Welcome To Siggy Raider 2
Link to the original
Siggy Raider (as last updated in July, 2005)
Siggy Raider 2 is an ongoing update of Siggy Raider, an unofficial and decidedly unauthorized Internet newsletter for the alumni of Alpha Sigma Phi’s Gamma Nu Chapter at Sacramento State College (now California State University – Sacramento). Information presented here is based on recent reports from persons who are generally considered to be reliable when sober, a tremendous advancement from their college days.
About This Website
This site is a work under construction. It was launched Feb. 1, 2006 and updated March 7, 2006 with new material as a follow-up to the original Siggy Raider, which was launched Aug. 27, 2004 to support the efforts made by a group of Alpha Sig alumni to plan and organize a Sig Bust Reunion April 1-2, 2005. The event was a huge success. Several brothers suggested that the Internet newsletter be maintained and used to keep the brothers informed of one another’s activities in hopes of a repeat of another Sig Bust. Lewis Nolan, Webmaster du jour until such time that another brother should volunteer to take on the duty, temporarily hosts the Siggy Raider sites at an ATT WorldNet home page he developed. Due to the time gap between some reports and publication, there can be no guarantee of timeliness or absolute accuracy. Buzz can only promise that the Siggy Raider aims to celebrate the enduring bonds of friendship and fond memories of good times together at a great fraternity. Please send additions, corrections and information on the whereabouts and activities of alumni to Buzz for future posting in the Siggy Raider. Photos are welcome. His email is lewis_nolan@yahoo.com Snail mail address is 196 North Highland, Memphis, TN 38111. Telephone is 901-327-8845.
About the Brothers
The following news items, commentaries and photos are mainly drawn from emails sent to Buzz Nolan. Additions and corrections from and about Alpha Sigs not currently enrolled in a witness protection program are cordially invited.
From Regina Levison, March 7, 2006 - "I'm happy to report that Michael was released
from the hospital today. He looks great and feels pretty well considering the circumstances. (Editor's note: See below email from Michael).
He will be spending the next few
weeks recovering from the surgery. In the meantime, a slice of the tumor was sent to Stanford for evaluation and his case
will be discussed by the tumor board in 10-14 days. Follow-up treatment (radiation and/or chemotherapy) will begin in about 4 weeks.
The physicians and staff at Kaiser are still scratching their heads wondering why Michael doesn't have a lot of pain. Since
the day after surgery (when they got the epidural regulated) he has taken only 3 Vicodin for pain. He had his
sternum cut open and wired back together and has had very little pain. I've seen him cry out in pain when the San
Francisco Giants or 49ers or Sacramento Kings lose a game! You have been generous with your cards, e-mails, and phone calls.
We sincerely appreciate your kindness and caring. All the best, Reggie"
From Bob Baysinger, March 5, 2006 - "I've retired (no more elections, administration
conferences & meetings, 24 hour on-call status, etc.) but am still working on assignment. I'm actually working more "Judge" days
each month than I did before. I'm now retired from both San Joaquin County (Deputy D.A.) and the Superior Court (Judge). I
may retire altogether, when I start to collect Social Security. But right now I'm having too much fun. My new email address for
personal use is rbefb (at) sbcglobal (dot) net." (Editor's note: Bob's actual address uses customary symbols for "at" and "dot" and is
disguised to thwart automated Internet spiders that harvest posted email addresses for use by spammers.)
From Art Derby, Feb. 20, 2006 - "I had hoped to make the mini-reunion last week but low and behold my daughter up and got engaged to be married this weekend. Nice young man from someplace back
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| Noel McClean, granddaughter Ashley |
| Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo |
From Noel McLean, Feb. 20, 2006 - "Please change our e-mail address in the 2005 Directory
to elainemcclean (at) sbcglobal (dot) net. Thanks from Noel McClean, Kappa Sig
class of 1960. Also, 2 photos attached; the baby is grandaughter #5, Ashley."
From Michael Levison, Feb. 19 and 20, 2006 - "In January I was diagnosed as having a tumor in my chest area.
I was having breathing problems. It turned out this tumor is wrapped around the nerves that control the diaphragm on the left side.
