Blog Weariness?

 I started blogging in 2005.
"Purple Tabby" and a couple other folks picked up the bug and started adding their thoughts here, and to Blogs of their own.
Enthusiasm to share with others seems to have fallen by the wayside.
Me?
I'm even having trouble sharing thoughts on my own blog... "Pitchpull".
But I don't want the site to die.
If you also don't want it to die, add your thoughts in comments.

Forrest "Tug" Sutton

"Tug" died on Valentines day.
I didn't know Tug well, but reading his obit it seems he has devoted his life to public service in our community.
Rest easy Tug.
I have nothing but fond memories of you from High School.

"Truer Words"...

In seventh grade one of our '65 classmates said-
"When girls wears falsies a guy doesn't know what he's up against."
All these years later I'm still amazed at the wisdom of that statement!

Sharon (Riggs) Curtis

Sharon passed away on 13 November 2022.
She made the lives of many of us better.
She will be missed.

Unfortunately, TIME MARCHES ON.

Veteran's day was yesterday.
I, and many others in our "tribe" received the "thanks for your service" wishes as we do annually.
Don't get me wrong... I DO appreciate those wishes, even though I served because I was enslaved by our draft laws back when.
It's a day early, but I'd like to discuss two Veterans that are heavily on my mind today:
"TwoDogs" and "Tools"... beloved friends, classmates, and fellow Veterans.

Both were born 76 years ago believe it or don't, on FRIDAY THE 13th of November.
I have stayed in touch with both over the years.
In June Tom passed suddenly, without warning, leaving a hole where a smile once lived.

Staying in contact requires two-way communication. When contact becomes a one-way street, communication dies. That demise happens for a number of reasons...
Distance. Politics. Inertia. Simple lack of interest.
Or a combination of several of those.

For me, Facebook has been somewhat of a Godsend. There, I'm still in touch with several of my Trojan brothers and sisters.
And for that I am grateful.

Whatever...
On 13November I will remember two old friends, both Trojan classmates; both Veterans during a difficult time in our country-
Rest in peace Tom Tuley... true friend for so many years.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TwoDogs! Class President, Veteran, and all-around good guy.
MANY happy returns!

Linda (Barks) Douglass

Poking around on Facebook I found a post from her daughter informing others that Linda Barks passed on 7 January.
I had a nice chat with Two Dogs yesterday about Tom Tuley and the fact we will now lose more and more schoolmates/classmates and other loved ones.
Mend fences.
Contact those that need to hear from you.

I think you'll be glad you did.

Thomas Eugene Tuley

 I cannot remember when I first noticed him.
He had a BASS voice and was one of those personalities that wasn't fearful of what others would think of him.
In short, he was a HOOT. And I loved the guy.
We hit it off instantly.

His Mother was controlling. And that was odd, because the guy seemed to be out on the vanguard so much of the time. But when I would say "Tom, let's do... such and such..." he would have to go ask his Mother.
And she would throw a wet blanket on my (our) plans.
Still, he was a magnet. And I loved being around him.

The summer between our Junior and Senior High School year his girlfriend got pregnant. He shouldered his responsibility... married her. Supported her.
And gained the respect of all those that knew him.

I have stayed in touch with Tom all these years. He moved to Texas, and that made our home a great "stopping-off" place when he would drive from Texas to visit family in Indy.
I LOVED these visits. They gave me the chance to catch up on my old friend and what had transpired in his life since our last meeting.

Two Dogs, John T. and I went to Galveston to visit Tom years ago. The narrative of our stay in Galveston, and photos, are here for your perusal. Just write "Galveston" in the search block here.

I loved the man.
Born on "Friday the 13th" of November, he was just two months older than me.
At 75, we are all blessed to see another dawn.
But Tom was "larger than life in many ways", and his death has somewhat taken the wind out of my sails.

Rest in peace my friend.
You made my life better having been a part of it.

Chesty!

