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From Each to EachFÊTE 201140th AnniversaryThe front and backcover designs weretaken from rugs andwall hangings byCharlie Blanchard

Peace Corps Training, La Pocatière, Quebec 1969The English Dictionary Burial CeremonyOn the day of Frenchlanguage immersionthere was a symbolicburial of the Englishlanguage.A band played thedeath march.High priest, Dan, said a few words beforethe burial of the English dictionary.Wailing women ...... and vestal virginsA view of La Pocatière with the St. Laurence in thebackground. The photo was taken from a dormwindow.Thedictionaryon top of thecasket wasfinally buried.

February 5, 2011Norman FortinDear Sports,Paul’s phone message tells me I’ve got to get this letterto him ASAP. I always thought that once I would retire, Iwould have so much time for everything. Apparently I waswrong. I didn’t know that when you retire, you lose track oftime, falsely assuming that there is lots of time to get thingsdone since you don’t have to go to “work”. Sorry, Paul.As I put my Christmas decorations away last year, I wassomewhat nostalgic thinking that it would be my lastChristmas in Edmonton. Ready or not, I had anticipated My first Christmas tree at Eden-by-the-Seaofficially retiring on June 30th 2010. Needless to say, Idid not notice the first six months of 2010 fly by. June hadfinally arrived and it was time for me to sign all the necessary papers for my investment funds anduniversity pension to begin gradually flowing into my checking account.I was happy that my retirement was not officially announcedamong my colleagues so that I was not subjected to one of thoseplanned wine and cheese events where you have to be nice topeople you really didn’t appreciate working with in the first place.Since I had told only a select few about my decision, my closestcolleagues organized an intimate dinner for which I was able todraw up the guest list myself. Some 15 people whom I highlyrespected, admired and towhom I really WANTED tosay goodbye attended theevent. Unbeknownst to me,the organizers of the eventtold everyone that they had to bring to the party a letter in whichthey expressed what working with me meant to them. These wereplaced in an album and given to me as a gift along with season’stickets to the Trident theatre in Quebec City. (Jocelyne and I havebeen to 4 of the plays already). Needless to say, I was greatlytouched by all the comments made by my colleagues, and I haveread and re-read them many times since my retirement.Since I had some vacation time to take, I actually stopped working at the beginning of June to concentrateon my packing, moving and departure. Jocelyne flew to Edmonton and we left the next day with the carpacked to the hilts even though some 1000 pounds of books and things I just could not part with had lefttwo days before by moving van. (Most of the furniture I had in Edmonton was old stuff that I donated tothe immigration association.) I had previously weeded out my bookcase and donated many books tothe university. We set out right after an emergency root canal operation that I had to have! The trip wasa nostalgic drive down memory lane by passing through places where I had worked during my career,taking pictures of the houses I lived in and the universities I worked at. This was a good way for me tomourn the end of a career.

Two of my former voice teacherssinging at the partyHaving left late from Edmonton because of the dental surgery, wespent the first night in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. That tripbrought back memories of the drive I took for four consecutive springand summer from Regina to Edmonton and back while I was studyingfor my doctorate. The next day we passed through Regina where Ihad not returned in over 20 years, walked along Wascana Park whereI use to jog, rode around the university and nosed around my oldneighbourhood. Somehow, I did not remember having so many treeson Anson Street when I lived there. From there, after an overnight stayin Brandon, Manitoba, it was on to Winnipeg where we toured Saint-Boniface, visited with a former colleague and drove through my oldneighbourhood. The next day and a half was spent crossing Ontario and driving along Lake Superior.This brought back memory of my many years of travelling that route on my way back and forth fromRivière-Ouelle when I use to drive by car from Winnipeg every summer. By the time we got to Sudbury,we were a little tired so we took the by-pass around Sudbury instead of passing through town. I didn’treally mind that since Sudbury is one of the places I least enjoyed.After having finally reached Rivière-Ouelle, it was time to unpack and settle into my new lifestyle ofa retiree but in order to get everything stored, I had to do a lot of weeding of the stuff I had beenaccumulating for the past 21 summers. For example, I had been accustomed to keeping only summeritems here but now I had to make place for the winter things also. Needless to say, my entire summerand autumn was spent clearing out or rearranging things. I managed to unpack the last boxes of booksjust before Christmas. Somehow among all the boxes were mythree framed diplomas (B.A., M.Ed., and Ph.D.) which I suspectI inadvertently threw away as I have not been able to find them.I guess this is life’s way of telling me to turn over a new leaf andforget the past – or go back to school!In late August, I was informed that I had been chosen to receivean award from the Association canadienne française de l’Albertain recognition of my work in French language education inAlberta. At first, I thought I would travel to Edmonton in Octoberto receive the award, but at the last minute decided to ask aformer colleague to accept it on my behalf. The award was Eden-by-the sea in wintersurely a nice way to cap my 15 year career in Alberta both at theministry of Education in the 80’s and for the last ten years at University of Alberta’s French campus.I’m sure most of you are wondering how I am enjoying living in Rivière-Ouelle year round. Those of youwho have been here, will attest to the beautiful St Lawrence River which flows in front of the cottageas well as the spectacular sunsets. Well, autumn and winter sunsets, although different, are just asspectacular and the snow storms quite amazing. The lights at night across the river are even brightersince less foliage is filtering out their brightness. Christmas day we were even fortunate to spot a fewseals floating down the river on the melting ice.Besides being amazed daily by the scenery, I walk around the cove for an hour at least five morningsa week, have breakfast while listening to the daily news, read (I’m in my Russian phase having justfinished Anna Karenina by Tolstoy and just started War and Peace), listen to music and hone my cookingskills. Then I prepare the songs for Wednesday afternoon mass at the cathedral in La Pocatière that Ivolunteered for and practice my repertoire for the two other choirs I have joined -- and of course thereis Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters that is a MUST on Sunday nights. I have alsobeen asked to sit on the parish council and the neighbourhood association to help plan concerts in the