The tumor which is a thymoma will be removed on March 1. Until they remove the tumor it will not be known whether it is
benign or malignant. The surgeon feels it is malignant because of the way it has grown around nerve. Hopefully he is wrong.
Even if it is malignant they feel it has not spread since this type of tumor is so slow growing. If it had not wrapped itself around
the nerve it might have continued to grow unabated. Whether it is benign or malignant, I will have some radiation therapy to
make sure all of the tumor cells are killed.
"I will be out of commission for 4 - 6 weeks after the surgery. I am confident that I will be as good as new after the recovery.
I look forward to walking half-marathons again this summer. I had been doing them for the past 3 or 4 years, but when
the breathing problem started, I have had to stop exercising. I am doing a little walking -- but 15 minutes and I have had it.
I keep telling the surgeon while he is in there he might as well shave about 20 pounds off my belly. Figure I could get
a two-for-one deal. I was supposed to go the mini-reunion dinner last week, but I got too tired to make the trip from
the foothills where I live to Fairfield and back.
"I truly believe with all the family and friends I have pulling for me, there is no way I cannot come out of this healthier than ever.
I cover the gamut of family and friends praying for me. I think nearly every religion is represented except
Muslim (which doesn't surprise this Jewish kid). Feel free to post my e-mail. I can be reached at the following: P.O. Box 1133
El Dorado, CA 95623. email: mlevison (at) levisonsearch (dot) com"
From Bill Kaslar and Truman Holtzclaw, Feb. 18, 2006 "Five photos provided by Truman Holtzclaw of 10 Alpha Sigs who gathered for a mini-reunion dinner Feb. 16, 2006, have been posted in the "Boys Night Out" album at http://photos.yahoo.com/siggy_raider.
 |
| Truman Holtzclaw, Gary Toombs |
| Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo |
From John Alexander, Feb. 17, 2006 - "I have retired from the National Guard after 39 years
in uniform. I have also moved back to Atascadero, Calif., after being a 'geographical bachelor' for two and one-half years. It's good to be
home. Linda and I will watch for big Siggy events and be sure to make them."
From Tom Swanson, Feb. 19, 2006 - "Please change my email address to tos@yahoo.com. I
attended the dinner in Fairfield last week and had a great time."
From Toni Bramon, Feb. 19, 2006 - "I just had an email from Roger Withers today. His
address is rogerandjudy@nctv.com. The last address he had for Bob Kalis is bkalis@webperception.com. The one I have for Dick Bach
is rbach@sbcglobal.net."
From Jack Jenkins, Feb. 14, 2006 - "I have a new email address:
jjenkins5511@sbcglobal.net. Please publicize to the other brothers. Thanks, Jack"
From Gary Anderson, Feb. 8, 2006 - "We've posted some notes and pictures about our relocation
to Switzerland on our blog site at Link to Gary's Blog. For reasons that we will never understand, if you put the www. before the
name you get the posting but not the pictures."
From Gary Curtis, Feb. 4, 2006 - "Please update my email address to rgarrett45@yahoo.com."
From Bill Kaslar, Feb. 1, 2006 - "We all had a great time at Joe Mehrtens, right? Well after such a great
time lets get together for an evening out with just the guys; no wives,
significant others, or girlfriends. Arnie Carston, Gary Brammon and I
came up with the Hungry Hunter restaurant, 2470 Martin Rd. Fairfield, CA. Ph.#
(707)428-0583. 80 offramp is Waterman Ave. This seemed to be a pretty
good central location with great freeway access from all directions.
"MARK YOUR CALENDAR, Thursday, February 16th, 7:00 P.M. Send me an e-mail and let
me know you can make it. wkaslar@hotmail.com or phone (707)888-9757. Come on
guys, help me out here. It's a little hard to just keep seeing Arnie, Gary and Sam. Let's start something! As they say "Let's get together, Yea,
Yea, Yea". - Fraternally, Bill Kaslar"
From Gary Bramon, Feb. 2, 2006 - "Arnie and I had called Bill Kaslar and he sent out an email (above) to some of the guys. Didn't get everyone, we know. We'd like to get the word out to everybody. We've heard from Art Derby and Mike Levison. (Others planning to attend February 16 include Jack Jenkins). Toni and I
 |
| Gary Bramon, Bill Kaslar at dinner |
| Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo |
From Gary Rempel, Feb. 2, 2006 in response to Bill's invitation and a subsequent mailing from Rimas VisGirda
in Chicago stating that Denver would be much more centrally located than Fairfield, Calif. - "It is always a pleasure to meet with
the more elderly of the Brothers. Where is Fairfield? Wherever it is, I am sure the food must be nasty - how about Sacramento?
