Lynda Hamlin Murray's Photos at the Picnic

Lynda Hamlin, Sandy Johnson. and Diane Salisbury

Sandy Johnson with Bob Nelson's Collection

More Bob Nelson's Collection

Steve Tanner and Judy Mannerberg Tanner

Barbara Wilhelm Godin and Husband

Tom Gruber's Photos at the Picnic

Tom Gruber and Tim Moe

Bob Bjorkland, Rick Adams, and Tom Gruber

(seated) Bob Nelson, Steve Johnston, and Tom Gruber
(standing) Norm Anderson and ? tell me

Ricky Larson, Tom Gruber, Grace Sjostrom, and Pat Isensee

Ricky Larsen, ?, Grace Sjostrom, and Pat Isensee

Tom Gruber, ?, Grace Sjostrom, Ricky Larsen, and Stan Carlson

Tom Gruber's Photos at the Dinner

Bill Nicklow and Karin Larson

Tom Moe, Stan Carlson, and Tom Gruber

Karen Rouse and Mimi Molander

Joan Eckberg, Polly Gruber, and Paul Johnson

Joan Eckberg and Paul Johnson

Judy Anderson and Grace Sjostrom

Polly Gruber and Dianne Stitz

Ruth Solheim, Dave Jackson, and Tom Gruber

Ruth Solheim, Dave Jackson, and Tom Gruber

Don Casey

Norm Anderson and Gary Stitz

Gary Lindgren's Pictures on the River Walk

A big thank you to all those volunteers that made the 1958 Washburn Class reunion so successful. I attended 3 events, the Riverfront Tour, Evening Buffet Dinner, and the Sunday Picnic. The Riverfront Tour was my favorite event. Jim Hollenbeck really knows his Minnesota history and he has a very entertaining manner explaining the events and people of the day.

Here we are at DeLa Salle High School and Jim is telling us about the whore house that used to be across the street and where the girls would flash for the boys.

The Evening Buffet Dinner

Lots of casual conversation and good food.

Sunday Picnic at Bob and Carolyn Nelson's Home

Now you can add your reunion memories and pictures. Just add a comment or send the blog an e-mail with your text and pictures and I will add it.

Gary Lindgren

David W. Thomas

I’ll start with the present and work backward.

Here I am in Palo Alto, CA, where I have lived for the last 38 years. Although I am officially retired, I have reverted to a previous love of pipe organs where I help with maintenance, tuning, and even construction, of pipe organs. And in addition, I am the book keeper for a pipe organ company. I have the privilege of being an assistant to all tuning and maintenance of the big renowned pipe organs of Stanford University.

That is all quite a change from my previous career, when I spent 31 years at SRI (formerly Stanford Research Institute) as director of their mass spectrometry lab, a specialty in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry.

Today I am also enjoying another summer of working in my vegetable garden, with tomatoes, green beans, peppers, zucchini, and lots of herbs. The last few years have been very frustrating, with squirrels which ate everything. I have no expectation that this year will be different, but I’ll just try again.

I don’t have any photos of myself at this present time, but I still have most of my (gray) hair, and a full beard.
I was in touch with our former teacher Bob Blackmur a few years ago, and we recalled our graduation theme “to thyne own self be true”. At the time I had some trouble understanding what that meant. But many years later I did indeed confront that message when I came out as “gay”, and had a 22 year relationship with my beloved Joseph, who unfortunately passed away in 1995.

And the past can be summarized briefly:

Most of you knew that I went to Swarthmore College, a small college of excellent reputation. It was there that that I really started my life. After that I went on to MIT for my PhD in chemistry and a year of post-doc, followed by a two year job with the French government near Paris, France. And then on to SRI in California.

And I would like to hear from anyone at my e-mail address: thomasdw at sbcglobal dot net
David Thomas

Bob Olson

Bob Olson

e-mail: rolson25 at gmail dot com

phone: (952) 920-8327

After high school I went to Dartmouth College and roomed with Paul Johnson and Jim Hale. Later I attended Medical School at the University of Minnesota.
I was an intern in San Francisco during The Summer of Love (1968—when the first Hippies congregated in Golden Gate Park). I lived in Berkeley, grew a moustache, wore my hair long, and when I wasn’t on duty at the county hospital went to the Fillmore to see Janis Joplin, The Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix.
Returning to Minnesota and reality I was studying Internal Medicine at the University when I was summarily drafted and sent to Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta with the Navy’s Swift Boats and SEALS (I didn’t know John Kerry). There, when not triaging war casualties, curing VD and dealing with drug abuse I treated Vietnamese civilians—and actually had a small leprosy clinic.
Following Viet Nam I spent a year at the Naval Hospital in Oakland and I met my wife, Karen (a third generation San Franciscan). Jim Hale was an attendant at our wedding.
After returning to Minnesota to finish training at the University I took a position as Asst. Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota and Chief of Gastroenterology (stomachs and intestines) at Ramsey County Hospital—where Paul Johnson was Chief of Pulmonary Medicine. I was there for twenty-five years (serving as Chief of Staff) before semi-retiring (I take Friday off) in 2002. I now work at the outpatient clinic across from North Memorial Hospital, not far from my home near Cedar Lake.
My two daughters are grown and now live in California and Connecticut. I am an avid gardener, served as president of the Minneapolis Gardening Club, and edit a gardening magazine on Hostas (my specialty). I also enjoy cycling, the opera—where I see Rolf Svendson, and the Gopher wrestling team—where I don’t know anyone. If you are interested, I’d be eager to show you my garden and bore you with stories of Hosta Hunting in the mountainous wilderness of Japan.