chapel next door as well as art expositions during the summer. And when Jocelyne is unable to comeup from Quebec, I will go to her place usually around the time we are scheduled to see a play or attendan event. I have just recently accepted a contract to help with the summer immersion school I use todirect. It will be up for accreditation and the person who replaced me wanted me to help them preparefor it. I put in some 10 to 15 hours a week.When I wrote my letter last year, I had just finished a voice class andhad passed my exam for which I received an A which made me quiteproud. As usual, the exam consisted of my singing three songs (byheart!) in 3 different languages: Italian, German and Russian in front ofa jury of three voice teachers. Since I had taken all the university voiceclasses available, I decided to continue private lessons from January toJune with my Bulgarian voice teacher who had me reach notes I neverthought were in my range. Furthermore, I got hooked on singing inJocelyne & I, January 2010 Russian and I learned two other songs from the repertoire of a Russiancomposer, Glinka. In March, Dessislava asked me to participate in arecital with another voice teacher (who was my first voice coach some nine years ago when I firststarted taking lessons) and sing the Russian repertoire I had learned. I was quite honored to sing witha professional. Needless to say, I was sad to have to end my voice lessons with Dessislava and hopesome day that our paths will meet again and that we’ll continue where we left off – at middle E sharp?In the summer and fall, I continued my voice lessons here inQuebec but, since I have to travel quite a ways for them, I havetaken a break for the winter. Instead, I sing in a local choir,Choeur de Kamouraska, as well as the church choir which takeup my Monday and Thursday nights respectively.Some of the projects I want to tackle during the winter are:organizing all the photos that have been accumulating in boxes,get back to studying Russian, keep on singing, review my notesfrom the landscaping class I took in Edmonton and plan myspring and summer landscaping projects as well as tackle someof the books in my bookshelves that I had bought throughout theyears to read “when I have more time.” So I guess I’ve finallyreached that time “when I have more time” which means that it’stime to end this letter if I want to have some time to read.It’s almost unbelievable that we have known and appreciated each other for some 40 years and havebeen able to nourish our friendship through Fête year after year. I suspect that, like me, you wereall saddened by David’s passing away and by the thought that, as the years pass, our group may bedwindling slowly. Whatever the future holds for us, I think we can all say that we’ve been blessed byour mutual friendships and by our African experience that binds us.I will be looking forward to reading everyone’s letter. Thank you, Paul, for putting this together and sorryfor being late. Jerry, sorry I wasn’t home to catch your call before you left for places unknown. I’mdying to know what the Peace Corps experience means to you the second time around. Please knowthat I will always be happy to welcome each and every one of you to Eden-by-the-sea. My permanentaddress and new e-mail are below.Love,NormandWith my voice teacher, DessislavaGavrailova (middle), and a very close friendand colleague, Dr. Olenka Bilash

Charles Blanchard has been active as a weaver and artisan since he began his career in an artists’community in Georgia in the late 1960’s. Since that time he has integrated many of the world’s weavingtraditions and techniques into his unique work. His initial interest was in reproducing traditional EarlyAmerican patterns in fine linen. Soon he was inspired by saddle blanket designs and their use also asarea rugs and wall displays.Charles has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia where he has studied and been influencedby the delicate grass weavings and dance mats of West Africa, the bold colours and designs of cottondhurries of India and the exotic geometric patterns of Nepalese and Tibetan prayer rugs. The elegantdesigns of the Celts as well as Islam similarly influence his work.Charles designs unique, one-of-a-kind area rugs and weaves them on a Harrisville Rug Loom. Hishand-woven area rugs are a heavy, weft-face twill in a size attractive for home use as wall hangings,prayer rugs or yoga mats. His use of colours and designs spans the range from bold and dramatic tosubtle and intricate.Charles was born in 1947 and was raised in Springfield, Illinois. He received his BA in literature fromthe University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and his MA in Communications from the Universityof Illinois, Springfield. He taught English in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, West Africa.Charles works with a variety of fibers including linen, many kinds of wool, silk, alpaca and worstedacrylic. His pieces are available for purchase from his extensive inventory or by commission.

