2013 Biographies

 

 

Gary G. Baker	Robert Mahnke
Barbara Biondolillo (Simmang)	David Nowak
Debbie Blakely (Oller)	Elizabeth Ogrodiwicz (Gurka)
Alice Bohlae	Judy Linkhart (Coe)
Trudy Brandt	Fred Orrell
Bruce Bruhn	Regina Osterhaus (Smith)
Brenda Burton	Donna Payne
Wayne Campbell	Twila Pirkle (Cooper)
Gary Champ	Gregg Reese
Karren Crick (Blake)	Connie Ringh ( Sanders)
Sterling Dickson	Steve Risley
Ricky Guzman	Dan Ryan
Tom Hardin	Melinda Reagor (Flannery)
David King	Darrel Taylor
Susan Kleinhenz (Holland)	Noel Truan
Hulda Lawrence ( Coskey)	George Wagner
Judy Linkhart (Coe)	Nina Wood (Daniel)
Michael Long	Mark Young

 

Gary G. Baker

Surrounded by women, Dogs included; ain't got a chance. I thank God for all that I have. I have been blessed and I'm very thankful that I 'm alive and here with my family. Looking forward to a great and fun reunion.

Barbara Biondolillo (Simmang)

As many of our fellow classmates that I remain close to, life has provided some interesting "growth opportunities", to say the least...LOL, but thru it all, I am very thankful for many good things, especially at this time.

Professionally, after 31 yrs. in banking, wearing many hats, but specializing in real estate lending & going thru buyouts & mergers, approx. 8 yrs. ago, I successfully transitioned to the title industry as Escrow Officer.

Debbie Blakely (Oller)

I've just turned 58 and it seems more than 40 years since I was 18. I am having the great pleasure of having the adventures more in the later years of my life than my years in high school. i get tickled that when I run into a former classmate that they may not recognize me immediately but when I start talking, they immediately say, 'Debbie, good to see you again?' I definitely have kept the Texas accent as I am constantly asked no matter what state I am in, "Where are you from?" In my senior year I drove a green vw and now I drive a silver 2500 diesel. I still can't park worth a hoot. I found out while in PA. that I am a flat lander who couldn't drive over 45 mph on my motorcycle. And although I enjoyed the straight flat road to South Dakota, I wasn't fond of the antelope that head butted the side of my truck. In '73 I considered that I was taking a road trip if I traveled to Galveston. Today I don't call it a long journey if I can get from point a to point b in three days. And, I swear that I can get so turned around that the Garmin lady wants to crawl out of her screen and scream at me, "frickin turn around now you dummie!" So, if you pass a silver truck pulling a 24 ft. Car hauler following a black dually pulling 40 ft fifth wheeler be sure to wave at Ollers on the move once again.

Alice Bohlae

Since I graduated I've been enjoying life, raising my family, traveling. Unfortunately, my dear, perfect third-husband died this past July of cancer. At the time he died, we had a house under construction on the back of our new property on Judiway Street....yes, I have moved back into the zip code into which I was born! So, now the house is complete and I am learning to live on my own for the first time. No children, no husband, just me. It's working out ok so far. My Mother sold my childhood home on Candlelight in January of this year and has moved into the small house on the front of my property. So now we have a family compound. At 87 she is still going fairly strong, but I am happy to have her so close....just not TOO close - she and I agree on that point. Oh yes, and one more life event to mention - this past October I became a great grandmother.

Trudy Brandt

worked 30 years for phone company. retired-2003. moved to Maine with husband in 2004. got divorced in 2011. moved back to Texas. home again.

Bruce Bruhn

I live in NW with my wonderful sister Deb and at this time my beautiful daughter Courtney. At one time I had 3 daughters and a wife here. So I have an excuse to be a bit crazy. My parents are gone but our family my brother Scott and sister Linda and Deb are the closest brothers and sisters of any family I know. I am so blessed to have that. That and a little half pug half Chihuahua named Maggie that goes to work with me to Home Depot to the auto parts everywhere with me. The most perfect companion in the world.

Brenda Burton

ATT - 22 years. Retired.
Real Estate - second career and loving it. Heights, Spring and Woodlands area.

Wayne Campbell

Traveling a lot with my company, for the last ten years, I have been living in Saudi Arabia, plan to finish end of 2013, return home and retire

Gary Champ

Graduated from Southwest Texas State University,
{NOT Texas State!},
in 1978 with roomie Gary Baker.
Have lived in Lake Travis area for 18 years.
Love the HIll Country.
Married to a Waltrip girl, Bobbi "Bailey", for 30 years this Summer.
Looking forward to seeing everyone for our 40th Reunion!

Karren Crick (Blake)

Immediately started working after graduation in Steno pool and/or Secretary. Have worked many years as Secretary at couple of companies in Houston. Got married in 1985. Have one son, and my parents died in 1994. Moved out to Atascocita (Humble, Kingwood area) in July 1997. I've worked retail and Church Nursery worker and/or Preschool teacher since then.

Sterling Dickson

After graduation moved to Lake Charles La. to attend McNeese State
and to help operate family  business. 40 years and many beers later
I am still here. Go Texans!!!