1. Something that might surprise my classmates…
I gave up my Vikings seats for season tickets to the Opera.
2. Who knew that 50 years after graduation I would be the same weight as in high school (but the sand is moving rapidly to the bottom of my once hour glass figure).
3. I plan that in Act III I will write a book about Vietnam, edit a gardening magazine, hybridize perennial plants and spend a lot more time with my friends and family.
4. I have learned in the past 50 years there is a corollary to Tom Wolfe’s adage “you can never go home again”; it is “you can’t stand pat either”. You must constantly seek opportunities for new adventures—and enjoy the journey.

Gary Lindgren...50 Years Have Gone By So Fast

Gary Lindgren
585 Lincoln Ave
Palo Alto CA 94301

gel at theconnection dot com

http://cymonsplace.blogspot.com/
http://www.blue-eagle-technologies.com/

After Washburn, it was 5 years at the University of Minnesota for an Electrical Engineering degree. Technical interest was in microwave and communication technology. Even back then in the early 60’s, the San Francisco Bay Area was a hot area for the microwave (not ovens) and communication area and so was my first pick. The first years I was working on high power microwave vacuum tubes. Twenty thousand volts and 100 kilowatts were typical. I wanted a change and got to work on solid-state devices with 10 volts and one watt output. This was much more fun. It was 21 years at Litton Industries, but I needed a change. Switched companies and also the work, and got into developing software applications for automated testing of microwave components. Changed companies again in 1994 and worked for Harris Corporation in Redwood Shores (all these companies are essentially in Silicon Valley). Again the work was in automated testing. These applications were much more sophisticated and were very interesting and rewarding to work on. In 2002, Harris decided to move most of the operation to North Carolina, I was out of a job, but a couple times did consulting for them. While on one of our vacations to Hawaii in the spring of 2004, I got the bug to start a company that would install Wi-Fi networks in homes and small businesses. It was fun going through the process to start a company, take the classes I needed to learn the technology and build a web site. Last fall while on vacation in Hawaii again, I concluded that in spite of advertising my services, that I would need to make many many cold calls and with my personality and at this point of my life, that would not be fun. So in December I shut down my services and changed the web site to information only on Wi-Fi security.
Twenty years ago, I met the love of my life. Dr. Carol Szymanski. One Friday night I noticed that my cat suddenly went blind. I saw my vet. the next day and he recommended I see a Veterinary Ophthalmologist in Menlo Park (next door town). I took the cat to Carol, the same day, and 3 days later, the cat could see again. Three weeks later we had our first date. We complement ourselves very well. Carol is the pessimist, I’m the optimist. We both love our animals, now we have 2 cats and 2 parakeets. The Big Island of Hawaii is our favorite vacation spot and like to stay in the town of Volcano, a very peaceful spot in the middle of a rain forest. I always seem to have lots of activities around the house and finally now have the time to build a seismometer and I’m also volunteering my time explaining the transition to digital television that is coming next February. This is going to be a Big Deal for those of us without cable or satellite service. We love the Palo Alto area. It is in the heart of Silicon Valley. I attend monthly professional meetings on internet security and new wireless technologies.

1. Something about me that might surprise my classmates is that I like to cook, develop new recipes, and then wash the dishes by hand. Forget the electric dishwasher.
2. Who knew that 50 years after graduation, I would be in the process of submitting an Amicus Curiae (friend of the Court) brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A non-attorney with little legal knowledge, the process to learn and understand what the requirements to submit the brief has been very rewarding. The subject is the transition to digital television coming after February 17, 2009. The Community Broadcasters Association want to muck up the process by suing the Federal Communications Commission regarding the unavailability of particular DTV converter boxes. My brief will support the FCC.
3. After all those years in school and at work, Acts I and II of my life, I plan that in Act III I will continue to keep up with the technology world, keep my mind alert and probably stay in the Palo Alto area. When Carol and I travel we say, “what would it be like to live here”, so far we haven’t found that “other” ideal place. For Palo Alto, the weather great. In winter it can get down to freezing in December through March or even April, but that is only at night. During the day it gets up to the 50’s or 60’s. Summer is in the 70’s to 80’s most days. However no rain from May to October. Whatever your technical interest, there is someone close by to answer or ask questions. Extension classes are readily available from UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz and close by on just about any subject you can think of. Class catalogs are ½” thick.
4. If there is anything I have learned in the past 50 years, it is that I love to watch, learn, or go through the process. Whether it is watching a building being torn down, checking out a construction site, watch the workers at an In n’ Out fast serve restaurant, or submitting a legal brief, it is just fun and educational to see how it is done.

OK, I posted my story, how about yours. Just e-mail me your story and attach any digital photos. No worry about having the correct photo size, I have Photoshop and can modify to suitable image size. Any questions, just send an e-mail.

Gary Lindgren