Let me interrupt myself to say it is time Rimas found a steady job at home, in some reasonable state, with a
washing machine, so he doesn't have to travel so much. How about Sutton hosting this event, each of us buying our
own steak or tofu for the barbecue, plus a few bucks for Pepsi and beer, then running buck nekkid through his
neighborhood, screeching and giggling. I am a possible
attendee."
From Bill Kaslar, Feb. 2, 2006 in response to Gary's email above - "Say, what's with the elderly crap? We are like a bottle of wine. Improves
with age. Where is Fairfield? I guess I did forget to put "California" in
the address. Fairfield is right by Travis AFB between Sacramento and San
Francisco on I 80. We thought that would be a better location than
Sacramento. True, a lot of brothers live in the Sacto area but Fairfield is
a great central location for brothers in the bay area as well as the local
Sacto boys. Same of Arnie, Gary and myself, kinda half way location. Anyway,
let me know if you can make it. Good hearing from you. Bill"
From Dewey Howell, Jan. 25, 2006 – “We finally sold our house in Collierville, Tenn., and are scheduled to close Feb. 15, 2006. We’ve made an offer that was accepted on a new house in Melissa, Texas, about 45 minutes from Dallas. We won’t be able to close on it and move until construction is completed, probably in early March.” Dewey is recovering nicely from a quadruple bypass that followed a stoppage of his heart at the Collierville YMCA, where he was working out November 15. Fortunately, an ER nurse was near him and the Y is equipped with electric paddles that enabled staff to re-start Dewey’s heart. By late January, he was swimming 800 yards at a time and doing other exercises. Dewey and his wife, Debbie, will be closer to their families in Texas.
From Gary Anderson, Jan. 16, 2006 – “We can’t yodel yet, but we have arrived in Zurich, Switzerland. The move has elicited a few curses and an equal number of smiles. One needs to assume an oriental attitude that a balance of the two is good for life.
“Feeling that most all of those relocating to Zurich had done so, IBM disbanded the group that provided all the assistance to movers as of January 1. Of course they left us with a few things undone, such as telephone lines, ADSL lines, train passes, etc. Linda does have a contracted relocation lady assigned who has been with us from our first visit and she is quite good. We finally have the new telephone line which required two trips by the electrician—and even then he failed to hook up all of the outlets. The new number is 0041-44-380-1251. So now we have access to email at home—even if it is at a snail’s pace. When we hooked it up on Saturday morning, it literally took over 8 hours to get the 78 pieces of mail and all the upgrades downloaded. (Of course I find this complaint quite amazing for a kid that grew up in a time when stretching a string between two tin cans produced a great toy.) As I write this, I’m waiting for delivery of our closets from IKEA. Flats in Zurich have absolutely no closets. We, of course, have to assemble them tonight when Linda gets home, but then it may be like Christmas with items unseen for the last month or so.
“The smiles come in many forms. When we first saw this flat, it was a foggy and rainy day. We specifically thought it had no view of other than the mountain tops. But alas on the clear day when we moved in there is an outstanding view of lake and city. The cold winter months produce a good deal of fog over the lake, but it is quite shallow and disappears about 100 feet below us. Secondly, the transit system is Swiss superb. Linda has only to walk about a quarter of a mile (down hill in the morning) to catch the street car that takes her to central station where she catches the train for a 15 ride to her office. It is a much easier commute than she expected and the quarter of a mile gives her a bit of exercise. Thirdly, after experiencing some pretty flat tasting Swiss food on our first visit, we’ve discovered some wonderful restaurants and equally good service—of course that comes at a Swiss premium.