Ricky Guzman

Still SURFING ! ! !

Tom Hardin

Married to a wonderful woman, working for AIG for 23 years, have 4 great kids and two wonderful granddaughters. I live in Grand Praire, TX.

David King

Escaped Houston in 78 for Lake Travis, still there and still lovin it.

Susan Kleinhenz (Holland)

Met Mike Holland, fellow Waltrip '73 member, at our 10 year Reunion. We were married 8 months later and have been ever since. :) We are now empty nesters and we're lovin it!

I wasn't going to do this, but what the heck. After Waltrip graduation I went to Texas A&M (Whoop!!!) and graduated in May 1977. I immediately started work with Arthur Andersen & Co and became a CPA 2 yrs later. I was with AA&Co for 15 years. Now for the good story... I went to our 10 year reunion with a guy I had met at A&M and had been dating for 9 years. He did not want to go to this reunion with me so he was off in a corner pouting somewhere. Because I appeared to be "single" at the reunion, Mike Holland asked me to dance. The rest is history. Mike and I started dating, married that June and we're celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary this weekend. We have 3 "kids", Kyle (1986), Texas A&M class of '09, Tyler (1988) Harvard University Class of '10 , and April (1992) who will graduate from Texas A&M in May '14. Mike and I love to travel and have homes in Houston (Jersey Village) and on Lake Conroe. As in highschool, swimming is still my passion. I am a dedicated Masters swimmer and swim for The Woodlands Masters Swim Team, making the long commute to the Woodlands every day. That's something I can do without guilt now that I'm retired and an empty nester. :)

Hulda Lawrence ( Coskey)

Seen a lot, done a lot, cherish each and every moment! Have recently begun a new chapter in life...grandparenthood!! Love our precious, Reed. Life is good!

Judy Linkhart (Coe)

Work for AT&T for 33 years, also an Independent Distributor for "It Works".

Michael Long

Been on the mission field since 1997
Currently in Botswana Africa
1999 to 2011 was in Vanuatu south Pacific
Started and ran a Literacy school on the island of Santo.

Robert Mahnke

I still live in Oak Forest
Past President of Houston Buick Club
Attend local & semi local car shows
Drove my '86 Regal T Type to the Buick Nationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky last fall.
On race team with my son & 3 others, attend "Chump Car Series & 24HR LeMons" races
Attend Ram Jam monthly events (Waltrip Ram Alumni meet once a month @ T-Bones Sports Bar

 or the Corkscrew Wine bar)

David Nowak

The Company has had me visit, Mexico City, Venezuela, Trinidad, South Korea, the World of

Engineering can always have you in the "Garden Spots" of the World. Long non-illustrious  career at Fluor.

Elizabeth Ogrodiwicz (Gurka)

Larry and I have been together since 1971. We will be married 40 YEARS next year! (2014)

We enjoy family time and Church and our friends and traveling...
We Ocean Liner Cruise often, And frequent Walt Disney World Resorts and Parks, and DisneyLand Park and Resorts. Newest adventure will be Disney's Alauni Resort in Hawaii. We have traveled Europe several times.
Own my Travel Agency: Passport Adventure Travel, LLC.

Retired from The Walt Disney Company.
Current Certifications:
Certified Disney Specialist
Certified Australian Tourism Board Member
Certified Travel and Tourism Specialist
Certified Texas Para-Mutual Teller.
Owner of my Travel Agency:
Passport Adventure Travel, LLC

Fred Orrell

US Coast Guard 4 years
Married
Moved to Utah
Divorced and remarried 8 years ago
Working for computer graphics company since 1982
Lots of travel around the US and some world travel

Regina Osterhaus (Smith)

Worked as an LVN, secretary for several companies, scheduled oil in the piplines, married, children, went back to school for RN. Moved from Houston after marriage to Canada, Fort Worth, Arlington, St. Louis for 18 years, and back to Texas in 2010.

Donna Payne

Really? Since graduation? If you're interested, send me a decade and I'll summarize it. But give me a limit on word count so I don't obsess on the details and bore you to death. ;-)

Twila Pirkle (Cooper)

Graduated from UT Houston Health Science Center in 1977 with BSN. Nursing takes you many places. Served as Air Force Nurse (Captain) until 1985. Love to travel (India, Egypt, Amsterdam, England, Alaska, Caribbean). Returned to UTHHSC for MSN and Nurse Practitioner in 2005. Developed breast cancer in 2007, had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. I am a survivor- 5 years out now! I have taught nursing school at San Jacinto College for the past 20 years. I guess that makes me a professor.

Gregg Reese

I have lived in the Denver metro area since 1990. I am married (second time) to a Jan, a great lady from Montana and have a daughter, son and 2 step sons. All are great kids and are all out of the house and on their own!

We are building a house at the front range near the Red Rocks arena in Morrison, CO west of Denver. I run a small structural engineering consulting firm that specializes in bridges. I have been in business for 18 years. We do mostly work in Colorado and Texas and I get down to Texas often.

When I do get to Texas I usually end up in Austin where I went to college at UT. I play a lot of golf with Jon McMahon and Blake Johnson and visit all of my Oak Forest friends who live in Austin. My brother Gary just moved there from Clear Lake.

