THIS IS E-NOTICE 2000-3 OF OCTOBER 25, 2000

Hello Hornets!

Here are some items that might be of interest:

1.  NEW WEB SITE.  When you get a chance, take a look at the absolutely beautiful re-design of the Foundations web site by our Webmaster, Bill Thomas (77).  Many thanks, Bill!  The web site is at www.surrattsville.org.  (Bill encourages ORCs to submit Class-specific info for inclusion on the web site.  Bill notes that text should be in Word, WordPerfect or plain text, in that order of preference, and that images should be in jpg, gif, TIFF or bitmap, in that order of preference.  Bill also encourages each of you to send him - at bthomas77@surrattsville.org - comments about any problems you encounter with the web site.)

2.  HOMECOMING 2000.  The Foundations float (i.e., decorated car) in the Homecoming 2000 parade received a very warm reception from the parade organizers and the sizable crowd along the parade route.  Actually, the parade was quite substantial, and lots of fun.

3.  PAY IT FORWARD.  Many of us have been reminded about Surratts principals, faculty and staff who made a significant positive impact on our lives.  Why not consider making a contribution to the Foundations Principals/Faculty/Staff Memory Fund in memory of one or more of those individuals whose kindnesses helped you along your way?  I cant think of a better way to pay it forward.

4.  ORCs NEEDED.  We need Official Reunion Contacts for the following Classes: 96-99, 92, 93, 86, 60, 55, 46, 42, 38, 29-36, and 07-27.  Any volunteers?

5.  CONGRATULATIONS DAVE MONIZ (76)!  Keep your eyes peeled for Dave Moniz (76) by-lines in USA Today.  Congratulations, Dave!

6.  AERIAL VIEWS.   Okay, I dont want all you Hornets playing around on the internet on work time or anything, but I thought those of you a long way from our humble home town might get a kick out of going to GlobeXplorer.com, and into the GlobeXplorer Viewer, where you can enter any address and get a rather grainy satellite photo from approximately 200 nautical miles.  Dear old New Surratts is on there at 6101 Garden Drive, Clinton, MD 20735, for example.

7.  PHOTO BOOK UPDATE.  The relentless efforts of our Photo Book Coordinator, Gill Thompson Harry (71), have finally resulted in the Photo Book company adding many (but unfortunately not all) of the candid photos you sent in to the Photo Book.  The company has produced a revised proof including the candids, and Gill has returned it to the company with her final comments.  Hopefully, well all have our Photo Books soon which, thanks to Gill, will include many candids as well as the head shots.  Thanks, Gill!

8.  DIRECTORY UPDATE.  Our Directory Coordinator, Leslie St. Clair Smith (70), has been tirelessly entering the Directory info that folks have been sending in constantly since this Summer.  Leslie is now preparing to have the Directories duplicated and mailed out.  Shes expecting that the mailing will be complete by this time next month.  Thanks, Leslie!

9.  CLASS OF 90 REUNION.  Virginia Kreamer (90), gin314@erols.com, 240-375-7320,  reports that the Class of 90 is having its ten year reunion on October 28, 2000.  Please contact Virginia immediately if youd like to attend.

10.  STAMPING OUT BREAST CANCER.  Charlie Rodgers (70) sent along this interesting item:

It would be wonderful if 2000 were the year a cure for breast cancer was found!  As you may be aware, the US Postal Service recently released its new "Fund the Cure" stamp to help fund breast cancer research.  The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. It is important that we take a stand against this disease that kills and  maims so many of our mothers, sisters, friends.  Instead of the normal $.33 for a stamp, this one costs $.40.  The additional $.07 will go to breast cancer research.  A "normal" book costs $6.60.   This one is only $8.00.  It takes a few minutes in line at the Post Office and means so much.  If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $16,000,000 for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support.  What a statement it would make if the stamp out sold the lottery this week.  What a statement it would make that we care.  I urge each of you to do two things today:  1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps.  2. E‑mail your friends to do the same.  Many of us know women and their families whose lives are turned upside‑down by breast cancer.  It takes so little to do so much in this drive.  Please help!  Thank you!

11.  MORE PRYDEFUL REMINISCENCES.

Jim Glass (53), a very successful artist who lives in New York, just had a 30-year retrospective of his work that was featured in the New York Times.  Jim was nice enough to send the following note when he read about Rosa England Bolens memories of her late brother Donald England and about the Principals/Faculty/Staff Memory Fund: Please thank Ms. Bolens for her comments of love and caring that John Pryde, our inspirational Principal, always seem to wish to perpetuate in our own lives.  I'll always treasure what John Pryde wrote in my yearbook: Dear Jim, Hitch yourself to a star and you can go any where you want to go.  And I did just that.  With John Pryde's message stuck in the craw of my throat, I dragged myself out of abject poverty to become a successful artist.  I truly believe that John Prydes message of hope -- that nothing is impossible   was a powerful influence on me.

Clint Gorman (41) wrote: I wonder how many remember when, in 1941,"downtown Clinton"  (the intersection of Old Branch Avenue and Piscataway Road) consisted of Millers grocery store and their feed and seed store across the road?  At that time, our business teacher at the old Surrattsville High, Mr. Rosevich, a bachelor, roomed and boarded at the old Surratt house just down the road. He went on to serve as General Patton's secretary during WW II.

Helen Bovbjerg Niedung (54) wrote: Just a note in response to Rosa England Bolen's letter.  I also have many fond memories of Mr. Pryde included in the many fond memories of my six years at Surrattsville.  I remember well when Donnie England was killed at Thanksgiving time and I remember Jim Shawley.  I believe Jim was at Surrattsville just for those few months before the accident.  At some point, he appeared in the movie "Stalag 17" and I often wondered if he made a carreer of acting. [A small correction from Rosa: It actually was Jim Shawley's brother that was in Stalag 17, the very young, very blond kid (you can't miss him)].  In 1953‑54, Mr. Pryde's niece, Barbara Black, attended Surrattsville and was  graduated with our class of '54.  The three boys that drowned in February of '53 were in our class:  Alton Burgess, Richard Ryon, and Merle Folsom.  As far as I can remember, the mystery as to how it could have happened was never solved‑‑ as they were all good swimmers.  It was a school‑year of terrible tragedies!   Our class was small anyway, and then, we were just 44 for graduation.  Mrs. Jean Moorehead, music teacher, became my "guiding light" at Surrattsville. It is because of her that I went on to study at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N. Y. and then realized my dream of becoming a professional singer‑‑in Germany, where I sang opera, operetta and concerts during my 20 years of living there.  Currently, in addition to singing concerts, I am a Professor of Voice at our local college in Ft. Myers, Florida, maintain a private Voice Studio in Cape Coral, FL and am Director of Music at a Congregational Church.  Mrs. Moorehead worked with me after school to teach me voice and piano and so much more‑‑I called it her my "obstacle course".  She sometimes had me learn a new song over night and perform it for assembly by memory the next day.  I think of Mrs M. so often when I sing songs that she taught me so many years ago and that I have sung countless times since.  I am forever grateful to her for taking me under her wing and guiding me to the path that I have taken and that has given me so much happiness in life.

Lynn Schwesig (64) wrote:  As I remember Surrattsville, these were some of the ideals that were instilled by the faculty and administration, particularly Mr. Pryde.  So true.... Hard to believe this was written by a high school student. So well written, and so very true...A Columbine High School student wrote: The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but less solutions; more medicine, but less wellness. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.  We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.  These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.  These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to pass it on ... or just ignore it.