Jim Verschueren & Carlo NittoliDear Ones, December 11, 2010A day back from David’s funeral and the joy of seeing Alice and Renee filled with such grace andcomposure, surrounded by loving family and friends. It was a very fitting farewell to David. A good timeto compose the annual epistle…So how is/was your time in France?The ten months flew by…lots of friends…we felt blessed and privileged and honored…46 guests,including both sons & their families, Diane & Greg, Brenda & Bill, Karen & Michel…a visit to Connie…we ate warm bread baked in our village and sold from the back of a utility truck in the village square…arunning tab with one wine-maker and bought by the case from another…our French improved vastly(j’aurais du ecrire cette lettre en francais, mais…) …and we were named honorary Montlaurais at theend of our sojourn. It far exceeded our fondest hopes and most imaginary dreams. For full details:http://ayearinmontlaur.wordpress.com/…and now we are back. So how has the adjustment been?Happily, far less difficult than I had feared. It WAS difficult to leave. Life there WAS easy-going, almostdevoid of stress. BUT…turns out life is good here, too. We were welcomed back by a concert by the200-voice women’s choir Donna so loved, then we took off for New York State for our traditional Tgivingdinner at brother-in-law Dave’s, joined by Ben & Paul and their families, and all of Dave’s immediatefamily. 14 adults and 8 children ages 5 and under. Now that’s a family time :O) The Sunday after Tgivingwe were back here for me to give the sermon at church, the fourth year I’ve done so. This time I talkedabout the spirituality of living in another culture.We’ll be in New Jersey for the Christmas holiday, thefirst time with Carlo’s family. Then we’ll see Ben &Family between Christmas and New Year’s here inNH.Plans for Feb & March are to spend about six weeks“on the road” in the southland. We’ll visit Carlo’sbrother in Florida and make several other stops inFlorida and driving down and back. Perhaps back toEurope in September and certainly South Carolina inOctober. We plan to enjoy the New England summerhere in Dover, so DO come by.On the roof terrace at 2 Petite Cantonne, MontlaurI’m doing a lot of thinking about what I want retirement life to be. How do I give back to society for allthat I have been given? How do I get involved significantly in community life and still do all the travelingwe WANT to do, and MUST do to stay in touch with family, not to mention friends? So fortunate to bein a position to ask such questions.So…with great love for all of you and hopes to see so many in the coming year,Jim & Carlo

A Year in MontlaurWorn Out in Barcelona!Relaxing walks in the villageAn all-too-quick 3-days of comraderiewith Brenda, Bill, Karen & MichelOn the road in vineyardcountryJim unloads ~ for theumpteenth time

Dear Friends,Paul HamelIt hasn't been a great year. I’m in good health, active, enjoying my semi-retirement, and dealing withwhat life throws at me. I have faith that this year will be better.As for my health, I have made a full recovery from having my large intestines removed. I haven’t felt thisgood in over 20 years. I can now eat anything, which, unfortunately, has resulted in a few extra pounds.The only downside is that I have to “go” more often. I exercise regularly by walking and swimming.Now that I am retired, I’ve never worked so hard. Since my retirement in July, 2009, I’ve managed toexpand my website “eslworksheetsandlessonplans” to include over 150 lessons and five e-books. Thewebsite is growing slowly, and there is a gradual increase in sales. I’m still working on another book“One Hundred Years of Smiles, A Short History of Family Photography.” I started it seven years agoand I’m almost finished.In June I decided to apply for a summer ESL teaching position at UCLA Extension. I was tired of stayinghome. I was offered a position teaching an intensive, low-intermediate ESL course in grammar andwriting. In September the administration asked me to continue in their regular program so I taughtanother class Monday-Friday from 9-11 am. I had 17 university students from all over the world. Theyare the crème de la crème of their countries and I greatly enjoyed being in the classroom again. I hopeto teach another class starting in March depending if there are enough students. I love the teachingenvironment, the students, and the extra funds so that I can have a little more travel money.My biggest challenges over the past year was dealing with the break-up of a 11-year relationship andhelping my 87-year-old Dad who just moved to an assisting living facility. Another challenge was gettingone of my best friends get out of INS detention.Michael and I have parted ways. His severe alcoholism turned into increased verbal and physicalabuse. The last straw was when hecame home one night and attackedme. I had to go to the hospitalemergency room for a broken rib.As I am writing this, he is still in jail.His next preliminary hearing is onFebruary 17th. These are unchartedwaters for me. I'm taking all of thisone day at a time and I am gettingcounseling to help me get throughthis. The latest news I got was thathe agreed to enter a four-monthrehab program.Paul and his Dad, René, after attending a performance ofSouth Pacific at the Los Angeles Music Center.How come they never taught ushow to care for elderly parents? I'vebeen learning fast. My mom passedaway last year and my dad didn'tdo well living alone, even with thedaily help from my brother, David.

