Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
Today's particular version of the annual Merry Christmas Newsletter is being revisited from 2005.
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THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS:
Happy
Christmas
Day Birthday
today to
Patsy Bloxom Meider ('57) of NC
AND
Doug Dickinson ('69) of VA!
Happy Birthday this week to:
27 -
Anita Morgan Becker ('66) of VA;
29 - Roy Tate ('57);
30 - William Gwynn ('57)
AND
Ron Miller ('59) of NC
AND (if Plaxo
is to be believed)
Carole Althaus Tanenhaus ('65) of
MD
AND Joyce Tedder Rossman ('68) of PA
AND Sarah Stewart Vance ('69) of VA;
31 - Pat Floyd Pride ('62) of VA
AND
Susie Overton Jones ('63) of VA
AND (again,
if Plaxo is to be believed)
David Rosenwasser
('64) of MO;
01 - Gloria Hand
Burns ('57) AND
Many Happy Returns to You All!
http://www.nnhs65.com/Happy-Birthday.html
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TODAY IN THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES: From http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/This%20Day/thisday1225.htm: |
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 1861 DAZZLING DINNER DISPLAYS DETERMINATION Following a White House meeting where the Trent Affair was rehashed yet again, President and Mrs. Lincoln persevered with a great Christmas feast this night. After the horrors of the last year it was no doubt the last thing they felt like doing, but as usual in wartime a pretence of normalcy was considered essential for morale. In Winchester, VA, though, Gen. Thomas J. (“Stonewall”) Jackson, on one of his rare leaves home, had a quiet dinner with his wife. Thursday, Dec. 25, 1862 AGGRESSIVE ACTIVITIES AGGRAVATE ADVENT Although no great battles marred the celebration of Christ’s birth this year, there was no cessation of the average sort of small skirmishing. Actions took place in Warrenton, Va. Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan continued his raid on Federal forces in Kentucky, leading to violence at Bear Wallow and Green’s Chapel in that state. There was even a disturbance of the peace at Prim’s blacksmith shop on Edmondson Pike, Tenn. Friday, Dec. 25, 1863 CULPEPPER CAVALRY CEREMONY CONDUCTED As a great many members of the Union army had signed two-year enlistments in 1861, it was becoming a matter of great concern to get as many of them to re-enlist as possible, as this saved the considerable expense of training new enlistees from scratch. (Common wisdom of the day claimed that it took two years to make a cavalryman, although the process had speeded up considerably by now.) Capt. Kennedy of the 9th NY Volunteer Cavalry celebrated the decision of several of his men to re-up by holding the swearing-in ceremony on Christmas Day, at Culpepper Court House, Va. Sunday, Dec. 25, 1864 CUSHING CONDUCTS CHRISTMAS CACOPHONY US Navy Lt. William Barker Cushing, who not long before had sunk the CSS Albermarle and received great acclaim, spent this day assisting in the assault on Ft. Fisher. Gunboats provided covering bombardment as Gen. Benjamin Butler’s 2000 troops came ashore and advanced on the fort. Cushing’s route was to be up New Inlet, but it was found to be blocked by a sandbar and he was driven back. |
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From Joyce
Lawrence Cahoon ('65) of VA - 12/24/11 - "Merry Christmas":
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From Dimples Dinwiddie Prichard ('58) of NC -
12/23/11 - "RE:
Norm Covert's ('61) of MD
- "Appreciating you":
Carol, Thanks so much for sending this to me. "Sparky," my nickname for Norm because of his problems with the arching of a malfunction in one of his heart attachments, causing him to be shocked, inspired the name. We speak frequently and at length, and he and I both know the lows of having to recover from gall bladder surgery and pancreatitis at the same time. Not something neither he nor I would wish on the worst dictator on earth....wait, let me give that a second thought...yep, I thought of one but won't reveal his name. He would probably agree with me ! Anyway...just the visual of "Sparky" glowing was just too funny to resist adding the star and saving the work of the annual ritual of putting up the tree ! I am sure it was a suggestion that brought relief to his Sweet Loretta (Stuttgart American High School '68) ....something he could do to be useful and be still at the same time ! He did a beautiful job on his dad's desk along with a magnificent tribute to his wonderful father ! Good on you, "Sparks !" Merry Christmas, Carol..... Dimples...or as "Sparky" calls me...."Miz Scawlett"
Thanks so
much, Dimples - Merry Christmas to you, too!
