Rod Manges
Manhattan, KS
Spouse: Shelley   Married: 1977
Children: Taylor, Tim
2010 Biography: My wife Shelley (MHS class of '71) and I are still teaching music in the Manhattan-Ogden schools mostly at the elementary and middle school level.
    Our daughter, Taylor, is attending KSU and is an assistant manager at Kieu's clothing store located downtown on Poyntz. Our son, Tim, will be a senior at MHS next year and is a receiver on the football team - Go Indians!!
    I'm also still performing as a keyboard player in "Mainstreet" - a Manhattan based Rhythm & Blues band. It seems that musicians work mainly on weekends and holidays which makes it difficult to attend social events and reunions. Please keep in touch!

Phyllis Mar
Kansas City, MO
2010 Biography: A couple of people at this 2010 reunion mentioned that they were interested in seeing an update from me, and I have been intending to do it for some time. Hang on while I make up for lost time. Here goes. Maybe I ought to sensationalize this --- Phyllis Mar - The Untold Story --- and use a creepy font.
    After graduating, I went to K State, majored in art for about 3 years, and then had a crisis of talent. I can't pinpoint any one event that triggered it. From the time I was very small I was always drawing. All through grade school, junior and high school, I was tagged as an artsy type, but I was otherwise invisible. It came to a grinding halt, and I had no motivation to keep on with it. I had no one to talk to about it, and I really couldn't describe it anyway.
    I felt like there was nothing special about my art. Everyone was making art equally good or better, and I couldn't see that I had anything to offer. I went into a deep depression about it. I looked at my fellow art students and mostly what I saw were a lot of fragile massive egos vying for attention. I didn't have words for it then, but in retrospect I was probably searching for meaning and purpose. I had frequent thoughts about suicide, but I couldn't figure out a way to do it that would not leave a mess for someone to clean up. Basically I wanted to just evaporate.
    I had been regularly playing cards in the K State Union with a group that included Stu and Joyce Parsons, Geoff Roof, John McNair, Vicky Faurot, and sometimes Jane Sanders and Delores Carter. I don't remember how much my depression colored the enjoyment I got from hanging out with this group, but one day I decided it was not serving me to keep playing cards, and I stopped hanging with this group. I think this was when my art lapsed, and today I call myself a lapsed artist because I've not yet regained my art as a consuming passion.
    One day I found myself taking an acting class. I had a lot of fun with it, and I auditioned for a part in a one act play. I wasn't any good, but it was an entrée into the college theater community. I fell in love with it, and it nourished me. I found my place in this community as a costumer. At last I belonged somewhere. I could make a contribution and be recognized and appreciated. I went on to graduate with a degree in Speech and Theater with an emphasis in costuming in 1974.
    But, I still had no idea what I wanted to do, and I hung around a bit, doing the professional student thing, and it was too easy because I still lived with my parents. I made a feeble stab at a masters program, but mostly I just took more theater courses.
    I got a part in the chorus of Godspell during the summer of 1976. I'm forever grateful to my sisters Linda and Amy who covered for me at the restaurant, but at one point Linda half jokingly complained that they were the only ones in town who hadn't seen the musical. It was open air theater that was set up in the old stadium.
    During the summer of 1977, I became costumer for a summer theater in Grand Lake, Colorado, that was headed up by one of my theater professors. Star Wars was playing in Estes Park across the way, and at the end of the summer, Elvis died. Grand Lake is at an elevation above 8000' ASL, so temperaturewise, I didn't have a summer that year. It was beautiful, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't still been in the throes of youthful angst.
    In the summer of 1978, I was accepted as a costume intern at the prestigious Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis - no pay, just prestige. F. Murray Abraham was one of the actors in residence that summer, and it was before he made Amadeus. He had the lead role in a play written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, called Teibele's Demon. Leonard Nimoy did a one man show playing Vincent Van Gogh's brother, Theodore. I worked on costumes for Hamlet. Because of this background in costuming, it was very interesting to connect with John Roberts' wife, who is an historical costume consultant for the film industry, at this 2010 reunion.
    I had my nights free in Minneapois. One of the things I did was a temporary job as a cocktail waitress for a summer concert series. It was set up cabaret style with tables instead of theater seating. The featured artists included Mitch Miller, Bobby Short and Jane Olivor. Mitch Miller was declining in fame, but Bobby Short was coming off some recent fame from a popular commercial for some perfume. Jane Olivor was being touted as the next Streisand, and she was popular with the gay community.
    I also bought a package of introductory dance lessons at Arthur Murray. Talk about wham-bam-ala-kazam, I was hooked. I absolutely loved ballroom dancing.
    When I got back to Manhattan at the end of the summer, I staked out the nearest Arthur Murray as being in Kansas City. It was upstairs at 12th and Walnut, across from the Jones Store. I was so starry eyed for ballroom dancing, my first visit was magic. It was a hot day, and after they rang me into the security door, wonderful air conditioning wafted over me. As I walked up the plush carpeted stairs, I could swear I was kicking up sparkly gold fairy dust. For almost a year I would go to Kansas City once a week for dance lessons.
    My obsession escalated to where once a week wasn't enough. It was ballroom dancing that led me to move to Kansas City in August of 1979. Absolute true story. And it wasn't even the professional dancing you see on Dancing With the Stars, but we did work on some routines for performance events that were like dance recitals. It was very social, and a lot of the customers were old and wealthy. A few of the instructors aspired to be in professional competition, but even back then it was prohibitively costly.
    The dance lessons themselves were costly, and finally after much pleading from my mother, I walked away from ballroom dancing around 1983. I had spent roughly $10,000.00 on dance lessons. And no, I won't buy a bridge from you.