In November my Dad moved into a very nice assisted living facility. Heis now in a very comfortable, single apartment with every imaginableamenity: his own furniture, laundry service, haircuts, healthy meals,room service, excursions, exercise classes, movie night, and weekendparties. He already has a new girlfriend, Doris, who lives next door. Itook them out on their first date a few weeks ago. Now I know how itfeels to be a chaperon. Dad's still getting used to his new surroundingsand being pampered. The only downside is that he sometimes feelstrapped because he is not allowed to go out on his own due to hisshort-term memory lost. He may not be able to tell you what he ate forbreakfast, but he can describe in detail every battle he was in duringWorld War II.I unexpectedly took on a crusade to help an old friend, Don Leach, whowas arrested on September 18 during a senior citizen get-together at alocal bar. In September someone called the local sherriff’s departmentand told them that Don was in this country illegally and wanted formanslaughter in Canada. Of course, the manslaughter charges werefalse--but he is here illegally. Sherriff’s deputies went to the gathering and arrested him on the spotin front of all his friends. Don is 66 years old, was born in Canada, and came to this country while ateenager. He’s been here for 48 years and has never left the US. The Canadian Embassy said that hewas not wanted for anything. He has worked all his life here, contributed to Social Security, and neverapplied for citizenship because of a minor 20-year-old, drug-related, conviction for which he spent oneday in jail. His record was vacated in 2007.I organized a fund-raiser and a letter-writing campaign to help him with his legal fees. We raised $2,000in one afternoon and gathered over 50 letters from the community and even from the West HollywoodCity Hall, which awarded Don with a commendation for all of his volunteer work helping the elderly inthe city. All of this was sent to the immigration judge on his behalf. After 100 days in detention, Don waslet out on $1,500 bond and is awaiting his next hearing on May 31st. We are hopeful that Don will beallowed to remain in the US, the only country he has ever known. To send him back to Canada wouldbe cruel and unusual punishment especiallyat his age.One of the highlights of the last year was theafternoon I spent with Merrelie here in LosAngeles. We went to the new extension ofthe LACMA (Los Angeles County Museumof Art) and had lunch at the Grove, a localoutdoor mall. It was nice getting together,catching up after 40 years, and reminiscingabout the past.I’m looking forward to getting your letters andcatching up on what happening in your lives.I hope that I will be able to attend the reunion.It all depends on my teaching schedule. Thechances look good that will be there.Best Regards, PaulTaking a rest while shopping in Roatan, Honduras

Dear Peace Corps Friends:Dan ReardonI hope that this year finds you all well. 2010 was for me a major transitional year full of new beginnings.The major issue of the year was find stable and regular employment. The recession was not kind to thepractice of dentistry. So, presently, I am working fulltime for the Maryland National Guard. I find it oddthat at the end of my career, I have been working for the Army, when at the beginning, I was workingwith the Peace Corps.However, the major joy of the new year was that on August 18th, I got remarried to a lovely woman,Jutta, who was born in Germany, but came to the United States with her family in 1957. Her dad workedwith Werner von Braun at Peenemunde, and came to the United States to work at the Aberdeen ProvingGround. She was also a PeaceCorps Volunteer in Niger, thusone of the major connectionsbetween us.Last year in the late winter, Ihelped Jerry Gorman with hisdental care so that he couldreturn to Africa as a PeaceCorps Volunteer. Who wouldhave thought that over 40 yearsago, I would have been lookingdown Jerry’s throat and workingon his teeth. But it was a sincerepleasure for me to be part ofJerry’s effort to return to Africa.Over the last decade, I have beeninvolved in a project of building a grammar school in Douala with my own money. I am now in contactwith the Peace Corps to see whether or not this school can become part of one of its projects, and I ambeginning to look for private funding. I want to dedicate the school to the spirit of my son, Daniel, whoafter his year of traveling through Europe came to believe that the only way to end war and killing wasthrough education. I would like to make this a model school for education and computer sciences. Ialso hope to travel to Cameroon this year, and after I retire, I may teach there. Now, wouldn’t that be areturn to the days of my youth!I have completed writing a book about my son titled, “Conversations with My Dead Son”, and I am lookingfor a publisher. I have written a monogram in ethics and dentistry called “To Hell in a Handbasket – anAccount of a Profession Going Over the Cliff”. And I have begun a third book forthose of us still seeking some sort of fountain of youth – this I’m calling “The AgelessWarrior – a Fitness Manual for Men of Any Age”. It is amazing to read the stuff thathas been written about health and aging going back to the early 1900’s.I began writing this on January 21st – fifty years earlier JFK gave his inauguraladdress. It seems as if it were just yesterday, and many of us did heed the call tobe of service. I have the poster of JFK at the University of Michigan announcinghis plans for a Peace Corps. In the background of the poster, then Gov. Hatfield