The ONLY chips my Mom would buy.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

World Indicators

Twodogs once made a comment in passing that went something like:
"You can tell how the economy is doing by watching the number of semi trucks using our roads."
And that's true.
We live half a mile from the railroad line that runs from Chicago to New Orleans, and I think the same can be said about railroad traffic.

Lately I've been noticing how TV advertising is focused. Watch for yourself.
As we "Boomers" age the ads are devoted to arthritis, blood pressure, blood sugar, erectile dysfunction, and post-heart attack life.

We used to be part of "The Pepsi Generation".
Now? We just need to know how to thoroughly clean our CPAP machines.

Trojans Reuniting, 2021

I hope you are aware that we are getting together on 11 September at the New Hope Church on Fairview Road at 1300 hours... (1 P.M.).
In addition to that, a couple CGHS grads will also be getting together on 9 and 10 September at the Riverboat Inn in Madison. We've had a wonderful time meeting and socializing there in the past.

I've made reservations for my bride and I already...
Upstairs, on the river side.
I'd love to socialize with CGHS schoolmates once again while watching "Old Man" Ohio River make his way Southbound.
It's not too early to reserve your rooms now.

Leave a comment if you are interested. Hope to see ya there.

R.I.P. Jim Houpt

 

James Neal Houpt

James Neal Houpt

James Neal Houpt 73 of Greenwood, IN passed away Monday May 3, 2021 at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, IN. He was born June 22, 1947 in Indianapolis, IN to Vane and Mary A. (Kegley) Houpt. He married Diane L. (Coram) Houpt on May 7, 1988 in Greenwood, IN, she survives.

He was a 1965 graduate of Center Grove High School. He was a United States Navy Veteran having served in the Vietnam War having received three bronze stars.

He had been employed by IDS Warehouse for over 30 years.

He had served as Past Master of Capital City Masonic Lodge #312 in Indianapolis and a member of Greenwood Masonic Lodge #514, a member of Greenwood V.F.W. Post #5864 and Greenwood American Legion Post #1919.

He was an avid golfer and enjoyed woodworking.

Survivors include his wife Diane L. (Coram) Houpt of Greenwood, IN, his children Todd Houpt (Lori) of Greenwood, IN, Tanya Rutherford (James) of Bargersville, IN, and Sarah O’Gara (Kevin) of Greenwood, IN, grandchildren Taylor Francher, Bailey Houpt, Olivia and Mari Rutherford, Jackson McClary, Beckett and Scarlett O’Gara, and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Dennis Houpt, sister Carolyn Wray, half-sisters Lois Dressler and Sue Haffey.

Josh Tollison will conduct a service on Monday May 10, 2021 at 2:30 P.M. at Swartz Family Community Mortuary and Memorial Center 300 South U.S. 31 (Morton Street) in Franklin, IN and will be live-streamed for family and friends to connect at www.swartzmortuary.com/obituary/james-houpt. Please use Firefox Internet or Google Chrome for optimal viewing. Friends may call Monday May 10, 2021 from 12 Noon till service time at the mortuary.

Burial with military honors by the United States Navy Honor Guard and the Greenwood & Whiteland American Legion Honor Guard at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Greenwood, IN.

Rolling Stones

Mom and Dad bought the house on Morgantown Road in 1949. I lived in that house... slept in the Southeast corner bedroom, until Uncle Sam said he desperately needed my services in 1966.
I loved the house; loved Smith Valley; loved Center Grove. When I got my driver's license I loved the fact I could be in "Naptown" in less than half an hour. (And I never felt unsafe in Indy).
I felt my life was nearly perfect and had no desire to change anything.

Relatives lived in Louisville, KY.
When I was about 13 we planned to visit them. I was excited... my first out-of-State trip. We may as well have been visiting London, England.
Normal travels at home included drives to Indy, Franklin, Bloomington. Sometimes we had family reunions at Spring Mill or Brown County State Parks.
For this homebody those were exotic places.
(What a bumpkin !)

