Be aware, the "Message Forum" is NOT password protected.  Unlike profiles that are password protected, anybody who gets to this webpage can see what is written here.  Nobody can contact you directly based on this forum unless you reveal your personal contact information.  Use the "Message Center" for sharing personal contact information with another classmate.

This message forum is an ongoing discussion about anything and just about everything ... within reason.  One thing our class was good at was having opinions.  Almost 70 years of life experience certainly qualifies us as experts on most everything!   Ask a question ... give an opinion ... share some insights ... it's our web site, it's our forum.  That said, it's probably not a good idea to get into arguments about politics, religion, and the like.  While we're experts on everything, we also have a wide range of values and beliefs. This site belongs to all of us ... the whole range ... and we are not here to isolate, alienate, or subjugate anybody.  Of course insults, humiliation, sophomoric barraggadocio, and demented humor is expected behavior among some of us less mature people.
 

Jim Cejka

Al,,

Outside of not being able to go to Disney, I hope you came through everything ok.

Garry Sellers

David Holm

Thanks for your concern Garry, Milton was big and mean and nasty but we came thru unscathed and never lost power mainly because our utilities are buried. Our kids lost power from a few hours up to a few days and some lost some screen panels from pool enclosures but no major damage. We gained a few new water hazards on the golf course. We had 3 inches of rain from Helene and over 12 inches of rain from Milton and Milton pressure washed my house, free! Always a silver lining.

Garry Sellers

Barbara Blair (Brenzel)

What a wonderful tribute to our Patti's husband. Russ!!  So glad this was posted!

Jim Cejka

With great sadness, I think the time has come to say good-bye and turn this thing off. Since that phone call many years ago, “Are you the Jim Cejka that went to Custer,” this site has provided many joyful moments, from reconnection with old friends and classmates, tons of memories, a bucket-list cross country train trip, and a great reunion, along with some tugs on the heart strings, and many laughs. Garry, aside from the occasional barbs, you put together an amazing site for all of us enjoy and open up our lives to. 

But, the “wonderful” computers and internet don’t always bring the knowledge and happiness we need and enjoy, Garry’s site excepted. Times change, things change. To keep from “going over to the dark side,” and to retain what “peace of (my little) mind” that I have left, I’m turning off - computers, the internet, tv, and stuff, and looking forward to (enter pleasant moments here). 

Thanks folks, it’s been really terrific.

So, as another Jimmy used to say “Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.”

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Oh, Jim, sorry to see you go. I don't get on the site often, but every visit that you post something, it's worth reading. And I do hear you about wanting to "check out", but we're still online, and would miss certain features. Never used any of the social media, so would be no loss there. But being so far from civilzation, we enjoy access to cultural events far away and we love sites that visit places that we've visited. Now that we no longer sail, it's great fun to keep up with a few sailing couples, some of whom are building new or re-fitting their old boats. Then there are the wonderful messages and emails that we get from the kids and from close friends. The convenience of being able to look up information about anything is amazing, and YouTube has guided more than one fix-it project here in the woods. And, how could we possibly survive without watching the Packers? ( no thanks, sports bars aren't my thing ).

So, I was going to say "let us know how this works out", but I guess if we never hear from you again, we'll know.  Be well.

Garry Sellers

What's this about Jim?  Is this because of the election outcome?  Or is something entirely different going on?  I have a couple of Nietzsche quotes for you.  First, "that which does not kill us makes us stronger."  But even more germane, "that which we seek to avoid controls us."  For whatever reason, if what you're saying is accurate, you're throwing away friendships because of something you're trying to avoid.  It's a pretty heavy price to pay for saying that the world has somehow disappointed you.  Crap, you're a guy who has spent most of his life trying to overcome adversity in one way or another, your medical career and helping others, going to war and putting your life on the line for others, as a first responder in numerous capacities.  I've counted on you for so long to help me keep this website fresh, entertaining and a joy to many of our classmates.  I didn't really know you at all back in our high school days but I have certainly come to admire you and enjoy you for the way you live your life.  And you can so casually dismiss all of that because of what?  WTF Jim!!!!!  I can't imagine another person who would surprise and disappoint me more than you throwing in the towel ... at this stage of our lives.

Hmmm, just thought about it some more Jim.  Do what you think you need to do but no matter what, I still love ya, respect ya, and wish you all the best.  You're the only one who can decide what's best for you.

