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10/09/21 10:50 AM #128    

 

Juanita Walton (Billings)

Denys:  if you have time, be sure to run over to Charlottesville to see Monticello. 


10/10/21 01:49 PM #129    

Robbie Richardson

Suggestion; Google - America's Historic Triangle, for tickets to see all three related sites, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Follow the Colonial Parkway from one end to the other and watch a progression of history unfold. I remember field trips from Southampton Elementary to see these sights. I was back in town for a few years when my children enjoyed their trips, and now from Florida I hear about my grandchildren in Richmond doing the same. Yes, schools continue using the James River Bus Company on these trips. I hope you have fun seeing it all again, this time through the eyes of your grandchildren.  

 

 


10/11/21 11:24 AM #130    

Eric O'Neill

Hey there Robbie......Eric here.....I see you are in Florida......I'm in the Villages for the month of Oct.  Where do you live?  My email is eric.helping65andup@gmail.com or cell....804-928-6407.  

Hope all is well with you......Eric


10/15/21 05:11 PM #131    

Denys Manning (Branham)

Thank you for the tips and ideas for our historic Virginia adventure. We had a great time. We started with a brief tour of Richmond from St. John's church to the U. of Richmond. Then we were on to Monticello, then Jamestown and Williamsburg. Yorktown was our last stop. I hadn't seen the new visitor center at Monticello and the new Yorktown museum is excellent - very interactive. The grand kids were very interested and enthusiastic. (One of the twins couldn't handle the Williamsburg ghost tour.) 

When I was working with students in the Rio Grande Valley of TexasI realized how hard it was for them to visualize the places and events that were so familiar to us.  It's a great trip for 5th graders living in other states. 
I'm the small adult. Still waiting for that growth spurt!


10/27/21 08:54 AM #132    

David Tuck

Cary Causby's obituary is in today's Times Dispatch.


12/28/21 11:03 AM #133    

 

Wade Johnson

A very good friend of mine who died a while back used to hand these cards out.  I love it!


12/28/21 12:05 PM #134    

 

Tommy Moore


02/10/22 08:57 PM #135    

 

Nancy Tarves (Wheeler)

Jimmy Snead's obituary was in RTD on Sunday, February 6.  He was very mild-mannered, but he did love to have fun in a quiet way.  He and Susan Dodd had a thing for awhile.  She is gone too.  Rest in peace, Jimmy.

 

 


02/10/22 09:00 PM #136    

 

Nancy Tarves (Wheeler)

James Edward Snead Jr.
1949 - 2022
BORN
1949
DIED
2022
FUNERAL HOME
Affinity Funeral Service - Richmond Chapel
2720 Enterprise Pkwy
Richmond, VA
UPCOMING SERVICE
Memorial service
Mar, 26 2022
11:00a.m.
Bon Air American Legion Post #354
Send Flowers
SNEAD, Mr. James Edward, Jr., "Jimmy," of Midlothian, Va., passed into the loving arms of the angels on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, surrounded by his wife and children. Jimmy was preceded in death by his parents, James and Doris Snead; and brothers, Donny and Deek Snead. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife of 41 years, Tommie Withers Snead; his daughter, Jeanne Snead Billings (Ron); and son, James Edward Snead III "Jed" (Rachel); and grandchildren, Luke, Cora, Grace and Nina, who will miss their Poppy dearly. He is also survived by his wife's children, Larry (Lisa), Monica, Jill (Don) and Scott and their children; his brother, Tom Snead (Dana); and nieces, Laura, Anna, Liz; and nephews, Timmy, Austin, Frankie and Clay. Jimmy will be remembered as a man with a tremendous sense of humor and a gentle spirit. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was also looked up to by the many children who he cared for alongside Tommie in their daycare for almost 20 years. He was also a talented florist who created many beautiful arrangements as a co-owner of Bon Air Florist for 30 years. He was a member of the Manchester Moose Lodge, where he reached the degree of Fellow and was a past Governor. Friends and family are invited to attend an outdoor memorial service and reception which will be held on March 26, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Bon Air American Legion Post #354, located at 4800 Welby Turn, Midlothian, Va. 23113.

08/03/22 07:22 PM #137    

 

Tommy Moore

..         

R.I.P. Eddie Taylor, June 2, 2022


08/04/22 11:30 AM #138    

George Edmonson

https://affinityfuneralservice.com/obituaries/edward-lee-taylor/https://affinityfuneralservice.com/obituaries/edward-lee-taylor/


12/18/22 05:09 PM #139    

 

Roger Griffin


01/22/23 12:05 PM #140    

 

Roger Griffin

Hi Everybody - Anyone planning a trip to NYC before February 13 who would like to see the Broadway show  A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical for a 2for1 ticket price, email me at griffinhammill@gmail.com and I will send you the link.  Cheers, Roger


07/16/23 04:35 PM #141    

 

Ron Singleton

Bill,

Thank you for passing along the information about Lewis Carter and his recent cancer diagnosis.  I will keep Lewis in my prayers, and I feel confident that he will have a successful outcome.  

