Descendants of James Eastup-1538

Notes


128. Shirley Ann Estep-116

Shirley Ann Estep was born at 12622 Woodside Avenue, Cleveland, OH. Birth was recorded in the City of Cleveland, Division of Health, Bureau of Vital
Statistics. Birth certificate # 10316.
Married Philip Earl Halstead 5 July 1953. Mother of three living children.


Philip Earl Halstead-115

I was born at Sperry Hospital in Chardon, Ohio. My mother was Bertha Justine (Hofstetter) Halstead and my father was Owen Lorell Halstead.
In September of 1935 I was one of 32 frightened children who entered the first grade of the Middlefield School system. Our first grade teacher was Mrs. Frieda Shute. Frieda was my aunt (my mothers sister). My cousin Richard Harrington and I were told at the beginning of school that Aunt Frieda, as we caller her, was to be referred to as Mrs. Shute in school, and to never forget it. I don't believe that we ever did. We also had Mrs. Shute as our second grade teacher and Mrs. Patchin as a part-time teacher. Miss Sprague was our third grade teacher, and for the next two years we had Mrs. Michener. In the sixth grade the class was divided into two sections, one section had Mrs. Michener and the other had Mrs. Durkee. In the seventh grade we were under the supervision of Mrs. Durkee. Our eighth grade teacher was Mr. Hunt, and our graduating class was 25 in number.
In September 1943, nineteen of us started high school as freshmen, eight meek girls and eleven humble boys. In the tenth grade we had one additional girl, however, in the eleventh grade we gained one boy and lost three others. In the fall of 1946 we gathered for our last year of school and on May 23rd, 1947 eighteen members graduated, 9 boys and 9 girls.
In 1948 and 1949 I attended the Ashtabula Business College in Ashtabula, Ohio majoring in business accounting. In 1950 I started working full time in my father's Chrysler-Plymouth automobile sales and service.
In September of 1950 it became evident that I would be drafted into the Army so I enlisted into the Navy and on the 1st of October 1950 I was sworn into the Navy in Cleveland, Ohio and left for the Great Lakes Training Center in Chicago, IL. After completing basic training my request to become an airman was honored and I was transferred to Memphis, TN to attend the Airman
Preparatory School. This was an eight week school, however, during the second week the school packed up put on trains and transferred to Jacksonville, FL. After arriving in Jacksonville I assisted in reassembling the school and then completed training. After completing the Airman Preparatory School I was transferred back to Memphis where I attended a 27 week Aviation Electronics School. It was in this school where I learned electronics and how to repair and maintain airborne Radar and communication equipment. In December of 1951 I was assigned to a FASRON (Fleet Aircraft Service and Repair Squadron) at Barbers Point, on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian islands.
In March of 1952 my father went into the hospital and due to the seriousness of his illness I obtained emergency leave and arrived home shortly before my father passed away on the 23rd of March at the age of 51. After my leave was over I reported back to Treasure Island, at San Francisco, CA to be sent back to Oahu. After a seven week delay I was transferred to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Akron, Ohio.
The transfer to NAS Akron was a temporary assignment and it was while stationed there that I met my future wife Shirley Ann Estep.
At the end of four months I was transferred to Weeksville, NC into a newly formed anti-submarine patrol squadron. This was a new concept in submarine detection, in fact it was so new that we didn't have any aircraft nor the electronics. The concept was to use helicopters and new electronics called dipping SONAR. The idea was to hover close to the surface of the water and lower the SONAR gear, using a 97 foot cable, into the water to listen and search for submarines. While waiting for the aircraft and the electronic equipment to arrive I attended a SONAR operators school in Key West, FL for a month. After returning to Weeksville I helped set up and run a training program for the other operators.
It was while I was at Weeksville that I attended several special equipment electronics schools in Norfolk, VA on such equipment as IFF (Identification Friend or Foe), UHF comminication transmitters-receivers, SONAR, and other advanced electronic devices.
At the end of June in 1953 I hitchhiked to Middlefield, Ohio from Weeksville, NC for my wedding to Shirley Estep. The wedding was held at the Methodist Church in Middlefield, Ohio on the 5th of July 1953. After a honeymoon trip we returned to Weeksville, NC to set up housekeeping.
In May of 1954 I was assigned to the Aircraft Carrier Leyte, with the rest of my squadron, to practice submarine detection. While aboard I flew missions twice a day until plantars warts on my left foot became so bad that the doctor had to burn them off. After their removal I wasn't allowed to fly until my foot was completely healed. At the end of three weeks, when the ship returned to port for a weekend, I was transferred back to Weeksville. It was just a few days later that Shirley went into labor and Mona Ann was born at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, VA on the 31st of May 1954.
On July 14th 1954 I was honorably discharged fron the Navy holding the rank of Aviation Electronics Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class.
After leaving the Navy I returned to Middlefield, Ohio where I purchased the Chrysler-Plymouth agency and went into business for myself. Philip Owen was born in Cleveland, Ohio on September 22, 1956. During the four years I was in the Navy I lost my father and the valuable business experience that I needed to operate the business. With the lack of experience and the necessary capital it was necessary to close the business in 1957.
During the time I was in business I was an active member of the Geauga County Kiwanis Club and the Middlefield Volunteer Fire Dept.
With the urging of Shirley, I answered an ad that IBM was running looking for electronic technicians. IBM was in need of people with electronics experience to learn how to maintain and repair a computer system that they were building for the Air Force. In September of 1957 with Shirley and our two children, Mona and Philip, we moved from Middlefield, Ohio to Kingston, NY and on the 23rd of September 1957 I started to work for IBM. The first six months was spent in school learning about the SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) computer that was being built for the Air Force. There were to be 24 of these duplex systems located around the United States for Air Defense. This was a classified job so during the time I was in training the FBI was doing a security check and before the six months was up I was issued a Top Secret Security Clearance.
At the completion of training I was transferred to the Montgomery Air Defense Command installation at Montgomery, AL. When I arrived at the installation all that was there was a new cement blockhouse. Shortly trucks began to arriving with cables to be installed and then the computers which had to be positioned, assembled, cabled, powered up, and tested prior to turning them over to the Air Force. The Montgomery system was one of many operational systems but it was unique as we were the only center to fire and control live missiles. Montgomery center launched and controlled test missiles from the Eglin Air Force Base using the Gulf of Mexico test range.
During the Cuban blockade it was the Montgomery Air Defense Command that monitored and controlled all the aircraft anywhere near Cuba. Security was so tight that we couldn't pass from floor to floor past the Air Police without proper ID and Passes. As a systems engineer at the time, I was one of about a dozen tht had access and passes to all areas of the building, and then only as required.
In 1963 the Air Force came in to take over maintenance of the computers and by December of 1963 all the IBM'ers except for six had left Montgomery. I was one of the six that stayed an aditional year as a Technical Representative to provide training and assistance in problem determination and repair as required.
During our 7 year stay in Montgomery we rented a house for the first year then we purchsed a home on the south side of town and after three years we had a house built near the Air Base where I was working. In January of 1965 I was transferred to Cape Canaveral, FL to work in the telemetry department on the Saturn space project. We sold our house in Montgomery and purchased a new house on Merritt Island, FL which was located on a canal not to far from where I would be working.
After a few weeks and two Saturn launches I was promoted to Associate Instructor in the technical training department that was being formed. For the next three years I taught courses in computer logic, boolean algebra, theory of operation for tape drives, printers, computer interface devices, and the Scientific Data Systems model 930 computer. These courses were taught to NASA and contractor ground support personnel that launched the Saturn vehicles that went to the moon and returned.
When I arrived at Cape Canaveral I was the 52nd IBM'er at the Cape to be involved with the space program. During the first year at the Cape I was elected President of the local IBM Club. During the time I was president the IBM population at the Cape went from about 100 to over 1000. It was a challenge to operate a club that was growing so fast and to keep up with my
other work.
