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Beth Julian (Stone)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 4
Occupation: Gymnastics coach
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: Moved to Phoenix area, AZ in 1974.
Coached gymnastics
Married (On & Off)
Had 4 children, Jason 1976, Keith 1979, Jesse & Demarie 1988 (best thing in my life until grandkids).
Joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1994.
Married Kim Julian 2002 (next best thing in my life before grandkids).
Moved to St. George UT in 2009.
Coached gymnastics more.
Still coaching gymnastics.
Enjoying kids and grandchildren (Jason & Keith both coach with me, along with Keith's wife, Ashley & Kim's daughter, Becca. Keith's 2 children, Logan, 8 & Lily, 6, are at the gym everyday & Becca's daughter, Macy, 21, comes often).
We are building a new home to be finished late 2023
We are traveling often. Kim would like me to retire and travel a lot more. I am reluctant, since I love what I do.
Life is good.

Sherry Stump

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 1
Occupation: College Professor
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: Attended University of Northern Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University. Taught high school in Farmington, New Mexico. Got married to Scott Weeden in 1981. Taught high school in Rochester, New York. Got a master's degree at the University of Iowa. Taught college mathematics in Kirksville, Missouri. Had a son, Aaron Weeden, in 1988. Got a PhD at Illinois State University. Taught mathematics education at Ball State University, 1996-2023. Retiring in May!

Elizabeth Mckern (Stuve)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired

Tim Sullivan

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Widowed
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired: 42 Year Career in Oil & Gas

Randy Taylor

Children: 2
Occupation: Retired field service engineer for a precision machine tool manufacturer.
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: Following graduation from high school, I attended Iowa State. I worked my way through school doing a variety of jobs from mechanic / wrecker operator at the Standard Station on Lincolnway and Duff, to heavy equipment operator running bulldozers and loaders. In 1976, I started flying and kept that up until 2002, At that time, I could no longer keep my flight medical current. I'm still able to stay somewhat proficient by flying with my son, who is a pilot for Sun Country Airlines; and prior to that flew for Delta and United. I worked with the railway industry maintaining work equipment and managing railroad rehabilitation projects around the world. I lived in Hong Kong and China for a year; along with working projects in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. I moved from working with heavy equipment to dealing with precision machine tools. This move allowed me to relocate to a small town on the Minnesota banks of the Mississippi River. I'm relatively new to this retirement gig, but slowly getting used to it. My non-snow months consist of golf (I'm trying to get proficient enough to keep up with Jim McElherne), fishing, and finally putting a few miles on my Harley.
As previously noted, my son is a pilot and my daughter is an ER nurse in civilian life and a nurse/medic in the US Air Force.
I remember how great it was to see all of our classmates during the last reunion and I look forward to this upcoming event.

Chandler Thomas

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: Retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: Family First: (I was fortunate. My Wife invested the time, effort and patience to teach me this)
-Married to Deb 47 years on August 14
-3 Children, 2 sons and 1 daughter, all married
-9 grandchildren, 7 boys and 2 girls ages 19 yrs to 20 mos
-All parents deceased

Education:
-1973 to 1976 at Northwest Missouri State University. Thought I wanted to be a HS history teacher and FB coach. In the classroom as a student teacher I learned I loved teaching and coaching but had lifestyle expectations that were incompatible with the income. I also had “issues” with the school politics. Left school, married Deb, started working construction.
-1991 enrolled in Upper Iowa University to finish my last 30 hours. Graduated with a BS in Public Administration.

Career:
46 years in heavy/industrial and power generation construction. Have literally held every position possible. Started out working on my tools, progressed to superintendent, designer, estimator, marketing, safety director, quality director and for the last 15 years Field Operations Manager.

The first 23 years I was designing and building human and animal food manufacturing facilities, most were built using slip form concrete construction.

The last 23 years, at M. A. Mortenson Company, Minneapolis, I was engaged in the construction of utility scale natural gas fired combined cycle and renewable wind power generation facilities. The last 20 years exclusively wind power. In a typical year, I was responsible for 1500-1700 union and open shop construction craft and 70 superintendents building $800 million to $1.2 billion in new wind power each year. My grandchildren said my real job was collecting Delta FF miles!

Retirement:
Retired December 31, 2021.
We live in a year around home on West Lake Okoboji. We lived in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Texas over the years but liked Iowa best. It also puts us in the middle of the kids and grandkids plus a home on a lake is attractive to them for visits.

