Comments

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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson October 9, 2011 at 12:56pm

  Sorry this took so long- I am an adjunct art professor. I teach both studio and art history classes all over the place, three HCC campuses and Eckerd College in St. Pete. Sometimes U.T. I'm too old to be hired to a tenure track position (art academics is covertly but profoundly ageist), so I teach at lots of places just to make some bucks. I was in health care for 20 years- I should have gotten my health admin. masters instead of an M.F.A. but I was totally sick of health care- my last 4 years, I was an administrator, and the job just ate me up. Hans got laid off Aug. 2007 from a really high paying engineering position, after almost a year- he did land another job (environmental engineering is one of the hardest hit areas in our lovely new economy) and is making about 30% of what he made before- thus all of my adjunct jobs. I will have a small pension from the state of Florida, and I'm actually hoping to add a little more time to it, but there's no way we could retire before our mid-sixties. Yuck.

  So, how in the world did you go from turtles to fire as your area of expertise?

  The reunion was fun, but there were really only 4-5 folks I actually cared about seeing (and you didn't come, darn it) and the rest of it was just a waste of time. I go to enough parties as is (usually art related stuff), I don't need to hang out with a bunch of folks that I have nothing in common with besides a very short period in my ever growing history.

  Do you remember loaning me the book "The Collector" by Fowles? Boy, that one blew me away. I also remember you had a big crush on Roxanne. I also think you were the only other person who rode a bicycle to school for the first Earth Day?
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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson September 18, 2011 at 8:04pm

  Richard,

  I am sure you were out there consulting on fires (somehow, the guy who loved explosions and taught me how to make a stink bomb seems oddly appropriate for this line of work) but I really missed you at the reunion. It was a lot of fun, but I doubt I'd go to the fiftieth, assuming I'm still alive. If you get to Florida, even Withalacochee (urk, sp), let me know. I'd actually travel to see my old and dear friend who wrote the epistle on the essential nature of heated toilet seats in winter.
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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson April 27, 2011 at 10:17pm

  So much for my brilliant memory. So, you are still working fires, now that is a perilous job. I bet every now and then you miss the turtles.
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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson April 22, 2011 at 12:15pm

  About your middle name- I have a vague memory that it is a family name, maybe your mother's maiden name? And, I'm going out on a limb here, some relationship to James Monroe?
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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson April 22, 2011 at 12:13pm

  Hey Richard- Happy Earth Day!

  I remember writing about the first one for the school newspaper, and forcing my parents to buy me a bike so I could ride it to school that day. If I remember correctly, you were the only other person to celebrate it with me? Or did Mr. Matthews do something too?
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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson April 2, 2011 at 10:52pm

  Just sometime in September- there are only a few folks I'd like to see, and you, Richard Monroe Bryant, are one.
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  Catherine (Cat) Thompson April 2, 2011 at 1:10pm

  Hey, if you Phyllis and Linda are going- I just might attend.
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  Phyllis Conley Salter February 7, 2009 at 3:27pm

  Hi Richard, Phyllis
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  Karen Clark Swain September 28, 2008 at 6:04pm

  Sounds like you had a great rafting trip! 21 days.... Wow! Glad you didn't have to do hurricane duty. Fortunately I didn't have to either, but most of the agents in my office did. I was lucky because it wasn't bad, and the shelters / distribution centers didn't stay open long. Katrina was another story.
  From the photos, I noticed you went to the previous reunion as well. I wish I hadn't missed that one. I wish they would post pictures from that reunion. Glad you were there so you could fill me in on the past 35 years and let me know that you ended up with a great career, and you and your family are doing well.
  I wish more of our classmates would sign up. I've wondered about many of them. This website will be a good way to keep up. Take care.