Brenda & Bill RemmesDear Peace Corps Friends,2010 has left us with many fond memories and we feel very fortunate in a time when others are struggling. It’sbeen a year when we’ve had the opportunity to see many of you either here at the Crossroads or closer to yourhome. That has been a pleasant surprise and thoroughly enjoyable. It has encouraged me to try to help createa venue for a reunion which I have already discussed with several of you. More about that at the end of thisletter.Bill turned 65 this year and reacted to the event as if a burden had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. Hesuddenly looked years younger. We celebrated with country western singers, BBQ and quite a wingding. Eventhe rain didn’t dampen our spirits. Since his first paper route at age ten, Bill has been working. That’s a lot ofyears, however, he has chosen not to stop …yet. Some weeks it’s a day-by-day decision. The medical practicehas undergone some dramatic changes in recent months but the option of retirement seems to have lightenedthe load.In May I finished my first novel after three years of writing and re-writing. I spent four months on a line-by-lineedit with a retired editor in my writing group who has provided invaluable insight. I owe her and others a greatdeal. In October I submitted it for the first time to an agent, and like Cinderella, a fairy godmother dropped anagent in my lap who then sold it too Penquin/Viking Publishing Company within two weeks. The Quaker Café,a Southern women’s fiction, (not a romance), is scheduled for a print date of Winter 2013. Two years out seemsfar far away, but perhaps I can have a second novel ready for submission by that time. I fly to NYC in Januaryto review edit requests. What an incredible twist in my life.Granddaughter Genevieve turned five, Grandson Mack turned one. We were all together with their moms anddads for the week after Christmas; the first such reunion in three years, delightfully exhausting. It was wonderfulto have everyone here but I admit a long sigh of relief when the last guests departed yesterday. I think I did morecooking in one week than I’ve done in the entire year; well, maybe not, but it felt like it.Nick, Katy and Genevieve still live in cold cold Rochester, MN, and feel like a permanent position seems promisingonce Nick completes his fellowship in May. Mayo just approved the development of a Proton Therapy Centerwhich feeds right into Nick’s training. He’s been given numerous reassuring nods, although offers won’t be madefor another couple of months.Bank of America has transferred all of their traders to NYC and Evan, Lexa, and Mack are choosing to stay inLondon. We regret that Charlotte, NC, is no longer an option for them but it provides us with an annual tripabroad which we combined with a wonderful visit with Jim, Carlo, Karen and Michel in France in September.Great fun and a wonderful opportunity to renew and build on our history with the Slamas. We spent valuable timediscussing our roles as grandparents. It seems we all have similar challenges.Bill and I are good… a little grayer. Things creak a bit. Hearing and eyesight are sometimes discriminatory, andmid-day naps are becoming a necessity, but we have no complaints.Regarding a reunion…Several of you have already responded to my initial e-mail asking who would be interested in meeting in SouthCarolina at the Crossroads. It looks like a “go.” I believe we have ample bedroom space to accommodateeveryone who comes. If someone specifically wanted the privacy of a hotel room, there are plenty in Sumter,which is about 14 miles away. (That’s 14 miles with no stop lights or stop signs at 60 mph.) As we get closer tothe date and I have a better feel of who really is coming I can offer suggestions. Here in our Serenity Circle wehave six extra beds. My mother is ½ mile away with 3 extra bedrooms, and my cousin who lives in the old familyplantation (a true haunted house) has three extra bedrooms. I have an uncle who lives 10 miles away with fiveextra bedrooms and enough stories to entertain you through the night which he will want to do – a true southernexperience. I think we would be covered.I am putting October 7, 8, and 9th down on my calendar. My understanding is that “if” Connie could possiblycome, it would only be that weekend. Carl has expressed an interest in driving down the Blue Ridge Parkwayand enjoying the fall colors. They are usually at their peak the first week in October. “Usually” by that time thesummer heat has subsided and temperatures would allow us to enjoy the outdoors.

People could arrive on Friday the 7th. Florence, SC, is usually the closest and cheapest airport even though youhave to change planes in Charlotte. It’s about 45 min. away and we could pick you up. Do not be fooled andchoose to fly into Charlotte over Florence. IT IS USUALLY CHEAPER TO CHANGE PLANES IN CHARLOTTEAND FLY INTO FLORENCE.For those coming from the NYC area, there is a really cheap flight on Spirit Airlines from NYC to Myrtle Beachwhich is about an hour and a half away. Charleston, SC and Columbia, SC are also about an hour and a halfaway, although Florence almost always beats the cost price wise. Charlotte is the farthest and not necessarilythe least expensive, nor the easiest airport to get in and out.I’ll figure out food. Figure $100 per person for food and I might be able to throw in a country western singer fordinner on Saturday night. We can work all of that out at a later date.I look forward to seeing you all in 2011. I’m attaching some pictures, but will leave it up to Paul as to which onesor how many he can include. Thank you, Paul, for this undertaking. Those of us who have done it know it is nosmall task.Brenda

Jim Verschueren & Carlo NittoliBill, Brenda, Jim, Karen, and MichelBrenda, Jim, and KarenKaren & Michel Slama

FÊTE 2011 is dedicated to the memory of ourbeloved friend, David R. Massey.David R. Massey (1946 - 2010)David R. Massey, 63, of Jacksonville, died Saturday afternoon, Dec. 4, 2010, at his home.He was born Dec. 16, 1946, in Jacksonville, the son of Russell and Ruth A. PattersonSummers Massey. He married Alice R. Benz on Oct. 12, 1985, at St. John’s Catholic Churchin Carrollton, and she survives.He is also survived by his daughter Renée M. Massey of Evanston,Ill.; two sisters, Doris Summers Rigor (deceased husband, Clifford)of Chatham and Janet (Don) Massey Vosberg of Dovray, Minn.; abrother, John (Darlene) Summers of Springfield; and several niecesand nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; four sisters,Frances Summers Holt Edmonds (surviving husband, Gene of Phoenix),Betty (James) Summers Allen, Lucille (Earl) Summers Poe and VirginiaSummers Houston; and a brother, Richard (Lynda) Massey.David graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1965, from Western Illinois Universityin 1969, served in the Peace Corps in Cameroun, Africa, 1970-1972, teaching Englishto the French speaking people, was a Jacksonville Youth Soccer coach, served on theboard of the Jacksonville Symphony and Big Brothers Big Sisters, and was treasurer of theJacksonville Bicycle Club. David was awarded Big Brother of the Year in 1977. He was thefirst to receive the award twice. In 1987, he was Big Brother of the Year and Alice was BigSister of the Year.He was employed by Hertzberg New Method Book Bindery for 34 1/2 years, retiring inDecember 2006 for health reasons. He was a core member for organizing IBPAT LocalUnion 2007 in 1985, serving as treasurer-financial secretary for nine years.He was baptized at Centenary United Methodist Church, was in the first RCIA (Rite ofChristian Initiation of Adults) at Our Saviour Parish, made his Profession of Faith in 1990.He made Cursillo 134 in Quincy December 4-8, 1994. He enjoyed being with his family,gardening, classical music, traveling, bicycling, news and movies.Funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Church of Our Saviour inJacksonville, with burial at 3:30 p.m. at St. John’s Cemetery in Carrollton. The family willmeet friends at Williamson Funeral Home Wednesday, beginning with a prayer serviceat 2:45 p.m. until 7 p.m. Memorials may be made to the OSS/RCHS Fine Arts BoosterClub, Our Saviour Parish, or Jacksonville Cursillo. Condolences may be left online at www.airsman-hires.com.Published in Jacksonville Journal-Courier on December 7, 2010

