| RETIREES' CORNER
April 2005 |
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Edgar (Chemistry Test, 1993) and Janet Peck did a great deal of traveling in 2004 including an Alaskan Cruise. They sailed on a new sternwheeler with only 215 passengers. Edgar recently retired from his part-time 20-month position as bereavement chaplain, but still fills in preaching when pastors in the area are absent. Janet still volunteers two mornings a week tutoring first graders. They are both active in their church and Edgar has been reelected as a church elder.
Gordon (B Division, 1989) and Nancy Repp took a trip to Antarctica in 2004. They toured Buenos Aries, then flew to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, to board their ship, the Marco Polo (550 passengers - the largest ship they have been on). They had a rough trip crossing the Drake’s Passage, and then took Zodiac trips ashore to walk amongst the penguins. They saw very impressive glacier and rock formations going through various straights and channels in the freezing cold on deck. The trip back through the Drake’s passage and Cape Horn was much calmer. In February, Al Pickford (Mechanical Engineering NEED, 1995) and his wife attended the opening of the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. The museum is part of the NTS Historical Foundation. Troy Wade, a former LLNL Employee, is president. They were joined by Dave and Marian Holten. At the opening ceremony, they visited with old friends Joe Behne and Ed Hanson, had a few minutes with John Foster remembering the outdoor testing times, and Ron Cochran of the present LLNL administration. The Pickfords now reside in Junction City, Oregon.
Don Stiles (Electronic Engineering, 1988) just returned from a trip to Southern Africa. He spent several days on safari to six different National Parks in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. He saw Rhinoceros, Lion, Leopard, Hippopotamus and Cape buffalo along with dozens of other animals and birds. One highlight was a flight in an ultra-light airplane over Victoria Falls, getting an aerial view of the area as well as the falls. He spent time in Johannesburg and Cape Town and visited a huge penguin colony at the Southwestern most point in Africa. Another Cal (Physics, 1993) and Dixie Wood (Engineering, 1993) travels segment. They‘ve had some wonderful unexpected times – like when they were in Paris and happened onto a stunning organ concert in the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral, which is awesome, was unbelievably warm and vibrant, filled with people, flowers and mega-sized candles, so different from the austerity of the imposing stone structure, in spite of its incredible stained glass windows and its truly amazing architecture. The Travel Group will meet Tuesday, April 26, at 2:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Livermore Police building, 1110 South Livermore Avenue. The topic is "It’s a Digital World: All you need to know to take and show great pictures" by Margo and Arne Kirkewoog. They will include photos of the Pacific Coast. The Retiree luncheon for April will be held at noon on Wednesday, April 20th at the Elk’s Lodge in Livermore, 940 Larkspur Drive. Our speaker will be John Rusmisel of the Alameda Country Mosquito Abatement District. The title of his presentation is: West Nile Virus Surveillance and Control Strategies for Alameda County. Please send any news or input (please include the date and department from which you retired) to Jane or Gus Olson. E-Mail: Jane@LLNLRetirees.org or Gus@LLNLRetirees.org. This Retirees’ Corner appears in the April issue of Newsline |