William Nelson

We'll really miss you if you pull the plug, Jim. I found this site while looking for a picture of Custer the way it was when I graduated in January, 1961. Our Texas kids saw it while we were up there visiting my parents and other friends and family in the area.  The building had been modified and looked more like a fort than a school, so I wanted to show them what it used to look like. The first post I saw was from the late Tom Winslow. I'd been on the stage crew the entire time I attended Custer, so I knew several folks, like Tom, his younger brother, and Roger Pederson,  who had the same interest but were graduating at different times. We lived across the street from the old 36th Street school, so also knew some neighbors, like Ken Rabas, and his brother, Chuck. I asked Garry if I'd be allowed to join since, technically, I wasn't in the class of '62. He, graciously, made that happen. I've met some folks here that I wish I knew then. You and Garry are prime examples. The banter between you two has kept us entertained, especially when we needed a smile. Sometimes the internet brings us bad news, but there's usually something else that will offset those stories and help with the healing. Our main reason to stay on sites like Facebook, is to keep in touch with our spread-out family. Our two youngest boys were born and raised here in North Louisiana, but both, and their families, now live in the Houston area. There's a larger contingent still back in SE Wisconsin. Our daughter graduated from CHS in 1982 and our eldest son followed her in 1983. They each have kids and grandkids in that area. With the sole exception of my 80th birthday celebration last year, we seldom get to see them anymore. Until last year, we made an annual extended visit to that area. Last year, we decided it was time to quit making that two-day journey each way. This year, we hope to fly up for a couple of weeks and reaquaint ourselves with the whole bunch. I haven't flown for years, but Mary has gone back, twice, for her sisters' funerals. Her eldest sister is the only other surviving member of her immediate family, but she has a multitude of kin in the area. We understand that  the internet is a poor substitute for direct contact, but it beats nothing. We hope you'll find a way to stay in touch on occasion. Although we've never met you in person, we look forward to your periodic visits here, where you brighten the day for us and a lot of folks. If you actually pull the plug, we'll miss you greatly, but only you can decide what's right for you and yours.

Our best wishes and hugs to y'all!

Bill and Mary

Garry Sellers

I'm afraid Jim has written us all off as near as I can tell from his emails to me.  So on to more uplifting news.  I had the opportunity to visit with Rich Simone and his wife Julieanne today. He lives just a few miles from me in the middle of Silicon Valley.  Several of you have asked me if I knew how he is doing, knowing that Rich has been battling Parkinson's for at least 12 years.  And battling is a good word to describe Rich.  There are so many ways that horrible disease attacks the body and Rich does not give in to them without a valiant fight.  He has beaten the tremors through brain surgery, is still quite ambliatory and gets around well, only needing the assistance of a walker when going for longer walks. He participates in an activities center 3 days a week and is in constant contact with his large family which now includes 3 great grandchildren!  He got a chuckle out of the photos from our 80th Birthday Party lunch in September, especially Gordy in his chicken outfit.  He sends his greetings to all of his Custer friends.

Jim Cejka

Please bear with me. I have not written anyone off. I am having a problem right now, and have cut back on my social and outside contacts. The problem is mine, and in no way has anything to do with this Custer site, the people on it, or anything that has been written. The site, the humor, and the reconnecting, have been a joy all these years. I apologize if I have given any other impression. 

David Holm

Jim, things usually aren't as bad as imagined. Remember who is ultimately in control. "All things work for good........."

I hope you forgive my butting in but I felt compelled.

Gordon "Allen" Mitchell

Support of any kind is appreciated David!  
Hard to believe 80 years are "behind us"

Florida cheers! Happy Thanksgiving All!

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Garry, thanks for the update on Rich Simone, I had not been aware that my former NorCal neighbor had such serious issues and I wish him all the best and admire his courage. As to that wonderful human being Jim Cejka, God be with you in whatever you're dealing with, and hope to see you back here soon!

Garry Sellers

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Oh, Garry, I hear you about the aroma of a real tree - we just can't give that up, so instead we just get a smaller tree. No more wrestling with seven or eight feet of prickly needles. Last year's tree barely made it to my shoulder. This year about the same, but he's a blue spruce, so is absolutely gorgeous. Cut not far from here, he may be fresh enough to brave some candles, but we won't know until we check how much he has drunk. Another benefit of a small tree is that you need fewer decorations, so just select the very best ones or the ones with the most memories. Then it's easy to keep them all together and not lose them. Yes, I too spend lots and lots of time looking for things. And imagine - this house doesn't even have a basement.....think of how much trouble we'd be in if it did!

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.

William Nelson

I used to cover paper mills in a 5-state area. If you've spent time near one, you know the odors from the pulp mill can be pretty bad. I had a couple of Chevy Suburbans back then. Only time they smelled good was when we brought a real, live tree home at Christmas. Doesn't make any difference to me anymore, because I've lost my sense of smell completely. Same thing happened to my late boss, but we had other associates who never shared that problem, so don't blame it on the mills. 

If any of you have friends from the class of '59, you can pass along that my brother, Chris Nelson, died on 12/12/2024 in a hospital in Iron River, MI. 