Hobbies:
-I refereed hockey for 15 years working everything from youth through college and Juniors. It was exciting. Both of my boys played. Garth, my oldest won a college national championship
-Muscle Cars: Own a fully restored, matching numbers 1967 GTO, like my car in HS
-Antique Tractors: Own a 1959 Farmall 560 gas and have had several JD 2 cylinder tractors
-RC Aircraft
-HO Scale model RR: I volunteer time working on the Smoky Mountain Central Railroad at the Clay County Fairgrounds

Miscellaneous:
-After 9 stents, 2 heart attacks and triple bypass surgery, I finally took my cardiologists advice and lowered my stress, stopped smoking, ate smart and lost 80 lbs. There was no “up-side” to my mantra, live hard, die young.
-I did coach HS football for about 40 years as a volunteer assistant, in Kansas, for coaches Bailey and Daddow at AHS and in Minnesota. While in Minnesota we won 4 state championships.
-I make a tasty prefect Manhattan (bourbon of course) and am ready for guests at all times.
-Addictions: Just one. Deb and I started vacationing on Maui in 1996, and we have been going once or twice each year ever since.

Bonnie Snovelle (Thompson)

Marital status: Widowed
Children: 2
Occupation: Diagnostic Associate ll - ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: The last 10 years... Moved to Boone and started working at the ISU VDL the day after our 40th reunion... Still there.

Spend time with my kids, both still single. Zach is still a landscape architect in St. Louis. Samantha finished her master's in marriage and family therapy, moved home from Virginia in 2015 and is a mental health therapist in Ames.

I'm active in my church in Boone. Kayak, camp and hang out at the lake with friends. Remodel my house and landscape my yard mostly myself.

My dad passed away in July 2018 at 97. Mom is 99 and still living at Green Hills but moved in to healthcare last September. My sister, Betty and I were left with the task of cleaning out her apartment. Way too much stuff! Don't do that to your kids!

Raymond Thomson (Thomson)

Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Consulting Engineer

Mike Tryon

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Tryon Investments, LLC - founder / CEO
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: CEO of 6 large conglomerates (financially distraught and culturally dysfunctional) Successful turnarounds - all in different industries. Lifetime Member “Chief Executive” publication / round-table NYC, NY.

Retired in 2009 (lasted 3 days) and started a wealth management / financial planning firm. “Strict Fiduciaries” Cater to UHNW (member - Wealth-X def.) and HNW clients. $150M+ AUM … Goal: $1B by 2030.

Enjoying life with family (2 sons and 6 grandkids). My wife (42 years - Cindy) and I are very blessed. We live in the country and are going to try to turn 52 acres into a vineyard. We spend our free time traveling to our vacation homes, but spoiling grandkids is our #1 passion.

☑️Christian
☑️Conservative
☑️Capitalist
☑️Philanthropist
Comment: Blessings to all classmates - enjoy the reunion. We will not be able to participate.

Cynthia Gould (Tschetter)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 4
Occupation: Registered Nurse (retired)
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: How to sum up the last 50 years?! That’s a tall order! I’ve certainly enjoyed reading about your lives in the bios!
I’d like to bullet point some highlights for you.
• Attended Drake University and Iowa Methodist Medical Center School of Nursing in Des Moines
• Started my career in nursing in northern Wisconsin after marrying my sweetheart, Ben. (47 years)
• 40-year Nursing career (20 years in Emergency Department/Flight nurse, 20 years Clinical Research Project Manager for Kimberly Clark Corporation
-Highlights: domestic and international fixed wing medical flights as well as research projects that allowed me to see more of this country and the world without my expense!
• 4 grown children (Cleveland OH area (1), Columbus OH area (5), Santa Fe, NM (6) and Charleston, SC area (7)
• 12 grandchildren ages 1-17 years of age (ALL amazing, beautiful and gifted)
• Fortunate both parents are doing well and still living in the house I grew up in. You may see my dad riding his bike around town, even riding out to ISU men’s Basketball games in the winter – “closer parking”. Both attend the ISU women’s basketball games. My sisters and I look for them in the stands behind the team when we can stream the ISU games!
• After my retirement, we’ve spent most of our time in California for my husband’s work. My favorite place was Sonoma County (Healdsburg). Now we are back in Wisconsin where we keep out “home base”. We like to travel using our R-Pod trailer when not visiting family!
• The hardest job I’ve ever done that was the best job I’ve ever had was to spend 3 months in Tanzania (East Africa) helping to homeschool and provide daycare for my 4 oldest grandchildren while their parents were attending language school. Our son-in-law is a linguist who worked for 7 years with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
I’m looking forward to seeing many of you I haven’t seen in years and others I have!
We were truly fortunate to grow up when we did and in a city like Ames that provided us with so many opportunities!