Occupation:  Engineer
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  1
From Richard:
Wow -what a great website....and how quickly these 50 years have gone by!  To update everyone on what happened in my life -- After SMHS graduation I headed off to the University of Kansas on an NROTC scholarship.  Four and half years later, and in the course of two short weeks I graduated with an electrical engineering degree, married Joann - we met on a blind date in my junior year - and was commissioned in the Navy.  Our honeymoon was a cross country drive in February to San Diego, where it was off to the races; four years of sea duty in the amphibious fleet with duty stations in San Diego, Pearl Harbor, the Phillipines and Vietnam.  Following the Navy I stumbled onto industrial automation and have been working as an automation engineer, project manager and other sundry related occupations, all centered around automation and information systems, ever since.  Gizmos and projects were always a fascination and this career suited me perfectly.  We spent nearly seven years in Massillon OH working in the chemical industry, adopted our daughter Melanie there, witnessed the rust belt decline, and decided to head for sunnier climes in Colorado where we've been ever since;  well, except for a two year assignment in Sydney, Australia - what a great place to work and it included a fantastic three months at a very remote outback site in the Northern territory; seven years "temporary" assignment in Orlando, three years "temporary" assignment in San Francisco; you get the idea.  But it was always back to Colorado for us.  I'm still working for a great company - CH2M HILL, an environmental and industrial consulting firm which has recently been making it onto the Fortune list of best companies to work for.  As long as the projects are interesting and fun, and all the other things Joann and I want to do can also happen, I'll probably keep on, at least on a part time basis. 

What a great preparation Shawnee Mission high provided for these last 50 years.  I often think of the many great teachers we had, the quality of education that SHMS provided, and how the four years of SMHS have paid back over and over again.  I only wish all of the current crop of high schoolers could have the same.  And of course, all the great relationships, friends and "non-educational" experiences that went with ithe high school years.  

We are hoping to make it back for the celebration but are sorting out some work and scheduling conflicts.  Joann also has a 50th year reunion in Iowa the week before.  

Many thanks to those  who have organized such an outstanding way to share with each other and did all the hard work getting this and the upcoming events together.

My best to all - Rich SMHS '57!

Occupation:  Law School Professor
Website:  law.seattleu.edu
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  5
From David:
After 3 years of college at Wheaton in Ill. (see under Buster LaFrance), I transferred to KU for my senior year; then taught Western Civ. and graduated from KU Law School in 1964; turned down a teaching fellowship at Harvard Law in favor of a doctoral research fellowship at Michigan Law, and then began teaching Constitutional Law at U. Colorado Law School in 1966. Resigned my tenure in early ‘70’s for several years of law practice – public (state Assistant Attorney General) and private – in Denver. The shooting of students in 1970 stirred my conscience, and my 1970’s were preoccupied with civil rights litigation for Kent State, and then for Wounded Knee, plaintiffs.  The Kent case went through two trials before reaching a satisfactory settlement, and I was the only lawyer from the first trial kept by the clients for the second. (That seems a long time ago now.) After short visits teaching at U. Michigan Law, U. Denver Law, and Cleveland State U. Law, I resumed regular law teaching in 1981 at U. Puget Sound in Washington (bought out lock, stock, and barrel by Seattle U. in 1994), concentrating on the constitutional law issues of federalism. I write a lot, but I need lots of rough drafts; and the same has been true as to marriage.  Finally, however, I got it right in 1993. I have five kids (by a variety of methods), aged 44 to 23: a college professor, an autism therapist, a truck driver, a new bride, and a recent college graduate. And three darling grandchildren, two of them adopted from Columbia. It’s been a full life; but gee!  I wish I’d devoted much closer attention to all of you – to each of you – half a century ago! I read your messages and remember the friendships I failed to develop, the opportunities I failed to pursue, the possibilities I dared not to broach …. For decades I have felt that high school happened, and I missed it!  We all were there – but most of you, I am certain, were more present than I was. I was distracted by my compulsive "mission” (whatever that was). Ah, well; we all carry baggage. I’m still “mission driven”; but my missions – no less compulsive – have been secular since the 1960’s. I sincerely regret that I’ll miss the reunion; I’m still teaching full time, and our semester gets under way late in August. I will watch this outstanding website for reports – and treasure any personal notes sent to me, promising an untimely response!

Occupation:  Writer/Photographer
Website:  www.barteverettphotograph -
y.com
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  4
From Bart:
There are three things about Kansas that I’ve always missed: thunderstorms, hot summer nights and an interpersonal phenomenon associated with the latter. But California affords its own pleasures, and I’ve lived there since 1969. I worked for the Los Angeles Times for 36 years and am now self-employed as a writer. Some of you might remember that my family lived in France in the early 1950s and that I returned there for several short vacations while a senior at Shawnee Mission. After graduating from Kansas State I returned to France to live, working for the Herald Tribune, teaching English at Berlitz and studying at the Sorbonne. Unfortunately the Selective Service snagged me there and I wound up in the Army in Oklahoma. Two years later I was back at Kansas State briefly—on an early discharge to attend school—and while there worked as managing editor of a weekly farming newspaper. After that, it was four years at the Kansas City Star, first as a reporter and later as an editor. In Los Angeles, while working at the Times, I became a commercial pilot and flight instructor, lectured at two universities, fathered four children—all girls—and learned four computer programming languages (which I’ve since forgotten). Although I’ve lived here and there, I still consider Kansas my home, and it’s always a pleasure to return. I hope to see you all in 2007!