    My first job in Kansas City was at one of the last dress manufacturers in the garment district. We were across the street from the Folger Company. I applied as a sewing machine operator, but there were no openings in that department. I ended up in the patternmaker's department. What a fun job. All day long I got to cut out paper patterns, and I learned a lot about garment construction and manufacturing.
    My next job was as a seamstress doing alterations for Swanson's on the Plaza, a really swanky women's clothing store. I worked on designer clothing - the big names: Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene, Oscar dela Renta, Valentino, Chanel, Yves St. Laurent - and I rubbed elbows with the wives of some of Kansas City's wealthiest men. We also had a bridal department, so I worked with a lot of Bridezillas and their Motherzillas. Swanson's was owned by Hallmark.
    It was my heavy makeup period. We had the top lines of makeup in Swanson's, like Chanel and Lancome. Our employee discount was 40% on clothing and 20% on makeup - it was a really sweet perk. I went to Patricia Stevens to learn fashion merchandising in the hopes that it could help me move up in the organization, and their modeling course was part of the curriculum, so that was even more heavy makeup. The course did nothing to advance me, but we took a fun field trip to New York City.
    One of our stops was Windows on the World, a restaurant on top of one of the World Trade Center buildings. We looked across at the other building which had an observation deck on its roof, and it was crowded. We could see the Statue of Liberty off the lower end of the island, and I remember small planes that appeared to be flying at the same level we were at. Little did we know. This was in the early 80s.
    Speaking of small planes, during this period I signed up for a community class on what I thought would be an informative class on flying small private planes. It turned out to be a cram course on passing the written test for a private pilot license.
    The instructor was a pilot for TWA, and he was also a flight instructor. I took flying lessons as a personal challenge for myself. I was terrified of flying, especially in a small plane, but something drove me to test that boundary. 40 hours flying time and a cross country trip were the minimum requirements for a private license. I came close but did not complete that requirement. It's still an open loop that I might go back and close one day. We'll see.
    I took advantage of Hallmark's tuition assistance program and went to computer programming school at night for about a year. When I graduated I got a job as a junior programmer at a software company in Overland Park, and I think I stayed at Swanson's on a part time basis. That employee discount was hard to give up. I really liked programming, but they laid me off after six months.
    I went back to working full time in Swanson's, and the furrier's assistant retired. I applied for the opening, but I thought that one of the other seamstresses who had had previous experience in the fur industry would be selected. I was shocked when they chose me. I spent the first two months of that job in sensory overload. To this day I can visually tell a real fur from a fake.
    One day I was doing a fitting in the designer salon, and as I walked out I saw a familiar face in the fur salon. Imagine my surprise and utter delight when I saw Kent Glasscock there. He was buying a fur coat for his girlfriend of that time. If any of you gals have ever turned him down for date, that's what you missed out on.
    In the meantime I had also started working at the IRS, so these two jobs overlapped for a couple of years. I finally resigned Swanson's shortly after the furrier retired.
    Current surface detail in July 2010 is a relatively quiet life as a crazy cat lady who has been an IRS employee for 23 years. This life has been punctuated periodically with extraordinary events, in large part due to the fact that I have a secret life as a workshop/conference/seminar junkie.
    I started sometime during the late 80s going to real estate seminars. Beyond the book learning, there were a lot of growth exercises, so yes, I've done the trust falls and I've broken boards with my hand. The first wave of seminars petered out, and I didn't go to anything for a while, but it got me to buy a house.
    I had a bucket list long before it was called that. For the longest time I had 'learn to parachute' on that list. I think it was for my 40th birthday that I finally decided that 20 years of having it on my list was long enough, and I decided to go learn to parachute as a gift to myself.
    I went to a required ground school, and went through some drills where my instructor had me practice simulating the steps to make a jump. I was supposed to step out onto the strut of the plane, and then as I stepped off the strut I was supposed to assume a Superman-like position to become aerodynamic.
    Well, what a joke compared to the reality. I did what they call a static line jump. There's a long cord with one end attached to the pull cord on the parachute and the other end has a hook that is hooked to the floor of the plane. The parachute opens automatically as you fall. The joke was that the instructor completely omitted any mention of how fierce the winds aloft are. I don't think I got more than two steps out onto the strut before I was just blown off, and it happened so fast that I was down a couple hundred feet before I remembered to assume the Superman position.
    They equipped us with a radio, so following their instructions to pull left or right, I managed to land in the target area.
    I did one more static line jump after that first one, and then I had had my fill. Parachuting didn't turn out anywhere as exciting as I had expected, but the only way I would learn that was to do it. There was a small group of diehard enthusiasts, but the majority of the people I encountered there seemed pretty shallow, and I was not moved to mingle with them.
    Plus, I had to drive almost an hour to Lexington, Missouri, to get to the small airport. This airport was on the banks of the river, and it regularly got flooded. I found it too much of a hassle.
    In October 2001, a month after 9-11, I accompanied my sister Linda to pick up her second adopted daughter from China, while her husband stayed home with their first adopted daughter. It was my first trip to China, and I hope it won't be my last.
    Linda is employed as an attorney for the Marriott Corporation, so we stayed at a really posh Marriott in Hong Kong the first few days of the trip. We rode the big escalator, we went up to Victoria Peak, we visited our paternal grandmother's grave in Kowloon and we went shopping in the Stanley market.
    In Beijing, we met up with the adoption coordinator and the other adoptive families. There were only three other families, so we were an unusually small group. Other groups had at least a dozen families. The whole adoption machinery in China is extremely organized and regulated. The adoption coordinator felt strongly that the children's adoptive families should at least acquaint themselves with the culture, so he also assumed the mantle of a tour guide. We saw Tiennemen Square and we visited the Forbidden City. We went out to the Great Wall. I felt the ghosts everywhere.