Christopher Lee was born July 15, 1967 in Rockledge, FL while Shirley was in college studying to be a nurse. Her classmates accused her of taking her maternity training too seriously. In September of 1968 I was interviewed and offered a promotion to be the lead engineer on a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) project to integrate new equipment into a system that would automate the FAA's Inroute Air Traffic Control System. This sounded like an interesting and challenging task, so in December of 1968 I left for Atlantic City, New Jersey for three months of
hands-on-training at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC). The first of March 1969 I went ot Chicago, IL for a couple of weeks to observe their operation and then I went to Indianapolis, IN. I started work at Indianapolis center on 17 March (St. Patricks Day) 1969.
I purchased a new house that was under construction in Indainapolis near my work at the airport. I sent Shirley the floor plan, color chips, carpet samples, etc. so that she could select all the interior colors so the house could be finished to her liking. Our house in Florida had been appraised and was on the market to be sold.
At the end of April 1969 I returned to Merrit Island where Shirley and the kids were still living and going to school. Shirley graduated from Brevard Junior College with an Associate of Science in Nursing degree on the 29th of April and the next day we all left for Indianapolis.
We spent five years at the Indianoplis Control Center, during which time I was responsible for integrating all of the new electronic equipment, as it arrived, into the National Air Space System being installed nationwide. There were twenty centers in all and this was the first time that all of them would have common equipment and operating procedures. It was exciting implementing a new computer system of this magnitude knowing that it would increase the safety of all the flying public.
During the summer of 1971 my brother's (Thomas) family and our family planned and took a trip to Alaska. This trip lasted for six weeks and we had a marvelous time. Thomas had a travel trailer and we had a fold down camper. Highlights of the trip were the Calgary Stampede, Banff and Jasper National Parks, the ferry trip from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Haines, Alaska,
seeing Mount McKinley, visiting Dawson, Yukon, and trying to envision the gold rush days, and the trip down the Alcan Highway. On the way home we visited Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands.
During the summer of 1972 I had to go to Atlantic City, NJ for three weeks to learn about the new RADAR Common Digitizer that was to be installed at all the RADAR sites and later to be integrated into the NAS System. I took Shirley and the kids and our new travel trailer to Atlantic City and we stayed at a campground near the FAA Technical Center. At the end of the three weeks we took the next two weeks and toured the Canadian Maritime Provinces and the New England states before returning to Indianapolis.
During our stay at Indianapolis I was promoted to Staff Engineer and at the completion of the contract, March 1974, I was transferred to the Manufacturing plant in Fishkill, NY. We sold our home in Indianapolis and purchased a home in Wappingers Falls, NY.
My first assignment at Fishkill was to write and get approvals for a qualification plan for a new manufacturing tool. The tool was the "Electron Beam Photo-lithography Personalization System". At the time it was a new concept and was classified IBM Confidential. When I completed the
qualification plan I was assigned as the system engineer in charge of one of the E-Beam's, as they were called.
Shirley was having extreme problems with allergies that seemed to be common in the Hudson Valley and was unable to get any relief by any means. Shirley tried all types of medication prescribed by our family doctor and an allergy specialist and nothing worked. The problem was so severe that she would have to go to Florida to get relief. I was actively trying to get a transfer to Florida. In August of 1976 Shirley couldn't stand it any longer, took Chris and went to Merritt Island, Florida where she rented a mobile home from a friend. Chris was entered into school. I finally got a transfer to the Boca Raton, Florida development and manufacturing plant.
We sold our home in Wappingers Falls, NY and Shirley found and purchased a home in Delray Beach, FL, moved in the middle of December, unpacked and was ready for my mother and AUnt Mildred to visit us for the Christmas holidays.
My first assignment was in Systems Assurance. Systems Assurance's responsibility was to assure that any new system or product being announced met the published specifications. This was exciting as it was working with new, unannounced equipment that was being developed, using leading edge technology.
My mother, who spent the winters in Bradenton, FL came to visit us for Easter on her way home north in 1977. When she arrived home in Middlefield, OH she wasn't feeling well. SHe went to the doctor several times and finally late one night she called my brother, Thomas, who took her to Geauga Community Hospital. On May the 2nd, 1977 she passed away at the age of 74.
After we got settled into our new house in Delray Beach I started taking flying lessons. My first lesson was on January 8th and I made my first solo flight on the 26th of Feburary 1977. After soloing I continued flying and on the 12th of Feburary 1978 I received my private pilots license. I held a single engine, land, airplane license and was checked out in four types of aircraft; Cessna C-150, Cessna C-177, Grumman AA-5 and the Cessna C-172. I owned a C-172 from September 1978 until September 1979. I had to give up my medical certificate due to a detached retina. I had the retina repaired but during my recovery I sold my airplane and after my recovery I never went to
take another medical exam to have my license reinstated.
In July of 1980 I took a month's vacation and Shirley, Chris and I flew to Germany to visit our daughter Mona who was in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Hahn Air Force Base. While we were there we rented a car and toured some of Germany and Switzerland. We visited with Helmut (my second cousin) and Petra Gehrke in Itzehoe, just northwest of Hamburg, Germany for a couple of days and then we drove to Switzerland and visited with Ericka Hug (another second cousin) in Zurich. While in Zurich, Ericka took us out to the farm where my grandfather, Kaspar Hofstetter, was born and raised. It was very interesting to see where grandfather grew up and to tour the old homestead and to visit with the relatives that still lived there.
In the fall of 1980 there was a new organization formed for Software Manufacturing for the still unannounced Personal Computer. I was asked by the functional manager of this group to be on his staff to do his staffing and financial budgeting. I accepted and later he promoted me to Advisory
Financial Analyst. I continued in this position until July 1986.
In July 1986 I was interviewed by the Project manager of the "Software Supplemental Support Group", Federal Systems Division, Rockville, MD. This group was in support of the new HOST computers that were being installed at the 20 FAA inroute control centers to replace the computers that I had helped integrate about 18 years earlier. He needed someone on his staff that was
familiar with the FAA control centers, had experience with financial matters and was also familiar with personal computers. My background and experience more than met hes requirements, so Shirley and I sold our Delray Beach home and moved to Gaithersburg, MD where we rented a town house and I started to work in Rockville, MD in August of 1986.
My first task was to determine the proper configuration for a PC to be used by the managers, staff and subcontractors at 25 different cities around the country, and to tie all the managers PC's together into a common communications network. By the first of November I had configured and
purchased 56 PC systems and had them deployed and all the IBM people at the remote locations operational on a network that met all the stringent IBM security requirements.
About the first of September 1986, IBM made an incentive offer for early retirement. The incentive looked attrictive, but I was undecided, however, I had until the middle of December to make a decision. On the 14th of September I had a mild heart attack and was in the hospital for a week. I was out of work for a total of five weeks and during this time Shirley and I had decided that I would take early retirement. I submitted my early retirement acceptance letter with a retirement date of June 30, 1987.
Since we had sold our house in Delray Beach and were renting in Gaithersburg there was no problem in leaving once again for Florida. We had a small house in Bradenton, FL and had discussed many times, over the previous years, about how we would remodel it when we retired, so now it was time to get on with the remodeling. The house was remodeled, adding a second story and we moved back to Florida in July of 1986.
I thought my career with IBM would be over on the 30th of June 1986, after almost 30 years, but my project manager had other ideas. He hired me back as a supplemental employee working in his function in Rockville, MD while living in Florida. I set up my computer in our home and tied it into the IBM network, that I had set up, and continued to work on a part-time basis out of our home.
The first year of retirement I spent with a public relations group and traveled to 19 of the 20 FAA Inroute Control Centers assisting with the dedication ceremonies of the new HOST computers which were being installed to replace the ones that I helped integrate into a system 18 years earlier.