Dear Friends from Each to Each,David and Alice MasseyI was looking over the calendar of 2010 I saw when the weather was too bad to get David out in thewinter months to go to Mass on Sunday. When the weather was good, we were on the go!The last time David was out on his own was October 4, 2008, when he went looking for me. I wasasleep on the bed. He was found at 8:15 AM, 6 hours after I started looking for him and the police werelooking. He was in the vacant lot west of us on a bed of pine needles from the trees. If I had walkedour dog Stocking a little further, I may have found him about 4 AM.He was able to walk down and up the four steps inside the back door until the end of October. I calledthe paramedics for help to get him inside three times. The first pair came and were back again the thirdtime. The second pair told me they had picked him up once before - out in the empty lot! They came toget him off my lap as I sat in the car Oct. 31 after a long ride on a beautiful day. He’d move his left footfirst and I didn’t know why he wasn’t moving. So I sat in the car and pulled him back on my lap. Theguys got him up and I saw he had his right heel on his left foot. Nov. 7, I pulled a folding chair downthe steps, hooking the walker leg under the seat. David knew he was to have his feet on the steps, hesat on the chair, feet on steps!We went to Mass weekly, potluck dinners, a fish dinner, Cursillo closings and Ultreyas, funerals, abenefit auction and lunch, a Mardi Gras party at friends, a going away party, Catholic Daughters ofthe Americas meetings, an ice skating show, shopping, visited his brother and sister-in-law John andDarelene, rides through the country, a birthday party, school plays, a graduation party in Leslie, Missouri,St. John School alumni dinner in Carrollton, a baby shower, a chicken and roast beef church dinner,the Family Fun Festival, an ice cream social, the Benz family reunion, and met Renée in Decatur anhour away 3 times. The Catholic Daughters Kitchen Band revived from the 1960s and he enjoyed thepractices and our performance at a benefit.I called David my little boy years ago. Little did I know that he would become a little boy. He didn’ttalk, walk, or feed himself. In the last two years I did everything for him, bathed, shaved, dressed, fedhim. I am so glad to have done this for my Love. Ruth, who sat with him on Thursdays while I did hair,said she could see the love in his eyes for me.Renée was G.A.M.E.S. Camp director this year at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.She was the assistant director last year. She got the job after graduation in 2009 as a mechanicalengineer. She made good friends in school and in the office the 14 months she worked there. Shebegan working in September at Federal-Mogul where car parts are manufactured. She is in CustomerAssurance. She lives in Evanston, Illinois, a 4 ½ drive from here. Her morning drive to work in Skokieis about 15 minutes. She has friends within an hour drive of her apartment.David and I were a good team in our 25 years of marriage! I didn’t think he did much with Renéewhen she was little. How wrong was I! We got the video camera, a bit reluctantly on his part, “A videocamera won’t build our house!” He was thinking of the $1200 it cost. “Renée won’t be little long!” Heenjoyed watching our own “This Old House” come together. I filmed a lot of David and Renée together.My time on film was when I set it up while he was at work. Laughter and memories! We are so gratefulfor David’s full life.Renée was home the week of Thanksgiving, left that morning to eat with friends near Chicago. Shewas back a week later on Thursday, December 2. When the hospice nurse called, she was readyto head home. I told David she would be here at 7 PM. She was here at 4:00. David received theSacrament of the Sick on Tuesday morning. We had a Massey video marathon that began on Tuesday