    There were also vendors everywhere. I was especially dismayed to find them on the Great Wall.
    After Beijing, we went to Fuzhou (?foo ? joe?) to rendezvous with the children and their chaperones from the orphanage. It was quite an emotional first meeting. My niece was named Ting Fu Yue by the orphanage, and she was adopted as Rebecca. She was thirteen months old and had just started furniture walking. When she ran out of furniture, she loudly demanded that one of us hold her hand and walk her around. She was relentless.
    After Fuzhou, we went to Guangzhou (?gwong ? joe?). All adopted babies leaving China go through Guangzhou and stay at the White Swan Hotel because it's around the corner from the Consulate. The babies went through a physical exam and then they were sworn in as American Citizens.
    Rebecca slept the first two hours of a 15 hour flight back to the States. Not only was she awake for the next 13, but she did not want to sit still. If we tried to get her to sit still, she would wail loudly. So as not to disturb other passengers, I walked her around as she charmed all the flight attendants. She was not the least bit tired, but the bags under my eyes were big enough I could have checked them.
    We came through San Francisco and met up with our sister Amy, who was 7 months pregnant with her first child at the age of 41. After a brief chat, we went our separate ways to our respective homes.
    In February 2002 I had surgery to remove a small lump from my left breast. A biopsy confirmed that it was indeed cancer. In April of 2002 I had a second surgery to clear the margins, and to take a few lymph nodes from my left armpit. The lymph nodes tested negative, so the cancer did not spread. I declined chemo, but I agreed to the radiation therapy. My left breast is now about two inches higher than the right, so if you ever see me listing to one side, that might be the reason. LOL
    The current round of workshop experiences started in 2004.
I have:
done more trust falls; done a firewalk; jumped off a cliff into a river 3 times; participated in about 5 or 6 sweat lodges; bent rebar at my throat with a partner; done a trancedance; done a rebirthing process; climbed to the top of a pole and stood upright on it before jumping off; participated in a death by strangulation exercise; done a maze blindfolded; eaten fire; gone white water rafting.
    Not all in the same day, though.
    The underlying spiritual emotional growth has been exponential and indescribable.
    Sometimes things happen even before I get to one of these workshops. One time a man died in the seat next to me on the plane. He revived and was able to walk off the plane when we landed, but I knew he left briefly when the stench of his fecal release came at me abruptly. I now treasure uneventful flights.
    I went to India for the first time in 2007. I went with a group of almost 40 people, and we stayed for 18 days. At the end of the first week, shortly after we'd seen the Taj Mahal, Mother India tried to kill me. I woke up sicker than a dog. On top of the usual flu symptoms, I couldn't keep any food down, and nothing would come out the other end, either. Dr. Bidwell, I sure wish you had been there.
    In spite of this, it was an incredible trip across northern India. One of the most memorable experiences for me happened in Varanasi. We took a predawn boat ride out to the middle of the Ganges, when it was dark and still. Quite a few of us, including myself, had dressed with swimsuits underneath our clothes.
    Since there were nearly 40 of us, we took two boats out onto the water. Our leader was in the other boat. He spoke a few words about Ma Ganga - the Ganges - and then peeled down to his skivvies. He invited us to join him as he jumped into the river. The first rays of dawn were starting to glow.
    A couple of my friends jumped in before I did and swam around happily. Not only was I sick, but I'm a very poor swimmer, so I hesitated for a few minutes. I knew it was a once in a lifetime chance. I had no idea if I would ever come back to India, and even if I did, there was no guarantee that I would take a boat ride out to the middle of the Ganges.
    I don't remember if I jumped, or more likely, I probably sat on the edge of the boat and slipped into the water. I do remember thinking that these people would attempt to save me if anything happened, and if they weren't successful I would at least be dying in holy water. It was the thought of immersing myself in holy water that drew me into the water.
    As I went beneath the surface, the sounds got muffled and it was totally murky. It was strangely comforting, and then I suddenly remembered that I better start using my arms to get back to the surface. When I got to the surface my friends were ready to pull me back into the boat, but I wanted to get two more dips in, and I hung on to the side of the boat to do that.
    Once I was back in the boat I sorta lay there exhausted but elated, and then I had to get my clothes back on. In India the women have to stay covered, but at least one of the guys had jumped in nude. The sun came up blazing red, like a huge glowing blood orange. I think I have pictures in my Facebook album.
    A day or so later we would go dipping into the Ganges from the water's edge, but that was a totally different experience. We were at Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival. It was an off year, so it was only 30 million strong. In the major years they have as many as 70 million attend.
    More recently, I attended the historic Inauguration of Barack Obama. Since my sister Linda lives in Washington DC, we didn't have to fight to get a hotel room.
    It was sure freakin' cold, though. And we did lots and lots of walking, and then lots and lots of standing in long slow or non-moving lines. Our group included me and my three sisters and two of their husbands. We got on the subway around 6 am and it was already crowded, but at least it wasn't as packed as it would be later. It was still dark when we got off near the Mall.
    The numbers exceeded all expectations, and I think that blew their plan for tickets out of the water. I still have my ticket. We managed to get into the Mall, and the gate was closed behind us. At that point having a ticket was useless because the Mall was full.
    We ended up where there was no Jumbotron, but we could still hear the speakers. We couldn't see Obama directly but it was an awesome feeling to be part of history.
    Whew! Was that really 40 years???
Still on the bucket list:
    touch a whale / go into space / dance tango with Robert Duvall / learn to play my didgeridoo (Yes, I have one)