During the summer of 1988 I had to go to Fort Worth, TX and then to Salt Lake City, UT two weeks later. I made arangement to drive our motorhome to these locations and enroute we visited fiends in Tucson, AZ and visited the Carlsbad Caverns, and the Grand Canyon. We had a great time during our trip.
During the fall of 1988 I attended an H&R Block Income Tax Course and at the completion of the course H&R Block offered me a job as a tax preparer in the Palmetto, FL office for the tax season.
In January our son Christopher got married to Christine Paulson, the wedding was in Orlando, FL. The marriage took place in Christine's appartment with our daughter Mona performing the ceremony. The wedding was attended by the family and a few friends. The wedding was on Saturday and on Monday Chrisleft for a tour of duty with the Army. His first stop was El Paso, TX for his basic and advanced training.
After the tax season in 1989 we packed up the motorhome and headed west again. We met our son Chris and wife Christine in San Antonio, TX for a few days. They were headed for Fort Campbell, Chris's duty station in the Army. From there we went to Safford, AZ to visit with my uncle John Daly. We then went to Tucson, AZ, and then through Bryce Canyon on the way to Salt Lake City. From there we went west again to Oakland, CA where we turned north and headed for Bremmerton, WA to visit with Shirley's sister Doris. From Bremmerton we headed east through Idaho and into Montana where we stayed a few day in Glasgow on a cattle ranch owned by a cousin of Shirley's. From there we traveled through North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and on to Fort Campbell, where we met with Chris again as we had some of their things with us. From Fort Campbell we went to Middlefield, OH to attend my family reunion. After the reunion we went East to Maryland to spend a weekend with friends before heading south and home. We traveled about 11,000 miles, was gone from home 10 weeks and traveled through 28 states. What a great country and such a variety of landscape to be seen and admired.
After returning home I once again, in September, went to Rockville, to complete the training of my replacement and signed the final termination with IBM. After exactly 32 years, to the day, I was completely retired from IBM.
In October of 1989 after just a few weeks of retirement I got restless and started working part-time for a small company in Bradenton. My part-time job started out as about 12 hours a week. Currently I can spend as much time as I desire, up to 40 hours a week. I work mostly at home writing technical manuals for computer programs that they have written and use inhouse.
I am also the family historian for the Hofstetter family and that helps keep my time occupied. I am also working on the Halstead family genealogy.
We have joined the Winnebago Travel Club and in October we attended a Winnebago Grand Ole Opry Rally in Nashville, TN. We have also joined a local Winnebago Club and meet with them once a month.
Shirley has had surgery on her right foot so our dancing is on hold for about eight weeks.
Shirley and I spent Christmas 1989 with Mona and Philip and their families.
The first four months of 1990 were spent working. I was kept busy writing manuals and Shirley worked for H&R Block at their rapid refund center.
Shirley's surgery last fall, which stopped our dancing, has resulted in two additional surgery's with the last one requiring a big toe joint replacement.
In May we went to Indianapolis, IN and attended the Indy 500 with a Winnebago travel group and had a great time. The group consisted of people from all over the U.S. One of them being my brother Tom and his wife Marge.
In August we attended the Hofstetter family reunion in Middlefield, OH and had a great time visiting with relatives.
On Sepember 18th Christopher who is with the 101st Army Airborne, was deployed to Saudia Arabia. Christine, after a few weeks in Gainesville, came and lived with us until Chris returned.
One weekend a month we attend our Winnebago club meetings at various
locations about Florida.
We spent Christmas at Mona & Philip's, Christine was there and was all thinking about Chris who was in Saudia Arabia.
The first four months of 1991 we were busy with our work, Shirley at H&R Block again and I was revising manuals.
April was a great month as Chris returned from Saudia Arabia on the 7th. We were at Fort Campbell to welcome him home, Christine was able to get the apartment that they had had previously and had it ready for his return.
Chris re-enlisted, and was transfered to Fort Gordon, Augusta, GA, to attend a computer progaramming school.
May 15th we left home for a Hawaiian trip. We spent the 16th and 17th in Honolulu and on the 18th we boarded the American Hawaii Cruise ship USS Independence for a week. We visited Kauai, Hawaii and Maui before returning to Honolulu. We arrived home quite exhausted on the 28th of May.
May 30th we left by motorhome for Ohio. In June I helped brother Tom close his furniture business. In July we spent a week visiting Shirley's brother in Norwalk, OH and then we attended the Ohio State Winnebago Rally in London, OH.
The first Sunday in August found us at the Hofstetter family reuion in Middlefield, OH and on Monday we left for home. On the way we spent a couple of days in Manassas, VA and then 5 days in Augusta, GA with Chris and Christine. Chris had just finished school and when we left he was going on some leave and then was transfering to Germany.
September 25th we left by motorhome for Albuquerque, NM to attend the 20th annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. In route we visited with Shirley's sister Eileen, in Hobes, NM, who she hadn't seen for about 17 years. In Albuquerque we also met for the first time Christine's mother Pat Paulson. Pat was great and had made arrangements for us to park the motorhome in her apartment complex parking lot for a few days, and then took us touring about Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We had a great time at the Fiesta, over 600 balloons were registered and most of them were up on Saturday and Sunday the first days of the Fiesta. The last three days of the rally we spent in Santa Fe where we had great times sightseeing the local area.
We had a very uneventfull return trip and returned exhausted again, but that goes away quickly. I am back to work again. I am very fortunate that the company I work for allows me to take time off for our travels.
I have started to crew for a local balloonist and weather permitting I try to get out 2 to 3 times a week. I have been up in the balloon twice now for a total of 1.2 hours and its great.
The first 4 months of 1992 we were busy again with our work, Shirley with H&R Block and I with Staff Leasing, and as in the past few years we're active with the local and state Winnebago Travelers clubs. Shirley and I also still crew for a local hot air balloonist and finally on May 12th Shirley made her maiden flight. She is very scared of heights but did go up, had a great flight, mostly enjoyed it, glad she done it but not really anxious to go again.
Over Memorial day we attended the Balloon Race in Homestead, FL and for 3 days Shirley and I crewed for a balloonist from Miami and I got to fly on the last day. During that flight we done what is called a splash and dash, thats where while flying over water you let the basket enter the water and then go up again. We finally landed the the parking lot of the new Cleveland Indians winter training ground. The weather was very co-operative and we all had a great time.
May the 31st Shirley and I flew to Frankfurt, Germany to visit with Chris and Christine. Chris is with the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a computer programmer and is stationed at Camp King just outside of Frankfurt. We stayed for 6 weeks and during the week we just stayed around locally and made like tourists.
The first weekend there Shirley and I went to Paris on a USO bus trip. Left Friday night and arrived Paris about 6 AM, had breakfast then a guided bus tour of Paris. In the afternoon we were on our own and saw many sights anddone some shopping. We left about 5PM for the return trip, stopped enroute for dinner and arrived back in Frankfurt about 11:30PM.
Sunday we drove north of Frankfurt to Saalburg and visited the ruins of a Roman Fort. This was the northern extent of the Roman Conquest of Germany.
Monday we went to Hessen Park, which is a working city of restored buildings from different parts of Germany. The park was laid out like several communities each being representative of a different area of Germany.
Friday the 12th, in Chris's car, we all drove to Zurich, Switzerland where we spent 3 night with Anna Mueller. Sat. we rode the local street cars and toured Zurich and done some shopping and in the evening Erica took us out to the farm, where Grandpa was born, and we had dinner and a very enjoyable evening visiting with the Gut family.
Sunday we drove to Lucern and Anna went along and was our guide for the day. We took a picnic lunch and after lunch Anna took us on a guided walking tour of the city. The day was beautiful and so was the city with all its sights.
Monday we left Zurich and drove back to Frankfurt.
Friday the 19th, in Chris's car, we all drove to Kiel, Germany where we stayed with Petra Gehrke and her son Volker. Bernd-Rudiger, Petra's other son, and his wife Sieglinde arrived from Itsehoe on Saturday and then we all went to Laboe where we visited the German Naval Museum and the beaches on the Este sea. We also went through a german submarine. In the evening we went down town Kiel and mingled with the crowd as Kiel was celebrating Kiel week, an annual week long event, and this year they were celebrating their 700th year.