“There is not a word in Swiss for “flat” or “level” (I would guess): everything goes up or down. The street cars and main avenues follow a cross hill type pattern at a pretty good incline. It is a nice 3 mile walk to center town from the apartment. Getting to a good grocery store is a bit over a mile on a steeper walk up hill from the flat. There is good bus service up hill, but so far I’ve convinced myself that it is unhealthy to use it. On Saturday night we decided to explore another major street a few blocks directly down the hill. In this case down means steeply down. No wussy New York City leather soled shoes allowed in winter. We thought we’d need crampons and rope to get back up after dinner, but made it in much better form than we imagined (with a few tell tale aches in the morning and no breath left for even a silent yodel)
“In one respect the wonderful transportation system disappoints me. A new Honda or Vespa scooter was in my dreams and now I don’t know how I can justify it. Ninety percent of where you need to go is covered by the transit system and the other 10% isn’t where you’d want to take
 |
| Rimas VisGirda by Matisse painting |
| Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo |
“I think Swiss German is in our future. IBM apparently pays for some Berlitz. Being an immersion class, it might produce better results than our Stockholm attempts at Swedish. For Christmas, Linda bought me a translating wand that scans over German text and gives you English translation. It works pretty well. Coupled with the Franklin electronic pocket dictionary, we usually find what we need.
“Linda is being pursued to take a job in London which would put her in charge of delivery centers in England Ireland and South Africa (ya, I thought that geographical connection made a lot of sense too) Chances of her taking it are small at this point, but it is nice to be asked. The fellow asking told her to put out of her mind that she has just moved and not completely unpacked. Gary won’t put it out of his mind nor the movers who lugged every piece and box up four flights of circular stair case on their back. Besides we drilled a couple of holes in the walls and have to stay for at least the year.
“We are off to Berlin for the weekend of site seeing and then meetings on Sunday night and Monday for Linda. Monday night we fly back to Sweden for IBM meetings and will be home on Friday afternoon. I’m off to the States around the 15th of February for the yearly peaks and pokes that I missed in November.
“Left are the little items such as a work permit for Linda and a residency permit for both of us; Swiss car insurance and apartment insurance are in our future, after becoming properly registered residents; Swiss franc credit cards are somewhere in the works; and a Swiss payments card is somewhere out there as well. The latter is a must in Switzerland as many places take no credit or debit cards other than specific Swiss ones. You even buy the morning paper and cup of coffee by swiping that little Swiss card at the
 |
| Sam Miller at pool where he and Steve Sipes worked out |
| Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo |
“I will post some pictures on to our blog site when the ADSL line gets installed. That’s Linda-Gary.blogspot.com The Schafers told us that they could not get on our blog site. It comes up each time we try it. So please let us know if you also have a problem.
Hope to hear from you now that we have access to email. We are also on Skype for those of you who have it. Your bedroom should be ready tonight—with the closets up we will get all those things off from your bed. - Auf Wiedersehen, Gary”
From Michael Levison, Dec. 28,
2005 – The following obituary was published in the Sacramento Bee today.
“Ray Clemons, the firebrand football coach known for his military flattop,
hard-boiled teams, big heart and indomitable spirit in dealing with a terminal
illness, died Tuesday morning after a long bout with bone marrow cancer. He was
84. Mr. Clemons enjoyed a
decorated coaching run that included stops at Christian Brothers High School,
Sacramento City College and Sacramento State. He produced winners on every
level and a legacy sure to last generations. "He's Sacramento's coach, the first big-time football coach
to come through this area," said Mike Clemons, who played for his dad at
Sac State in the 1960s, followed in his footsteps as the Hornets' head coach in
the 1990s and now heads the Sac City program. "He was a fighter, wouldn't
let cancer bring him down. Great father, great husband, great coach, great
man." Said Pat Clemons, one of four sons: "He died as he lived. Very
prideful, spiritual, tough. I know he was in absolute pain late in his life,
but he swallowed that pain when people visited him. We thought we were losing
him on Thanksgiving, but he talked to all of (his) grandchildren, one by one,
that day, to be that mentor again." Mr. Clemons grew up in Roseville, attended high school in Fremont
in the Bay Area and was an All-America offensive lineman for Saint Mary's
Mr. Clemons grew up in Roseville, attended high school in Fremont in the Bay Area and was an All-America offensive lineman for Saint Mary's
 |
| Buzz & Betty Nolan on DC's Mall during Dixie Drive in July, 2005 |
| Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo |
His greatest impact came at Sac State. Starting in 1961, he
transformed a program that had won 19 games in seven seasons before his
arrival. He made the Hornets a Far Western Conference power that won seven or
more games five times in the 1960s. His 1964 team went 8-2-1 and earned the
program its first conference title. Mr. Clemons, famous for his rah-rah pregame
speeches, coached two bowl teams. Mr. Clemons coached at Sac State until 1975.