I look forward to the reunion. I usually make it every 10 years.

Connie Ringh ( Sanders)

Live in Houston since graduating, married and divorced, currently still single. Been involved with MDA, Toys for Tots, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and a member of a Judging & Calculation Group for Cook offs Worked allot and traveled a bit here and there. Life is good.
 

Steve Risley

moved alot, 5 states since graduation. got married in 77 in chicago, moved to atlanta in 84, got divorced in 97, met malinda in 03 been doing great since. we have a condo in bradenton fla we bought this summer, & love to be there as much as possible. If anybody is interested we have 2 weeks at the resort 66 which is on anna marie island we sell for 750.00 a week, they have a website so u can see the resort. its the 4th week in july & the 1st week in august

Dan Ryan

Still working in the oilfield as a completion consultant, raping Mother Earth with hydraulic fracturing.

Melinda Reagor (Flannery)

In 2008, we built onto our house to welcome my mother, who had decided she was no longer able to tend her house on Woodcrest where I grew up. We all (mostly!) enjoyed the new arrangement and were thrown by her accident in late 2010, from which she made a truly miraculous recovery. About 9 months later she began to show signs of congestive heart failure, then died peacefully Feb. 7, 2013. Our son Ben was devastated by her death and has had some struggles, but is finishing middle school in good shape this week.

Darrel Taylor

My wife and I have recently moved to our ranch full time now outside of Rosanky, purchased in 1979 ( Whispering Oaks Ranch ) raising Longhorns and Red Brangus 12 miles from Smithville, 17 miles from Bastrop is that helps

Noel Truan

After grad in 1973, I attended North Texas State Univ. for 2 years where I walked-on to play football. Met my wife (37 years) there. Moved back to Houston and started working for Combustion Engrg (petro-chem), then worked for Brown & Root at a Nuke Pwr plant in Glen Rose, Tx. Moved to Augusta, Ga in 1990 - present to work for the Savannah River Site - DOE complex. While in GA, went back to college and grad with a degree in Electronics from Southern Illinois Univ@ Carbondale at a military base in Ft. Gordon, GA. And yes I have been to the Masters Golf tournament many times. We have 2 sons both graduates at the Univ of Georgia. Jacob is a Dentist, married (Danielle) with our 1st grandchild (Nora, 8mos.). Robert (single) is a school teacher (band director) at a high school suburb of Atlanta. He will complete his masters in music Ed. this summer. My wife and I hope to retire in the next couple of years and live somewhere close to our sons and their family.

George Wagner

Well, let's see. Since graduating in '73, I attended and graduated from Rice University in '77 (along with James Baros and Randy Woelfel...Go Owls!). A month later, I went to work for Exxon Chemical Company in Baytown as a process design engineer, and 36 years later, I'm still there (now ExxonMobil Chemical Co.). I've had a lot of different assignments over the years, but the current one has allowed me to travel the world seeing places I only ever dreamed I would see and to meet interesting people from many different cultures/backgrounds (Right here in Houston, TX is still as good as it gets, don't let anyone ever try to convince you otherwise!). Destinations and sites I've visited include Russia - Red Square, China - the Great Wall, Egypt - the Pyramids at Giza, Korea, Thailand (best and cheapest golf anywhere), Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, Qatar and many European countries, all while living in the Houston area. I've only come close to moving once in the mid-90s to Singapore, but the "man" changed his mind at the last minute, after we

Personally, I married in '78, the first time, divorced had sold our house, and I moved to a different, new assignment in Houston. That fiasco cost me a swimming pool as reimbursement to Joni for not going to Singapore.in '91 and married Joni in '92. Our son Zach was born in 1995 and daughter Rebecca was born in 1997, which means we still have two in high school. I'm actively involved in my son's baseball organization, overseeing finances for 5 high school age teams and chased Becca around for years attending volleyball tournaments until she decided last year at 5'2 and a half", a future in volleyball wasn't in the cards for her. They are both good kids and good students for which I am grateful. I got way too involved in the formation and start-up of the 2nd Tomball ISD high school, Tomball Memorial, but somebody had to do it. Zach will be a part of the first graduating class in 2015 and Becca will be a part of the first class to attend all four high school years in 2016. After that, Joni tells me we are moving to somewhere with four real seasons, but she hasn't shared where that is yet.

Unfortunately, I'm currently scheduled to be on a plane to China on August 10th, but who knows, the "man" may once again change his mind. Maybe the mixer?

Nina Wood (Daniel)

Work, work, work and more work.
Not too much in 40 years, sad to say. Did go to Japan when first grandson was born.

Mark Young

I am a United Methodist Minister currently serving as the Director of Spiritual Care & Values Integration at Methodist Willowbrook Hospital in Houston.

I received a BA in Sociology from U of H in 1978. I completed a Masters of Theology Degree from Perkins School of Theology, SMU, in 1982. I received a Doctorate of Ministry degree in 2005 from the Houston Graduate School of Theology. I served United Methodist Churches as pastor until three years ago when I came to Methodist. We have a farm in NE Texas.