Tracey Potts' mother, Pauline Potts Arthur, passed away on July 20 at the age of 85. Mrs. Potts was very active in many organizations and had a distinguished career in journalism. Her memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 27 at 3:30 pm at St, Mark's Episcopal Church on Dorset Road. You can read the entire obituary here.

You can email Tracey here.

From Ginger Richards:

The Greenies Girl Scout Troop reunion will be held on August 20 and 21. We will be staying at the Oakridge Chalet in the Hocking Hills. We have 8 or 10 troop members going.

From the Upper Arlington Magazine:

Four generations of the Schmidt family have worn No. 34 on the Upper Arlington High School footbnall team. Geoff Schmidt (left) was a fullback and linebacker from 1966 - 1968 for Coach Marv Moorehead. He was part of the state championship teams in '67 and '68 and graduated in 1969. Sixteen-year-old Drew Karram (center), Geoff and Andrew Schmidt's nephew, in a junior running back on the 2009 team. He'll graduate in 2011. Andrew Schmidt (right) played for Coach Pete Corey from 1971 - 1973. The former all-state middle linebacker graduated in 1974. Max Schmidt (not pictured), Andrew Schmidt's son, played from 2004 - 2006 for current Coach Mike Golden. The former all-league tight end, who graduated in 2007, is currently a lacrosse player for the University of Maryland. Photo by Karen Miller.

Three UAHS alums, Tom O'Shaughnessy andScott LeFevre, bothf rom the Class of 1969, and Sterling LeFevre, Class of 1973, have formed a distribution company to cover the United States and Canade to distribute biodegradable, sugarcane disposable plates to substitute for styrofoam plates. Their warehouse is located at Rickenbacker, and they are beginning their marketing efforts right here in UA, at Huffman's Market. Look for the display of environmentally friendly products in the store.

From UA This Week: June 23, 2010:

"Three years ago you saw ladies bringing in — smart, astute, hippies-from-the-60s ladies — bringing in cloth grocery bags to the grocery store," O'Shaughnessy said. "All of a sudden, you see more people doing that, then all of a sudden you see stores selling cloth bags. I tell people, within five years, the words 'paper or plastic' will go the way of the rotary phone. You'll never hear those words again." That growing environmental consciousness has convinced O'Shaughnessy that there is a real business to be had in biodegradable consumer packaging, and he wants to be part of it. "I say I'm beating Styrofoam off the planet one plate at a time," he said.

Read the entire article here.

CONGRATULATIONS to Patty Furney and her colleagues at The Columbus Metropolitan Library. The Columbus Library was just named, "Library of the Year", by the Library Journal.

Read the article about our Library's honor.

Tom O'Shaughnessy sent in a Powerpoint presentation of images frmo the 1950s and 1960s, and they sure do bring back a lot of memories and thoughts from our childhood.

Watch the presentation here.

Watch this video

What an interesting journey into the world of 1906 on Market Street in San Francisco! Information in some of the comments under the video, taken by a camera mounted on the side of a cable car, indicate that this film was shot just four days before the great earthquake. The clock tower at the end of Market Street at the Embarcadero wharf is still there.

This film was originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot. From New York trade papers announcing the filming to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall and shadows indicating time of year and actual weather and conditions on historical record, and even when the cars were registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!)

Because this planned filming had been announced in the newspapers, you'll see cars, buggies, and people approaching and circling the cable car so they'll be on film.

Notice the clothing, the surprising number of motor cars, the formality of the era! Road travel with no regulations or rules. And just four days before that massive earthquake claimed many of these people and resulted in the destruction of many of the buildings in this film footage.

This is a great deal of interesting information in the many comments posted under the vide, too.

Watch this video

Sue Patterson wrote to let us know that Barb Calendine's husband, Dave Meese, is undergoing some serious testig and surgery to resolve health problems that have been causing him trouble for some time now. Sue told me that Girl Scout Troop 104 from our elementary school days, has stayed close through the years, and that they have formed a network to stay in touch with Barb and pass along their caring thoughts, prayers, and help.

