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Martin Yecies

Belle, thanks for the summary.  I can certainly see why there are vigorous protests against the proposals.  I cannot imagine what the neighborhood would look like if the proposals become reality.  Thanks for your hard work in this effort.

Russell Flammia

Hi Marilyn, I like what you're doing!

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Thank you, Russell !  I hope you & Martin Yecies are writing letters to the Times-Dispatch and calling

Bon Secours.   The latter did not answer my Voice Mail , so don't be too surprised if she doesn't answer

yours either!  You can leave a message and I am thinking of writing a letter, too!

Arizona turned age 100 several years ago!  It has shown through the  years that the movies about "Bad Guys

in The Old West" really WERE true!

Richmond is older than 250 years, so I expect more of them!

This is sooooo disappointing!

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

OK-New update!  Someone just called here from Bon Secours!  ("Glory Be and Sakes Alive!!" - (or is that "Saints Alive?") He claims they "didn't know there was a problem and it is the City's fault for passing the Zoning Change!" (Belle is CORRECT that this is a load of B.S.! He is "passing the buck!" Bon Secours ASKED for the Zoning Change!)

Then he said he "doesn't understand WHY people are upset!" He claims they had 2 Town Hall Meetings, and "some people were for it, some against!"

I said, "That's not what I heard!  I heard there were lots of protesters there!" So I listed the issues Belle mentioned, & added some of my own:1)Traffic problems & new light on Libbie,noise from shoppers in stores. 2) No playground for little kids. They will have to cross at the traffic light on Patterson to the other side of intersec-tion. 3) New Stores will bring in more traffic & noise from shoppers. 4) Football field demolished. 5)JuniorHigh Building will be demolished. 6) Nobody in that community was included in decision-making process & they feel left out, frustrated, & angry!  They are SCARED that the area will lose its character. 7) They are encroaching on community land & they should put their Medical Office at Willow Lawn, closer to St. Mary's & either in existing office building there, or else in a new building of their own!  8)A suggestion was made by "a Westhampton graduate who  lives there" (Belle) to turn the Junior High Building into a Community Theatre & (my suggestion) to put an Art Center in the Elementary Building with classes for Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, etc.)

Then he claimed that they " have made no plans" & "all of this is rumor."  So I asked, "What is your plan.".       His reply: "We have no plan!". So I asked, "Why did you ask for the Zoning Change?" Answer:"For the Medical Office Building!"

Back to Space 1 - he claims that the parking lot I saw online on Libbie Avenue belongs to Bon Secours!(I thought they should put their Office Building THERE, but I don't know how big that lot is.)

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

(This sounds like Arizona politics to me!   For 30 years, Teachers here received lousy pay, the textbooks were 30 years old, the buildings were in bad shape & needed a Bond Issue for funding  from the Tax Payers, and   the teachers had to buy their own classroom supplies for the kids! This past Spring,they "walked out" for aweek, all over the State.  I marched with them in Yuma (16 blocks) and my daughter marched with them downtown in Yuma and also in Phoenix toward the State Capitol, along with thousands of teachers!They won a salary raise, spread out over 3-5 years, in "increments." (No new books, no raises for Office Staff orJanitors,etc!  Nobody in this State wants to raise taxes!)

Also, as I told him, there was a proposal to build a Rock & Roll Stadium here in Yuma, to bring in extra income! But instead of the City Council, they put it to a vote on a Bond Issue & everybody voted against it!  Nobody wanted crowds of traffic, druggies, etc. The people had their say!

Well, we aren't going on strike, because we have no salaries, but we CAN write protest letters!  Please write a Letter with all your good Memories of Westhampton School  and your suggestions for its use  to the following address: andrew_burrichter@bshsi.org. (initials for "Bon Secours Health Systems, Inc.") Phone(804) 281-8030. 

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

My suggestion is that they withdraw from the plan (since they have no plan), rent office space in Willow Lawn, or build their own Office Building there,and donate the land and building to the City! What do you think of that?PS- I have photos of 3 very old buildings that were "rehabbed" instead of demolished!  Andrew wants to see them!  Does anyone else have any other ideas???

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

PS to Mike Floyd:   Thank you for putting "locks" on our Website, so nobody can "get in from the outside!"

Andrew Burrichter wanted to access our Website "to read all the comments by our classmates!"

I said, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!  That is for former students ONLY!"

G-d Bless You, Mike Floyd!  A thousand blessings on your head for "maintaining our privacy!"

Have a nice weekend, everybody! Please take this  free time to write your letters re. Westhampton School, 

and save an historical landmark!

Thank you!

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Heads up!  Miss Tankard will turn 90 years old this month!

If you would like to send her a Birthday Greeting, contact me!

