Both events fall on the same weekend. Becky graciously declined the reunion and recommended I visit Ames because our new retired motto is: if somebody invites us to go somewhere; say yes! Those yeses are piling up and we’re enjoying traveling world-wide. In between traveling, I do what so many Californians of a certain age do: I teach yoga.

Vincent Meador

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Veterinarian/Pathologist
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: I went from Ames High on to ISU to major in bacteriology and then veterinary medicine. Towards the tail end, Jenny (from Des Moines) and I met and married. After a few years of practicing pet and large animal medicine in Iowa and Oregon, we returned to Ames where I trained in veterinary pathology at ISU and the National Animal Disease Center. During this time Jenny and I had 2 children, Merideth and Tim.
My pathology training led to a career with pharmaceutical companies supporting the development of human drugs. This allowed us to live across the northern USA, including New Jersey, Indiana and Washington. Pathology was also my ticket to travel the northern hemisphere taking me throughout the USA and to Canada, Europe, Russia and especially China, where we had an apartment in Sichuan Province. I always enjoyed working in other places more than being a tourist; however, overseas work provided opportunity to experience things like hiking a sacred Buddhist Mountain in Sichuan Province, going to historic areas in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and wandering through the home town of Claude Monet in rural France. My favorite travel related day was going on a morning run through Tienanmen Square in Beijing before flying to Moscow and running in Red Square and outside the Kremlin in the evening. A few weeks later I ran through the Mall in Washington DC to complete the trifecta. Those places are amazing, with the most magical being in Red Square in winter before Christmas.
Near the end of working for big companies, I moved to Shanghai to help build and staff a laboratory. The move was shortened due to leukemia and needing to move back home to Seattle for a bone marrow transplant at U of Washington and Fred Hutchinson/Seattle Cancer Care Association. We still had our home in Seattle which was quite fortuitous since it is just a few miles away from Fred Hutchinson, which essentially invented the bone marrow transplant. Being treated in their system gave me a little more edge in my survival probability. I am now 12 years out from transplant.

Four years of post-cancer diseases made in necessary to transition from corporate life to one of consulting. It has been a great move that gave me a rewarding job in which I get paid to work with old friends and get the occasional travel back to China and other places. Plus, I can take naps which are frequently needed each day.

Jenny retired from 30+ years in oncology nursing in May 2023, so we now will determine when to move to St. Paul MN to be by our daughter and her family, or to stay longer in Washington. Merideth and husband Nick are dentists, and have 2 young boys. Son Tim and wife Kristin work at Weldwerks in Greeley CO. If you are in the Denver area and want good beer and food, Weldwerks is a famous craft brewery - - Tim is the chef at their restaurant while Kristin runs the whole show. I will keep working for a while since it is enjoyable and gets me out of the Lay-Z-Boy (sometimes).

I sure am looking forward to the reunion and getting to see many of you again.

Marcia Millard Henderson (Millard)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired

Ruth Montag

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Single
Occupation: Adjunct instructor (Chemistry)

Lee Ann Montz (Moore)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Administrative Assistant with MidAmerican Energy

Jane Moore Clark (Moore)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: After high school I attended Westmar College and the Univeristy of Iowa for graduate school. I've been living in the Minneapolis area ever since with my husband, Kevin Clark, and two daughters. We have loved living here, but always held Ames and Iowa dear to our hearts. One of our daughters even went to Iowa State and absolutely loved her time there. My father, who gave a prayer at our Baccalaureate in 1973, retired in Ames, so we made many trips back to visit. In Minneapolis, I worked as a Behavior Analyst in crisis services for people with developmental disabilities and mental health issues in the 7-county metro area. I gained many wonderful friends and relationships working with these clients and their caregivers. My family has enjoyed traveling and seeing so much of our country and world. We were especially fortunate to visit Australia, Alaska, Israel, and Senegal. I recently checked off my 50th state visited, so I feel extremely lucky to have been enriched by so many beautiful places. I am loving retirement and trying to find time for all the activities I enjoy.
Comment: Special AHS highlights for me were being in "Pirates of Penzance" representing in Student Government, and going to the State Basketball Tournament!

Thanks to Burgie, Frank, Terry, and all the other great BB players for such an exciting year and bringing home the trophy. I took my girls to see it when they were little, and they were impressed. A couple of years ago I stopped in at Burgie's Coffee Shop and asked if Burgie was there. The young teen working there said "not right now." I said I went to high school with him, and the other young woman said, "Oh, you mean the dad." I laughed!

Special hi to Holly, Suse, Bob D. and Sue M.