Occupation:  Corvettes!
Marital Status:  Married
From Chuck:
Great web site, good work. I am still in Calif. I have lived in this home since 1975. I retired from Modesto City Schools in 2001.  I am married to Bonnie for 37 years. No children. I am still active in land development at Lake Don Pedro with my partners. I am a Corvette nut and have had seven of them to date. Right now I am waiting for my new 50th Commerative Vette to be delivered to me from Detroit. So far only 147 have been built. I also own a 1969 restored Vette convert. I have been back to Mission on several occasions, and have been back by old high school. My wife is operations mgr at Doctors Medical Hospital here in Modesto. She wants to work until she is 65. So far I have been able to get her to only work a three day week. My past has included Journeymen auto mechanic, life insurance sales, truck driving, regional mgr for easco, craftsman tools, and misc transportation dept jobs with Modesto City schools. The list goes on and on. I will not be able to attend 50th reunion due to my putting on the 5th annual all Corvette show on the same day for close friend of mine who owns local Chevrolet dealership.

Occupation:  retired farm manager
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  2
From Virginia(Ginny):
Happily married for 46 1/2 years. Husband Guy retired for 16 years;best years of our lives. Grown daughter Amy and husband and 3 grandchildren live close by. Son Jeff and wife and grandson live at the family farms near Hiawatha Ks.,about 1 1/2 hours away. Keep busy with volunteerism,family, traveling. Our focus is on our faith community. Can hardly wait to reconnect with everyone.

Occupation:  Retired
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  4
From Don:
I graduated in the Spring of 1961 from Kansas State University with a degree in business. The United States Airforce (in all their wisdom) immediately sent me orders to report to a base in Izmir, Turkey. Sue Peterson (SMN class of 1958) and I were married in September. Sue remained at Kansas State for another semester to obtain her degree. I left for Turkey in November. Sue joined me there in April 1962. We returned to Kansas City in May 1965. We provided food, shelter and a completed college education for our four children (two boys and two girls) and can say they successfully reared us. They live in New York state (3) and one outside of Baltimore. We have three wonderful grandkids. We moved to Pennsylvania in 1979, and then relocated to Tallahassee, Florida in 1999. I sold and managed the sale of heavy construction equipment in New England and Florida during that time. I retired about three years ago. Six months after building our “dream house” in Tallahassee, we discovered “The Villages, Florida” sold our house and moved. We love it here. We have 24 nine-hole golf courses and 9 twenty-seven-hole golf courses. (We play a lot of golf.) We look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion.

Birthday:  November 09, 1938
Occupation:  Retired
Marital Status:  Committed Relationship
From Dan:
For the last several years I've lived and worked in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.  I retired to Chapel Hill, NC about five years ago

Occupation:  retired business owner
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  4
From Robert:
I attended KU and met my wife, Arlice, there.  We married in 1962 and have 4 children and 17 grandchildren.  They all live close by and we are happy to have them near.  After college I worked for a few years in estimating for a paper company and then an advertising company.  In 1967 I purchased a graphic arts finishing business with a partner and we continued in that business until I sold it in 2002.

In 1976 we moved to a small farm near De Soto and now in our retirement I keep busy with a large garden and trying to keep the place looking good. 

The Lord has been good to us and given me a fine family. 

Occupation:  Consultant
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  4
From Ed:
After graduate school I was briefly employed by a Medical Research Foundation in Wichita as an Environmental Physiology Supervisor until the foundation ran out of money. My next employment lasted a lot longer with 22 years as Director of Laboratories for the Wichita-Sedgwick Health Department. I then became Administrator of the Department until I retired in 1994. After one day of retirement I found myself in the consulting business providing capacity building for several health related non-profit associations. I presently provide Homeland Security preparedness planning and training for local units of government. My wife, Gaile, and I have been married for 42 years. Our eight grandchildren range in age from 3 years thru 27 years. They are located from New York to Texas which helps satisfy our need to travel. 
I look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion. It should be fun.

Occupation:  retired from automobile 
manufacturers
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  2
From Bill:

After graduation from the University of Kansas, I spent 38 years primarily in sales and marketing with General Motors, Porsche/Volkswagen/Audi (Germany) and finally with Hummer.  I have always enjoyed being around automobiles.

Our son is 42 with two chilren and our daughter is 38 with two children.  (Actuallly I wish that we would have had the grandchildren first).  

Dee and I enjoy tennis, swimming and boating  and especially when the grandchildren spend time with us and then their parents have to retrain them when they go back home. 

We now live in east Tennessee in the foothills of the Smokies on Lake Tellico just below Knoxville. 

Looking forward to our reunion in September.