Friday, October 29, 2010

The Good Old Days

What a trip back to times gone by! This is a brief exerpt of 60 years of TV in Chicagoland; click on the title of this entry to visit the past. Hope the link remains active ............

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Ken Pratts Celebrate 50 years Together

An e-mail from Wally (better known as Ken) Pratt gave us a heads up on the celebration of his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Carol (Koutnik), a member of the class of '55; they were married October 1, 1960. Our congrats goes to this couple, another in the long line of classmates hitting the big 50, which in this era of multiple marriages, must be some kind of record. To think I have only 10 more to go to join this select group.................

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Judy Dian Larsen's Son Does it Again!!

How very proud (and worried) Judy and her family must be! The following press release details the whole story.

"Press Release Oct 15 For Immediate Release:

Larsen Reaches Tallest Point on Earth, Everest Summit, Today Setting a World
Record as First-ever Human to Hike to “Three” Poles in 333 Days; Renowned explorer, Eric Larsen, reaches Everest today and completes the third and final leg of his Save the Poles Expedition to tell the story on global warming

BOULDER, Colo. (October 14, 2010) — After over 44 days on Mount Everest, Polar explorer Eric Larsen announced today that he was able to summit Everest today, making him the first ever human to successfully reach the South Pole, North Pole and summit of Mt. Everest in a continuous 365-day period. On January 6, 2010, Larsen and his team successfully completed
a 750-mile, 48-day ski traverse to the Geographic South Pole. Larsen and a separate team reached the Geographic North Pole on April 22nd, Earth Day, after a 51-day, 500 mile push that included snowshoeing and skiing across shifting sea ice and sometimes even swimming across open water sections of the Arctic Ocean. His purpose for the Save the Poles expedition is to connect people with our last great frozen places and the environmental issues that are impacting them. Larsen uses these expeditions to promote individual action and national legislation on climate change issues.

“I have been to the ‘front lines’ of Global Warming during my journeys to the North and South Poles.” Larsen says. “We can save the poles and our planet if we act now.”

With today’s advances in technology and new social media platforms, Larsen has been able to stay connected with thousands of fans and expedition followers across the globe by harnessing solar power to assist with daily blog updates, tweets, podcasts, satellite phone calls and photo streams. Earlier this year, Larsen checked in with Twitter and Facebook followers by sending the first ever “tweet” from the North Pole on Earth Day. For the Everest leg of the expedition, Larsen has included video updates from the mountain on an almost daily basis, as well as a more interactive approach to conversing and answering questions via Twitter and Facebook.

“Not only can I reach more people than ever before through social media, but I can also actively engage a very diverse audience in conversations about these places and the issues surrounding them,” commented Larsen.

A member of The Explorer’s Club, Larsen isn’t new to the world of polar exploration. Larsen completed the first-ever summer expedition to the North Pole in 2006 where he pulled and paddled modified canoes nearly 600 miles. In January 2009, Larsen successfully led an international team to the geographic South Pole becoming one of only a few Americans to ski to both poles.

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, Sierra Designs, MSR, Scream Agency, Stanley, Therm-a-Rest, webExpeditions and Optic Nerve.

The Save the Poles Expedition’s objectives are:

•Complete the first-ever expedition to the summit of Mount Everest, the North and South Poles in a continuous 365-day period

•Create awareness of global warming, advocate strategies for reducing carbon emissions

• Produce a documentary film, book and educational curriculum that focuses on the science of climate change, teamwork and the spirit of adventure

• Develop a post expedition multi-media lecture series for education in schools and organizations Mount Everest and the North and South Poles represent the harshest and most extreme environments on the planet. Yet as inhospitable as these places are to humans, they are also the areas most affected by people. Scientists estimate by summer 2030, the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free. Recently, the 1,250 square mile Larsen B Ice Shelf collapsed off of Antarctica and disintegrated into the Southern Ocean. A report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts that if current trends continue, 80 percent of Himalayan glaciers will be gone in 30 years. While we are seeing the most dramatic changes in the polar and higher altitude regions, global warming is an issue that affects us all.

About Eric Larsen

As a modern-day explorer and expedition guide, Eric Larsen’s life epitomizes adventure. A polar adventurer, dog musher and educator, he has spent the past 15 years of his life traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on earth.

In 2006, Eric and Lonnie Dupre completed the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole. During this journey, the duo pulled and paddled specially modified canoes across 550 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean waters. Eric successfully led his first expedition to the South Pol in 2008, covering nearly 600 miles in 41 days. Eric is now one of only a few Americans in to have
skied to both the North and South Poles.

In November 2009, Eric returned to Antarctica for the first leg of his world record Save the Poles expedition. This time he completed a 750-mile ski traverse to the geographic South arriving on January 2, 2010. Two short months later he was dropped off at northern Ellesmere Island for a
winter-style North Pole Journey. The international team reached the North Pole 51 days later on Earth Day – April 22, 2010. He is currently embarked on the final leg of the Save the Pole expedition – climbing to the summit of Mt. Everest.

Eric's other expeditions include dog sledding in the Canadian Arctic, training trips to Hudson Bay and countless dog sled races (including the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon). He has summited Mt. McKinley, biked across the United States, been a backcountry ranger in Alaska and a white water canoe guide in Colorado. Eric has dedicated his adult life to sharing his love
for the outdoor world with others. As an educator, Eric strives to connect people to places and issues. In recognition of those efforts, Eric was elected as one of Outside Magazine's Eco All Stars in 2008. He was also inducted as a member of the Explorer's Club based in New York City.

Eric travels extensively giving motivational and educational lectures to schools, universities, nonprofit organizations and corporate groups. He is currently planning a book and documentary about the Save the Poles expedition.

Eric splits his time between Boulder, Co and Grand Marais, MN.

To see more about this modern-day explorer, visit www.savethepoles.com."

Saturday, October 9, 2010

The Big One Didn't Get Away


Ray Vybiral recently sent this picture with the note: "A photo of the largest rainbow trout I've caught in my pond; the fish is 24 inches long and weigh 7 pounds. I caught it 10/5/10."
Congrats, Ray --- it's a beautiful lunker, but isn't pond-fishing kind of like shooting ducks in a barrel?? Just kidding...........

Dean Giegoldt Passes Away

Marilyn Shoemaker Schleifer recently contacted us with information about the death of Dean Giegoldt. Dean actually left school after his junior year to join the military; however, he very much considered the class of ‘57’ his graduating class. Dean was living in Simi Valley, CA and died on April 16, 2010, after a 2-year battle with brain cancer. Dean is survived by his wife Doreen, three sons, one daughter, and several grandchildren.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to Dean's family and friends.