Sue sent along a photo of Girl Scout Troop 104, which you can see below. If you can identify any of the unidentified girls, please let me know.

You can email Barb here.

Michael O'Rourke sent me this mock-up of a Kiva Kids t-shirt with a photo of Mrs. Bullock's 1957 first grade class at Fishinger School. You can go to CustomInk.com and order shirts like this.

CustomInk.com is a do-it-yourself print shop, and you can have various items made with your personal designs on them!

On February 16, Kristy Kable Smith retired after more than 35 years of teaching a counseling. Here is her note to the class:

"Over my long, happy career, I've loved teaching/counseling over 10,000 students! Each student has been special to me. I have been lucky and blessed to have been their teacher/guidance counselor. Also, I have been honored and humbled to have received many significant awards for my work w/ my students in teaching, "regular" guidance counseling, and college counseling.

As my UA '69 classmates might remember, I graduated a year early from OSU. My first job was as a language arts middle school teacher in the Groveport-Madison Local Schools, from the 1972-73 school year to 1980-1981.

When Courtney was born, I stopped teaching full time, but from 1981-1986, I taught night school in Whitehall City School's adult education program ..."

Read Kristy's entire note here

When Craig Robinson saw Jeff Stevenson's picture labeled as second grade at Tremont, he wrote to let me know that it's not the second grade; it's fifth grade.

Also, Craig reminded me that in 2004, he sent a collection of class photos from Wickliffe and Tremont Schools, and identified a lot of the students in each picture, including Jeff's photo which is actually the fifth grade (I have fixed that error).

Linda Kelsey Simonds posted some Barrington class photos on the UA69 Facebook page, and she has identified the teachers and students. Stop by and see if you remember these good old days! Thank you, Linda!

Visit the US69 Facebook page

From Jeff Stevenson:

I finally figured out a way to take my dad's old 8mm film home movies and put them on my computer. I have been working on it for over a year, but I spent most of that time trying to find and old 8mm film projector, and the rest of it was spent saving $ for a new computer and procrastinating. Anyway, one of the reels has a movie of a Boy Scout camping trip that must have happened around the same time frame as the pic you posted of Mark Bright.

There are lots of Class of '69ers in the movie, some of whom are in the pic with Mark. Lots of hams! I thought our classmates might have fun watching it and seeing themselves and their friends when they were kids - being kids. There are also some dads in the movie who are a lot younger in the movie than we are now.

Larry Wiley sent in two pictures from Wickliffe Elementary and thought it would be fun to try to identify these students. He also provided us with thecorresponding blank faces numbered, so that we can fill in the blanks. If you know who any of the kiddos are, please email me and I will post the namesin the right spots. Thanks to Larry for sending these along!

You can click each photo to enlarge it slightly.

Linda Nolan Szymanski has recently launched a new business called Salts of the 7 Seas. Linda's longtime love of and talent for cooking, and her appreciation and knowledge of gourmet foods and wines led her to begin exploring the world of natural sea salts, which not only are more flavorful than ordinary table salt, but also have numerous health benefits.

Linda is offering a wide selection of gourmet natural salts, sold either in sets or individually, on her new Web site, SaltsOfThe7Seas.com. You can read about the health benefits of these fine quality gourmet sea salts, and purchase the salts either in sets or individually. Did you know that natural sea salts can help you maintain the proper pH in your system to help your immune system better fight off the most serious diseases? Visit Linda's Web site to find out more about her Salts of the 7 Seas and how they are not only delicious, but also are beneficial to our health!

From Sharon Bonnie Judah:

For the Love of Anna

There is a little girl named Anna who is safe, warm and fed today. Less than a month ago she was huddled, cold, starving and unloved on the streets of Transnistria, a region in Eastern Europe. In jail for prostitution, her mother had given Anna to her aunt. Anna's aunt, in turn, decided to sell her into a life of prostitution ... for just $20. At five years of age and weighing only 25 pounds, this eventuality would have been an atrocity, but God’s Grace intervened.