I, too, will have to miss the upcoming reunion, and for a somewhat similar reason.  Here's my story.

In July of last year, I was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, called AL Amyloidosis and multiple myeloma.  I had never heard of this disease until that point.  I'm told that it's not an inherited disease, and it's not contagious and it's not something that is contracted because of a particular lifestyle.  Some people just get it -- like winning the Lottery, but in reverse.  I had no symptoms other than a little fatigue. 

A couple of years earlier I had just completed my third annual trip to New Zealand to hike that country's Southern Alps (where Sir Edmund Hillary lived and trained for his Mount Everest climbs).  I would stay for three weeks at a time -- and, to say the least, I have always maintained a vigorous and health-conscious lifestyle.  My urologist, during an annual checkup, told me a year ago that I had too much protein in my urine.  That didn't sound so bad, but then an evaluation by a nephrologist told me that my kidneys had shut down (hence the loss of protein) because of the bone marrow cancer, which attacks different organs of the body, especially the kidneys and heart.  

To make a long story a little shorter, I went through 24 weeks of chemo treatments last fall, which greatly reduced the effects of the cancer.   Doctors then recommended me for a "stem cell transplant" at VCU, which is not easy to obtain.  For one thing, it costs over $250,000 (fortunately most of my costs were covered by insurance) and only a limited number of people can be admitted into the program.  It's new technology and a relatively new procedure, popularized in just the past decade, very much like Lewis Carter's CAR-T procedure.  Both procedures use the body's immune system to attack the cancer and allow the body to regenerate itself.  

In my case, it's a procedure that extracts stems cells from your own blood, which are then given back to you intravenously after you are exposed to a 15-mnute high dose of chemotherapy that kills or wipes out nearly all of your existing bone marrow.   New marrow is grown from your body's "miracle" stem cells, and the effects of the cancer are greatly reduced.  There are a few caveats, however.  As the doctors explain it, you are never completely free of the bone marrow cancer (AL Amyloidosis and multiple myeloma).  It's something that stays with you for the rest of your life, and the hope is that it can be kept manageable for a period of time through a healthy lifestyle and "maintenance" chemo treatments.

As Carter explained about his upcoming procedure, the treatment is not a particularly easy one.  In my case, the normal patient has to stay isolated in the hospital for about three weeks and then in the hospital's nearby hotel for another two weeks.  Your immune system is taken down to near zero, so you are extremely susceptible to viruses and bacteria.  For the next 100 days, after release from the hospital, you are not allowed to have contact with anyone other than your caregiver (I could not see my children and grandchildren for nearly six months) and you can only eat food specifically prepared for you by your caregiver (in my case, my wife of the past 48 years), which means no restaurant food, takeout or anything prepared by others.  There's no cutting grass or digging in the soil, which is an extremely tough restriction for a certified Master Gardener like myself.  The list of restrictions goes on and on, all in an effort to reduce the chance of catching something that could attack your body while your immune system is so vulnerable.  

In all, it takes about 18 months to "grow or rebuild" your immune system.  This fall I'll start getting my childhood vaccinations over again, a process will take about eight to ten months.  Just recently I was released from my first 100 days of restrictions and I was able to see our daughter and grandson, 5, for the first time since Christmas.  My stamina is greatly reduced, but I've been given permission by my doctors to renew my gym membership and to enroll in cardio swim classes once again.  I don't think I'll ever be able to climb mountains again, but I'm grateful to be able to walk a half mile around our neighborhood without being totally exhausted.  I'm told that 50 percent or more stem cell transplant recipients survive for five years or more, and I'm hopeful of being in that group.  

Lastly, I want Lewis to know how very fortunate he is be able to qualify for CAR-T procedures to treat his particular cancer.  When I was at VCU during my five-week stay, I met a couple of people who were undergoing the treatment and their recovery was much better and faster than those treated with other methods.  CAR-T is an even more recent technological advance than stem cell transplantation, and available for treating only a few specific cancer types.  For example, it has not yet been developed for treatment of my own cancer.  If it had been, I would have jumped at the chance to be in that group.  The technology is coming, but will take several more years to develop.  Since the CAR-T treatment has to be developed specifically for each individual patient, the process is slow, expensive and only available for a very few select patients.  We are fortunate that the VCU Massey Cancer Center is one of the leaders nationally in the development of both stem cell transplants and the CAR-T technology.

I apologize for this somewhat lengthy epistle, but it is primarily designed to provide encouragement for Lewis and anyone else who may be experiencing a somewhat similar diagnosis.  There are a lot of us out there, and there will be more in the future.  Fortunately, technology is advancing rapidly and is giving hope to many of us who find ourselves having to deal with such a life-challenging event sooner than we anticipated.  Like most experiences in life, we don't get to pick and choose which diseases we contract or which setbacks befall us, but we can control how we deal with these challenges, how we go forward and how we choose to live the days that we have left to enjoy. 