Belle Landrum

Please give me the address for Miss T.  I will send a card

Send the address and a phone number? to my email account:

BelleLandrum@yahoo.com

I'm trying to figure out a way to download you messages to my computer to send them to others.  So far, no luckAlso, cannot Print.  Do you kn0w h0w?  I don't want to write/pencil everything and then retype them.

Belle

Russell Flammia

Hi Belle, as far as printing is concerned I don't know so write Mike.  I don't know Ms. Tankard's addres but  googling her name  Estelle Tankard, Cobbs Creek Va. or Halliford Va.  We're headed to OBX in a few minutes, when I get back in a couple of weeks I may be able to help you find her phone no.  I know she'll be glad to hear from you.  Can any one else from our class help Belle?

Mike Floyd

It would be nice if I could get Miss Tankard's email address if she has one.  I could send birthday wishes from the TJ Class of 1962.  I would also ask if she would like to be a guest on our website.

Mike

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Hello again! Miss Estelle Tankard's address: P.O. Box 82, Hallieford,Virginia 23068. Phone #: (804) 725-2665. Her friend who will answer the phone is named Carolyn. Their dog is named Mamie! She may or may not remember your name!  After all, it HAS been 56 years! I was trying to answer Belle, Russell, Bill Staples, & Mike Floyd one by one, but this is simpler, if there are others who want to communicate with her! I don't know the exact date of her Birthday, but anyone who reaches age 90 deserves to receive a solid month of good wishes, especially if she was "The Best Teacher We Ever Had !" I am sure she would LOVE to hear from ALL  of you!

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Belle & others: Precedent cases for Westhampton School Junior High Building, possibility of  "Reconstruction:"(Search online for each of them. I cannot seem to Share the websites here! - I have some mechanical problem.) 1) St. John's Church in Richmond., built in 1741.(Outside was repainted and restored. Now working on restoring grave markers. Publishes a newsletter listing names of donors.)

2) Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, 50th Anniversary of Bradley Hall Fire, January, 1963-2013. (I was a Freshman there when it burned down, and I have photos of it here. The stone outside, tower, & name were  intact, the wooden inside was completely rebuilt with fireproof materials.  The financing was handled through corporate, family, and personal donations!)

3) Sidney & Berne Davis Art Museum, Ft. Myers,Florida (This is where Joel's cousin, Myra Roberts, holds her yearly Art Exhibits.  They also have Plays, Music Concerts, and Fundraising Dinners there. It was formerly the Ft. Myers Post Office, but the roof collapsed and the walls & floor needed updating!  Berne Davis donated funds for the reconstruction & the building was named after her  & her spouse!  Florida has a strong Arts Community & the Board of Directors of this place keeps it going. Carol Battige & her friend met Joel & me there in February, 2018 for Myra's New Exhibit - 60 paintings.  She can tell you about the fantastic building, many years old!

4)  Yuma Theatre, Yuma, Arizona (Outdated building, restored to new dignity by beautiful mural painted on the wall, seat donations, updated systems such as projected power- point demonstrations, acoustics for plays & music concerts, & revived Art Center next door with monthly Art Exhibits, Art Auctions, Children's Art Exhibit, High School Art Exhibit,etc.

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

I am sure you can find more examples, including Tee Jay!  (How about  the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts?  Andy Lewis's Mom is STILL highly involved there!). All it takes is good community organizing & fundraising! One drawback:  Some of the above organizations charge exhorbitant amounts for Membership & Board  Member-ship.  This discourages participation from the general community-at-largeFor example, Board of Directors of our local Art Center sent me an email the week before Chanukah/Christmas one year (AFTER  I had spent all of my money on gifts for 20 people in my family!) & asked me to be a Member of their Board.  Requirements included a reply within ONE WEEK,  with a $250 donation. I do NOT make rash decisions within one week, including a large check for a donation!  I wanted to meet the Board Members individually, talk to them & see if we were "on the same wavelength." I later found out that the Individual Exhibits were often by Board Members, and each one had to Donate $500 for someone to hang their paintings & offer a cocktail party to guests at an Open House! (I have ALWAYS hung my own Exhibits, and those did NOT include Cocktails!) The Fee for Exhibits went up so high that a Split-off gallery was created, but it is a "rinky-dink" setup I will NOT patronize or visit!  It has NO "Class!") (Last week, I heard that our Art Center no longer has a Board of Directors, and it is now conducted by Parks & Recreation, as it was in the beginning! That is the way it was SUPPOSED to be! So all's well that ends well!

I wish I still lived in Richmond, where people I know have common sense!   But since I don't, please take my suggestions & use them!