Richard Morrison

Then Then
Marital status: Widowed
Children: 1
Occupation: Software Solutions Specialist
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: What I have been up to: AHS 50 Year Reunion

In a galaxy, far, far away…No wait! That’s Star Wars-I remember standing in line in 1977 at the River Hills-Riviera Theater in Des Moines with family to see the opening night of that movie! So much has happened since graduation in 1973! Let me give you the highlights:

Enrolled in the computer programming course of instruction on a scholarship on the Ankeny campus of Des Moines Area Community College. During that period, I met the love of my life and we were married on June 28th, 1975. And less than a year later, our son arrived! Because I didn’t really have much in the way of insurance, we opted to have the baby in Iowa City where they “picked up the tab” and provided me with housing while my wife was going into labor. She and I earlier went through Lamaze classes as it was my goal to be there when our first-born came into the world. And that happened at 2:02am on May 11th, 1976. I was right there with her while our son was born!

During college I worked as a custodial supervisor at night for Ames Community Schools and I recall talking to Dr. Farrar about my interest in joining the US Navy in their advanced electronics program. Dr. Farrar remarked that the Navy had some excellent schools but I didn’t realize how tough they were. So yes, later, I joined! After I finished boot camp in San Diego. I moved my wife and son to San Diego as I started their Basic Electricity and Electronics school. Once I passed that phase, I started to the more intensive schools in Vallejo, CA. Glad wife and son were with me. My wife really helped me during that intensive program as I was going to class morning, afternoon and evening!

After 6 or so months of intensive schooling in computer engineering, I graduated and entered C school also in Vallejo on Mare Island. For duty, I sang in the choir at St Peter’s Chapel-a beautiful, historic church filled with Tiffany stained glass windows. We started out with a class of 30 but I believe when I graduated this training phase, only 5 of us passed! And I got the duty station I requested-to the surprise of my instructor: The USS Constellation (CV-64)-the aircraft carrier President Ronald Reagan named “America’s Flagship”.

While out at sea, I was a member of the shipboard emergency response team and was sent on a couple of assignments to aid ships in distress with failing computer systems. I am thankful that I earned a Navy Achievement medal for those times. If you saw the movie, “The Hunt for Red October”, during one of my assignments I was flown by helicopter while on the Constellation during maneuvers in the Bering Sea, to a frigate by the name USS Knox. This ship had a helicopter deck but the sea was so rough, they had to lower me down to the ship by a harness. That was fun!

Once my term in the Navy was up, we moved back to Iowa and guess what, I landed a job in Information Technology at Ames Community Schools. During my time there, I wrote the district’s first web page; setup the district’s first email system; and setup networks across the district as well as giving training to staff and administrators. Loved working with staff and students but after 7 years, I felt I needed a change and took a position with a technology company based out of Cleveland, OH. That was a fun job as I was the systems engineer for the state of Iowa. Lots of travel including trips with other engineers to Cupertino, CA to attend training at Apple Computer. Even had the chance to see Steve Jobs!

This company unfortunately experienced some severe financial issues and I resigned before they started letting people go and started in an Iowa-based technology company home-based in Mason City. And it was later in 2008 that my sweet wife was diagnosed with cancer. I am so thankful I was with a company that allowed me to work while I took and stayed with my wife during treatment in Northern Chicago (Zion, IL), at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. This was a scary time for us. So glad I could be with her during her most trying times. Believe me we moved closer to God during this time and I recall telling my wife we need to find a church to link with during the days we spent in Zion during treatment. And we found one with a wonderful God-fearing pastor who helped us so much. There were several back and forth trips to Zion during this time. We had just spent a wonderful time on our 35th anniversary and she remarked to friends how thankful she was allowed to live to have that time with me and our son. On July 25th, 2010, she went to be with Jesus with me at her side holding her.

So many things went through my mind, but this was the catalyst for me graduating from the Iowa Ministry Network with a pastoral degree some years later in 2016. I am still working too for a technology company based out of St. Cloud, MN. I work mainly from my home office and it is true, I haven’t retired yet. Not sure what that means! Seriously, one day but today is not that day. I enjoy helping others with their technology needs.

But not having my wife with me is so different. I miss and love her so much. Life is so precious. I know one day, there will be a wonderful family reunion! But until that time comes, I want to be busy with the things God wants me to accomplish.

I have been able to travel to Norway two times following the footsteps of my great, grandfather Martin Morrison, a photographer. I have helped a professor at the University of Bergen with some information about my great, grandfather for a book she was doing. And another author also doing research for a book about Martin's life in Norway and his time in Iowa. And Sweden to visit the cousin of my wife and get to know his sweet kids and wife. I look forward to returning again next year.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in August. Hard to believe 50 years has passed!

Sincerely,

Richard L. Morrison