Sunday Volker's girl friend, Anna, a nurse, was working so Volker took us down to the Hospital where she worked and she gave Shirley a tour of her work area. Anna then got off work and we all went to the port area of Kiel for more clelbrating and sight seeing and good german beer.
Monday we drove back to Frankfurt. The weather for the weekend and the drive to and from Kiel was beautiful.
Friday the 26th the four of us took a USO bus tour to Berlin. We left after supper and rode all night. Saturday morning we had a guided bus tour of Berlin which included what was East Berlin. There were several stops for photo ops. and a visit to the museum at Check Point Charlie. After a long bus ride we arrived in Frankfurt about midnight.
Sunday we rested a bit and got things ready for a trip to England. Monday the 29th Chris signed out on leave and we drove to Calais, France where we spent the night. Tuesday morn we boarded the ferry to Dover, England. After clearing customs we started driving on the left side of the road - quite an experience. We stopped for breakfast, got some local info, newspapers, etc. In the paper we spotted an add for hotel specials. We called the hotel and made reservations at the Forte Hotel, at Heathrow Airport, for their 5 day special.
On the way to the hotel we stopped at Canterbury and had quite a time with the narrow and one way streets. Did do some sight seeing by foot. Our next stop was at Halstead, England, a small town south east of London. It was raining but we did get a few pictures of the town hall, etc.
After checking into the hotel we just relaxed the rest of the day and got information about things to do and see in London. To get to London we took a courtesy bus to the airport and then the tube (London Subway) to London. Webought day passes which included anywhere on the tube and also the regular buses in London. We spent Wednesday and Thursday in London sightseeing, and on Friday we drove to Stonehenge. We were going to go farther west but the weather was so rainey and nasty that we returned to the hotel. Saturday we went back into London again. We were getting quite good at getting around on the tube, great way to travel.
Sunday morn we got up early and drove to Dover to catch the 7:30 ferry we had reservations on. We were orginally booked to return to Calais, but due to the truckers in France blocking the roads, their operation Escargo, in protest to some new law, we changed our reservations to Ostendo, Belgum. The ferry ride to Ostendo was about 4 hours and we ate breakfast on the ferry. We arrived back in Frankfurt late in the afternoon and Chris reported back off leave.
The following Saturday we all took a USO bus trip along the Rhine river, visited a castle on the Rhine and then a boat cruise on the Rhine. A great way to end up out time in Germany.
Sunday morning Chris took us to the airport for our flight home. The flight home was long but uneventful and got home about 3 PM.
Monday was spent doing laundry and packing the motor home, and on Tuesday we were on the way to Lake Worth, FL. Thursday we left Lake Worth and headed north and arrived at Shirley's brothers in Norwalk, OH on Saturday. We spent a week in Norwalk and then went to Middlefield, OH the following Saturday.
Sunday the 26th of July was my 45th High School class reunion. We had a
small class and about 50% of the class was in attendance. We also invited the class ahead of us in school to attend and they also had about a 50% turnout.
During the following week we visited about the Middlefield area.
Sunday August 2nd was my annual family (Hofstetter) reunion which we attended.
Monday we left for home and got home on Wednesday afternoon and then on Thursday it was back to work to pay for our good times.
I went back to Staff Leasing and Shirley started teaching a basic incometax course for H&R Block two days a week which started on Sept 14th and completed on 30 November.
At the December Caloosa Winnebago club meeting I was made the treasurer and Shirley became the secretary of the club.
Christmas of 1992 we were at Lantana, FL where we enjyed Christmas with Mona, Jerry, Christopher, & Jason Geer and Philip, Maria, Julie and Nicholas Halstead. Our son Christopher and his wife Christine were still in Germany.
For New Years eve we got together with our Balloon Pilot and the rest of the crew and enjoyed a safe and sane evening of fun.
The year 1993 started out with the first four months again with Shirley working most of the time for H&R Block and I stayed busy with my parttime job, however we did find time to attend a few weekends with our Winnebago Clubs. The second weekend of Jan we were at the Port-of-the-Isles campground south of Fort Myers, Fl and the next weekend we were at the Bulow Campground near St. Augustine, FL. At the meeting I was voted in as the Treasurer of the State Winnebago club.
At the Florida State Rally we had a great time and we made a deal withLazy-Days and purchased a new 1993 Chieftain, 34 foot motorhome. We picked up the new unit a couple of weeks later. It took us what seemed forever to remove all our belongings from the old unit and found so much stuff wondered where we were going to put it all in the new one.
Shortly after picking up the new coach we loaded it and headed off for Ohio to attend Shirley's 40th high school reunion in Bloomfield, Ohio which was held on the 1st of May.
On the return trip we stopped for a weekend with our Caloosa club before arriving home. Two weeks later we attended the State Winnebago meeting and then we started to pack for our summer travels.
June 1st we left home and headed for Ohio where we were going to attend the Ohio State Winnebago rally at Dover, OH. It was there that we met up with Shirley's brother Edward and his wife Marilyn, who also have a Winnebago. After the rally we headed west and spent a few days in Bascom, OH where Shirley done some geneological research. We then went to Terre Haute, IN where we had a very severe thunderstorm during the night. We were luck as we had no dammage. From there we went on to Sedalia, MO where we attended the Missouri State Winnebago rally.
After the rally we went to Macon, Mo where we visited with Shirley's relatives Earlene Beam and her son Norman Beam. They caught up on each other's familys and also gathered some more geneological information about the family.
We then moved on north and spent a few days at the Amana Colonies before arriving at Mason City, IA to attend the Iowa State Winnebago Rally. The weather in the mid-west had been raining for weeks and we had rain all the time in Mason City, however, we didn't let it bother us and had a good time anyway.
We arrived at Forest City for the Grand National Winnebago Rally, held at the Winnbago plant on Sunday. There was quite a mess there due to all the rain and the city park was all under water and mud everywhere. We were parked in one of the plants employee parking lots. On monday they started letting in some of the coaches into the rally grounds and we finally go parked about 2 in the afternoon. We were at the rally for 6 days and had a great time. It only rained once and that was on Wed eve late.
For entertainment they had Myron Florin and Peggy Castle one evening and the last evening they had Roy Clark. There were many seminars covering most anything on or about a motorhome.
After leaving the rally we headed east and crossed the Mississippi before the river crested and closed most of the bridges. We spent another couple of days in Bascom, OH before Ed and Marilyn left us for home and we headed for Middlefield, OH. We spent 6 days in Middlefield visiting with friends and relatives before leaving for PA where we were going to do some genelogical research. We spent two days Summerset, PA, then 6 days in Williamsport, PA before going to Manassas, VA. While in Manassas we visited the National Archives and the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization to gather some information.
We then headed south and arrived at home on the 19th of July. Our new motorhome had made the trip with no problems. The only problem we had on the road was we blew a tire on the car trailer just north of Gainsville, FL and we had to buy a new one as we carried no spare.
Chris, now a Sargent in the Army, and his wife Christine were transfered from Germany to Fort Gillem, just south of Atlanta, GA. in August. As soon as they found a place to live we took some of their furniture, that we were storing, to them, and also had a nice visit since it had been over a year since we had seen them.
I went back to my part time job and Shirley started to prepare for the classes that she was going to teach for H&R Block.
After getting home I sold the car trailer and bought a towbar and started to tow the car on all four wheels.
We had a great time on the road, met a lot of nice people and look forward to doing something similar next year.
After a couple of months rest we started our monthly campouts in October. In November Shirley and I were again elected to the Secretary and Treasurer positions in our local Winnebago club and were sworn in at the December meeting.
We spent the 1993 Christmas holidays with our children and grandchildren at Lantana, FL and this year Chris and Christine were home for Christmas.
January 1994 started out busy as Shirley and I set up all the computers for all the H&R Block offices for the comming season. Shirley then started her marathon work schedule for the next few weeks and I worked partime for Staff Leasing and also H&R Block. We did attend our local Winnebago Chapter meeting in Jan but were to busy to attend another until the Florida State Rally in March. At the March Rally we were sworn in again as the Treasurer's of the State Club.
