In Summary:

      Most of us are fully retired while some of us are still punching the time clock. Some may still be working out of necessity and others just because they want to stay busy. Welcome to "Those Golden Years"!

      More have become grandparents while others became 'great'-grand parents this past year. Classmates are still reconnecting and have been for the last 9 years since we have been online. And so it goes for the new millennium.

      Our parents who have lived long and productive lives are passing on. We have lost more classmates this past year, as well.

      Complications from a fall claimed the life of Tom Turner; Mark Loeb died suddenly while serving in Milan, Italy; and Carole Anne Reid (Reussow) died as a result of complications with MS.

     Some of us have parts that just seem to need more attention now then they have in earlier years. However, most of us seem to find a way to keep on keeping on.

Please remember to contact Bill Ronay or Mary Phillips if you change e-mail or postal addresses.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN!

     The mention of the creation of an alumni website occurred at the 40th class reunion, June, 2001. The site was created and online by July 1st.

    Since then the "Class of 1961 Website" has been providing e-connections with those from our graduating class and beyond. Memorabilia has been sent in for editing and posting to the website. As news of events are whispered, you will find coverage on your website.

    Since the site went online, more than 120,000 visitors have come to the alumni website through the homepage and twice that number have entered via the updates page.

    Classmates we have located or relocated, along with all those we have e-mail addresses for, will receive an e-mail with a link to the 9th anniversary newsletter. Those we do not e-connect with will receive, via USPS, their own copy of the 9th annual WPHS Class of 1961 Alumni website newsletter with a brief narrative of the news of this past year.

     Classmate participation is key to the success of the alumni website. A special thanks goes out to Terry Williams, Charlie Cayll, Sharon May, Julie Baldwin, Joanne Ross, Dave Rees & wife Katherine, Joanne Horvath & husband Mario, Jim Dollison, Tony Barron, Bob Cross & wife Cheryl, Buddy Kirk, Lynn Nidy & wife Sue, Sandy Cash, Bob Finfrock, Sharon Spelzhausen, Carol Cubbedge, Bill Ronay & wife Camille, Ed Newton, Bruce MacMillan, Anne Laing & husband Jack, Mary Phillips, Bill Schwartz, David Smith & wife Jan, Max Morris, Vic Vermillion, Fred Good & wife Charlene McKay, Tom Tobin, Fred Hale & wife Jo, Donna Newberry & husband Jack, Pat Phillips, David Riddle, Ed Adamkiewicz, Dick Bergen, Richard Giannini & wife Gayle along with others, for the photographs and stories they have sent in for publication to the alumni website this past year. Mary Phillips and Bill Ronay have done a stellar job keeping up with relocation of classmates and so much more.

     The Class of 1960 celebrated their 50th class reunion April, 2010. Mary Phillips worked online to help locate unaccounted for classmates. Now the Class of 1961 is planning their 50th reunion at this time.

CLASSMATES WHO HAVE RECENTLY PASSED AWAY
Tom Turner

THOMAS M. TURNER, V., 66, of Winter Park passed away Wednesday, October 7, 2009. Tom was born September 19, 1943. He is survived by his daughter, Christina (Patricio) Risco-Turner; step-children Jennifer (Wayne) Roberts and Jamie (Jan) Boynton; grandchildren Amaya, Jordan, Tanner, Danielle, and Lindsay; sisters, Barbara (Robert) Shea, Susan Toepel; brother, Thomas (Debbie) Turner VI. Tom graduated from Florida State University and attended Stetson School of Law. He began his career in business and became involved in the civic community as a member and later President of the Meridian Club of Central Florida and as a long standing member of the Winter Park Rotary. Early in his career Tom worked for what is today Morgan Stanley. Tom later co-founded and became President of a corporate travel service company. He spent his remaining career in real estate sales.Tom is predeceased by his loving wife Marilyn. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Sat., Oct. 10, at Carey Hand Cox Parker Funeral Home, Winter Park. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Hospice of the Comforter, Altamonte Springs, FL or the National Marfan Foundation, www.marfan.org.

Mark Loeb

MARK LOEB, Rabbi Emeritus, 64, born February 17, 1944, died Wednesday, October 7th, 2009, while serving in Milan, Italy. He served as a senior rabbi at Beth El Congregation from 1976 until May 2008. A Boston native, he served on the board of many organizations in the local Jewish community and was chairman of the Board of Baltimore Hebrew University. Beth El released a statement Thursday that said: "It is with a profound sense of loss and sadness that we share with you the following news. Our Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Mark Loeb, died (Wednesday) night in Milan, Italy. He was there serving a congregation as its interim rabbi enjoying Milan's culture, opera, and the many other things that he loved. We mourn his loss as a congregation and a community, and offer our sincerest sympathies to his family." Sen. Barbara Mikulski called Loeb a man of "warmth and wit." "He had a great sense of humor. He loved everything from opera to wrestling -– which may explain his love of politics," she said. "He was a champion of social justice -– and loved to wade into the thorniest situations." Never married, Loeb leaves two sisters, Carol Francis of Orlando, Fla., and Judy Kaplan of Lake Worth, Fla., and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Officials at Beth El were expecting a funeral next week, after his body is returned from Italy. He is to be buried at Beth El Memorial Park in Randallstown.