DeWayne Marcellus
Manhattan, KS

William Marion
Searcy, AR
Spouse: Brenda   Married: 2000
Children: Carrie, Jacob, Allison, Aaron
2000 Biography: V. P. Operations - Land O' Frost, Inc. Employed by LOF in Searcy, AR since 1983.

Doug Marker
Manhattan, KS

Steve Martin
Oxford, MI
Spouse: Phyllis   Married: 1983
Children: Tabitha, Abigail
2005 Biography: I graduated from Johnson Bible College in 1974. I was a youth minister for seven years. I earned a Master of Arts degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 1981. I was an associate minister in Tulsa, OK, for 2 years where I met my wife. We have been married for 22 years. Since 1984 I have been the preaching minister in several churches. Currently I am the minister at Meadowbrook Christian Church in Rochester Hills, MI. Rochester Hills is a beautiful area in northern metro Detroit. Before moving to Rochester Hills we lived in a small town outside of Charleston, SC. Both of my daughters are in college in Tennessee. The oldest wants to be a high school English teacher and the youngest wants to be a missionary. I enjoy riding my mountain bike, golfing, playing tennis, and reading a good thriller or fantasy book.

Anna Masters

Bob McCarthy
Manhattan, KS

Patty (McCarthy) Metzler
Middlebury, VT
Spouse: Steve Children: Chris, Scott, Paul, Peter
2022 Biography: My husband Steve and I moved to Lawrence from Middlebury, Vermont in 2001 for Steve to go to KU Law School and to be closer to my family. We are both retired now, Steve from law and I am a retired nutritionist. Steve and I will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary on June 4. Two of our four sons live in Vermont, one lives in South America and our youngest son lives in Florida.
    Our oldest son is married and has two daughters. His oldest daughter will graduate from 8th grade on June 9. I will miss the reunion as we will be in Vermont for her graduation and most of the rest of this year. My dear mother, Phyllis McCarthy, passed away on May 18 2022. My sister Susan McCarthy and brother Jim McCarthy/wife Darla and I took care of her for the last 5 years rotating from house-to-house every 4-6 weeks. I will miss her dearly. She would have been 99 in August. Hope you all have a great reunion! Best, Patty McCarthy Metzler

Kim McClelland
Columbus, OH

Carol McCracken

John McInteer (deceased)

Bev McKee

Mike McMahon
Marietta, GA

John McNair
Lenexa, KS
Spouse: Joanne
Children: Catherine, Johnny

Chuck Meyer (deceased)

Wes Milbourn
Oklahoma City, OK
Spouse: Sandy   Married: 1974
Children: Jennifer Milbourn Schreiner, Elisa Milbourn McAlister, Grant
2025 Biography: Since high school, I attended and graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Continued my broadcasting career throughout high school and college. In college, met my wife Sandy and we have been married for 50 years. We moved to Oklahoma City in late 1978 and have been in broadcasting since my beginnings at KMAN in 1967. Currently, I'm President and General Manager of two TV stations...KFOR-TV, the NBC Affiliate, and KAUT-TV, the CW Affiliate in Oklahoma City.
    Sandy and I have three great kids...Jennifer (9-10-1981) lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband Adam Schreiner and their two boys Lincoln, age 14, and Gibson, age 11. She graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2004. Elisa (12-17-1984) lives in Oklahoma City and works for the Lt. Governor of the State of Oklahoma and is married to Deston McAlister (12-08-18). They have one daughter, Molly Maxine, age 3. She graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2007. Grant (9-11-1987) served as a Major in the United States Air Force and is stationed at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma, where he is an instructor pilot (IP) training the new pilots how to fly and is married to Melanie (11-15-19). They have two daughters Amelia Mae (Millie), age 3, and Ella Ruth, age 1. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2010 where he also received his commissioning. I still continue to enjoy weekend golf games with my golfing buddies and shooting hoops in the driveway with my kids and grandkids. Sandy and I are blessed to have all of our kids and grandkids so close to us!!!

Douglas Miller
Lawrence, KS
Spouse: Susan Children: Chris, Scott, Nick
2000 Biography: I have been married to my wonderful wife for 25 years and have been working for the Lawrence Ks. Police Department for the last 26 years. Our 3 sons, Chris, Scott, and Nick are pursuing their respective career choices.