In April we were complete for the season with H&R Block and started getting ready for the comming travel season. We had a busy one ahead of us.
In May we attended the Winnebago "Springtime in Branson, MO". It was 7
days but we got there a day early and stayed over and extra two days due to the Memorial Day weekend. Attended 13 different shows and activities and had a great time. We then headed out to Owensboro, KY to attend the Kentuck State Rally (June 3-5). There we met up with some friends who invited us to spend a few days at their home in New Baden, IL. From New Baden we went on to the Missouri State Rally (June 10-12) where we again met with several acquaintance's from previous travels. We then traveled to Macon, MO to visit with Shirley's cousin Norman Beam and his mother Earlene, from there we continued on to Forest City and the Winnebago Grand National Rally.
We arrived at Forest City a few days early. During this time I made arangements with the plant to paint the front top cap of our motorhome as it had a shiny spot that looked bad. On Friday before the rally I played golf with the WIT Duffers. For a person that only plays 2-3 times a year I did pretty good, even though it was hot and windy.
The rally was great and we all had a great time. Met with numerous acquaintances from around the country, enjoyed the entertainment, the various seminars, and as always ate too often and too much. On Sat after the rally we met with Paul and Vicky Holt, Central Area Directors, and discussed the Maritime Caravan. We will be the assistant Wagonmasters assisting the Holts.
We then headed east and stopped in Norwalk, OH and visited Shirleys brother for a few days and then on to Middlefield, OH to visit with my brother. On the 5th of July we met the Holts at the first rest area in PA on I-80 to travel together for the next month. On the 6th Dewey and Pat Buck caught up with us, they will be the Tailenders for the Caravan. On the way to St. Andrews, New Brunswick we stopped and spent a day touring Boston.
The Maritime started on 12 July and ended on 3 August. During this period of time we stayed over at the following places. St. Andrews, NB; Saint John, NB; Sackville, NB; Truro, NS; Dartmouth, NS; Antigonish, NS; Cheticamp, NS; Little Bras D'Or Breton, NS; Pictou, NS; Charlottetown, PEI; Moncton, NB; Fredericton, NB. The weather was unseasonably hot in fact NS was having a drought. The heat caused us some problems with electric power as most of the compgrounds are not wired to supply as large a loads that we were using.
After completing the caravan we drove back to Middlefield, OH in two days, should have taken three. We attended the Hofstetter reunion on Sunday Aug 7 and then left for Florida on the 8th. We stopped for a couple of days at Cherokee, NC and visited the area and some friends on the way home.
Upon arriving home we both started back to our part time jobs. Shirley teaching 2 tax courses and I delivering payrolls. We had a great trip and no problems with the motorhome. The only problem we had was the muffler fell off the car as we were connecting it up in Middlefield for the trip home. We left it off and when we got home had a new one installed.
At the end of September another couple, Chuck & Pat Olson, and ourselvesstarted a new Winnebago Chapter. Our initial meeting had 7 coaches present and there was enough interest so a new chapter was born. We were elected Co-presidents and the Olson's Co-secretaries. For the rest of the year we worked at getting the chapter active and invloved with the State Club. The club is doing great. We call ouselves the "Funtime Travelers" and try to live up to our name.
We celebrated Christmas at home and all the kids came home for the first time in many years.
I resigned from Staff Leasing effective the 31st of December 1994. Shirley and I will both be working for H&R Block until the end of the tax season, however, we will both take a few days off to attend the State Rally.
January 1995 at the Winnebago State Club meeting we were elected treasurers of the club, to take office in March at the rally.
In February Chris and Christine bought their first home in College Park, GA. The house was built in the late 40's but is in very good shape, just needs redecorating inside. Wallpaper removed and replaced, woodwork repainted, etc. While they were here over the holidays they bought some furniture so on the second weekend of Feb we rented a truck and took it up to them along with our refrigerator which we gave to them. They were still working on the house when we arrived. We set up the bed we brought with us and we were the first to spend a night in their new home.
Our new chapter is doing great and was well represented at the State Rally in March. The Florida State Rally was a success, no rain for a change.
In July we attended the Winnebago Grand National Rally in Forest City, IA and had a great time. After the rally we headed east to Middlefield, OH where we attended the Hofstetter reunion. We then journed to VA where we visitied some friends and Shirley spent some time at the National Archives.
After arriving home we settled in and Shirley prepared to teach some Tax classes for H&R Block.
January 1996 Shirley was made the Supervisor of Quality Control for H&R Block and I was transmitting tax returns and preparing State Returns for Block. I March I took time off to go to the Florida State Rally for a week as I was the Treasurer taking care of all the reservations and paying the bills Shirley took off a few days and arrived on Wed for the rest of the rally. We had 350 coaches from 35 states and Canada.
After tax season we didn't have any specific plans but by 31 May we had and itinery that kept us busy for the summer. First we went to Birmingham and spent a weekend with Shirley's brother Jim and Myrna. We then went to Owensboro, KY where we attended the KY State Rally. It rained most of the time there but that didn't dampen our spirits. After the rally we went to Indianapolis, IN where we sent a few days visiting with our old neighbors and other friends. During this stop we went to Bloomington and had a nice visit with Uncle Henry Hofstetter a retired Professor of Indiana University.
We then continued north to LaPort, IN where we attended the IN State Rally and had a great time visiting mint farms and the Indiana Dunes National Park. We then headed east and spent a few days in Middlefield, OH and then on to Jefferson, OH to attend the OH State Rally where once again we met with old friends of the area. We toured the covered bridges and the Ashtabula Harbor area. After the rally we went back to Middlefield for a few days and then on to Grove City, OH where the Estep reunion was held on the 4th of July. Shirley's sister Eileen from Hobbs, NM, Sister Doris from Bremerton, WA, brother Ed from Norwalk, OH, and brother Jim from Birmingham and ther spouses made it as well as some of each family were present. This was the first reunion they have had since there mother died 23 years ago.
After the reunion we went to Carlyle, IL where we met up with four other Winnebago owners and spent several peaceful days and nights. We then caravaned west and met up with 5 other winnies just west of St. Louis, MO to travel on to Sedalia, MO to attend the MO State Rally.
From Sedalia we headed north to Forest City, IA were we arrived a week early to attend the Winnebago Grand National Rally. The weather was perfect and for a change I didn't have to have anything done to the motorhome.
During the Rally our "Funtime Travelers" chapter, of which we are Presidents received a "Chapter of Excellence Award". We are proud of this as we just formed the chapter in Sept of 94.
At the rally we were asked if we would accept the nomination for Secretary of the "International Association of Local Chapter Presidents", after some convincing we said we would and subsequently were elected. The club only meets once a year but we are expected to be at the Grand National Rally for the month of July to help organize things for the rally.
After GNR we headed east to Middlefield and took advantage of cousin Richard Harrington and parked in the shade of his trees. August 3rd we had a cousins party with a great turnout and on the 4th it was our annual Hofstetter reunion which had a turnout of about 150. On August 10th we attended David Harrington and Rebecca Dean's wedding held at there lovely restored victorian house in Garrotsville, OH.
We moseyed south and spent a day sightseeing in Charlston, SC on our way to St. Augustine, FL where we spent a week just relaxing. We spent Labor Day weekend with our children Mona & Philip and their families in Lake Worth, FL and arriving home on the 3rd of Sept. On the 10th we went to College Park, GA (by car) and spent a few days with our son Chris and his wife Christine and arriving home on the 10th.
Shirley is doing any tax course teaching for Block this year but is involved with supervisor training, etc. I have been doing work in preparation for the new computers in the H&R Block offices which will we networked this year. Cables were late in arriving but finally got the last office completed on opening day.
Mona, Jerry, Christopher & Jason still live in Lantana, FL and are doing well. Christopher is going to graduate High School in June. Philip, Maria, Julie & Nicky still live in Lake Worth, FL and are doing well. Chris & Chirstine still live in College Park, GA. Chris is getting out of the Army after just over 8 years, and has started working for Harland Co. as a Systems Engineer, which is headquarted in Atlanta. He had taken and passed all the required exams to become a "Microsoft Certified Professional Systems Engineer".
