Bushy Tales

Dedicated to all who attended London Central High School in Bushy Park, London England from 1952 to 1962

December 2002

Volume #2

Gary Schroeder (55), Editor   gschroeder_uscgaux@email.msn.com

Ok guys, here's the announcement I 'teased' you about in the last Newsletter.

As I said then, I'm going to need your help with this.  Anything you want to see in the January issue will have to be emailed to me no later than December 9th.  Anything you send after that date will need to be sent to Pat (Terpening) Owen (58) at Nemoamasa@worldnet.att.net for inclusion in the next two issues.

Yep, folks, she'll be doing the February and March issues of the Newsletters.  Pat will do an outstanding job with it, but she will have to have the input from all of you.  She will do a great job and you may not want me back, but that’s the chance I will have to take.  Don't let me down now.  I am depending on all of you to keep our little Newsletter going.  I know your classmates, Pat, and I will appreciate it.

Ok, I know what you're thinking - when is he going to get to the announcement? 

NOW!!!!!!

I will be leaving here (Texas) on December 18 and flying to Tallahassee, Florida and will be returning here on January 21.  While there (on January 4) I will be getting married.  When I return, it will only be for about 2-3 weeks to finish up things around here and then back to Florida for good.  This is why Pat will be doing the February and March issues. I plan to pickup again with the April issue.  My address in Florida will be: 

4 Kirkland Drive
Crawfordville, FL 32327    (14 miles south of Tallahassee)
Phone # (850) 926-5195

I hope to keep the same e-mail address but just in case you have trouble with it you can send messages to my wife's (Lynne) e-mail address:  Lreese13@aol.com 

Roster Changes

Joyce (Ford) Williams (55)  
New email address:
liltiger55@sbcglobal.net

Bill Rumble (56)  
New email address:  
gfgventura@adelphia.net

Look Who We Found

Ted Albert (59) talbert@pwi.net 

Judi Tucker Dundervill (59) dundervill@earthlink.net

Penny (Knapp) Lester (58)   boatdollie@aol.com

Robyn Rudat Allen (58)  rallenga@aol.com

Look Who Is Looking For Who

Shari (McClaran) Vaughn (58)  SKYMOTHER6@aol.com

I love getting "Bushy Tales" Thank you so much.  My Mother, little sister and I went to England on the SS United States.  I thought the elevator operator was cute, so I spent lots of time in the elevator!

Yes, I do remember "The Billingtons" with very fond memories, not only from England, but, from Nouasseur AFB, Morocco, where my husband was stationed. We all attended a little church in Casablanca that had a wonderful English Pastor and his family.  Will try to find pictures for next time.

My best friends were:  Jane Allen, Frances Dilley, Billie Moe and Jerry Ruble. Any news from any of them?

Classmates Who Have Transferred To The Eternal Duty Station

Our love and prayers go out to the family and friends of our classmates who have gone on before us.  We will miss them, yet we can find comfort in knowing that one-day we will all join them for the greatest of all reunions

Editors Note: Although not one of our classmates, he was the husband of one of our classmates

From Marcia (Craver) Thomas (53)  TxStarmt@aol.com

I have to tell you that my husband of 49 years, '"Tater", died on Oct. 1...it has nearly killed me too...we have been together since I was 13 and he 15 with the exception of 2 yrs I spent in England (my mother took me over there to keep me from marrying upon graduation from HS)...when I returned in late July of '53, we married in Sept and lived happily ever after -- until now.  He had a chronic type of leukemia for several years but it became more aggressive in the last 6 months.  I have a huge gap in my heart. Tater was a wonderful man who was my right arm and companion for more than 50 yrs. we had a long-lasting and typical teenage marriage that blossomed into a really fine and loving relationship as we matured.  Our two sons a fine people too - both have a daughter each; one 17 yrs (Heather) and the other 7 yrs. (Catherine).  The youngest played "Ode to Joy" on the organ as a prelude to Tater's service at Christ Episcopal Church...he would have loved it.  I will never get over this but I guess I will have to live(?) with it. I keep trying to remember that it is all in Our Lord's hands.

From Ken Harris, husband of Karen (Sheley) Harris (56)

Please be aware that Karen Sheley (my wife of 42 years) died of ovarian cancer in April 2000.