John Mills

Douglas Moore
Apple Valley, CA
Spouse:   Married: 1972
Children: 2
2020 Biography: First, let me put everyone who doesn't remember me at ease. I only went to MHS one year, my senior year, 1970. So, it's ok if you don't remember me. I still thought it would be fun to see a lot of people at the 50 year MHS reunion though, including the few people I've been in touch with over the years. So, here's to hoping many of you are able to attend our big 50th reunion!
Now that that's out of the way:
    After graduating from MHS I went to a small college in Oklahoma, just outside Oklahoma City. After a couple of years there I met my future wife. (She was in grad. school when I was a sophomore.) We married in 1972. (Yes, we were way too young. We are still together though. Going on 48 years now. I give her all the credit for that.)
    After a few years living in OKC we moved to Casper, Wyoming, where we were part of a family construction & development business. We built apartments, single family homes & condos. We were in Casper until 1984, when the oil glut/gas crisis of the late 70s/early 80s hit and many of our tenants left Wyoming as their mother companies moved their offices out of state.
In 1984 we moved to Apple Valley, California (about 80 miles N.E. of Los Angeles). We needed to find a place that was booming, not "busting" as the State of Wyoming was back then, a place where it would be a good, safe environment to raise our 2 sons. One was 4, the other 2. We still live in Apple Valley to this day.
    My wife got a teaching job here, at Apple Valley High School, where she taught math (calculus, geometry, statistics, etc.) until she retired in 2017. She has also taught part time periodically at the local college over the years.
I went back to school & got a fifth-year CA teaching credential (required in CA) for teaching English & Art, but found that, unlike my wife, I did not have the gift that many do for teaching high schoolers. So, I started working for the County of San Bernardino. After taking some additional grad school work, I started a job as a contracts writer (later a contracts administrator). After a few years I was asked to join a Special Projects team that did efficiency studies of various departments within the County of San Bernardino. (The County employs around 19,000 people.)
    Eventually I was hired as a Policy Analyst (l later became Deputy Chief of Staff) for the SB County Board of Supervisors. All of the unincorporated areas in SB County (the largest county in the US geographically) are governed by 5 elected County Supervisors. They work with the mayors & city councils of the 24 cities within SB County on common areas of concern (land use, public works, state & federal legislation, etc.). The county also has the D.A., Public Defender, Social Services, County Hospital, County airports & parks and the like. My job was acting as advisor to board members & working with city, state & sometimes federal officials & staff, counsel, etc., as well as our own County department directors, counsel, administrators ...
    In 2014 1 retired from the County, but a year later realized I was not ready for total retirement & went back to work part time for the Board of Supervisors on contract. But, in 2017 my wife had a brain aneurysm. (l almost lost her at that point, but it was not her time yet.) After several weeks in ICU, more weeks in a rehab center & more eeks doing individually supervised rehabilitation at home I told the County I was going to "do the right thing" & take care of the love of my life, so I fully retired.
    My wife is doing great now, about 90% back to normal. She's as feisty as she ever was. I am Spending a lot of time doing something I've always wanted to do now, being a "wanna-be" artist. I do oils, pastels, pen & ink, etc. I've won some local art shows and had some paintings auctioned for local charities (e.g. a greyhound rescue group & a non-profit that helps unemployed low income people get back in the workforce). I've also done a few commissioned paintings, but I prefer donating my work.
    My wife & I spend as much time as we can with our 4 grandkids now. (l teach 2 of them tennis lessons at a local club.)
    Our sons are now 39 & 37, both married & career people. One is a math professor at a local college. (He inherited his mom's brains.) His wife, a former public school administrator, is a coordinator for all the home schooler familie> in our area. Our other son is a Director for a transit agency (buses, ADA paratransit vehicles, etc.) that serves most of SB County. His wife has her hands full with a 2 year old & a 4 month old girl.
    Well, that's about it for me. Not the most exciting life, but we are greatly blessed & content in our "old age" (though I don't feel old).
    I look forward to seeing everyone who is able to attend our 50 year reunion! I hope all of you are doing well and send my prayers for those who are struggling in one way or another. I hope to see many of you in June at the reunion!

Michele (Moore) Weber
Columbus, KS
Spouse: Jacob   Married: 1974
Children: Aaron, Eric, Gregory, Dominic, Christa
2005 Biography:  After high school I attended Kansas State University majoring in Elementary Education. While there I met my husband, Jacob. We both graduated in 1974. I in Elementary Education and Jacob in Horticulture. We moved to Oakley, Kansas that same year to help operate the family farm which we did for 14 years. During that time we started our family having 5 children: 4 boys and 1 girl. In 1988, my husband accepted a job with the Kansas State University Research and Extension Service as the County Extension Agent in Horticulture for Cherokee, Crawford and Montgomery Counties in Southeast Kansas. This called for a move to Columbus, Kansas, where we still reside. (After our arrival, we discovered that my former classmate Cindy (Busset) Epler was living on a farm southeast of Columbus, serving on the Cherokee County Extension Executive Board and signing my husband's paychecks!!!!! Our families participated in many activities together and Cindy and I remain close friends!!!)
    In the summer of 1999, I enrolled in the graduate school of Pittsburg State University to complete teacher recertification. In 2000, I accepted a job with USD#493 Columbus, Kansas, as the 4 year-old At-Risk Pre-Kindergarten Teacher. I have 19 four-year-olds during the regular school year. I find it extremely rewarding and yet challenging!!!!

