Classmates Now

 
 The year was 1962.  Jack and Jackie were in the White House, Elvis and Lawrence Welk were vying for supremacy on the radio.  Kids were doing the twist. We know where you were, 1201 S. Warson Road.  The question is where are you now and where will you be October 14 and 15, 2017?  Here's the spot to blow your own horn.  Tell us some of what's happened since you last updated your profile.  Not too much.  Don't be intimidated.  If you can't think of anything you can always make it up.  Who's to know!  Just let us hear from you.  Those of you who didn't create a profile for our 50th -- please do.
 

Arlene Fox (Melman)

Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: Patient Access Representative
Comment: Finally made the decision to be with you Saturday night and really looking forward to it.  WOW! 50 years!
We have been married almost 48 years. My favorite job was being a mom to our 3 kids and a professional volunteer.  Later I joined my husband and two sons in our kitchen & bath remodeling business.  Five years ago we closed that and within the year I went to work at Missouri Baptist Medical Center calling patients coming in for tests or surgery.  I have talked to a few classmates so if you get a call for Arlene at MoBapt it's me and besure to say HI!
My husband was diagnosed as one of "Jerry's Kids" some 30 years ago.  He is now in a wheel- chair and volunteers at MoBapt 4 days a week.  We are awaiting the birth of our 9th grandchild in November.
So if you don't remember me look for the 60 something year old with the guy in the wheelchair.

Pamela Frank (Potashnick)

Now Now
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired
Comment:  I love playing with my grandson, Max.  He is 4 years old and loves playing with dinosaurs.  My passion is traveling.  Over the past several years I have been to Europe and South America.  I love cruises also.

I have two daughters who are married and live in St. Louis.  I am very close with both daughters.  I have a father who is 98 (soon to be 99) who I help take care of.

Don Froehlich

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Divorced
Children: 1
Occupation: Retired
Comment:

I will be able to attend the Friday night event only, as my son's 47th birthday celebration is Saturday/Sunday at Lake of the Ozarks.



Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Webb Garlinghouse

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Comment: It’s been fantastic!



How to condense 55 (mostly) wonderful years into a few words. Perhaps giving credit is a good beginning. The preparation I received at Ladue; the teachers who influenced me; the atmosphere that fostered creative learning and experimentation ... All these factors came to play over the past 55 years.



After college, like so many of us, I could find no way to avoid military service. Luckily, I was admitted into OCS with the Coast Guard. Upon commissioning, my first duty assignment was on the USCGC Westwind, an icebreaker. We made two deployments while I was aboard. The first to Antarctica south of New Zealand. I was awestruck by the Antarctic. Its desolation; forbidding cold; foreboding, absolutely stunning scenery. And the people serving in that seemingly desolate place were a warm contrast to the weather. While there, I had the incredible good fortune to ride on a dog sled with New Zealanders and go to the South Pole. Interesting ... but the best part was walking around the world twice. After the Antarctic, we went north to Thule, Greenland.



After the Westwind, I served as a Search & Rescue Coordinator in Juneau, Alaska for a year. I also met a young lady who interested me. As my contract was nearing completion, our President asked for reserve officers to help balance the budget by volunteering for a 6 month early termination. I admit ... I raised my hand.



While now free, the early-out hadn’t permitted any job searching. A quick assessment of my situation: my education was complete, my military obligation was complete, I was unmarried, I had no children that I knew of, I had saved some money and I really enjoyed traveling. I wanted to do more!



After some research, I chose Africa and spent several months lining up sponsors and researching an extensive trip to that continent. I found two others also interested. In November, 1970, we picked up our Land Rover at the factory just north of London. South through France and Spain to Gibralter. A short ferry ride and we were surrounded by the smells and sights of Morocco.



Two years and 22 countries in Africa give birth to many fascinating memories. Rain in the Sahara, Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lost in the Ruwenzori Mountains, Riding on top of a train in Sudan, An entire village in Northern Togo threw a party in our honor, Attacked by Fire Ants in Tanzania. Ask me about an absolutely amazing glider experience in Zambia or how I ended up in jail in South Africa.



Africa was amazing. The people were amazing. The experience was amazing. And the young woman I had met in Alaska (who visited me twice while I was traveling) was amazing.



Christmas, 1972 found me back at home with my parents ... wondering what had become of their son. Eventually, I settled in Topeka, Kansas “for a year ... two at the most.” And, that young woman from Alaska: she got an offer she couldn’t refuse; she moved to Kansas, also.



We raised two wonderful children, I ran a successful typesetting business, But, I’ve never really lost the wanderlust. In 1976, I organized and led a 7 week trip for some older Boy Scouts to float a portion of the Yukon River.