January 1997 During the tax season Shirley was the Quality Control Supervisor and I was the computer specialist keeping the computers all up and running and the rest of the tax season time preparing state returns for H&R Block.
In March Phil spent a week in Orlando at the Florida State Winnebago Rally, as he is the Treasurer. Shirley got to the rally on Wed and stayed for the duration. We had 326 coaches, representing 35 states and Canada.
After the tax season we packed up the motorhome and by May 15th we were on the road again. We spent some time in Georga visiting the Andersonville prison, Plains, Pres. Jimmy Carters home town, the Airforce Museum at Warner Robins AF Base then on the visit Chris and Christine in College Park, GA. From there we attended the 365 Winnebago Rally in Marrietta, GA. We then headed back to Lake Worth, FL where we attended our grandson, Christopher Geer's HS Graduation.
We then headed north again to Birmingham, AL to visit Shirley's brother Jim and Myrna Estep and then continued Illinois and spent a couple of weeks at Lake Carlisle. After our stay we journeyed north to Cresent City, IL to the IL State Rally.
After the rally we headaed west to Moscow, IA where we had an appointment to get some work done on the motorhome. When the work was complete we went on to Forest City, IA where we would spend mos of July. We were the Secretary of the "International Association of Local Chapter Presidents" so we were involved in getting the rally grounds ready for the Grand National Rally.
During the rally we were elected to Vice President of the "IALCP".
After the rally we headed for Ohio and spent three weeks during which we attended the Hofstetter family reunion in Middlefield, Phil's 50th high school Reunion in Middlefield and the Estep family reunion in Kettering, OH.
Next we spent a few days on the Allegheny river, in PA, just below lock #9 (near Bethlehem) and then on to Manassas, VA for a couple of days and then on to Yorktown and Jamestown, VA for a couple of days. We then headed south to College Park, GA for a weekend with our son Chris and Christine.
On the 2nd of Sept we headed home, however, about 90 miles north of the FL state line we had a problem with the right rear hub on the motorhome which left us stranded on Interstate 75. We called our road service and about 4 hours later we were loaded on a flat bed semi headed for Albany, GA. We left the motorhome at the GMC dealer for repairs and drove on home in the car. On the 10th we went back to Albany and picked up the motorhome.
The latter part of October we visited with Bill & Sue Mohme, in Slidell, LA for a weekend. Bill took us on a tour of the Nestle coffee roasting facility in New Orleans and we enjoyed it very much. We then went on west ot Rayne, LA (the Frog capitol of the world) where we attended the LA State Rally. We had a great time and ate too much cajun food, must return again sometime.
We spent Thanksgiving with Mona & Philip and their families in Lantana, FL. Grandson Christopher is now on his own and is an apprentice electrician and enjoying it.
We are both still involved with H&R Block, Shirley and the Quality Control Supervisor and Phil is the District Technical System Specialist. Things have changed quite a bit since last year as each office is more autominous than ever before.
1998 started out very hectic due to the numerous changes made by H&R Block. New equipment, new programs, new procedures and a shortage of preparers. Shirley and I were on the road between offices much more than we preferred and finally April 15th arrived. Shirley completed about the 20th of April and I finally completed on the 30th of April. We both decided that this would be our last year at Block.
March we both attended our State Rally in Orlando and during the rally we ordered a new motorhome, an Itasca Suncrusier 35 foot long, wide body with a 20" slide out.
The motorhome was to arrive about the 1st of May. The unit came off the line as scheduled and left the factory on time, however, there was a problem with the emergency brake hub and broke down in Effingham, IL. There was a problem getting the replacement parts and we were getting nervous because we had to leave home on the 14th. Finally on the 10th (Sun) it arrived at the dealers. They cleaned it up on Sun and Mon morning they installed two window awnings. The unit arrived with a chipped windshild which would be replaced at Forest City when we get there. We arrived on Noon on the 11th and finally took delivery. Monday and Tue I was busy installing some items and getting it ready to leave as Shirley loaded the inside with everything we would need for the summer. On Wed the 14th we left for Ocala our state Winnebago Club meeting.
On Sunday when we prepared to leave I found a flat tire, and inside dual on the left side. I inflated the tire and we headed north. In GA we had the tire repaired and found a screw in the tread. We stopped in Unidilla, GA for a few days and there I completed installing the electric water heater, some other misc items and waxing the unit for the first time.
On Friday we went on to Atlanta and visited with Chirs and Christine for the weekend and then headed on north to Middlefield, OH. From Middlefield we went to State College, PA to attend the Pennsylvania State Rally and the following week attended we went to Wooster, OH to attend the Ohio State Rally. We then traveled to Norwalk, OH where we spent a few days and attended the Estep Family reunion. While at Norwalk we went to Cedar Point Park in Sandusky, OH.
Our next stop was in Forest City, IA to prepare for and attend the Grand National Rally sponsored by Winnebago Industries. During the Rally we were re-elected as Vice Presidents of the IALCP.
After the rally we went to Watertown, SD to visit with the Dumke's, an IBM friend. While there we toured the area and visited the "TERRY REDLAND" art museum. We then traveled with the Dumke's to the SD State Rally held in Souix Falls, SD.
From Souix Falls we headed to Wellington, CO. Shirley was having a tooth problem and in the morning at one of the rest areas we called our friends in Wellington and got their answering machine. We left a message that we would arrive early afternoon and if they could get Shirley a dentist appointment if possible. We called latter and they had the appointment for three. We arrived about 2PM and headed straight for the dentist in Fort Collins, CO. The tooth was absessed and Shirley was given some medication. While in Wellington we visited some of the areas attraction. On Thursday the dentist completed most of a root canal and put in a temporary filling to be completed when we get home. Friday we all headed west over the Rocky Mountains to Grand Junction, CO to attend the CO State Rally. Shirley didn't feel good at the rally (not related to the tooth) and later we think she was suffering from altitude sickness. The rally was great and at the rally we was invited to caravan to the Utah rally with the "Aspin Leaf Winnies" as they had a route and activities already planned. On Sun we headed west to Green River, UT, a short drive, and spent the night there. On Monday we then drove to Kanab, UT where we spent three nights.
Tuesday we all drove, by cars, and spent the day in Zion National Park. Wednesday we went to Page, AZ to visit the dam and the lake in Glen Canyon. While there we went down in the dam and into the hydroelectric generating plant. Quite an experience. In the afternoon we took a boat ride on the lake before heading back to Kanab. Thurdsay we headed toward Torrey, UT and on the way we stopped at the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, parked the motorhomes and drove our cars into and though Bryce Canyon. We then headed for Torrey through the Dixie National Forest via some extremely hilly and beautiful country. We all arrived safe and sound ready for the Utah State Rally. The rally was great, weather was enjoyable, and the food as always very good and too much. While at the rally we got a chance to visit Capitol Reef Rational Park. Utah has more national parks than any other state.
From Torrey we headed to Layton, UT just north of Salt Lake City to visit a friend that was a neighbor when we lived on Merrit Island, FL. We spent a few days there and got out to Promontory, UT and visited the "Golden Spike National Historical Site" where the railroads met. And out to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake.
From Layton we headed north through Idaho heading for Montana. When we stopped in Idaho for the night I found a leak in the engine cooling system and finally determined that it was the heater core. I bypassed the heater core with a piece of copper tubing until I could get it repaired. The next day we drove to Glasgow, MT to visit a cousin of Shirley. We then drove to Forest City, IA where I got the motorhome in to the service department and had the heater core replaced. The motorhome was still under warranty and the repairs were covered. To get the repairs complete we spent several days in Forest City before heading east.
Upon leaving Forest City we headed for Ohio via Indianapolis and arrived in Grove City, OH to visit Shirley's neice Dorothy Byard and family. After a couple of days we headed to Middlefield. I had made arrangements with Helen Harrington and we had a surprise birthday party for Shirley with a group of Florida friends who spend their summer in and near Middlefield.
When we left we headed east and met up with another motorhome couple for a few days before we arrived in Williamsburg, VA for the VA state rally. After the rally we went to Manassas, VA to visit friends before going to the MD state rally. After the rally we headed south to Atlanta and spent a couple of days with Chris and Christine and then continued south and spent five days in St. Augustine, FL before going on to Lantana to visit our other children Mona & Philip and their families and finally arrived home about the first of Oct.