Paula (Moore) Carver
Wamego, KS

Karen (Morey) Piland
Kansas City, MO

Diana (Morrison) Havenstein
Manhattan, KS
Spouse: Steve Havenstein (Class of '70)
Children: 3
2020 Biography: Steve and I have been married 48 years, raised 3 wonderful sons, lived in 7 different states, retired in 2017 and moved back to Manhattan. I've been a florist or shop manager for many of those years. I enjoy traveling with Steve, spending time with friends, gardening and volunteering. Life is good!

Becky (Mosier) Wassom
Wamego, KS
Spouse: Steve   Married: 1976
Children: Mark, Matt, Laura, Derek
Grandchildren: 6
2020 Biography: We are enjoying retirement and seem to be on the go all the time following 11 grandkids and their sports, music, 4-H and school activities.
    Volunteering at the Flint Hills Discovery Center and the Wamego Library and Friends of the Library fills in the week days.
    We hope to do some traveling this year and have a list of places we want to visit.

Dr. Mike Mosier
Manhattan, KS
Spouse: Becky   Married: 1976
Children: Katie, Maggie, Annie, Amie, Whitney
2005 Biography:  Mike is starting his 26th yr. in Family Practice with his brother Steve, in Manhattan. His wife, of soon to be 29 yrs, is Becky. They have 5 daughters:
     Katie (25) is starting her 4th yr of medical school, is married to James Sutton.
     Maggie (21) is a student at KSU.
     Amie (20) is a student at KSU.
     Annie (20) is soon to be a student at Western College in Gunnison Colo. to run cross country.
     Whitney (17) a senior at Riley County High School. Was a starter on the girls basketball team which had a 2yr record of 51-1and were 3A -2005 state champions.
     Between his practice and all of his daughters plus the other demands of life, Mike keeps busy.

Janet (Motley) Swander
Manhattan, KS

Betty (Muir) Popa (deceased)

Doris (Muncie) Smith
Atlanta, GA

Marcia (Murphy) Rowe
Pleasanton, CA
Spouse: David   Married: 1972
Children: Colette, Jared
2005 Biography: Wow, I can't believe that it has been 35 years! How can this be since I am only 29? Time flies, alot has changed in the past five years but more has stayed the same. I have been married to the same man for 33 years (sometimes a challenge) and we have been in the same town and home for 25 years (according to our children this is very boring). We have both changed jobs in the last five years, David was a Sale Engineer for 30 years and a victim of downsizing (very popular here in California) he now works for SBC in a call center (in at 8 and out at 4:30). A very different job, however there is no stress and he is just a 20 min. bicycle ride from home, so no commute. Four years ago I left the job I had had for eight years and haven't looked back. I love being at home again with time to garden, read, cook and most importantly sew. I still work two mornings a week at the local quilt shop, but that is more play than work. The shop is just a few blocks from home so if I were so inclined I could walk. Our children are grown and free spirits. According to my husband this was caused by sending them to UC Santa Cruz to school. I think they just enjoy life. Our daughter lives in Berkley and is a garden teacher at an elementary school (more info on school gardens can be found on Alice Waters web site www.edible schoolyard.org/ppl). This next year she has a grant to also work with the students to encourage healthy eating habits. Our son is an investigator and Spanish translator. He has been with the public defender in Santa Cruz, but now is in the process of going out on his own in San Francisco. They both travel as much as possible, Jared has just come back from 2 months in Mexico and Colette is about to spend the next 2 months in the northwest and Canada. My husband and I enjoy traveling also, however we prefer large cruise ships and pampering. We have just received city approval for a small addition we are putting onto our house (enlarging our master bedroom and most importantly my quilting studio). We will be doing most of the work ourselves so this summer you will find me in the backyard, hard hat on, plans in hand, telling everyone what to do! We are located about 40 miles east of San Francisco, so if any of you are out this way give us a call. My brother Matt still lives in Manhattan so I make it back every year or so. Sorry to miss the reunion - I hope you all have a great time.

Bruce Murrell (deceased)

Carl Musil
Overland Park, KS

Jill (Nedwed) Duer
Alta Vista, KS
Spouse: Steve   Married: 1996
Children: Bryan Robinson
2010 Biography: My husband and I moved back to this area three years ago to be closer to my parents in their older years. We moved from Spring Hill, KS which is south of Kansas City. We love the rural life and chose a home in the country with some acreage to farm. I have worked for almost 30 years for the same company, Mid-America Cardiology at KU Medical Center. Since I married my current husband, I have worked from home, transcribing medical documents. Last year about this time the transcription department was disbanded and our jobs outsourced. I was retained but my job is in the midst of transition again and I don't know if I will survive another cut. Regardless, I have enjoyed the freedom of working from home and will embrace whatever new comes along. Steve and I enjoy the outdoors; he bought a motorcycle and I bought a motor scooter last year. (No changing gears for this chick). We like to ride when we have time. We vacation during the summer in Minnesota at a family cabin on Big Sand Lake,(can't beat the beautiful weather and scenery). We enjoy our animals; at the moment three dogs and two cats who share our space in our home, as well as a population of barn cats/kittens that is ever changing. I play in my g arden and play with my granddaughter when I am not working. She will be two years old this summer and she is the light of my life. I see her every chance I get which is every other weekend! I will be in MN over the Fourth of July so will miss the reunion. Can it really be 40 years since we graduated? Life has been interesting. Those of you who make it back for this reunion, have fun catching up with each other. Thanks to the reunion committee for taking time to plan and execute, and hopefully we will all be around in ten years to celebrate 50 years.