Anna was rescued by one of Christian Broadcasting Network's (CBN) ministry team members, who bought her and placed her in a Christian orphanage in Transnistria where she is being nurtured and loved by compassionate caregivers. Anna now dances and eats and plays with other rescued children.

Unfortunately, Anna’s story is not an isolated incident. There are many children like Anna in Transnistria, one of the poorest countries in the world. Partly due to the economics of this region, parents unable to secure employment, abandon their children, and travel to the Ukraine hoping to find work. Other than prostitution, many orphaned children are used by drug lords to smuggle narcotics. These children are forced to swallow drug-filled condoms to transport out of the region. If they refuse, their feet are placed in concrete and they are tossed into the river to drown as an example to other children.

These stories are hard to hear, devastating actually, yet; they have moved us into action. With funds from my late husband, Steve’s estate, our family felt compelled to purchase a building now called, The Judah House, that will house 75 children. We are in the process of restoring this building by adding heat, electricity, and water. Orphan's Promise, a non-profit organization, has generously partnered with this project and will match any funds we raise, dollar for dollar! Extraordinary!

I am inviting you to join me in supporting the restoration of the Judah House by writing a tax deductible check, payable to CBN. Add the project number, #034642 in the memo line to insure that the check is designated for the orphanage. This is a unique opportunity to double the impact of your charitable donation and most importantly to save the lives of “the least of these”. We have raised $29,674 as of today; with Orphan’s Promise matching funds we are thrilled to have $59,348 of the $100,000 needed to complete the building restoration.

The Pastor associated with our orphanage has orchestrated much of the positive development taking place in Transnistria. Pastor Yuri and his wife, Oksana have exciting plans for a training center that will offer Spiritual insight, guidance and life training to the parents of our orphans, the orphans themselves and others in the community. They have purchased the land and broken ground to begin this project. The hope is to change the culture and transform lives for now and eternity.

Please take five minutes and watch this video.

Thank you for your consideration.

May God lead you,
Sharon Bonnie Judah

Please make check payable to "CBN" and include the project number #034642 in the memo line. Then, send your check to:

Sharon Judah
2112 Sandover Court
Columbus, Ohio 43220

If you have questions, please email Sharon or call her at 614-402-1477.

Art Underwood was recently named Chief Operating Officer of Saudi Re, an international reinsurance corporation located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For the past thirty years, Art has worked in this field all over the world, as a partner in ReSources, as a senior underwriter for Arch Re in Bermuda, as Vice-President for International Treaty for F&G Re here in the US, and a Facultative Manager for Compagnie Europeenne de Reassurance in Paris, France. Congratulations to Art on this professional accomplishment! See the letter announcing his new position.

From Donna Sell Kohlhepp:

My husband Dan and I just completed a 30 day, 11400 mile road trip to Alaska and back. It had been a dream of Dan's to drive the Alaska Highway since high school. It was a great trip! We blogged our adventures at alcanorbust.blogspot.com (Donna's journal) and dansalcan.blogspot.com (Dan's emails to friends).

Did you know ...

*Every 8 seconds a child dies from a waterborne disease?
*50% of worldwide infant mortality is due to water related disease?
*1.2 billion people are at risk of contracting disease by drinking
water?
*Approximately 80% of diseases in the world comes from unclean water?

But did you know ... that you have the ability to change this?

Hi Class of '69. I was honored to work an auction last weekend that raised $100,000 to provide fresh water around the world. I'd like to challenge our class to join this effort. If you'd like to contribute, just send me a check made out to Widow's Mite. One well or 5 cisterns cost $1800. any amount would be welcomed. Thank you!

Sharon Bonnie Judah
2112 Sandover Court
Columbus, Ohio 43220
Email Sharon

The photos taken at the 2009 Reunion are in KodakGallery slideshows. Just click the icon for each party to see the pictures from that event. It takes a moment for these slideshows to load, because there are a LOT of pictures! If you can help me fill in the missing names, designated by "___" please email me and indicate which slideshow it is, and which number photo you can identify. THANK YOU!