Good News We Want To Share

From Linda Shull McLaren (60) Lmclaren@inreach.com

Nice newsletter, lots of info. Just wanted to give you an update. I went with Larry Wilson (59) the whole time I was in England and when my husband died we reconnected on Classmates. I told you this before, but things are now changed. He has moved to California so we can be together and are picking up our life as if the last 42 years we weren't apart. We are both pretty amazed. We laugh over our "adventures" at Bushy park and the long bus ride back to the base. Life has meaning again for me and I am so glad we have "re-found" each other. Before computers I didn't have a clue as to how to find Larry. He had been looking for me also. Your helping us reconnect has brought some very nice happiness. Thanks.

Memories of Bushy

From Dick Ackerman (59) Acker1@earthlink.net

Just finished getting caught up on the newsletters. I found the stories of how people traveled to England interesting. We went over & back by plane. Old prop jobs that just droned on and on, and shook at every little wind. Mostly all dependents, lots of young kids crying etc… Now--2 of the ships that were mentioned, the Buckner & the Maurice Rose, were 2 of the ships used to take the 1st Cavalry Division to Vietnam in 1965. I was on the Rose. We left Charleston, SC, down thru the Panama Canal to Long Beach, CA. Left Long Beach and ended up going through the Hawaiian Islands to drop off an appendicitis victim. We didn't dock—a hospital boat came out to the ship and transferred him. Then on to Nam where we caught a typhoon outside of Japan, very interesting trip. Lots of people getting sick. It had been converted to a troopship and we slept on canvas bunks stacked 5 high and with a 2' aisle between them. When we arrived we exited by cargo nets. No gangplanks. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that they were being decommissioned and headed for the scrap heap.  I thought some might be interested in this little tidbit.

From Peter Dowling (61) Pdowling@erols.com

Like many I have so many memories of Bushy Park and London that it would take a to year or two for me to record them. We came to London in 1957 on the Queen Elizabeth.  We sailed first class along with Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontane and Noel Coward, whoever the hell they were!  I was more fascinated with Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher!  It’s ironic that I ended up working in theatre for years and would have gladly turned back the clock to reset my priorities of importance.  Also on board was the Viscount Montgomery (Monty) but to be truthful I don’t really remember him.  We sailed back on the United States in ‘59 and on that ship were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and them I remember!, along with their cart after cart of baggage and six or eight little dogs on a leash

Thanks Fred Gruin for the memories of the bus trips to Bushy Park.  As a de-pantsee and later a de-pantser I have fond memories of that bus trip. One wasn’t really official until you got de-pantsed.  So, though a person would fight like hell, there was the other side that said I’m initiated into the group.

“The Bomb Bay” reminded me of the little trap door in the middle of the bus floor.  It must have been there to service the drive shaft but it was also open to the street and perfect to drop things through.   And what better to drop than firecrackers and chasers. So it truly became a Bomb bay door until the driver of a car behind us, dodging the incoming flack, caught up with the bus and told Bill, our driver.  It was the only time I remember him actually getting angry or reprimanding us.

On a continuing theme of fireworks, I also remember a group of us from the ATC (American Teenage Club) venturing out one night to execute a bombing raid in Hyde Park that brought the Bobbies on bicycles down on us.  I must have hidden under some stacked park chairs for hours waiting for them to give up the hunt.  In hindsight, it was an awful thing to do to those “ladies of the night” and their clients but it sure is a great memory. 

From Randy Crane (59) Rcrane@cnap.navy.mil

Here is a picture I thought you might enjoy.  How many can you name?:-)

Mini Bios

From Dan Chew (54)   Cchew@execpc.com

My mother, Beth, was a teacher at Bushy Park. We recently visited her on Whidbey Island, Washington. She's 92 and still lives independently.  My brother, who lives nearby, helps her with household maintenance and my niece and nephew assist with gardening and shopping trips. Otherwise, she's on her own. 

As for me, retirement has been mostly thumbs-up. I've made five gallons of Zinfandel and five gallons of Sangiovese. Soon I will do a batch of wild fox grapes picked and frozen last month. Next month we're off to Japan to spend two weeks with Carol's Japanese "sister" (they attended university together in Tokyo.)

Last spring, Carol and I spent a lovely evening with Ruth (Lund) Bethea (55) and friend in Washington, D.C. Over a wonderful Italian dinner, we talked about Bushy days and caught up with life in general. It was good to see her again.

Mini Reunions

From Sherry (Burritt) Konjura (57)  sherger@juno.com

My husband, Gerry, and I drove down to DC for the day on Sunday, October 13th and had a mini-reunion with Celeste Plitocke Brodigan ('57) and Bill Cooper ('57).  Bill brought along his friend Catherine Hardy whom I had met before. 