Pam (Nelson) Hadden
Edmond, OK
Spouse: Scott   Married: 1979
Children: Benjamin, Zachary
2010 Biography: After graduating from K-State in '74 in Elementary Ed. I taught Kindergarten in Manhattan and then moved to Lincoln, Ne., where I met and married Scott. We have lived in Nebraska, Africa, Kansas, Colorado and Texas. We now live in Edmond where Scott is director of counseling at a Christian Counseling Center and I am an admin. assitant for a gas and oil company. Our children are Benjamin who is a drilling engineer for the same company that I work for. He and his wife live in Istanbul, Turkey. Our son Zachary and his wife live in Tulsa where he is a Petroleum Engineer.
    Sorry to miss seeing you at the reunion. I have many great memories of my years at Manhattan High.

Barb (Nesmith) Horowitz
Seattle, WA

Terry Noordsy (deceased)
Hertford, NC
Spouse: Vicki Jo Children: Chelsea, Mason
2000 Biography: Life after High School: I spent several years as a Hospital Corpsman with the Navy and Marine Corp, Naval Reserve. Moved back to the Topeka, KS area and became a Radiology Technologist. Married Vicki Jo in 1976 and raised Chelsea & Mason around the Topeka & Manhattan area until 1989. Spent 1 year in Oklahoma and then moved to North Carolina in 1990. I ran a MRI at a local hospital and Vicki owns an Antique Business. Chelsea has a business degree and is a loan officer at a local bank. Mason is learning the ins and outs of the local music store. He is a gifted guitar artist! Hopes to help me refine!

Wanda Norman (deceased)

Jim Norton (deceased)

Bruce Norvell
Milton, GA
Spouse: Kay Muncie (Class of '71)
  Married: 1976
Children: Jessica Lewis, Adrienne, Peter
2022 Biography: ?I’m looking forward to our 50th (52nd). How can it be 52 years since graduation? Manhattan was a terrific place to grow up and the 50’s and 60’s were a special time. My father was a PK (preachers kid), the son of a Methodist minister growing up. The Methodist church moved their ministers around frequently mostly without their input. So my Dad never had a hometown and hated the moving. Once he was hired by the Manhattan school board in 1949 he did not leave and finally had his hometown. We Norvell kids benefited from that fact. My childhood was very blessed.
     After graduating from K-State in ‘76 (as I like to say I squeezed my four years into six with a year off for military active duty.) I moved to Atlanta and have basically been here ever since. Kay Muncie, Class of ‘71 came with me. We married and had three children. Two daughters and a son. I got into the insurance business as an underwriter and had a 40 plus year career. I was able to travel and had wonderful client relationships and friendships. I still keep up with many of my former clients and work colleagues. Again, I was blessed in my work career.
     Our oldest daughter, Jessica was smitten at an early age by the horse bug which would shape our lives going forward. We owned horses for years and had them on our property. The girls competed in horse shows all over the southeast and beyond. It was good for them and our family. We’re still on acreage and share 20 acres with my daughter, Adrienne and her six kids. Our little piece of heaven is called Wild Meadows Farm. We see the grandkids every day which is a blessing. Our older daughter, Jessica is 15 minutes away and our son, Peter is in Chattanooga which is two hours north. Jessica and Peter both have two children so we have 10 grandkids!
     We’ve always loved the beach and have had second homes there for 20 years. We just built which I hope is our last beach house at Seabrook Island, SC. Seabrook is south of Charleston about 30 minutes. We spend lots of time in the summer with the family there and other times, as well.
     My siblings are all well. Nancy is in Nashville, Mark’s in Tulsa and Gary is in Tacoma Park, MD.
     I still see Dennis Hedke when we can get together and we communicate regularly. I saw Joel Goldberger frequently for years and we still see his widow, Debbie and his children. So many friends are gone. Joel, Jim Bolton, Kurt Romans, Rick Karsminzki, Bruce Baxter, Jim Norton, Tim Gorman…… Count your blessing and live every day like it’s your last. Easy to say and hard to do.
     I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in June!

Tom Padgett
Ft. Collins, CO

Bonnie (Parker) Vanek
Boulder, CO

Carol (Parker) Mortimer
Manhattan, KS
Spouse: Robert   Married: 1973
Children: Amy, Erin
2005 Biography: I have stayed in the Manhattan area, and worked in education most of the time. I am currently the coordinator of a community learning center, working for Southeast Kansas Educational Service Center. My husband will retire on July 1 of this year.
    I have two daughters. Amy is currently working on her masters at Boston College (to be completed August 05), and is a professional distance runner with Reebok.
    Erin is a junior at KSU majoring in education. She too loves running and plans to coach in the future as well as teach.

