DTS Reunion in Arizona

This is the group that gets together someplace around the country or in Pennsylvania yearly. We have been part of the group for about 15 years having missed their annual get togethers that date back to the late 1960s.

Most here graduated in 1961 (or should have;) four in 1962, one in 63 (moi) and one in 64. The old timers were seniors when I pledged my sophomore year. The guy in front of me (seated) is my first room mate in the house. George was a quarter miler at Penn State and held the indoor record for years before it was broken in the 1980s. He is from Westmoreland County in Pennsylvania. The guy next to him is the youngster. Jesse is retiring from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after 32 years in politics. He was a Dairy Science major and ran a dairy farm for years. The guy next to me is the other legislator. Paul still runs a dairy farm in eastern PA...near Allentown. He spent 22 years in the State House.

Third from the left in the back is Stan (whose wife is a trial lawyer.) Stan was from Northeastern PA, but now lives in Southwestern PA. He worked for Ciba-Geigy. Next to Stan is Jim who is from Cleveland area and winters in Florida. Fifth from the left is Duane who is from Western PA, but they summer on Lake Erie. Duane spent many summers in the Willamette Valley here in Oregon buying produce for his employer (one of the vegetable packing companies.)

Second from the right in the back row is Woody. Although he is a PA boy, he spent his career in Arizona. He was an engineer at Penn State, but finished his education at Arizona State and worked in information technology for the State of Arizona. He and his wife Val were our hosts. On the end of the standing row is Nick. He and his wife Steph own a garden center just northwest of Pittsburgh. He has spent numerable springs in our valley as well, buying nursery stock (which we are surrounded with.)

The two guys kneeling on the right are Fred (left) and Lynn (right.) Fred is from central PA and was in the extension service early in his career with my brother Joe. Fred was in Fulton County when Joe was in Adams County. Fred runs a tax service (for mostly farmers) in his home area. He was high school friends with one of our Michigan friends.

Lynn is from Florida today. Back then he was from north central PA on the New York border. He had a twin brother (Leigh) who died about 18 months ago. They were in the Penn State Blue Band and originally were in Forestry. Lynn graduated in Meteorology and while he was in advanced AF ROTC never served because of an eye condition. His brother was an AF pilot with many missions in Vietnam. Leigh also flew for National Airlines and retired when Pan Am went out of business. Their whole family moved to Florida where Lynn and his sister (who used to come to State on big weekends) still live.

One of the guys is missing in this picture. Don lives in Sarasota with his wife Judith. Don spent most of his career in Western PA. He is originally from the same area as Nick.

There you have it. There were some missing as all can't make it every time. We do what we can to link up with the guys (and gals) but we don't make it every year. It is fun to sit and talk and catch up on each other's lives. As you can tell, we all started as farmer kids who went to Penn State in Agriculture and then found our lives scattered by choices and circumstances.