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From
Bill Hobbs ('66) of Northern VA - 12/24/11 - "B-17 Mid Air Collision":
Alas, my uncle
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Incredible! For those who may doubt there are
miracles..... BOY - IF THIS DOES NOT DISPLAY LOTS OF GUTS, THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS!
The term "Greatest
Generation" doesn't mean just people but can be
equally applied to some of the finest aircraft
designs of all time; the C-47 transport, P-47
Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning, both superb
fighters! And of course the B-24 Liberator, the F4U
Corsair (the Navy's greatest carrier fighter), the
P-51 Mustang (arguably the finest fighter aircraft
of its time) and finally the B-17 whose crews said
would bring them home in almost any condition, and
here's one of those conditions!
Tough Bird A mid-air collision
on February 1, 1943 between a B-17 and a German
fighter over the Tunis dock area became the subject
of one of the most famous photographs of World War
II... An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group
formation went out of control, probably with a
wounded pilot then continued its crashing descent
into the rear of the fuselage of a Fortress named
All American, piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of
the 414th Bomb Squadron.
When it struck, the
fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the
B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress
and left elevator were completely torn away. The two
right engines were out and one on the left had a
serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the
rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut
almost completely through connected only at two
small parts of the frame and the radios, electrical
and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a
hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4
feet wide at its widest and the split in the
fuselage went all the way to the top gunner’s
turret.
Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still flew - miraculously! The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart.
While the crew was
trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the
pilot continued on his bomb run and released his
bombs over the target.
When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great that it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane. When they tried to do the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position.
The turn back toward
England had to be very slow to keep the tail from
twisting off. They actually covered almost 70 miles
to make the turn home. The bomber was so badly
damaged that it was losing altitude and speed and
was soon alone in the sky. For a brief time, two
more Me109 German fighters attacked the All
American. Despite the extensive damage, all of the
machine gunners were able to respond to these
attacks and soon drove off the fighters. The two
waist gunners stood up with their heads sticking out
through the hole in the top of the fuselage to aim
and fire their machine guns. The tail gunner had to
shoot in short bursts because the recoil was
actually causing the plane to turn.
Allied P51 fighters
intercepted the All American as it crossed over the
Channel and took one of the pictures shown. They
also radioed to the base describing the empennage
was waving like a fish tail and that the plane would
not make it and to send out boats to rescue the crew
when they bailed out. The fighters stayed with the
Fortress taking hand signals from Lt. Bragg and
relaying them to the base. Lt. Bragg signaled that 5
parachutes and the spare had been "used" so five of
the crew could not bail out. He made the decision
that if they could not bail out safely, then he
would stay with the plane and land it.
Two and a half hours
after being hit, the aircraft made its final turn to
line up with the runway while it was still over 40
miles away. It descended into an emergency landing
and a normal roll-out on its landing gear. When the
ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off because
not a single member of the crew had been injured. No
one could believe that the aircraft could still fly
in such a condition. The Fortress sat placidly until
the crew all exited through the door in the fuselage
and the tail gunner had climbed down a ladder, at
which time the entire rear section of the aircraft
collapsed onto the ground. The rugged old bird had
done its job.
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WOWZERONI-RINI!
Thank you so much for this incredible heroic story, Bill!
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From My Husband, Paul Harty (Bardolph HS, IL - '61) of
NC - 12/24/11 - "Gentle thoughts as the years go by....":
May you all have a
WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY & REWARDING NEW YEAR.
|
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From Norris Perry (Warwick HS - '59) of VA - 12/24/11 - "Ho Ho Ho 'tis the
season":
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MORE WILD GIGGLES!
Thanks, Norris Sweetie - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you,
too!
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From
Eva Ellis Madagan ('61) of FL -
12/20/11 - "Clever Ideas to Make Life Easier (#5 in a Series of 24)":
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Some of
these ideas are really good.
Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone/iPod in a bowl; the concave shape amplifies the music.
EXCELLENT!
Thank you so much, Eva - I do love clever tips!
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From
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/inspirational-christmas-stories8.htm:"The Little Drummer Boy"
David grew up in the kitchen of the inn. His father was the
innkeeper. His mother cooked the food. David's older sisters cleaned the rooms,
and his older brother swept the stable. David loved to sing. He would sing to
his mother as she cooked the food. David made up songs and banged on pots and
bowls as he sang to her. David's mother smiled at him. "Someday you will sing in
the temple, my son," his mother said. David grinned at his mother. "Tem-ple,"
David said very carefully.