Summing up: I have traveled on all 7 continents; I have sailed on all the 7 seas; I have been from the South Pole to about 700 miles from the North Pole. I hitchhiked from New York to San Francisco in 70 hours and returned in 75 hours. I’m a Fellow in the Explorers Club of New York. The people I met along the way informed indelible memories of wonderful people all over the world.



So, what did Ladue have to do with this: There are always obstacles. With creativity and imagination, there are solutions. To be successful, we need to find the right solution to the current problem keeping in mind the ultimate objective. Does Luck play a roll? I believe ‘Luck’ is the wrong word for it. Luck, by itself is winning the lottery. The Luck that has been with me for a lifetime came because at Ladue I learned to be prepared to recognize Luck when it appeared.



I have fond memories of all my friends from Ladue. Hopefully, others have had an equally wonderful trip over the last 55 years. Please ... Share your experiences with me.

 

Michael Gershman

Now Now
Marital status: Committed Relationship
Children: 2
Occupation: retired
Comment: Living in Ca. for the past fifty years. Worked as a Cinematographer, and Director in Motion Picture and Television industry. Two daughters,three grandkids. In a long term comimitted relationship with Cecilia Dan.

Tom Glassberg

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Committed Relationship
Children: 1
Occupation: Attorney
Comment: Living in Jackson Hole.  Pretty bummed I cannot make the reunion due to cycling event the same weekend in California. Meanwhile, if any LHS 62 alums get to Jackson, give me a call.



"Then" photo, September 1961; L to R: Hyland, Bottom, Koplar, Weinstein, Kolbrener, Glassberg, Gulick, Lazaroff, Levy. Apparently we were so good we only needed nine players on offense. (I think Francis and Sexton are missing from photo.)



"Now" photo, March 2012, heli-skiing in B.C., Canada.

Sid Goldstein

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Consultant
Comment:  I retired from the St. Louis Art Museum in 2009 and have continued to consult with collectors, antiquities dealers and museums on things ancient. My specialty is Ancient and Islamic glass so I still look at interesting material  world-wide. My wife, Laura Kipnis was an attorney and retired in 2014. We have been fortunate to travel more together and I continue to travel for work.  

Recent projects included an exhibition, catalogue and symposium in 2013 on  Antiquities in the al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait. Also catalogued the Roman glass in 2015 at the Art Institute Collection, Chicago for their on-line catalouge of the Roman collection. Very cool platform that allows you to rotate sculpture and glass 360 degrees!

We have two children, a son in Seattle with two sons, 3 and 6 (in 2017) and a daughter in Grand Junction, Co. She just completed a cross country bike tour with 3 other co-guides, Portland, Ore. to Portland, Me. for 26 enthusiastic cyclists. I can think of many other things to do for 47 days.

Since retirement I have led several groups of friends around Turkey for a couple of weeks. I excavated there as a grad student in archaeology. Hope to return there anually until it is no longer fun: Turkey is an amazing country. 

Unfortunately, things there were no so wonderful in 2016 so I did not return and relations with the US at the moment seem to be on a downhill slide. A visit this year may not be possible either.

(rev 10/2017)









 

Ellen Golman

Occupation: Business
Comment: Do everything you want to do and always enjoy.  It is never too late. Book education is on going. 
Bio- Ladue, U of Wisconsin, Madison (2 years) 
U of California Berkeley (BA), Berkeley Secondary Teaching Credential, teaching (Calif) 11 years,
St. Louis, substitute teaching.
Future plans: a business, a Masters Degree in English Literature in London, England

Gary Griffin

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Occupation: consulting-international Import/export
Comment: Married for 48 Years, no children, active members in Porsche & Mercedes clubs, retired afte 14 years as vice chairman planning & Zoning for St. Charles county.  Enjoy living in wine country west of Bush Wildlife.  We sponsor part of the Katy Trail, enjoy biking , playing golf (usually more outside the USA)

Business- wholesaling containers of tires, import, export, and trade between most countries of the world. Now consulting business.Have traveled extensively to most countries in the world.- business and pleasure as I only do business with friends, a luxury many do not have.  Looking forward to seeing people same age of course, but unlike college, all of us with basically same environment influences growing up at Ladue.  Great to re connect with classmates that are still around.

 

Judy Griffith (Luedloff)

Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Comment: ​Life is good. God has blessed me with an awesome family and wonderful friends. My husband and I enjoy time with our kids and grandkids. Vacations on beaches and in the mountains, growing native and tropical plants, spotting migratory birds that pass through Missouri by way of the Mississippi Flyway each spring and fall, all these are part of our life.

​Each stage of life has challenges and rewards. And look, here we all are at age 73 and still celebrating!

I wish each of you blessings in the years yet to come.