We all met in front of the Smithsonian Castle on the Washington Mall and made our way by Metro (subway) to the old town area where Bill treated us all to a lovely dinner at the Tabard Inn.  We had a wonderful time revisiting old times and catching up with all that's happened in our lives since the Branson reunion a year ago.  After dinner we went into a comfortable lounge area to enjoy the combo playing there that evening. 

We discussed the possibility of another reunion, but didn't come to any conclusions.  Any suggestions out there?  We talked about the pros and cons of having one on the east coast this time. 

I feel so fortunate to live close enough to actually get together occasionally with some of my friends from Bushy, but would love it if we could engineer another reunion soon.  For those of you who were there, you know what a blast Branson was, and for those of you who couldn't make it, you missed a great time!  Kudos once again to Ted and Nancy, and while I'm at it, kudos to Pat Owen for all the hard work she puts in searching for our "lost" classmates and to Gary for all the work he does on this newsletter!  (And I know there are others of you out there who are busy making contact possible... especially Wanda who does so much work on the web site).

Do You Remember?

From Phil Creasor (55)   Creasor@pclv.com

Hope you can figure out who some of these classmates are in the picture below!!!!

Does this look familiar????

From Noel Ahlbum Bailey (59)   Bai-ey@juno.com

I am replying because I want to partially identify the square dancing photo that was in the newsletter two issues (September) ago. I think the couple on the far right is me and Bill Neill (but his photo and several others are not in the yearbook, so that and my memory makes ID difficult).

I am stuck for the other names - Ed Noce? Mike Hall? Judy Senn, Janet Bode, Karen Kirchner??? (I recall that someone's mother made the top of her dress up side down; think it may have been Karen?) I hoped to see the photo I'd last month by someone with better memory than mine, but this is my best shot. Thanks for all your help in keeping us in touch.

I'll be spending about 6 weeks in Costa Rica in Jan. and Feb. next year doing "Spanish immersion" and would be grateful for helpful hints from anyone who's done the same.

This and That

From Jackie Kenny Class of (53)  JKYKNY@aol.com

I received this handwritten letter from Reed Muller Class of '53. Thought it would be of interest to Bushy Tale's readers.  Feel free to edit. Oh, he was listed as deceased, so glad he's alive. Jackie,

Hi! And a long overdue hi it is.  I apologize for my delay in responding to your effort to establish contact with me.  While I spent one year in Bush Park I have fond memories of those days and the Class of '53.  I periodically pull out my copy of the Londoner and think back to 1953.  Not being a military dependent I was lucky to join you.  Your effort to pull the class together is truly appreciated.  I have retired from Salisbury Univ. (10 miles south of the Delaware State line and between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  As you can see by the top of the page I was awarded Professor Emeritus status within the Purdue School of Business. I still can't believe that the bulk of my career was spent as a university professor.  I never prepared to be part of a university faculty.  From Bushy I spend 6 years at Cornell Univ.  (BS in Hotel Admin. and MBA) after 3 years ROTC induced stay in the Air Force I went to work for a national food dist. co.  While working in the Philadelphia office I was recruited by the Univ. of Delaware to fill a need they had in their Food Business Inst.

In 1973 the President of Salisbury Univ. a former, U of Delaware professor talked me into joining 6 other people to form what is now the Perdue School.  From7 faculty we have grown to over 45 and from 75 students to 1,600.  I was just about to accept permanent bachelor status when a colleague's wife introduced me to Emma.  Next month we will celebrate our 21st anniversary.  I am now a stepfather and step-grandfather. I maintain an e-mail address at the univ.  (hrmuller@salisbury.edu) At this time the surest way to reach me is 433 Somerset Ave. Salisbury, MD  21801  (410) 546-9639.  Please keep in touch about the Bushy Park Alumni and any plans for a reunion.  Best regards, Reed.  PS I am looking at P.29 of the Londoner, the annual staff pictures.  Were we ever that young?  Please send a copy of Bush Tales to his e-mail at the university.”

From Billie (Culp) Bules (54)  BCBules@aol.com

Hi Gary:  Out of the blue I received an email from a Charles Bailey, saying that he had read some of the stories in the Bushy Park Newsletter about London Fog.  So, I emailed him back asking if I know him, etc.  Might be of interest for our Newsletter; perhaps some of our classmate's Fathers were involved in what he referred to. This is his reply.  

(Editors Note:  He got the info from Wanda’s Web Page)

From Charles P Bailey (Not a Classmate)  chasbailey@blueyonder.co.uk

Hi all I hope you don't mind this limey butting in on your sit, but it's something I've been looking for for sometime.