David's father came into the kitchen. "How is my big boy?" David's father asked
as he swung David onto his shoulders. "Pum Pum Pum! Tem-ple come!" David sang as
he drummed on his father's head with a wooden spoon. David's father smiled as
his son kept on drumming. "We must find this boy a drum or my poor head will not
survive!" said David's father, with a laugh.
A few years later David got a small drum for his birthday. Soon he was beating
rhythms on his drum wherever he went. Pat-a-rum, pat-a-rum, pat-a-rum, David
drummed to copy the donkeys on the road. Swish-click-click-tum,
swish-click-click-tum, went David's drumming to copy his brother sweeping straw
in the stable.
One day David's father said to his family, "We are going to be very busy. Caesar
Augustus has ordered a count of all the families in all the towns."
"Pum Pum. Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum. I counted six of us!" David sang. "Why does this make us busy?"
"Because people will come to Bethlehem to be counted with their families," said David's father. "They will need a place to stay. They will stay with us, and we will be very busy."
David's mother cooked more
food. David's sisters cleaned the rooms. David's brother swept out the stable
and put new hay and pots of water in the stalls. David's father greeted the
people as they came into town. Soon the inn was very full. David played his drum
and sang his songs for the people.
Late one night there was a knock at the door. David peeked around his father at
the young man and his wife, who was on a donkey. They had no room for these
people! What could they do? David's father was a kind man. "You can stay in the
stable," he said. "It is warm and dry there. I can send food out to you."
The
young man thanked David's father and walked the donkey to the stable.
David helped his mother carry bread and cheese out to the young couple. His
mother told him the woman was going to have a baby soon. The next day there was
a lot of excitement.
"The young woman who stayed in the stable last night had her baby," David's mother told him.
"The baby is the King of Kings, they say!" said David's father.
David could not see the baby because of the crowd around the stable. David stood at the back of the crowd and began to make up a song for the baby: "Come, they told me, our newborn king to see. Our finest gifts we bring to lay before the king. So to honor him when we come."
The crowd began to part when they heard David's beautiful singing: "Baby Jesus, I am a poor boy, too. I have no gift to bring that's fit to give a king. Shall I play for you on my drum?"
David stepped closer to Mary, Joseph, and their son. Baby Jesus smiled at David, reached out, and patted his drum.
Dear FlyLady, At the change of each season, I get together with a group of 6 wise women for a potluck and catchup session. It is a great time of reflection, to celebrate successes and share challenges. We were brought together through a book that we shared and have been meeting for 9 years. We span decades, life situations, and 5 cities now -- we have learned so much from each other and feel that we are a unit of sorts. We stay connected through e-mail, prayer, and those quarterly meetings. I am always renewed by the time together. FlyBaby P ----------------------------------------------- When my third child was almost a year old, I had two bouts of "almost" depression (in that was as intense as depression, but didn't last two weeks). My therapist suggested doing needlework. So I picked up a needlepoint and really enjoy. A started doing other types of needlework like crochet and cross-stitich also. I'm in the middle of two projects right now (embroidering a tablecloth and crocheting an afghan for my husband). I still have 3 more projects waiting to be started. I find the rhythm of the needle to be very soothing! FlyBaby A ---------------------------------------------- Kelly here: Our habit this month is pampering. Take a little time for yourself everyday! You deserve it. |
From
http://www.ajokeaday.com
- 12/24/11:
Please find a few minutes of your busy
schedule to support
==============================================
NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.com
============================================== ~*~*~*~ Christmas Rhapsody:
Good Christian Men, Rejoice ~*~*~*~
"Christmas Rhapsody" midi courtesy
of
http://www.abcsoffaith.com/html/sound7.html - 12/03/05 Animated Tiny Birthday Cake clip art courtesy of Sarah Puckett Kressaty ('65) of VA - 08/31/05 Thanks, Sarah Sugah!
Army Seal clip art courtesy of
Al Farber ('64) of GA - 05/24/06 (still missing...)
Marine Corps Seal clip art
courtesy of the late
Herbert Hice of MI
- one of my
Famous Marines who served in the South
Pacific during WWII. Navy Seal clip art courtesy of http://www.onemileup.com/miniSeals.asp - 05/29/06
Animated Air Force Flag clip art courtesy of
http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/KevsGifsGalore/Patriotic.html
- 06/18/03
NNHS65 Home Page Banner created by
my #5 Son, Nathaniel Harty (Hillsboro HS, IL - '97) of IL - 06/06/02 |