His sons Mike, Pat and Tim played for him and were all all-conference
selections at Sac State. And there was a trail of his players who went on to
coach, including Dave Hoskins, who took a lot of Clemons' tough tactics with
him to stops at CBS, Valley and now Elk Grove, producing championships and a
legacy of his own. "I look back, and that was the man I learned a lot
from," Hoskins said. "He was like a dad to all of us players. He'd
feed us, take care of us. He worked us, and we were working for him, the man,
and as players, we'd do anything for him. "I saw him three weeks ago, and
he was chipper. Didn't want to talk about himself. He wanted to know Mr. Clemons was the first inductee into the Sac State Athletic
Hall of Fame, in 2001. Droves of ex-players took the podium and heaped praise
on the man, including Bob Mattos, who played for Clemons in the early 1960s and
later coached the program. Mr. Clemons is survived by his wife of 62 years,
Rosemary; sons Pat of El Dorado Hills, Tim of Folsom and Mike and Dan of Elk
Grove; daughters Joann of Chico, Mari of Elk Grove, Judy of Sacramento and Sue
of Truckee; 20 grandchildren; and one great-grandchildFrom Jack Jenkins, Dec. 27, 2005 -
“Yes, I remember
Lenny wearing an Alpha Sigma Phi blazer and attending functions as an
undergraduate. He was a music teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School
District prior to retirement. He may have been less active after I had
graduated and left for my
teaching career. Arel, have you heard from Lenny? Also, Truman Holtzclaw was a
teacher in the same district.” From Jim Cook, Dec. 26, 2005 – “I ran across
Lenny Polocki's name the other day in an advertisement for the "Big
Band" sound of the Bill Rase Orchastra (Len Polocki, bass). I don't
recall seeing his name anywhere when we were getting ready for the Sig
Bust. I saw Lenny once in the Army in Korea (a long time ago). I
had about a week to go over there and he had just gotten there. I've seen
Jack & Rebecca Schafer with Golden Retrievers
Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo
him a few times since, the last time I saw him he was a teacher walking beside
his Jr. High School band in a parade. Is he one of our
lost Brothers? I didn't see his name in your list of Lost
Brothers. He pledged behind me, possibly with Truman.”
From Sam Miller, Dec. 8, 2005 – “My company has recently been
purchased by L-3Com and the email system has been in flux. That's
probably why things have not been working. The attached picture is one that
Steve Sipes took when I visited him in Texas in November. This is a photo of
the pool where he swims with his Masters group four to five times a
week. He claims to be swimming 2200 yards per workout now. When I arrived
he was complaining that he could barely do 600 yards. I got him whipped into
shape, however, during my week-long visit. We swam six days in a row.
“I was really reluctant to leave. It was great. It is a beautiful,
50-meter, indoor setup that is a municipal facility. The coach says there
are several of these pools in the area, with a couple more in the planning
stage. I think there is just one pool on the whole north peninsula that
would even compare to this. It is an old outdoor pool in Petaluma somewhere.
This makes me think that there is a money leak in California tax revenues, and
that for the most part Californians are not seeing much for the money that is
extorted from them.
“I continue to swim with my Masters group
at the Airport Club in Santa Rosa. I'm getting
in 10-12kyds a week. The Master's world competition is coming to
Stanford next August, and our coach is encouraging me to enter the 100 fly.
