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We have a few classmates who are very enthusiastic fisher-people. Keeping with the spirit of class participation, we felt it was only right to set aside a unique web section for sharing 'fish' tales, and more.

Follow the navigation arrows to see pictures taken of some of your classmates and their successes, and maybe not so successful, fishing outings. Send in your pictures to add to our collection. Pictures can be of anyone -- friends, relatives -- so long as you are in the picture someplace. Please provide a date and event for captions.
 
     A "tribute" to Bobby by some of the classmates was given the weekend of April 25th along with an e-mail sent to the website by Barbara Danforth -- Below you will find the e-mails sent in to the website.
Subject: A Moment of Tranquility...
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 14:43:39 -0400
From: "Bill Ronay"
     Was looking into this sunset and lifted a glass to ol' Danforth!
Subject: Planned Fishing Trip hosted by Bobby Danforth
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 09:26:30 -0400
From: "Rees, David"
      Anne, thanks to Stevie's idea I went fishing Saturday and caught a 4 1/2 pound bass -- as we were coming in I looked at how beautiful it was on the lake at sunset -- I'm sure Bobby would have enjoyed being there. Still think of him quite often really -- he and I shared a lot of things in common at WPHS it seems -- I was really looking forward to our fishing trip so I could visit with him after all these years and hear about all the things he had done and seen in his life.
Subject: Bobby Danforth Fishing Day
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 14:44:47 EDT
From: "Charlie Cayll"
      Anne, I was glad to see some people went fishing these past couple of days. I went out with 2 friends and we caught a few. This is for you Bob!
      I know if we were fishing like planned we would have caught more and probably bigger ones, too. I planned on fishing with Bob on the 25th and Dave Rees and I were going to spend the night and Bob was going to take us fishing again on Sat. the 26th. Even though the weather was messy and rainy, there was no way I wasn't going to go fishing this past weekend. I'm sure Bob's smiling right now. Charlie

Click on image to enlarge!
Subject: Just sharing . . .
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 11:45:54 -0400
From: "Barbara Danforth"
To: <wphsalums@wphsalumni-1961.com>
     Anne -- Thanks for sharing this with me. I knew that Stevie had written that everyone involved in the fishing trip should go out and throw out a line on the 25th of April in memory of Bob. I believe I saw it posted somewhere on the alumni site. I thought that was terribly sweet of her to suggest that--never imagining that she would actually do it. I am so glad that she caught fish and also think Bob must have had a hand in it.
     I also saw the other emails that you posted. It was great of Bob Cross and Chip Schram to remember Bob at this time. Bob had so looked forward to the fishing trip and the party to follow. I told Bob Cross when he called on Thursday that I had thought earlier in the day of how busy we would have been getting prepared for Friday's party. Not to be maudlin, but I did have to ask God why he couldn't wait until after April 25th to take Bob, but I guess we have no control over those things.
     I am doing very well. Of course, I have my moments. But for the most part, things are good. I stay busy with friends, the computer (I check your website periodically to see what is going on), TV, odds'n'ends, etc. I am going back to Alaska for 3 weeks the end of May (will stop to see my nephew graduate from Whitman College in Washington on the way) to visit my sister and family. When I get back, I believe I will look for some volunteer work to do. Not fishing every other day or so has left me with a lot of hours to fill.
     Thank you again for sharing this letter from Stevie. If you and your husband ever head over this way, I do hope you will come by and see me and see why Bob loved this area so much.   Barb

Subject: Barbara Danforth
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 09:59:05 -0400
From: "Bob Cross"
      Good Morning Anne:  I called Barbara on Thursday and we talked about 20 minutes. Needless to say she really misses Bob and so do I.  Our friendship had come full circle and we were once again best friends. Barbara has no plans of moving and doesn't plan to take the boat out alone. Her motivation for fishing was being with Bob and seeing him happy. Wow, what a supportive wife.     Bob

Subject: Bobby Danforth Fishing Day
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 10:11:37 -0700
From: "Chip Schram"
     Short note just to say that I started on that day teaching my wife of 31 years, Judy Griffin Schram, from Winter Garden, Florida how to fly fish. She wanted to learn. It was her own idea for us to spend more quality time together.
     She got a fly fishing pole, reel, and waders from Santa Clause last Christmas. So far she has done "yard practice" placing the fly within a 10 yard ring and has practiced on our one acre cow pond here in Lexington, Virginia. She caught three bream and one small mouth bass down on the pond.
     Next step is off to Buffalo Creek in our Rockbridge County. The creek is on the edge of our property and has rainbow trout and small mouth bass. She'll practice wading and walking in the swift current while there.
     She already knows how to drive and play tennis! I have always been told that you should never teach your spouse how to drive, play tennis or fly fish. But I must admit that she is a very good student so far!    Regards, Chip

Subject: Planned Fishing Trip hosted by Bobby Danforth
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 09:25:27 EDT
From: "Julie Baldwin"
      What a good idea, to go fishing in Bobby's memory! I'll do it, too -- we live four houses down from the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, and I am sure that any of my neighbors on the river would be happy for me to perch (so to speak) on their dock for a while and try for a bite!

Subject: WPHS Alums Class of 1961 - Fishing Trip
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 10:30:20 EDT
From: "Ann Spaulding 'Stevie' "
     It's April 25 and if things had gone differently we would be out on the fishing boat with Bobby Danforth. We are in Harlingen Texas visiting my cousin who promised that we could go early to their cabin on the Arroya Colorado River only 25 minutes from home to catch a fish in memory of Bobby. They warned that they had been hard pressed to find a fish for over a year in a previously very fishy pond. At 4:00 am we drove to the cabin, picked up the bait and went down to the dock. In an half hour we caught 6 fish- I caught 4- the first I have ever caught in my life! But Bobby had promised he'd make sure I'd get one. We all agreed that Bobby surely had a hand in bringing that fish to the dock.
     While fishing I said to my cousin that I wondered if Bobby would send us a sign that he was there. The next fish I caught was unusual. The fish had struck the bait- the bottom half of the shrimp- and then struck again for the top half. So when I reeled it in, the hook impaled the fish and two separate halves of the shrimp! I wonder if any other fishermen have seen this before? I took it as a sign that Bobby was there enjoying an early morning fish. Thank you Bobby - to you Bobby! xoxoStevie

Subject: Robert Joseph (Bob) Danforth Passed Away Friday, February 7th
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 19:47:23 -0500
From: "JoAnn Giannini"
     As ever you do us all such a gracious service on the class website! In this case, the grievous task of celebrating the life of Bob Danforth and putting to words sentiments that I am sure many of us own. I received Barbara's email just as I was leaving town (Texas for a week). As far as the fishing trip is concerned, I'm just pissed at the guy for pulling out like that, but figure I could get over that if the rest of us could "carry on" and institute the Bob Danforth Memorial Fishing Trip and Fish Fry. The part that stings more though is that I too enjoyed several occasions of email correspondence with Bob, and had such pleasant anticipations of getting to know him again, and spending time with interesting folks in the wonderful confines of a fishing trip.

Subject: Robert Joseph (Bob) Danforth Passed Away Friday, February 7th
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2003 19:47:23 -0500
From: "Cheney Mason"
I never know the best way to express my condolances... only that it is happening way too often.I was really looking forward to renewing a friendship that we had 45 years ago.
Cheney Mason

Ed Adamkiewicz, Bobby Danforth, Bobby Cross