New grandchildren? New job? A new hair color? Moved? Share your latest goings-on with your classmates. Send email and we will post it here.

Also see: Updates from 2005 & 06     Updates from 2004 and before

Nancy K informs us that Mark Eaton's wife recently gave birth to a son, Max Talbot Eaton. Mark Furney is leading the effort to develop an educational trust fund for Max. Contact him for the details.

Nancy also writes that: for those of you in the Manhatan area, Terry (Edmonds) Olson wants you to know that a short memorial service for Sally (Washburn) Cottrell and the internment of her ashes will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, May 9, at Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan. Her sons, mother, brother, sister, and husband will be attending, and they welcome Sally’s friends. As most of you know, Sally died last June from cancer. Directions to the site: From Stagg Hill Road, turn south onto East Sunrise Drive. Take the third right onto Summit Drive, then the first right onto Summit Circle. Section G (specifically, Lot G-3-559) is northwest of the circle drive.

We are saddened to learn that Laura Lignitz Musil died Sunday at her Houston home from a seizure as the result of a lengthy illness. Burial will be in Washington, Kansas. We send our sympathy to the family.

Condolences can be sent to her mother, Ruth Lignitz at 2222 Browning Ave., Manhattan, KS 66502.

Tapani Oksanen writes: I'm packing up on Dec 5 and moving back to Finland after
2,5 yrs in DC. Seems such a short time compared to the year in Manhattan - age must do someting to our perception of time when we least can afford it. Please in future use my other e-mail address: mt.oksanen@kolumbus.fi

It was good to see (most of) you in Manhattan in May.

All the best, Tapani

www.rlbproductions.com

Jim Hedrick writes: "In 30 yrs I have only crossed paths with two grads. Cathy Hollomon and Alan Tilley. I did cross paths with Russ Frey's dad at a wedding reception in Seneca KS too. Well it is a big world and I now pastor in Dubuque IA and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ regularly. I never have gotten tired of that truth. I have lived in MO,MS,TN with a10 year stint in KS inbetween TN and IA. I'm 30 yrs happily married to LeeAnn who is mother of my 3 children. I too am the grandfather of Karis Faith Hedrick. Is any body else living in the fast lane. I am a school advocate. My wife and Ihave homeschooled, public schooled and private schooled our kids. I've served on the Nemaha Valley USD school board and the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary board of trustees in my young adult life. I never thought I would be a college professor but in God's good providence I have taught as an adjunct in the religion and philosophy dept. at the University of Dubuque for the last four years.

"I'm glad to be in the 72 loop after all these years. I would like to deja vu with Jeb Bolan ,Mike Inglesby and others of my Northview neighbors this year but email may have to do. God's blessings to each of you youth. John be sure Nancy K gets someone to do a 35th reunion invocation, benediction or sermon. I nominate you. Anyone remember Bible as Literature class? To God Be the Glory Great Things He has Done."

Thomas Ubel writes: "Married to Deborah Bitting from Louisville, Kentucky September 24, 1977. We have been married for 30 yrs and have three daughters.   

Heather- 29 yrs , KU graduate, married June 17, 2006 and is currently a Dental Hygenist in Kansas City. Heather and her husband Ted built a home in Olathe, Ks.

Jennifer- 26 yrs, KSU graduate, married April 14, 2007 and is currently working as a Retail Manager at Dillard's in Oak Park. Jennifer and her husband brought a home in Overland, Park.   

Jessica- 26 yrs, KSU graduate, going to Nursing School at Johnson County and working at a Rehab Hospital in Overland Park, Ks.     

Just bought my ticket to KC, reserved a rental car, and booked a room at the Clarion, so the trip to Manhattan is definitely going to happen.

I had a really nice time the past 2 weeks with family visiting here (some might call it a life). Did a couple of days' roadtrip to NYC to see the sights (my daughters have never been to the US) & the standard DC sights' tour.

See you potentially at Pat's Blue Rib'n BBQ on Friday night.

Tapani's family: wife, Riita, son, Tuomas, and daughters Riikka and
Kaisa

Gary Denning was in Manhattan only through 9th grade before moving to Salina. He maintained a connection with Manhattan and sends this info:

Gary Denning
lives: Salina, Kansas
graduated Salina Central after moving to Salina during HS married to: Jan, also a Central grad
college: KU for undergrad and law school
kids: David, age 22, and daughter Cathy, age 20. David works at the Old Chicago Restaurant in Lawrence and Cathy attends the Kansas City Art Institute.
job: lawyer with Kennedy Berkley Yarnevich and Williamson, Chtd, in Salina.
activities: still like to golf when I have the time. I spend several evenings each year officiating high school soccer games. I've actually officiated MHS games on several occasions.
Other stuff: I was elected to the Salina USD 305 School Board in 2001 and again in 2005, and was President in 2005-2006. Two terms should satisfy my desire to work at time-consuming, non-paying, difficult and thankless tasks.
Favorite extra-curricular memory: Beating all the Manhattan players in the Manhattan HS golf invitational in 72. I'd also take some credit for SCHS beating Manhattan every basketball game in 71 and 72, but lets face it--it was Nino Samuel who did that.
More other stuff: My wife and I thought we had an empty nest, but we accepted a foster child into our home last fall. Great kid, and she will be attending KSU next fall. It has been fun touring KSU and Manhattan with her. We will probably do some parents' weekend stuff with her next fall.

BTW, I remember doing grade school and scouts with you back in the day.
I'll look forward to visiting with you at the reunion.

Rusty Harris writes: " All is well in my life at my version of 'Vista' (the city, not the place). My partner, Bill Adams, and I continue with life's adventures and opportunities. With hope -- and some luck on the workplace front -- we will be in Manhattan for Memorial Day weekend this year. We have a new member of our household, Bill's mother Merele, who moved in with us in March 2006 after spending a few years with Bill's three sisters in Madison, WI.

The biggest highlight is that we are still here. During our 30th class reunion weekend in 2002, I was in the local hospital watching hair fall out by the handfuls. The docs had given me the first of six months worth of chemotherapy to battle Hodgkin's lymphoma and apparently things were dicey then, Bill tells me now, but I'm still here. Somewhere after chemo finished, fuzzy stuff started to grow on my head and I've let it 'keep on growin', so to speak. My new hair is now longer than my old pre-chemo hair ever was.     

March 2003 saw me return to work full time with the North County Times as managing editor, a title I've held since 1992. This May marks my 20th anniversary with the NCT and 20th year as a Californian. But I still miss the Flint Hills (PS: For a look at "home," out-of-staters should check out the National Geographic's spread on the Hills in the April 2007 edition).    

In August 2005 work had settled down enough for me to write an occasional local-issues column, which I called Keep On Truckin' ( http://www.nctimes.com/opinion/harris/ ) -- I mean really, what else could I call it? It is on "temporary hold," but plans are to resume.     March 2006 saw me facing another health threat with colon cancer. Luckily, surgery was all it took to banish that beast, and I'm still here. I resumed working fulltime in June 2006 and have been working non-stop ever since.     At home, we managing to stay busy with all sorts of things at the house as well as with the United Methodist Church of Vista and a local AIDS hospice.