Tim Parks
Piedmont, CA
Children: 2 girls

John Parry
Kansas City, MO
Spouse: Vicky Borchers

Stuart Parsons
Lenexa, KS
Spouse: Joyce Kufahl (Class of '70)   Married: 1974
Children: Christin LaMourie
Grandchildren: 2
2015 Biography: See Joyce (Kufahl) Parsons

Pam (Pearson) Westmeyer
Manhattan, KS
Spouse: Rex (Class of '70)   Married: 1978
Children: Ashley Graff
Grandchildren: 2
2025 Biography: Time flies! Rex and I are both retired, me from 22 years in Real Estate and Rex from flying and the 20 years in the Marine Corps. Our daughter, Ashley, has two children, a girl and a boy, 8 and 5. They live in Portland, Oregon. After 50 years of having horses, I lost my last horse 2 years ago. Decided it was time to hang up my "spurs". We also sold our small airplane as Rex had always said he would stop flying at 70ish. We have gotten involved with a local jeep club and go on 4 wheeling trips all over the country. Great bunch of people. We still have season KSU football tickets, and I have season tickets to KSU volleyball and women's basketball. Look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion!

Mike Penrod
St. Cloud, MN
Spouse: Judith Siminoe   Married: 1981
Children: Emily, Meredith, Chas
2025 Biography: We survived another Minnesota winter. We had a couple of periods of sub-zero weather in January but not as much snow as usual. I am ready for spring; I feel the winters more than I used to. As I write this update (early April) the snow is gone and while the grass is still brown and there are no leaves on the trees yet, the days are bright with blue skies and temps in 40s and 50s-spring in Minnesota. We have been here going on fifteen years, and I think will retire here.
    I am fully retired now. I do some research and writing on the Civil War in Minnesota and Euro-American settlement in the state during the Civil War, but no real work. I am still active in amateur radio too. My significant other is still working. Judith is a Vice-President at Saint Cloud State. She is responsible for university operations-which I think means anything that is a problem. I think she will retire this year depending on lots of external factors. We do travel some. This last year we spent five or six days in the Antietam and Gettysburg area and in October we spent 4 days in central Mississippi around Vicksburg. Both trips were by train which I like and Judith tolerates. This fall we are planning a train trip to the pacific northwest with the intent of visiting Redwood National Park.
    Our daughters are heading out in life, sort of. Meredith is in Manhattan finishing an MA in English specializing in Cultural Studies. She is into horror stories and loves Stephen King. She took a trip to Bangor, Maine, several years ago and a major feature was seeing Stephen Kings’ house and some of the locations identified in his stories. She is also an English as a Second Language Para at MHS. She works with kids with varying degrees of proficiency in English providing tutoring and advising assistance. She keeps looking for people at MHS who would know me, I keep telling her it has been 55 years, and my high school career was remarkably undistinguished. Emily is still in Saint Cloud she is working as a literacy tutor in the local school district. She does reading tutoring with elementary kids. Emily is also working on completing a master’s in library science from the University of Missouri on-line. She is planning to be an archivist. Our third daughter Chas lives here in Saint Cloud with her spouse. She is employed at the local hospital and her spouse is finishing a BS in Community Health at Saint Cloud State. We also had a sad event in the family this year. Our ancient golden retriever/golden lab mix, Goldie, (what else) passed in early February. She was 14 or so. We were not sure as she was a rescue dog. She and I spent a lot of time together beginning with my retirement and intensfying with Covid. We made twice daily trips to the local coffee shop-we were among their best customers. She made sure I maintained my daily writing schedule. In more recent years we took frequent walks and had long talks about public archaeology and public history. I miss her.
    We still get back to Manhattan with some regularity since Meredith is there. However, she is looking for a job in the Minnesota north country when she finishes at KSU. When she is no longer there, I suspect the frequency of the trips will diminish.
    I just put my reunion reservation in the mail. I probably won’t make the wine event but am planning on attending the dinner.

Brenda Peterson-Smith
Lawrence, KS
Spouse: Thomas Smith   Married: 1997
Children: Trisha Smith, Raven Smith
Grandchildren: 2
2010 Biography:  Work stuff - Brenda still has a salon in Lawrence and still teaches for Redken although that "part time hobby" has become a second business. Tom's upholstery business is doing well too. Fun stuff - wine-tasting trips every two years with most of the same people each time continues to be a hoot - see great country and taste great wine! So we may actually DRINK more than TASTE! Lots of football each year - Kansas State, Kansas, and, add to that, arena football in Topeka. Tailgating continues to be a blast - even tailgate at KSU/KU baseball games. Vacations include trips to the mountains of Colorado and countryside of Illinois and, of course, the Country Stampede in good old Manhattan. Have only missed one over the years - great chance to kick back (with a favorite beverage) and listen to awesome music by famous artists and do absolutely NOTHING else!

Peggy (Peterson) Link
Manhattan, KS
2015 Biography: Pathologist at Peterson Laboratory Services in Manhattan. Two children: Katie, 25 years old, and Tyler, 24 years old.

Hal Phillips

Mary (Pillsbury) Beck
Blue Springs, MO

Steve Pinkston
Molalla, OR
Spouse: June
2005 Biography: See his website at:
http://www.geocities.com/fdmundo/

Janice Plumberg

Leigh Poston (deceased)

Chester Pratt
Manhattan, KS

Ray Price
Manhattan, KS

Janina (Prus) Plinski
Alexandria, VA

Tom Ptacek
Kansas City, MO

Gregory Quinn (deceased)