There is not too much competition in this event when you get into my age group,
All the old guys who have been able to do it have killed themselves off in
the process by now, I suspect, so I have a chance to make a splash. - Best
Regards to All, Sam”
From Steve Sipes, Dec. 8 & 30, 2005 – “It is nice to be back in
the loop. I’ve had to lay off the swimming for the last two weeks or so due to
an injury. (Bruised Ribs) But I’m starting to get in and out of bed, in and out
of a car, a lot better. Hey Guys, come on by for a visit and I’ll take you for
a swim and feed you a Chicken Fried Steak. Sam handled it!! - Steven R. Sipes,
1522 Lynn Drive; Wylie, TX 75098. (972) 461-2841
From Jim Cook, Dec. 17, 2005 - "I usually go on a Saturday morning
bike ride with a couple of other old farts. This morning they wimped out
on me (it’s cold and foggy), but I decided to
go out myself. I found myself in downtown Sac and decided to go through
Capitol Park. While there I stopped at the Vietnam Memorial. I
Gary Winters, as pictured in Bee
Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo
looked up Pete Siller's name (I know exactly where it
is). While looking at his name I gave him the snappiest salute these old bones can give, and I said, ‘that's for
Buzz and me and the rest of the Alpha Sigs.’ Just thought you would like to know. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Fraternally, Jim Cook”
Mr. Clemons was the first inductee into the Sac State Athletic
Hall of Fame, in 2001. Droves of ex-players took the podium and heaped praise
on the man, including Bob Mattos, who played for Clemons in the early 1960s and
later coached the program. Mr. Clemons is survived by his wife of 62 years,
Rosemary; sons Pat of El Dorado Hills, Tim of Folsom and Mike and Dan of Elk
Grove; daughters Joann of Chico, Mari of Elk Grove, Judy of Sacramento and Sue
of Truckee; 20 grandchildren; and one great-grandchildFrom Jack Jenkins, Dec. 27, 2005 -
“Yes, I remember
Lenny wearing an Alpha Sigma Phi blazer and attending functions as an
undergraduate. He was a music teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School
District prior to retirement. He may have been less active after I had
graduated and left for my
teaching career. Arel, have you heard from Lenny? Also, Truman Holtzclaw was a
teacher in the same district.” From Jim Cook, Dec. 26, 2005 – “I ran across
Lenny Polocki's name the other day in an advertisement for the "Big
Band" sound of the Bill Rase Orchastra (Len Polocki, bass). I don't
recall seeing his name anywhere when we were getting ready for the Sig
Bust. I saw Lenny once in the Army in Korea (a long time ago). I
had about a week to go over there and he had just gotten there. I've seen
Jack & Rebecca Schafer with Golden Retrievers
Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo
him a few times since, the last time I saw him he was a teacher walking beside
his Jr. High School band in a parade. Is he one of our
lost Brothers? I didn't see his name in your list of Lost
Brothers. He pledged behind me, possibly with Truman.”
From Sam Miller, Dec. 8, 2005 – “My company has recently been
purchased by L-3Com and the email system has been in flux. That's
probably why things have not been working. The attached picture is one that
Steve Sipes took when I visited him in Texas in November. This is a photo of
the pool where he swims with his Masters group four to five times a
week. He claims to be swimming 2200 yards per workout now. When I arrived
he was complaining that he could barely do 600 yards. I got him whipped into
shape, however, during my week-long visit. We swam six days in a row.
“I was really reluctant to leave. It was great. It is a beautiful,
50-meter, indoor setup that is a municipal facility. The coach says there
are several of these pools in the area, with a couple more in the planning
stage. I think there is just one pool on the whole north peninsula that
would even compare to this. It is an old outdoor pool in Petaluma somewhere.
This makes me think that there is a money leak in California tax revenues, and
that for the most part Californians are not seeing much for the money that is
extorted from them.
“I continue to swim with my Masters group
at the Airport Club in Santa Rosa. I'm getting
in 10-12kyds a week. The Master's world competition is coming to
Stanford next August, and our coach is encouraging me to enter the 100 fly.