When I was 4 I was placed in a Children’s Home in Teddington, which as you should all know was very close to Bushy Park. I was in this Home till I was 10 and during that time I was very fortunate to visit the camp many times during each and every year I was in the home.  I remember your School in the camp very well as we used to be taken on tours of it, At Easter we were invited to the camp to hunt Mini Easter Eggs in this little garden and at Christmas it was a great treat to visit the base as the base laid on a show and gave us sweets and fruit while we watched the show. Near the end of the show Santa would come on stage and each and every child would receive a present with his/her name on it, one year I was given this beautiful blue Cadillac which I treasured until I left the home.

Also each child in the Home (there was 12 of us) were allotted a soldier who acted like an Uncle towards us and they came around to the home a few days before Christmas and threw a party in the home for us kids, it was the only time I got to drink coke, and boy did it taste great.

These same Uncles would take us out on other trips and also we would visit the camp in July when they had a large band playing. I didn’t understand them what it was all about but it must have been July 4th celebrations (rebels LOL).

I've been wanting to thank the servicemen who were stationed at Bushy Park for the kindness shown to us kids when things were still pretty tough in this country after the battering it took during the war.

To all of you who still have your Mums and Dads alive and well would you please show them this message?

(Editors Note:  I have been in contact with Charles (email) and sent him the last Issue of our Newsletter.  Look for a reply to one of my emails at the end of this Newsletter.  I combined a couple of his emails together because I thought some of you might be interested.  I took out the information that only concerned me.)

From your Editor:  The other day as I was working on the Newsletter I was thinking (Yea I know, for me that is dangerous) and had an idea.  Over the last couple of years working on this newsletter I have received emails form classmates saying that they did not realize that there were some of their classmates living in the same town or state until they got the newsletter.  A good example of that is I have lived here for 12 years and didn’t know that one of our classmates live just 4 miles from me and another was only 25 miles from here.

With that in mind I contacted Pat Owen and asked her how hard it would be to take the roster she has and make one that lists all people who live in one State.  She said it would not be a problem so… Any of you that would like to have a list of our classmates who live in your State will now have a chance to get one. 

The way it will work is this:  If you would like to have a list for your State, or even another State, send an email to Pat Owen at  nemoamasa@worldnet.att.net Once, or twice a month, she will take all the requests she has received up to that date and send out the list.  She will be sending out the first lists on or about the 5^th January so if you want one get an email to her prior to that date.

Comments From You Our Readers

From Jacqueline Holder Asher (57) JackELea@aol.com

WOW!!!! What a job you two are doing!!! I'm new at this and have been flabbergasted from the start. But to imagine the work and love you have put into this project, is beyond compare...and I, probably one among hundreds of others, am so grateful!!!! My sister visited me just a few months ago after going to her class reunion, and I thought how lucky she is to be able to contact her old buddies and was jealous of her in a loving kind of way, because I knew there would never be a chance of me finding mine, though I had always wondered thru the years that passed whatever happened to so and so and I wish I could talk to this one right now...some things never change and those early bonds always stayed with me.

Wouldn't you know a couple days later the phone rang and all these doors opened!!!!! Unbelievable!! God bless you for the job that you two are doing! You have put joy in my heart, plus I imagine, many, many

Others and perhaps your own too.

From Sandy Kirby Jacinto (57) Bjacinto@bwwonline.com  (Her husband sent the message)

Sandy asked that I thank you and all the others involved in putting together the Bushy Tales and performing all of the organizational work entailed.  She has immensely enjoyed reading all of the news that has been sent.

From Doug Eskra (60) Doug.eskra@swic.edu

Got to have my Bushy fix monthly....

From Jerry Hoffman (59)   riverrun@crosslink.net

This is still a good address and believe it or not I am now living in London.  I am heading a team selling a company and will be here most likely until the spring.  I haven't gotten to Bushy Park yet but might get there this weekend.  Sort of nice to be back for a while although I have been back and forth fairly often over the years.   Please keep me in touch on what is going on and whether or not there will be any reunions in the future.  Thank you for touching base with me.

From Charles P Bailey (Not a Classmate)  chasbailey@blueyonder.co.uk

What a great surprise to hear from you, you don't know how happy it's made me.

I would be very honored indeed if you would include it in your December issue. Who knows one of them Air Force men might just remember what them guys did for us kids, and I would love a copy of your news letter.

One of my early memories in the home when I was 4 was talking through the fence in the garden with an American boy of about the same age as me, I think his father was an officer.