Carole Anne Reid

CAROL ANNE REID (REUSSOW), 67, died peacefully at home on June 13 of complications related to a long struggle with multiple sclerosis. She was born in Muskogee, OK to the late Virginia Bowers Koffman of New Smyrna Beach and the late John C. Reid of Jackson, TN. She was the step-daughter of the late Harold Koffman of New Smyrna Beach. She was a graduate of Winter Park High School and Florida State University. She and her husband Dennis were married in Tallahassee in 1964. They had three children. For several years, Carole taught in Orange County, at both Chickasaw and Hidden Oaks Elementary Schools. In 1993, she was Hidden Oaks Elementary Teacher of the Year, and one of five finalists for the Teacher of the Year in Orange County. For several years prior to her disability retirement in 1998, she managed her classroom from a wheel chair. Carole was a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Orlando, active in many areas including serving two terms on the vestry and was one of the first lay-Eucharistic ministers at Emmanuel. For several years, she was also active in the Episcopal cursillo community. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a daughter, Michelle (John) Schmidt; sons Jim (Michele) and David (Betzy) all of Orlando, and seven grandchildren all of Orlando, David, Carly-Reid, Sarah, Jack, Dean, Ethan and Sam. Other survivors include step-mother Alma Reid; sister Debbie Elvington; brother John Reid all of Jackson, TN, and sister Beth Fisher of Slidell, LA. During the course of her life, Carole enjoyed relationships with a wide assortment of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Many of the older have died, most of the younger still live -- all are remembered. The family wishes to gratefully acknowledge the care giving provided by Pat, Nathada, Gabby, and most recently by Sindy Long. The kindness and compassion they provided to Carole daily for several years added greatly to the quality of her life. We are also grateful to the physicians and staff at the Maitland Family Practice, especially to Dr. James Louttit for the many years during which he shepherded Carole through her illness. A funeral service celebrating Carole's life will be held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 1603 E. Winter Park Rd., Orlando June 17 at 1 p.m. The family will receive visitors at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on June 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Mid-Florida Chapter of the National MS Society, to Emmanuel Episcopal Church, or to Orlando's Hospice of the Comforter.

Carolyn Jeanne Rayburn Miller

CAROLYN JEANNE RAYBURN (MILLER), 66, of Ironton, passed away unexpectedly January 14, 2010, in Winter Park, Fla. She was born in Ironton, Kentucky, to the late Edward and Wilma Carman Rayburn. She graduated from Winter Park High School and the University of Florida. In 1976, she moved to Wilmington, Del., where she worked at a successful career until she returned to Winter Park to live with her mother and be near her aunt, Betty Whitley. Carolyn had a wonderful heart and a special kindness about her that will be missed by friends and family. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Debra Michelle; and her stepfather, Michael Callahan. She is survived by a son, Troy (Amy) Miller; grandchildren, Zach, Jake, Leah and Ava of Northfield, Ohio; two brothers, Stephen Callahan of Fla. and Charles (Cindy) Callahan of N.C.; ex-husband, Michael Miller, of Ky.; and aunts and uncles, Ray Duerk of Va., Pat Rayburn and Charles (Ramona) Rayburn of Ga. and Joyce (Jack) Riggs of Russell, Ky. A memorial service was held Sunday the 31st at Union Christian Church, Orlando and Palm Cemetery, Winter Park, by minister Tom Hensley.

ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME.....AND GONE
4th of July 2009

"Our Fourth of July dinner. It was SO MUCH fun -- Joanne Ross Giannini and her daughter, Mary Margaret Giannini, a law professor here in Jacksonville, had dinner with us, and we not only cooked hot dogs and Key Lime pie and did sparklers, but we had such Americana as an abbreviated reading of the Declaration of Independence, part of Martin Luther King's letter from the Birmingham Jail, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Calvin Coolidge's Reflections on Independence Day, Psalm 121, the preamble to the Constitution and a listing of the first 10 Amendments to the Bill of Rights, and Emma Lazarus's "New Colossus" (give me your tired, your poor, etc.). Then we sang "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and the National Anthem!" (Julie Baldwin Mason)

50th Reunion Committee Members

The 50th Class Reunion committee meeting was held in September. Those who were able to attend were Tom Bledsoe, Max Morris, Fran Ussery, Sharon Spelzhausen, Bob Finfrock, Marcia Gruber, John Bowman & Dennis Siewert .(Bob Finfrock)

Buddy Kirk flew into our area just after the first of the year. Bob Cross made a few calls and before we knew it there were several of us meeting for lunch in Lake Mary. Vic Vermillion, Max Morris, Fred Good, Anne Laing, Bob Cross, Jo & Fred Hale, Mary Phillips, Tom Tobin and of course Buddy. Buddy is hoping to attend his first class reunion next year - our 50th. (Bob Cross)

Snow Storm

The snowstorms in the southeast in February, 2010 were a surprise to many living in the Carolina's, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and even north Florida. Several classmates shared pictures taken just outside their front doors. (David Riddle)