Look at us now-
I just purchased tickets on Allegiant Airlines to transport me, Sara Jean, and Lucy, (she'll go beneath the seat in front of us) to Phoenix, Arizona for less than the cost of fuel to drive there.
This summer we sailed transatlantic, (NY to Lisbon, Portugal) via cruise ship.
We give no thought at all to hopping in the car for a destination a day's drive away.

We are rich.
We are blessed.
And WOW, how we are changed!

William B. Vandermeer

May 27, 1947 – January 5, 2019

William B. Vandermeer died at home on January 5, 2019. He was born on May 27, 1947 in Jeffersonville, IN. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carolyn York Vandermeer, his three children Randall (Vicki), Tim (Melissa), and Diana Truesdale (Jason) and his five beloved grandchildren Delaney Truesdale, Kallie Vandermeer, Maryn Vandermeer, Tim Vandermeer, and Dakota Truesdale.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Melvin (Vandy) Vandermeer and his first-born grandchildren Kinsey and Ryan Vandermeer.

His family moved to Greenwood when he was a child and he was raised in the Center Grove schools. He graduated from Center Grove High School in 1965. 

 Bill was a Purdue educated electrical engineer and spent most of his career with Schlumberger on the Gulf Freeway and later in Sugarland. 

He was an avid bike rider with the Schlumberger Cycling Club. He rode in the MS 150 for many years and was dedicated to its cause. In later years he continued to work with the club as support on the road.

His family and friends will celebrate his life on Wednesday January 9, 2019.

• In lieu of flowers please donate to the American Cancer Society.
• Those desiring may make a memorial contribution to: The Margaret and Vandy Scholarship, c/o CGEF, 2789 TrojanLane, Greenwood, IN 46143. Checks may be made out to CGEF.

Bill Vandermeer

TwoDogs reports that Bill Vandermeer has passed.

Guns, Guns, Guns!

If you, like me, drove your own vehicle to school when you could drive, you'll remember the parking lot on the North side of the gymnasium, (featured prominently in the 1965 yearbook).
Guys who drove pickup trucks frequently had gun racks behind the truck seats, with a rifle and shotgun hung on those racks. I'd bet some of those guys never felt a need to even lock their trucks.

We never felt threatened by the guns. We never even felt threatened enough to fear leaving our cars and trucks unlocked.
Today, when a gun appears on a TV or movie, you hear the "evil" music played to indicate how we should feel about the threat they pose.
What has changed in our society/culture since 1965?

Willard Hillenburg - A Favorite Teacher

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 Mr. Hillenburg was one of my favorite teachers.  He was gentle, kind, a family man - but yet had a very commanding way about him at the front of the class. Respect!  One of several very good mentors from Center Grove that knew there was more to teaching than reading, writing and arithmetic.  Condolences to the Family       RIP   Mr. Hillenburg

Willard Wayne Hillenburg

GREENWOOD
Willard Wayne Hillenburg, 91, of Greenwood, died on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, at Greenwood Meadows nursing home.
He had lived on the southside of Indianapolis most of his life.
He was born Oct. 5, 1925, to Eva and Marshal Hillenburg in Chapel Hill near Bedford.
Willard was a World War II Veteran who served under Gen. George Patton in Germany, Austria and France as part of the allied forces until 1945.
Willard married Juanita Thomas in 1943, and they had five sons. Two of them, Ernie and Steve Hillenburg, and Willard’s wife Juanita, preceded him in death. 
Willard graduated from Indiana University in 1950 on the G.I. Bill and got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
He was an elementary school teacher and became a principal at Waverly Elementary and North Madison Elementary in Mooresville.
Willard had a career in home-building on the southside of Indianapolis and Greenwood. He also worked in real estate and home sales. His sons were also involved in the home-building industry.

Treasure Island?