I don't know how well you remember Teddington but I went back some years ago and apart from the ABC Cinema being replaced by an office block not much had changed except for the price of the houses, they are just worth a fortune now. Of course as you know the camp in Bushy Park is no more, which I think is sad as it did have Historical reasons why it should have been kept up. I don't know if you are aware but it was in Bushy Park that Eisenhower set up his Headquarters and where British and US Chiefs of Staff planned the invasion of Europe.

I live in Mitcham now, which is SW London in the London Borough of Merton, the same Borough as Wimbledon. I suppose it's about 8 miles from Teddington but as I'm now Disabled and have a bad heart I don't get out too much, and as I'm Epileptic as well I'm not allowed to drive. That’s the reason I've got time to hunt around on the computer.

I did spend 3 months in a children’s home in Denham which is not that far from Harrow, and the day after my 12th Birthday I was packed off too Boarding School in Reigate Surrey where they put me back into short trousers (I wasn’t at al amused LOL) but it was a very beautiful place in an estate that could be traced back 1000 years. http://www.gatton-park.org.uk/

Also there is a great site over here called friends reunited and you can look up any school in the country to see if your old school mates are there. http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/ check it out it might help some of your readers who attended English schools like yourself. My Boarding school has something like 103 photos that old pupils have posted so you might have the same with your School. The link I gave you for friends reunited is that you have to register before you can do anything. It's free to register but if you want to send messages you will need to pay the annual fee of £5 which you can do from the  USA, as I have an old school mate who lives in Canada and he is on there.

Another site to try is 192.com and that’s ok for tracing people http://213.161.73.3/

I did enjoy reading the Newsletter especially one story about a group of classmate who had soap in their pockets and were caught putting soap in the fountain in Trafalger Square. I know it's a monument to celebrate Horatio Nelson’s defeat of the French at the battle of Trafalger but I just couldn’t help laughing my head off and I am a real fan of Nelson. I even bet the coppers had a good laugh behind the kids back', such is the British sense of humor, we don't tend to get too upset over things like that.

A couple of years back there were riots in London by animal rights activists and they did an awful lot of damage to monuments such as daubing Winston Churchill’s statue with paint, that did upset people, because if it hadn’t been for that man standing to Adolf Hitler they would not have been free to make their demonstrations.

There is a website called Your memories where you can tap in a town in the British Isles and view old photo's and read stories of people who were brought up in that particular town it's: www.yourmemories.co.uk there are a couple of photo's of Teddington from 1955 so it might help you remember a bit. I also had a look at Harrow and there are quite a few photos. There is one for a Harrow School, which looks a very imposing building I'm wondering, is that the same School you attended. How did you find English Schools? Did you escape the cane because you were an American LOL? They are not allowed to touch the kids these days and they wonder why there is so much disrespect for other people and property, maybe you disagree with.

From Margaret Griffin (Was Pat Grigg) (57)   Ferebeemeg@aol.com

I graduated from Bushy Park in 1959. Before that I was at Frankfurt High School in Germany for two years. Does anyone have any idea how to get in touch with that school? It is not in the schools listed in the sight that I found Bushy Park in.  Thanks.

From Carolyn Ford-Trudo Bonebrake (61)   Ctrudo@lvcm.com

Joe (Bonebrake 60) has been sick - in the 4 months we have been married he has had a minor stoke, and two major surgeries. The surgeries were 11 days apart. I guess we wonder why life leads us here and there - I just wonder what he would be doing now if he were alone and I am glad to be here with him. Life is good!

From Janis Mittlestadt Ronnestad (57) Jronnestad@yahoo.com

I miss a lot not being able to get the Bushy Park newspaper.  I am still in the high country in Vail, Colorado.  It is getting very expensive and I think it will force me out in a couple of years.  Still ski a lot. Feeling very healthy and happy here.  I will be visiting my daughter in Knoxville, TN the 9th of November.  I am looking forward to seeing my 2 grandsons, Terrence and Paxton.   Will give a more in depth report later.

From Pat Colacicco (60) pcolacicco@mindspring.com

I just read the last Bushy Tales.  Figured I needed to read it before the next issue arrived.  Penny Ohrman Bernstein (61) mentions 'our history teacher took us to the Mansion Castle, with the maze. That place is Hampton Court Palace. Henry the 8th was the first royal owner of Hampton Court. It still had the maze the last time I was there in 1981.

On traveling to and from England.  Our family went over in 1955 on the SS United States and returned in 1958 on the SS America.  We traveled in the summer so the weather was beautiful both times.  I do remember that the SS United States was more formal than the SS America.  The SS America had a lot of children on it.