Jim Dollison & Tony Barron
"I had an occasion to get together with Tony Barron on August 6 in Salt Lake City during a road trip my wife and I were taking through the Northwest. We had dinner at the Red Iguana, a famous local Mexican restaurant, and had a memorable evening reminiscing about WPHS, our families, and what we had been doing over the past 48 years. Attached is a photo of Cathy and me, and Tony and his wife, Virginia." (Jim Dollison)

Charlie & The Colonel

We can always count on Charlie Cayll to make us smile (and sometimes laugh) at pictures he sends us from his travels. Here is one that was taken in August while traveling with some friends covering parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, North & South Carolina. He wrote: "Me stealing some chicken from the Colonel in Corbin, Kentucky. It's where Colonel Sanders started his first restaurant and developed his chicken recipe and pressure cooking method." (Charlie Cayll)

Bruce MacMillion

Bob & Cheryl Cross hosted a reunion for classmate Bruce MacMillan who came home mid-November for a visit. Those in attendance were Fred & Jo Hale, Ed & Jane Newton, Johnny & Lois Simpson, Fred Good, Tom Tobin, Vic Vermillion, Jo Ann Snodgrass, Carol Sue Cozad, Sandy Simpson, George & Carrie Knupp, Jerry Crews, Sue Parsons and Donna Gilliam. (Bob Cross)

We had a great turn out for the WPHS Picnic in the Park in April. Those who we were able to get together for a photo were Charlie Cayll, Vic Vermillion, Carol Cubbedge, Sharon Spelzhausen, Maryanne Brown, Fran Ussery, Terry Williams, Mary Phillips, Susan Kelly, Marcia Gruber, Dennis Siewert, Helen Whittington, Mary Carter, Bob Finfrock, Anne Laing, Bob Cross and Eugene Mooney. (Charlie Cayll)

Bob and Cheryl
Bob & Cheryl Cross
Alaskan Cruise
aboard the Princess ship
Sapphire Princess
Lynn & Sue Nidy
Lynn & Sue Nidy

Transatlantic Cruise
aboard the RCCL
Jewel of the Seas
Jack and Anne
Anne & Jack Ryder
Caribbean Cruise
aboard the new
Carnival Dream
Camille & Bill Ronay
Bill & Camille Ronay
Caribbean Cruise
aboard the new
Carnival Dream
Jack and Donna Creasy
Donna & Jack Creasy
Caribbean Cruise
aboard the NCL
Norweigian Sprint
Jack & Jolene Billingham
Jack & Jolene Billingham
Caribbean Cruise
aboard the RCCL
Liberty of the Seas
Julie Baldwin & Bill Mason Cruising
Julie & Bill Mason
Transatlantic Cruise
aboard the RCCL
Voyager of the Seas
Richard & Gayle Giannini
Richard & Gayle Giannini
Bahamian Cruise
aboard the RCCL
Magesty of the Seas
Richard Bergen
Richard & Maryanne Bergen
European Cruise
aboard the HAL
MS Eurodam
There were several classmates who took cruises this past year. Bob & Cheryl Cross celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and Donna Newberry & husband Jack Creasy celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Lynn & Sue Nidy celebrated!!!! Anne Laing & husband Jack Ryder didn't celebrate anything in particular as they just enjoy cruising. Bill & Camille Ronay celebrated their 37th anniversary. Jack & Jolene Billingham on a 'working' cruise. Julie Baldwin & husband Bill Mason cruised with Bill's sister & brother-in-law. Richard & Gayle Giannini cruised with many collegiate athletic directors and commissioners hosted by the Orange Bowl and Dick & Maryanne Bergen took their children and grandchildren (and a few others) on a trip that covered England, the Norwegian fjords & Scotland.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Newsie Column
      Can you imagine that it will be 50 years since our class graduated? Yes, in 2011, it will be 50 YEARS!!!! A reunion committee has been formed headed by Bob Finfrock and Sharon Spelzhausen. The dates for the 50th class reunion is Friday, April 15th at the Farmer's Market in Winter Park, and Saturday, April 16th at Dubsdread Country Club. There will be planned programs for the weekend and time for classmates to reconnect and try to comprehend that 50 years have passed since graduating from WPHS in 1961. If you would like to be involved in the Class of 1961 Alumni 50th Reunion, contact Bob or Sharon. (We will keep you posted as news of the upcoming event is made available to us.)
     Share with us your stories of how you connected with a classmate via this website. We want to hear from you.
     We are looking for more pictures. Pictures and newspaper articles if you have any. Your web'mistress will be delighted to post the pictures to the website along with your name for contributing. The pictures and their captions have made the website the success that it is.
     Don't forget, if you change your e-mail address you should contact Mary Phillips or Bill Ronay so they can update their records to ensure you receive the most recent e-mails from your classmates.
     This website does not update itself. We have tracked down a few classmates who forgot to contact us when e-mail addresses were changed. Help us eliminate broken links and undeliverable e-mails. Remember to contact us of any snail-mail or e-mail changes. Many thanks. See you next year!!!