I started delivering "The Indianapolis News" in the Valley when I was ten.
Riding my bike down the hill toward Sutton's grocery meant I got introduced (outside of CG)  to Bill Frye, Steve Bray, Walt Karg, Diana Doty, Kenny Roach, Steve Witty, and Rick Perry.

I've had NO communciations with Rick Perry since we both graduated in '65.
But I'm reminded of him frequently these days while watching "The Curse of Oak Island" on "The History Channel".

Years ago Rick (1959?) had read an article in "Reader's Digest" about the search for Pirate treasure on a little island near Nova Scotia, Canada.
Something valuable was buried there. And it was valuable enough that those that buried it had actually booby-trapped the burial site to insure anyone trying to retrieve it would have a near impossible task.

The History Channel is now producing a show with a team spending MILLIONS to try to find out what is buried on the island. It's interesting, and I recommend it.

And I think of young Greybeard and Rick Perry, in the valley, every time I watch.

Great Memories

Have you ever experienced a moment where you wanted to stop time?
A time when things were so wonderful you thought to yourself, "If I could just freeze this moment and live this way the rest of my life, I'd be perfectly satisfied"?
I have.

It was some years ago, at Purple Tabby's Mother's home.
Jamie and Mike were playing for us.
A group of about twenty of us were gathered in the living room there, some sitting on the floor.
Classmates I had not seen since graduation were in attendance.
In that room, there was a warmth and LOVE that was palpable.

Tell me how to get back there.
But first, tell me how to stop time when we get there.

Test Post-

Just wanted to make sure this was still possible.
It IS.

?

Is there NO ONE ELSE out there interested in helping to continue with "Vandy's Kids"?
Why?

Rocky

PT needs to touch base with someone who knew Rocky S, our classmate that left CG when his Dad, the former "Mr. Basketball" took a job at Bean Blossom.
If you knew anything about Rocky, please contact her and share so she can include the information in our Fiftieth anniversary memory book.
Thanks.

16th Street?

I bought my first motorcycle at "Dreyer's Cycle Sales". I think it was on West 16th Street.
Just West of Dreyer's there was an oddity... "The Upside-Down House".
I never went through the place.
Now I wish I had.
Memories!

Mecum

I've watched this auction, with interest, for years.
We almost came to the auction in Indy last year, but life got in the way.
This year we're making plans ahead of time and hope other gearheads might be interested in meeting us to enjoy looking at cars and the folks that love them.
If you're interested, details are here.
Hope to see a bunch of you there.

Icebox

Norge.
Hotpoint.
Fridgidaire.
Can you remember other brands?
I was watching a movie from the '50's the other night and one of the characters referred to "The Icebox", then walked over and opened the door to a contraption that looked like the one pictured above.
That tweaked another memory from when we were kids-
It seemed every summer we'd hear about some poor kid playing "Hide and Seek" who had found the PERFECT hiding spot-
In the old Icebox one of the neighbors had taken out back and abandoned there. They'd pull the door closed and the latch would latch, and then the victim would find there was no way to push the door open from the inside. When the child didn't show up for dinner, authorities would go looking, only to find the child had suffocated in the cramped, overheated space.
Tragic.

I can remember at least two kids dying from suffocation this way.
As I delivered "The Indianapolis News" on my route, I can remember reading the pleas from officials to disable the latches on these old machines if you had one outside on your property.
And of course, the reason our new "Iceboxes" have doors that seal magnetically is a direct result of these tragedies.
Thank God.

Can you think of any other scenarios like this that have improved our appliances/tools?

"Bust Your Buns", and a Plea For Memory Help:

I think this song was the impetus for many of us to try "sidewalk surfing".
We removed the steel wheels from a set of "clamp on your shoes" roller skates and attached them to a 1X6 board we had cut to about a twenty-four inch length.
Steel wheels on paved surfaces... little traction meant for a lot of slippin' and slidin' around.