The rest of the year we just attended our local chapter and state meetings. We spent Christmas with Mona and Philip and their families in Lantana, FL.
1998 was a great year, we spent about five months in our new motorhome, put on a lot of miles and enjoyed every minute and mile. The motorhome had a vibration at about 60 mile per hour and I had had the tires balanced, rebalanced, rotated etc. and couldn't get rid of the vibration. Finally I got it to a Ford truck service department. I took them about 4 days but they finally got rid of the vibration. It turned out there were 4 wheels that were out of round and had to be replaced. Motorhome now rides like a dream.
1999 started out much different than the past as neither one of us worked at an outside job. We have so much to do and it seems that we never have enough time to get it all done. I sometimes wonder how I ever had time to work at a full time job.
Shirley has had some problems lately walking due to cramps in her left calf. During her doctors visits it was discovered that she had atrial fibrillation. Medication corrected the heaart problem so it was time to find the problem with her left leg. In March a blood clot behind the left knee was found and was removed by an angioplasty procedure, this corrected the leg problem and the doctors believe that the clot came from the heart due to the atrial fibillation.
At the Florida State Rally in March we were installed as the 2nd Vice President of the Winnie-Gators. The tasks associated with this position is parking at the state meetings and at the State Rally. Doesn't sound like much, however, at our meetings we have from 50 to 110 units and at the State Rally we will have about 350 units.
We had been in negotiations for several months for the house just to the west of our home. The house was orginally my grandfathers, and belonged to my cousins. The house had been vacant since 1987 when my aunt had passed away. We finally completed the transfer in March. We had the house tented for termites, who had been having a free lunch for almost 17 years. As you can suspect it will need a lot of work. After tenting we then removed most of the furniture and fixtures as they had been destroyed by the termites. The garage was in very bad shape so I took it down before it fell down. I had the electric company out and had them removed the power lines from the house all the way back to the power pole, as the wireing is in bad shape and will need to be replaced.
In June we packed up for our summer trip. We went to Lake Carlisle in Illinois for a couple of weeks and then on to Forest City, IA and arrived there on 30 June. We are the Vice Presidents of the "International Association of Local Chapter Presidents" club and we assist the Winnebago Staff with Winnebago-Itasca-Travelers Grand National Rally that is held the third week of July.
We had a great time at the rally and during the rally we were elected President of the "IALCP" (International Association of Local Chapter Presidents) so our work is cut out for us at the rally next year.
After the rally we headed east to Ohio to attend Phil's family reunion. After a couple in OH we headed to VA for a couple of days in Manassas and a day in DC visiting the FDR and Korean memorials.
We arrived back home about the middle of August. I started work on building a small storage shed at the rear of the house we purchased and painted the roof of the house. We had the two large Royal Palm trees removed from the front lawn as they were about 65 feet tall and dangerous when the palm fronds fell to the ground. After the trees were out I installed a sewer line so I could dump the motorhome. What I thought would be a two to three day job turned out to take me about 10 days. I found that the sewer lime from the house to the street was full of roots from the palm trees and I had to replace about 10 feet of new line. Digging in sand should be easy, however, due to the palm tree roots is was very slow going.
The house I project will be a two year project as I will be doing all the work myself and I don't know what all will have to be done. By the end of the year I have installed a new circuit breaker panel and run temporary power to it. I have also run a temporary water line but not connected. I have the bathroom all torn apart and everything out except for the shower stall. I have rewired the bathroom and ready to start the floor, walls, etc.
For Thanksgiving we went to Chris & Christines in College Park and then on to Birmingham, AL where we attended Shirley's family reunion. We went to Mona and Philip's the weekend before Christmas to celebrate Christmas. We spent Christmas with the Ohio group in Braden Castle.
Chris is now working for Delta Technologies as a Webmaster and has started building a new house in College Park.
In my spare time during the year I have created some web pages for our State Winniegators and couple of chapters and one for the "IALCP".
After all the hullabalue about Y2K we got through New Years without a problem. I continued with the house by installing a new floor in the bathroom, painted the lavatory base, painted the ceiling, installed new paneling and trim, painted the trim, reinstalled the lavatory and toilet, installed new medicine cabinet and light fixtures. By the time we left for the summer the bathroom was complete except for a door. I have also taken down the ceiling tiles in the kitchen as they were in very bad shape and with the ceiling down it will be easier to replace the wiring in the kitchen and the other rooms, I hope.
We left for the summer at the end of May and spent the Memorial Day weekend with Mona & Philip and their families. While there I used my pressure washer and washed Philips house and over the weekend we painted the house.
June 2nd we arrived in College Park and put our motorhome in storage at the KOA just south of Atlanta. We spent the next 12 days at Chris's where I worked each day on Chris's new house doing odd jobs as needed and putting a sewer line underground where the driveway and sidewalks will be cemented at a later date. The sewer line will be so that I can dump the motorhome when I'm parked in their drive. The house is also wired so that I will have 30 amp power, water, phone and cable. While there the kids found and purchased ceramic tile for their media room, office, bathrooms, and laundry room. It took Chris and I three trips to haul it all home.
On the June 14th we flew to Seattle, WA to attend Shirley's family reunion in Bremmerton, WA. We had a great time there. One day we drove to Mount St Helen's, it has been 20 years since the eruption. New growth has started but the devistation is still visible. We then went to the Indian Casino for their Prime Rib buffet. What a spread for $7.95. The next evening we went to the Space needle, via the ferry across the bay, and drove home around the bay. On Sat we drove to Ocean Shores, WA (on the Pacific shore) to Doris's son Robert's for a get together. Had a great time and Robert, a Parimetic took us on tour of his fire station. On Sun we went to Silverdale, WA to Doris's son Edward's for another get together. Had way to much to eat again. Edward, also a Paramedic, took us on a tour of his fire station.
We caught the redeye flight out of Seattle Sunday and arrived in Atlanta about 7am Monday the 19th. Chris picked us up took us to his house where we picked up our car. We went back to the KOA got our motorhome out of storage parked it for the day and checked it out for departure the next day. Our friends from St Augustine were there as planned. Later in the day we took them up to Chris's to show them their new house and to pick up some mail that had arrived.
On Tuesday we left for St. Louis, Michigan to attend the MI state rally. On Sunday, after the rally, we drove to Lake Carlisle where we set up at a Coast to Coast campground. Monday Shirley took me to St Louis, MO where I caught a plane back to Atlanta. I went back to lay tile for a few days. While there I helped lay tile in the media room, office, office closet, three bathrooms and the laundry room. Also grouted everything except for two upstair bathrooms. I returned to St. Louis on July 4th. Celebrated our anniversary on the 5th with friends. On the 6th we went to Sedalia, MO to attend the MO State Rally. On July 9th, after the rally, we drove to Forest City, IA. We had 5 days to get the rally grounds ready for opening day of the grounds on the 14th. Weather was great and everything went smoothly and the grounds were ready.
The Grand National Rally went great, weather was super, all the entertainment was great, headliner was Tony Orlando. At the rally Phil was elected for a second term as President of "IALCP".
After the rally we headed for OH. Spent a couple of days in Norwalk, OH visiting Shirley's brother, Edward and his wife Marilyn, and then headed out to Middlefield, OH. In Middlefield we attended the Hofstetter reunion. It was a longer and larger affair that usual as it was the 100th anniversary since grandmother and grandfather Hofstetter arrived in the U.S. for the 1st time. On Sunday it rained some but it didn't dampen our spirits, and everyone still had a good time.
We stayed in Middlefield until the 31st of August. During this time we went off for a weekend with the North Coast Winnies to PA. We also made two other day trips to PA, one to visit a relative of Shirleys in Nanty Glo and one to visit friends near Bethlehem on the Allegheny river. On Saturday the 26th of August there was a surprise 50th anniversary party for Phil's cousin, Richard and Helen Harrington. They had no idea and it was a total surprise as their anniversary isn't until Sept 10th.