with our wedding. We watched 8 years of Christmas time and heard, “ Happy Birthday, dear David,” inone of them. I wish we had watched them more often years ago. But I think this was meant to sendDavid with these memories. It was good for all of us! David’s last breath was at 5:10 PM, December4, with Renée and me at his side. Rest in peace, David.Most of our friends did not know David was in the Peace Corps. His visitation gave a glimpse into hislife. FETE booklets were checked out and 2 shirts made of African cloth were displayed. We had hisbicycle and his Easy Riders jacket with the patches on it of sanctioned bicycle rides. Five 2’x3’ photoboards with stories Renée had written were displayed. Some of his favorite things were on a tableincluding RC Cola, popcorn, cashews, corn chips, and Tchaikovsky CDs.His funeral visitation was on December 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and his funeralMass was on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Renée’s 24th birthday. She was OK with this soshe got a cake to serve at the funeral dinner.I gave the eulogy and began, “I smiled all day on our wedding day. This smile is a continuation ofthat day.” I’m still smiling for David’s happiness with God in heaven.The weeks have gone by quickly as I surround myself with the cards and memorial gifts and thinkingabout this letter. Sorry for the delay as I thank all of you for your friendship and for the representationof the Peace Corps Volunteers in Cameroun by Brenda, as David referred to her as the “mother” of thegroup for getting the From Each To Each letter started to keep all of you together and for Jim servingas a pall bearer. Thank you, Carl, for the story David wrote about his time in Akola. I did not meet himuntil October 17, 1984.David heard me read the e-mail on December 2 about the reunion. He knows that Renée and I areplanning to join all of you in October in the Crossroads, South Carolina.“Peace on earth will stay when we live Christmas every day.” It’s from a little banner by my computer.May all of you and your families be blessed by the Christ Child as we celebrate his birth and throughoutthe new year 2011.Joyeux Noel! Alice and Renée MasseyDavid, Renee, and Alice Massey in 2010 David at age 63 in December, 2009

Alice and David Massey’s wedding, October 12, 1985

Steve & Janie RoddFriends,From the RoddsJanie and I were very sad to hear that David had died at the end of this year and we wish Alice andRenee peace, solace and joyful recollection in the new year as they mourn the loss of their husbandand father. He was a very good man. I have fond memories of the times, as relatively few as they mayhave been, that I spent with him, and certainly the bright patches he contributed to the rich crazy quiltof our disparate but durable PC group will remain vibrant. These pictures go back to the very beginningof that group.2010 for me was otherwise marked after January by the absence of the Vivendi trial, which we won forthe most part. However, much of the value of the verdict was, unless we prevail in distinguishing ourcase, later carved away by the Supreme Court in an entirely different case in which it held that foreignand possibly even U.S. shareholder plaintiffs could not sue under U.S. securities fraud statutes unlessthey purchased their shares on a U.S. stock exchange, regardless of the extent of illegal conductor financial effect in this country. We are still waiting for post-trial decisions from our judge and theprospect of months of appeals after that.Janie and I took advantage of the relative freedom I had post trial to travel to Tanzania and Rwanda,primarily for safari and gorilla trekking. Also visited second cousin Joshua Rodd in Kigali, where heand his wife were working in a health services program sponsored by Tulane. Joshua had been in thePeace Corps a several years ago and was evacuated in 2004 from the Ivory Coast after that country’sdescent from stability and economic development turned to violent civil conflict.We also spent a few days in Provence at the birthday celebration of our friend Helen Sak, who withhusband Bob had rented a marvelous mas near St Remy-de-Provence, and then to Prague to revisitthat great city and Janie’s relatives in that neighborhood.Farrell is settling into her job at Grey Advertising’s Healthcare Group in NYC and finally-- I mean recently-- moved to her own apartment in Brooklyn, which we are-- I mean she is-- enjoying very much. Actually,we do miss her here and in fact, given how hard and late she has been working we hardly saw hereven when she was living with us. She is also a great cook and dog walker and that we certainly miss.Zachary remains in San Francisco where he works as an analyst at Hall Capital Partners. He passedhis third and final Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam this year, achieving this credential in recordtime while working full time at Hall. Good work, Zachary. He is now thinking about an MBA.Janie is still working as Co-director and Supervisor of Audiology in the Children’s Hearing ResearchProgram at Einstein College of Medicine, and is enjoying some pioneering work with cochlear implantsfor children. Take a look at this recent Einstein publication on that program: http://www.einstein.yu.edu/home/fullstory.asp?id=599. We anticipate the long awaited completion of her thesis on this subjectsometime this year, maybe.Best wishes to all. Amicalement. Steve and Janie1140 5th Avenue New email address:Apt. 10-Astrodd47@gmail.comNew York, NY 10128and blackberry email:212-423-0545 home srodd@abbeyspanier.com646-249-0503 cell212-889-3700 office

This is David’s entry in the 1969 Peace CorpsTrainees Francophone TEFL Programgroup bio booklet, the cover of which lookedlike this.▲ And in the student teaching phase at the end ofthe stage at La Pocatière, David, Greg, Jim and Ishared basement quarters in the Plourde family homeand enjoyed the bike ride to and from the school inRiviere Ouelle. ▼▲ Here is one picture from that LaPocatière stage.◄ This last one is a rather hazy pic fromthe school break trip that many of us“southerners” took to the North to theKapsiki and the Waza game preserve.Wonderful times, shared with wonderfulpeople.