Please visit Bearalums.com, the official Web site of the Upper Arlington Alumni Association. Please make sure you're a member of UAAA, and also please check that your name and email address are listed there and are current and correct.

The Alumni Association keeps a database of thousands of graduates of our high school and helps reunion chairmen send mailings to their classmates. UAAA publishes a newsletter, Traditions, for all members, full of information and news about UAHS alumni.

Our class is amazing! Joanie Igel Dugger, Assistant Director of the UA Alumni Association, sent me this list of classmates from 1969 who have joined the Alumni Association at the two top levels: Life Member, and Golden Bear Member. Please show your support of this great school system by joining. You can do it by clicking right here. Thank you!

There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

Note: There may be no pain in the chest during a heart attack. The majority of people (about 60%) who had an heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water..

- CALL 911

- Do NOT lie down.

- Unlock the front door. Afterwards:

- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by

- say "heart attack!"

- say that you have taken 2 aspirins.

- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and....

~ Do NOT lie down ~

A Cardiologist has stated that, if each person, after receiving this information, sends it to 10 people, probably one life can be saved!

While we were having our 40-year reunion, Garry Hall, Jeff Stevenson, and Nick Kaparos were taking a long-planned motorcycle tour of the West. They had a great time, and Garry sent some photos to share. You can see the pictures here.

Hi All, Some of you were able to make it back to Columbus for the Class of 1969's 40 Year Homecoming. With the photos of each event now posted on the class site, it has reminded me of all of you who were in the one class which had the most memories for me from all my experiences within the Upper Arlington educational system. Thought you all might like a copy of our Fishinger first grade class with Mrs. Bullock, and the Windermere third grade class. Hope to see all of you in 5 years! See the photos here. ~ Michael O'Rourke

Bob Russell's middle son, Matt Russell, is currently in Iraq running an EOD unit. He has compiled this very interesting blog that Bob wanted to share with the class. Matt is a Washington Bayhawks lacrosse goalie and 1st Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps stationed in Baghdad, Iraq since March.

Bob now lives in Connecticut, but when he lived in UA, he was among a group who started the first lacrosse club at UA.

Read Bob's son Matt Russell's blog from Iraq here.

In his bio on the Classmates Then and Now page, John Neale talks about his interest in competing in triathlons. He wrote: " In my free time, I have become a runner (I did the Columbus Marathon in 1987), bicyclist, and triathlete. In 1998, I was the Rocky Mountain Regional Masters Champion at the Olympic distance triathlon for USA Triathlon, the national sanctioning body. Last year (2008), I succeeded in crossing the #1 item off my bucket list by competing in and finishing an Ironman triathlon in Tempe, Arizona (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run)."

See the video of the Ironman Triathlon here.
Read John's bio and other classmates' bios here.

Steve Holloway has published his second book, Canadian Foreign Policy: Defining the National Interest. Though designed for college courses on foreign policy, the book serves as a good general introduction to Canada, its role in the world and its relations with the US.

Steve is currently chair of the Political Science Department at St. Francis Xavier University, in beautiful Nova Scotia. StFXU is a small liberal arts college (about 4000 students) which has frequently been ranked as the best small university in Canada. More information about the book and ordering can be found on Amazon.com or on this link.

See Steve Holloway's amazing (and huge!) collection of photos and scans of school programs from Hastings and UAHS.

Ever want to listen to some songs from the old days? With this online jukebox, you can choose a year and listen to the top 20 songs from that year. Here are the song selections from our junior high, high school, and college years: 1964, 1965,1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973

They have jukeboxes for other years, too - just type in the year you want in the address bar.

Terry Streng's son, Matt Streng, is an outstanding first baseman on the Ohio State University baseball team. Matt, an OSU sophomore and UAHS alum, is making his own name by batting .328 with eight home runs and 31 RBI. You may remember that Terry Streng was a great baseball player during his days at UAHS and then at OSU.

See the article about Matt Streng in the Dispatch, which tells of the long legacy of baseball in the Streng family.