There was one project of this nature that failed when I lived in Chicago. We organized a wonderful Musical Theatre Company (MUTECO)! at DePaul University & we restored an old theatre and had sellout performances 3 nights in a row!  I handled Publicity, & we had a story in the Midwest Magazine of the Chicago Sun-Times, and a blinking sign on the Expressway!  Music students performed, Art Students designed sets & flyers,etc.  It was a GREAT experience. But after we graduated, the City designated the area for "Urban Renewal" and "the Nursing Home Across the Street" became "the Goodman Theatre of Art & Music,"'which is now part of DePaul University!  The idea was adopted, but our building was NOT! (Don't let that happen to Westhampton School!)

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Russell:  Miss Tankard's Address is posted on the Forum page above!  Mike:  I don't know if she has an email address!  I just wrote her a long letter and I am compiling the photo album! I hope to mail it out this week!

Mike Floyd

Bill Collins noticed that the name of the community where Miss Tankard lives was spelled incorrectly.  I have corrected this in Marilyn's posting.  The correct mailing address is:

Miss Estelle Tankard's address :

P.O. Box 82

Hallieford, Virginia 23068

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Thanks, Mike!  I did not know about that spelling!  My Sister gave it to me last year, when Miss Tankard had Heart Surgery!    She has kept in touch with her all these years, but I have been lacking in my correspondence since I stopped my Freelance Writing in 1988 in Illinois & moved  to Arizona to work in Human Services, Corrections, & Education. And that's ANOTHER story!

Mike Floyd

Miss Tankard doesn't have an email address, but I was able to send her a birthday card from Tee Jay Class of 1962.  For those of you keeping track, her birthday is August 3rd.  The card was a belated birthday card because the card fell in the blender and then the dog ate.  I think she will enjoy it.  I just hope she doesn't grade it.

Miss Tankard is now on the website as a guest.  Because she doesn't have an email address she can't get onto the website nor can she receive comments on her profile.  I will attempt to keep up with her through all of you.  Thanks!

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Thanks, Mike!  You are SO FUNNY!  I'm glad you sent the card from our class!  (How did you know the Birth Date?). I am just finishing up my little book with photos I took of former Jeffersonian Staff Members at the TJ Reunions, and I contacted a few more on the TJ Website, so they could mail cards & photos by themselves!       It will be her "Birthday Month!"  

(We had a lot of repairs going on here in late July, so there was no way I could have done this earlier!  This Summer has been a disaster! )

Thanks for "Filling in the gaps!". And it is just as well that Miss Tankard can't see the TJ website, because I wrote about her on so many pages, she will discover "the secret source" of all the cards and phone calls she      is getting!  (I LOVE to do things "behind the scenes!". It's more fun that way!!!)

Were YOU one of her English students, Mike???  If so, that must have been "a trip" for you also!

She was truly unforgettable!

And she touched so many lives!

(I'm sure your mail to Hallieford will arrive faster than mine!  I usually have to allow 8 days for shipping, so most of my letters and gifts arrive late, unless I prepare them months ahead of time!  And this year was too hectic for that!)

Thanks!

Mar--

Peggy Smith (Robins)

To:  Frank Louthan (in response to message 8/23/18).  Alex and I are still in Murfreesboro, TN.  Alex was quarterback coach at MTSU for 23 years - now he's been helping in different high schools with the quarterbacks since retiring from MTSU.  We are both still working and enjoying it.  We have a land phone and are in the phone registry.  Best regards to you and your family.  Peggy Robins

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Hi, Peggy!  How are you?

Peggy Smith (Robins)

To:  Marilyn Wolfe Ruben and other wonderful T.J. classmates.  Marilyn, you sound like you are a busy lady!  Alex and I are doing very well (today).  We keep busy with our grandchildren and are enjoying still working (part-time).  We both still exercise most every day - I walk and Alex does the elyptical machines at a gym.  Many blessings to you and our other T.J. classmates.  Love, Peggy Smith Robins

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Thanks, Peggy!  I try to keep busy, now that my Granddaughter is in college!   I think we both go all the way back to Westhampton, right?  Did you read all about it in Belle Landrum's comments?   

You two should come to the next TJ Reunion in Richmond!  You are much closer than we are, and we try to show up every 5 years!  It's fun to see "old friends"  all gathered in one place!

How do you like where you are living?  I bet it is beautiful there!  I remember we drove through your State about 40 years ago, to or from Illinois & Virginia!  Jo Ann Olkowski lives there too!  Is she near you?

Nice to hear from you!  What are you doing besides Exercise?   Enjoy your life!

Brenda Jenkins (Armstrong)

Russell Flammia

Hi Classmates, while there is a lot of attention on hurricane Florence, and rightfully so, let's not forget the over 3,000 women, children, and men, who perished as a result of the terrorists attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash in Shanksville Pa.,  Take care everyone.