Garry Sellers

See Nancy - I knew you and I could agree on something!  Two years ago we bought a real tree that was something less than 5 feet tall and put it on a small table so we could get presents under it more easily.  And it smelled naturally lovely.  Much easier to decorate.  But then my wife and the rest of my family kept extolling the benefits of an artificial tree, "Oh Garry, it has lights already on it.  No more having to struggle with them!"; "Oh Garry, it looks so natural you can hardly tell the difference and you only have to pay for it once (through the nose I might add)"; "Oh Grandpa, you're so old fashioned! (you little ingrates!)"!  So now I'm stuck with this monstrosity that weighs a ton, takes up space in my storage shed, has to be "fluffed" in order to get it to look like a real ltree and has to have a pine scented tree deodorant stick to make it smell like less than the hunk of plastic and metal it really is.

But speaking of old fashioned, can you imagine in days of old putting real candles on a dead pine tree?  How did they do that???  And I used to love pulling real lead tinsel apart in order to put one strand on a limb at a time, taking hours to do the whole tree.  Why was it band?  This plastic crap will never really replace lead!  Remember "reflectors" that we used to put around the lights?  They added to the beauty.  Recall how much heat they actually reflected?  Those old incondescent tree lights could get boiling hot.  It's a wonder all of us didn't burn down our homes!!!  And "bubble lights" ... when was the last time you saw those?

Just another thing that we survived in spite of our stupidity like drinking out of garden hoses, playing with the funny mercury stuff inside of broken thermometers (which we kinda broke intentionally), standing on your bicycle seat, eating Twinkies and laying in the bacterial pools of warm water around the McGovern pool to warm up!

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Wait, Garry! Surely we can agree on more than just ONE thing!

One doesn't put candles on a "dead" tree. One puts candles on a recently-cut tree. If it's fresh, you can hold a match to a branch and it will not burn. We did put our candles on last year, and will check the tree this year to see if it's possible. Now that the clever Germans have invented wonderful candleholders that are weighted at the bottom, one doesn't have to struggle to get the candles to stand straight. 

Many years of struggling with setting up our local library's fake trees, trying to "fluff" the branches, has convinced me that a real tree is less work, among its other virtues. And you're onto something with raising the tree. We've decided on an ice cooler for this job, which will make it easier to view ornaments on the lower branches without even bending down ( maybe more dangerous even than candles! ). 

So, let us be merry.

Garry Sellers

No Nancy, that's our allocation, once, we can only agree with each other once.  I had forgotten that you actually put real candles on your tree in the past.  That's only because of that bad German influencer who has followed you home for all of these years.  You'd think a "Rapid Learner" would catch on sooner or later.

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Well, since we're telling tree stories, I have to add mine, entitled "How we got our first real tree in about 45 years." My husband Jon always had allergy issues with live trees that made it hard for his lungs to co-exist woth one in the house. This year when we brought our (yes, Garry, arm-and-a-leg expensive) artificial tree, we discovered it had taken on moisture and now had a mold problem. My d-in-law sprang into action and went to her #1 go-to shopping venue, the internet. When our 4-star tree arrived, it was scawny, scraggly and disappointing. It was so bad that she managed to persuade the seller to drop the return shipping charge. So off they went to the living tree lot and returned with a beautiful fresh fir tree with that fantastic aroma. Now that Jon is up with the actual angels, I'm sure he's looking down and glad his grandkids get to experience that beautiful fragrance. And hope neither is allergic to it!

Jim Cejka

There are things and events that happen in one’s life that have a deep and profound effect on a person. Then there are others that go beyond that, that touch one’s very heart and soul, that unconscious inner self that makes us us. That core, of values, principles, ethics, intelligence, that has been instilled in you by your parents, education, religion, friends, and experience, has guided us and led us through our lives, established who we are, and defined our look at the world and people around us. Those feelings are deep, but not untouchable. 

I’ve had a few of those kinds of experiences, in Vietnam, in the life I’ve chosen. No amount of forethought or preparation will stop them, or lessen the impact they have on you. The “what just happened,” or “how did that happen,” have no answers, no alternatives. You are lost – no compass, no proverbial paddle. 

At my age, those beliefs have been settled in for a long time, and there’s not much time to begin new ones. It’s a little late to build a new boat. 

Sometimes, however, the best thing to do is nothing, which was my choice. Nothing for me was withdrawal, from people, from outside contact, from everything, take some time, to believe the unbelievable, and hope I can find a way to accept my age, myself, and a new reality. I needed to re-appreciate the good things I do have, through my family, church, VA, and others. 

And, now, it’s Christmas, a time of joy and promise, time to be thankful for those gifts, and the blessings I’ve received, and hope for a future to come. 

There is a tomorrow.

Karsten Boerger

Gary

Of course there is a lot of commotion. On this very day i.e.December 25 day zero Christ was born. Why do you think I choose this day? Its a very important day for all, thus all the fuss around my birthday.

Karsten

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

I'm happy that there is a tomorrow for you, Jim.

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Thanks for those words, Jim. Gratitude for the gifts we do have and hope that the future will bring out the best in all of us are pretty good things to have right now. So I send all my best wishes for 2025!