I'll miss attending this year's reunion, but will hope to rejoin the group another year in the future.  And, as Lewis stated, I appreciate the support of fellow classmates and your prayers -- especially for my wife, as caregiver, who has had to bear a far greater burden than my own.  If not for her, I would not have been able to participate in the stem cell treatment program at VCU.  Caregivers are so incredibly important and an essential component for survival, and I am grateful for her support and assistance beyond measure.    

Best regards,

Ron

Ronald Singleton

Fredericksburg, VA

_____________________________________________________________________________

Email message from Bill Irvin on 7/13/23:

I pass along this prayer request for Lewis Carter. He was planning on coming to the reunion, and still hopes to, but he was just diagnosed with liver cancer and is awaiting results of a biopsy to determine the stage and possible treatments. He does not intend to do chemotherapy, but his oncologist has made him aware of new treatments.

This is from a lay person's non-medical perspective:

Many of you may be aware of advances in a cancer treatment called immunology, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which involves extracting a small number of white blood cells called T cells from a patient’s blood, then genetically modifying them to kill cancer, and infusing them back into the patient. The genetically engineered CAR T cells continue to replicate in the body, generating a population of hundreds of millions within a few days – a veritable army of cancer killers. The entire process takes about two weeks, as opposed to other processes that can take months.

Another new treatment being studied redirects the killing potential of T cells by linking two antibodies to create a bispecific antibody that binds to both T cells and tumor cells. The bispecific antibody forms what is called a “killing bridge” between the killer T cells and tumor cells. Infusions of the targeted T cells kill tumors and release tumor proteins that vaccinate patients against their own tumors.

These and many other new treatments are still experimental, are not approved yet by the FDA, do not work on all cancers, have potentially serious side-effects, and not everyone is a candidate, but the takeaway is this: do what you can to extend life and let the science catch up to you.

In case you want to send a card or note:

Lewis T. Carter, 403 Duster Lane, Richlands, NC 28574

Or you can leave him a message in Message Forum.

If you want prayers or thoughts directed your way, or just to talk about a serious illness, just give me an email and I'll get back as promptly as possible.

Bill -- wirvin@irvinlawfirm.com

 


09/28/23 03:38 PM #142    

George Edmonson

Any chance of more photos from the 55th being posted (especially of interest to those of us who couldn't make it)?

 


09/29/23 01:10 PM #143    

Robbie Richardson

Once again you have thoughtfully and faithfully attended to the entire class and continue to keep us apprised of the good and not so good events for individual classmates. Thank you Bill. - Rob / Robbie Richardson


09/30/23 11:09 AM #144    

George Edmonson

Heartily second those thoughts from Robbie. Thanks.

 


10/01/23 09:28 AM #145    

 

Lana Duren (McSwain)

Yes, Bill, thank you for your amazing care of our class!

 


10/02/23 07:28 AM #146    

Art MacCord

Amen to the thanks to Bill for keeping us in touch. And Happy Birrhday.

10/11/23 03:06 PM #147    

Connie Stevenson (Gottwald)

Several of us enjoyed an unhurried brunch out last week and caught up on how each has spent the past 50 years. It was fun and we learned a lot! We hope more can join us next time, date and location TBD.


10/21/23 01:52 PM #148    

Connie Stevenson (Gottwald)

I've been asked for names from the lunch photo:

Sitting: Lindsay Lewis Thomas, Brenda Levy, Fran Bannister Hines, Sharon McNeely Flournoy

Standing: Ludi Stopps Webber, Nancy Tarves Wheeler, Blair Hall Martin, Connie Stevenson Gottwald, Jill Haerbig Krohn


10/21/23 07:25 PM #149    

 

Nancy Ladd (Lueckel)

 

Thanks, Connie, for adding the names of the beautiful gals who went to lunch. If I lived closer, I would join you, for sure.

The Class of '68 was a special one!!!!

~Nancy Ladd Lueckel~


11/21/23 11:24 AM #150    

 

Roger Griffin

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I’m so very grateful for everyone who has come into my life to teach me, to touch my heart, or simply to cause me to reflect upon the path I have chosen and the decisions I have made along the way. Some are family. Some are life-long friends. Some I’ve only known for a little while. And some I have yet to meet. To all I say, thank you. Thank you for sharing your journey with me.
Roger
 
 

 

 


11/22/23 05:38 PM #151    

 

Irving Brittle

Hello Bill and Class,

I just wanted to let you know I have a birthday on Nov. 29th, one day after Jerry Allen's.  I always remember his birthday.

I just wanted to thank Bill for missing my birthday for the past 55 years.  Hummph!!!

Sincerely,

Sonny Brittle

Happy Thanksgiving from Florida.


11/23/23 10:41 AM #152    

 

Sandy Edens

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING all!  Diane and I wish all my Huguenot buds a wonderful Thanksgiving and prosperous holidays.  As we approach "those years" it is wonderful to think back on the '60's and reflect on our days together.  We are in Colorado and have been for years however friends and family pull us back to the East so we are now considering a big move.  When that happens we will be able to be much more active with classmates and reunions.

Stay well, enjoy life, be wise, and always remember friends and family!

Sandy

 


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