Merrilie BenthinDear friends,Thick fresh white snow and eerie pale sky remind me why hibernation is more comforting thanactivity these winter days. Lots of good books and dvds delight and distract but hardly fit the perennialGood Intentions Of Productivity for the New Year---shaping up, writing more, travelling more. We’llsee.Shake-ups in the lab have cut hours and gotten rid of several “old-timers”, replacing them withstudents. I was sorry to see colleagues let go and feel grateful to have some work still. This past yeara number of French-speaking Africans have come through the GRCC Writing Lab doors, including ayoung fellow from Douala.I enjoy a weekly French conversation group with local Francophiles, and students remindedme of all the great French music on youtube, . Getting to the college pool three days a week beforework is one of my treats as is attending local theatre productions. This while other friends, retired orsemi, gallivant around the entire world. (You know who you are.) I did finally get a new passport butonly got as far as two spring weeks in California (including Renoir and lunch with Paul in L.A.) and twoChristmas break weeks in Texas. Chris lives in San Antonio, so there was a visit to see him-- Christmaslights along the Riverwalk, the Alamo-- and a week in Galveston.Adji loves his morning walks in Riverside Park in all seasons—and loves this bracing occasionallyzero weather. His fan club of wildlife in the park has been documented and most of his social connectionsare with other regular walkers. Fascinated by many topics he studies much of the time and analyzesEverything.Grand Rapids made national news with its second September ArtPrize which was rather fun—two weeks of visiting art projects scattered all over town…. the weather cooperated so it livened thingsup and made for an unusual amount of evening downtown traffic. A number of summer visitors earlierhad me looking at our local museums and sights with fresh eyes. Pleasant if not wildly exciting….although one will be an enthused guide for the family group next June when the family reunion comesto Grand Rapids in honor of my mother’s 90th birthday. Mom is doing quite well but reluctant to travelfar and wide (no more European jaunts for her!), doesn’t like to fly on her own either any more, but shecherishes the memories and sketches of many trips. She has been working on her life story for overtwo years, for family and for StorySpinners.I’ve been telling African folktales lately and personal stories—including some of you ascharacters—of the distant days of Quebec, Cameroon, and Edea’s Champs-Elyssees. To celebratethe 50th anniversary I am telling African stories at two local schools as well as at monthly StorySpinnerconcerts and Festival in June.Despite national and international turmoil, this has been a quiet year personally with time to reflect.I am grateful for many blessings.Best wishes for love, peace, joy to each of you for a wonderful year in 2011!Merrilie

Dear Friends,Time to get in under the wire. Things remain much the same as a year ago and that's a lot to be gratefulfor. All of us have jobs and meaningful ones at that. My grandkids are fabulous and why don't I knowhow to do pictures. I got a great trip to Mexico to spice up life and my beloved Giants gave me a WorldSeries Championship. I love to read the e-mails that show how much you support each other in thesadness and joy that makes up the fabric of life. That close connection never happened with my own1964 Cameroon group. I think this letter is the difference. If you love great truths and the challengeof finding purpose in this life told through amazing myths, stories and metaphors, I highly recommendMichael Meade and his book Fate and Destiny. He has great tapes too. Just an amazing storytellerwho drums as he tells stories from around the world including our beloved Africa. I wish for all of youjust what you want to attract.Love MargoMargo TabetExcerpt from the introduction of Fate and Destiny: The TwoAgreements of the Soul by Michael MeadeFate, Destiny, and GeniusFate inscribes an area or territory that we are bound to enter. Destiny involvesfinding a way out or a way through exactly those areas and aspects thatconstrain the vitality of our lives. Fate places us in specific contexts wheremeaning and purpose can be explored. Wherever we brush against the limitsof our fate we also stand near the doors of our destiny. When we face our fatein life we also begin to move it and when fate moves destiny moves closer.Only from the ground of destiny does an individual life make sense. Takentogether, fate and destiny are purpose seen from the other end of life.We have an appointment with destiny but must suffer the disappointments offate in order to arrive there. Fate would stop us in our tracks and strip us tothe bone so that we might discover the essential imagination and sense ofmeaning and purpose that lies at the core of our lives. When we ignore thelimits of fate and the hints of destiny we tighten the unconscious web of ourlives. Eventually, we make our lives fixed, settled, and intractable. Thus, weseal our own fate and ignore our hidden destinies.Fate can mean "it has been written," yet the inner story that our fate inscribes is a living text and breathing recordthat is open to interpretation and subject to change. Fate is the story of our lives unfolding from within us. Whenlife is fully lived fate functions more as an oracle needing interpretation than a pre-determined outcome. Shiftingfate and finding the destiny within it is part of the art of truly living and of living truly.Fate and destiny are close woven within us and near them can be found the true genius of our lives. Geniusrefers to the inborn spirit and innate style of each person, the "spirit that is already there." The natural geniusin us protects and reminds us of the innate gifts we carry and of a primary agreement our souls have made todeliver those gifts to the world. The soul arrives gifted and aimed and dedicated to fulfilling its first agreementwith life. However the labor of being born and the necessity of entering the realm of time and expediency causesus to forget the divine errand that the soul agreed to fulfill.This book is about the first agreement of the soul and its divine errand; it's about the mystery of fate speakingeverywhere and the possibility of destiny appearing anywhere. It's a collection of stories both personal andmythical, for those are the texts that give texture and shape to the mysteries of fate and destiny. The idea behindthe book is that it might help people find the ways that the threads of fate hold and aim them at the ground wheredestiny can be found.

"Wonderful times,shared with wonderfulpeople."-Steve RoddDesigns by Charlie Blanchard