There is not too much competition in this event when you get into my age group,
All the old guys who have been able to do it have killed themselves off in
the process by now, I suspect, so I have a chance to make a splash. - Best
Regards to All, Sam”
From Steve Sipes, Dec. 8 & 30, 2005 – “It is nice to be back in
the loop. I’ve had to lay off the swimming for the last two weeks or so due to
an injury. (Bruised Ribs) But I’m starting to get in and out of bed, in and out
of a car, a lot better. Hey Guys, come on by for a visit and I’ll take you for
a swim and feed you a Chicken Fried Steak. Sam handled it!! - Steven R. Sipes,
1522 Lynn Drive; Wylie, TX 75098. (972) 461-2841
From Jim Cook, Dec. 17, 2005 - "I usually go on a Saturday morning
bike ride with a couple of other old farts. This morning they wimped out
on me (it’s cold and foggy), but I decided to
go out myself. I found myself in downtown Sac and decided to go through
Capitol Park. While there I stopped at the Vietnam Memorial. I
Gary Winters, as pictured in Bee
Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo
looked up Pete Siller's name (I know exactly where it
is). While looking at his name I gave him the snappiest salute these old bones can give, and I said, ‘that's for
Buzz and me and the rest of the Alpha Sigs.’ Just thought you would like to know. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Fraternally, Jim Cook”
teaching career. Arel, have you heard from Lenny? Also, Truman Holtzclaw was a teacher in the same district.”
From Jim Cook, Dec. 26, 2005 – “I ran across
Lenny Polocki's name the other day in an advertisement for the "Big
Band" sound of the Bill Rase Orchastra (Len Polocki, bass). I don't
recall seeing his name anywhere when we were getting ready for the Sig
Bust. I saw Lenny once in the Army in Korea (a long time ago). I
had about a week to go over there and he had just gotten there. I've seen
Jack & Rebecca Schafer with Golden Retrievers
Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo
him a few times since, the last time I saw him he was a teacher walking beside
his Jr. High School band in a parade. Is he one of our
lost Brothers? I didn't see his name in your list of Lost
Brothers. He pledged behind me, possibly with Truman.”
From Sam Miller, Dec. 8, 2005 – “My company has recently been
purchased by L-3Com and the email system has been in flux. That's
probably why things have not been working. The attached picture is one that
Steve Sipes took when I visited him in Texas in November. This is a photo of
the pool where he swims with his Masters group four to five times a
week. He claims to be swimming 2200 yards per workout now. When I arrived
he was complaining that he could barely do 600 yards. I got him whipped into
shape, however, during my week-long visit. We swam six days in a row.
“I was really reluctant to leave. It was great. It is a beautiful,
50-meter, indoor setup that is a municipal facility. The coach says there
are several of these pools in the area, with a couple more in the planning
stage. I think there is just one pool on the whole north peninsula that
would even compare to this. It is an old outdoor pool in Petaluma somewhere.
This makes me think that there is a money leak in California tax revenues, and
that for the most part Californians are not seeing much for the money that is
extorted from them.
“I continue to swim with my Masters group
at the Airport Club in Santa Rosa. I'm getting
in 10-12kyds a week. The Master's world competition is coming to
Stanford next August, and our coach is encouraging me to enter the 100 fly.