Philip E. Halstead
written, Mar 1989
added to, Dec 90, Jan 92, Nov 92
Apr 94, May 95, Aug 00


227. Christopher Lee Halstead-120

Christopher Lee Halstead was born at Wuesthoff Memorial Hospital, Rockledge,
FL. Certificate of Birth # 109-67-045928, is recorded by the State Board of
Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, FL. Registrars # 672208.

Obtained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America
Inducted into the "Order of the Arrow".

Graduate of St Andrews School, Boca Raton, FL

Work Resume NOV 1996
Christopher Lee Halstead, MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)
SKILLS
* Extensive knowledge of installation, administration and troubleshooting of Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 3.x
* Experience with multi-protocol network environments, LAN and Wan topologies, TCP/IP, and remote access solutions.
* Administration of Microsoft Mail postoffices and associtated MTA's.
* Hands-on experience with networking hardware and software, including cabling and Ethernert hubs/switches/routers.
* Set up and maintenance of FTP and World Wide Web sites using both UNIX and Windows NT based web server software, to include basic HTML authoring.
EXPERIENCE
--Software Analyst, U.S.Army, Rediness Group Atlanta 1993-96
Engineeered, installed, and manage a 50+ node Windows NT/Win95 network.
Administer a Microsoft Mail post-office and Message Transfer Agent to SMTPgateway. Troubleshoot end-user hardware and software problems. Maintain security accreditation of the network. Teach MS-DOS basic and advanced classes at Headquarters, First U.S. Army. Advise group Commander of all aspects of automation policy. Specify and requisition automation hardware. Develop local unique software to fulfill command requirements.
--Senior Programmer, U.S. Army, 36th Data Processing Unit 1991-93
Supervised Executive Software section responsible for systems and application software maintenance on a IBM 4381 mainframe processing tahe Department of the Army Movement Management system. Maintained maximum system up-time for access by over 30 remote site users. Monitored and maintained system security. Developed multi-phase training program for incomming section personnel. Supervised transition of system processing to a Regional Data Center when unit deactivated.
--Vulcan Air Defense System Gunner, U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division 1989-91 Maintained and manned A Vulcan Short Range Air Defense gun. Supervised maintenance of squad vehicle. Maintained proficiency in visual aircraft recognition, squad drill procedures and Air Defense doctrine.
CIVILIAN EDUCATION
--St. Leo College, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration and Computer Information Systems 1995 Summa Cum Laude
--University of Maryland Associate of Arts, Computer Studies 1993
MILITARY EDUCATION
--Basic Noncommisioned Officers Course - Fort Gordon, Georga
Curriculum included programming ADA, Systems Analysis and Design, and management skills. Distinguished Honor Graduate
--Primary Leadership Development Course - Grafenwohr, Germany
Curriculm focused on basic leadership skills. Commandant's List Graduate
--Advanced Individual Training, Software Analyst Course - Fort Gordon, Georga
Curriculum included training in JCL, COBOL, and Mainframe Computer Operations. Honor Graduate
--Advanced Individual Training, Vulcan Crewmember Course - Fort Bliss, Texas
Curriculum focused on basic Vulcan Air Defense System skills. Honor Graduate
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
* Microsoft Networking Essentials
* Internetworking Microsoft TCP/IP on Microsoft Windows NT (3.5-3.51)
* Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows 95
* Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
* Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
* Microsoft Mail 3.2 for PC Networks - Enterprise
SECURITY CLEARANCE
Currently hold a Department of Defense SECRET clearance.


Christine Paulsen-589

Married to Christopher Halstead Jan 22, 1987


228. David Edward Hammons-788

David Edward Hammons died in an early morning house fire.


229. Mary Jane Hammons-789

Mary Jane Hammons died in an early morning house fire.


230. Kathleen Anne Hammons-790

Kathleen Anne Hammons died in an early morning house fire.


234. Mark Anthony Hammons-798

Born Lake County Hospital