Just North of "Walker's Department Store" there was this hill.
A couple of us dared one another to negotiate it.
At the time, it SEEMED frighteningly steep.
No helmets. No knee pads. No elbow pads. Nevertheless, we careened down this sucker on our boards.

The last time I was at a "Cruise Night" at "The Suds", I made sure to go by and have a look at this hill...
It IS steep, and we were CRAZY to go down it on those homebuilt hazards.
They now have several pipes embedded at the top to prohibit auto traffic from going down, but courageous, (or insane!) skateboarders could (and I bet still do) brave this incline. Of course, their boards are longer, have neoprene wheels, and are MUCH more controllable than our stupid contraptions.

It's been on my mind a lot lately, driving me crazy...
The guy I did virtually all my sidewalk surfing with was killed in the motorcycle accident on Hwy 135 in late summer of '64 that also killed Jimmy Mc.
Rick... (N?)

Help me.

Whittling

Ahhh, retirement.
Have you  joined us yet?
Most VK friends have either retired, are approaching retirement, or are pedaling fast as they can 'cause it's just around the corner.

It ain't quite what I thought it would be.
I already knew it wasn't gonna be like "Andy of Mayberry", with all the guys gathering down at Floyd's Barber Shop to share gossip about who was brewin' a batch of hooch out in the holler somewhere.
But I had no idea it was gonna turn out the way it has.

Sara Jean is wonderful about remembering to set up the coffee pot before we hit the sack at night.
We rise shortly after the sun comes up, let Lucy out to take care of business, and grab the morning newspaper. I open the blinds overlooking the Gulf, pour coffee for both of us, carry coffee and newspaper to my recliner, turn on my reading light, then sit back and enjoy the morning while reading how much politicians are improving my life.
Wind, sun, cloud types and thickness, moisture level...
All change the way the surf looks as it crashes ashore, so my view is different from one morning to the next... check that... from one MINUTE to the next.

We still have to "work"...
Part of that work is checking the Wednesday and Sunday papers for the latest, greatest deals.
Grocery stores and restaurants compete for our $$$$$. Where can we go to get the most for the least?
(Winn-Dixie runs a strange promotion here called "Fuel Perks". Using their "Rewards Card" you can buy certain items and get 5, 10, 20, or even 30 cents off per gallon of fuel, up to twenty gallons. When I go buy fuel this week I'll get a $1.80/per gallon discount!)

And then there's travel, and PLANNING to travel.
We drove to Arizona last month to visit Big Bubba and help him move into his new home.
Twenty-five hours on the road, followed by a week of unpacking boxes, hanging window coverings and towel racks, and fixing a now-and-then leaking commode.
We're planning a return trip for Christmas/New Year's and will stay two weeks, enjoying that warm, dry air. (Are ya ready Clint?)

I had a dream two nights ago...
In my dream I received a call and HAD to go back to work.
It disturbed me so much, I woke myself up to rid myself of it.

This ain't whittling in the city park with a bunch of friends...
It's better.
Back home, they're whittling in the snow.

Karen (Scrivener) Harris

News this morning via Carol C. on Facebook that Karen Harris has passed.
Sadly, I've added her name to our memorial page.
Please share details as you hear 'em.

Richard Allanson

Dan Robbins emailed with the sad news that Richard Allanson died in October.
Richard was a tough competitor on the football team, respected and liked by all who played with him.

El Futbol Es Un Juego MUY Importante!

We're in Gilbert, Arizona, seemingly surrounded by folks speaking Spanish.
Thanks to Mrs. Vandermeer, I still catch a word now and then.
Gracias, Mrs. V...
Even though I was "muy perezoso", you were
"muy simpatico", and I can still pick up a book, magazine, or newspaper written in Spanish and sorta figure out what is being said.

Rick Messick

It's being reported to me that Rick Messick has died in his sleep.
Loved by many, he'll be missed.
Updates appreciated when you get 'em.