There is not too much competition in this event when you get into my age group,
All the old guys who have been able to do it have killed themselves off in
the process by now, I suspect, so I have a chance to make a splash. - Best
Regards to All, Sam”
From Steve Sipes, Dec. 8 & 30, 2005 – “It is nice to be back in
the loop. I’ve had to lay off the swimming for the last two weeks or so due to
an injury. (Bruised Ribs) But I’m starting to get in and out of bed, in and out
of a car, a lot better. Hey Guys, come on by for a visit and I’ll take you for
a swim and feed you a Chicken Fried Steak. Sam handled it!! - Steven R. Sipes,
1522 Lynn Drive; Wylie, TX 75098. (972) 461-2841
From Jim Cook, Dec. 17, 2005 - "I usually go on a Saturday morning
bike ride with a couple of other old farts. This morning they wimped out
on me (it’s cold and foggy), but I decided to
go out myself. I found myself in downtown Sac and decided to go through
Capitol Park. While there I stopped at the Vietnam Memorial. I
Gary Winters, as pictured in Bee
Click Colored Type to Enlarge Photo
looked up Pete Siller's name (I know exactly where it
is). While looking at his name I gave him the snappiest salute these old bones can give, and I said, ‘that's for
Buzz and me and the rest of the Alpha Sigs.’ Just thought you would like to know. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Fraternally, Jim Cook”
From Jack Schafer, Dec. 20, 2005 - "Buzz, Very fitting thoughts from Jim
and you on Peter. - Merry Christmas, Jack & Rebecca"
From Buzz Nolan, Jan. 10, 2006 - "Betty and I hope that repairs to our vacation condo are far enough along so we can spend a week on the hurricane-ravaged gulf coast in March. Our small, top floor unit at Gulf Shores, Ala., had its new roof re-peeled by Hurricane Katrina last August - just three weeks after we put the finishing touches on a complete restoration. Hurricane Ivan had peeled the roof the previous year, drenching the interior and requiring replacement of carpeting, furniture and most of the other contents. Katrina's wrath soaked the brand new furnishings, which are again being replaced. Hurricane Elvis ripped our home in Memphis in 2003, resulting in more than $50,000 in repair bills. This is three years in a row that Mother Nature has slammed our property, a bad luck Hat Trick. I feel like the character played by Bill Murray in the movie Ground Hog Day."
From Michael Levison, Dec. 19, 2005 – “For those of you who do not have access to the Sacramento Bee, I thought I would pass this obituary on. Hope everyone has a great holiday season. Fraternally, Michael"
WINTERS, Gary R.
Passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, in his sleep on December 11. Born
June 17, 1942, Gary earned both BS and MS degrees from CSUS and then performed
postgraduate studies at UCLA. In the early 1970s, Caltrans hired Gary as the
department’s first Environmental Specialist.
Initially, Gary worked as a field biologist evaluating the environmental
impacts of highway construction and maintenance. Gary stayed with Caltrans for
32 years to finish his career as the Chief of the Division of Environmental
Analysis. After retiring last year, Gary looked forward to riding his Harley
Davidson, traveling with his wife Lois, who he adored, and finding and buying a
place for them in the country with room for lots of fruit trees and a bigger
garden. Gary was always a man of great passion who believed in family, loyalty
to his many friends and giving his all to everything he did. Although his most recent
passion was his Harley Softail, along the way other passions included scuba
diving, roller blading, skiing, cycling, running, and his Japanese garden
complete with koi pond. He was the go-to guy for family and friends whether you
needed a garbage disposal installed or just someone to talk to. He never turned
down anyone who needed his help even though his own project list was never
ending. Although Gary always seemed to be on the go, he knew how to relax too.
Late, on hot summer nights, you often could find Gary sitting in the spa,
smoking a cigar and reading a book by flashlight. He was bigger than life and
had a heart to match. He is survived by his loving wife, Lois Biehler; his
sisters, Sandra and Kathleen, and his large extended family. Family and friends
are invited to a memorial service on Tuesday, December 20th at
Nicoletti, Culjis and Herberger, 5401 Folsom Blvd at 11:00 AM. After the
service, friends and family will be invited to a get together to remember Gary
and celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that donations be
made in his name to the Salvation Army, the American Heart Association or any
charity that benefits children in need. We already miss you, Gary, more than
words can say. Published in the
Sacramento Bee on 12/18/2005.
The Times They Are A-Changing - The Fall, 2005 edition of The Tomahawk reported that "efforts to start
an interest group at Wayne State University and Minnesota State University proved to be unsuccessful. . .Unfortunately, because
of low membership and lack of recruitment, the Millersville University colony was closed in the fall. The colony at York College
closed because of risk management violations and a failure to consistently recruit men of the highest character and values."
The publication also reported that there is an interest group at Bloomsburg U in PA and colonies at Appalachian State U in NC; Clemson U in SC; College
of Charleston in SC; Miami U in OH; North Carolina State U; Northern Michigan U; Penn State; Rutgers in NJ; U of Akron in OH;
U of Toledo in OH; and UVA's campus at Wise, VA. No word on any action at the long defunct Gamma Nu at Sac State.
Good luck to all and with fond memories of active life in the Old Gal, Lewis "Buzz" Nolan (Gamma Nu, 1962)