John Ashbaugh

On Friday, December 2, Roel's six grandchildren, three daughters and sons-in-law were gathered in the home of Els Koster, the lovely wife that enjoyed a long-but-not-long enough marriage to Roel until his death 16 years ago. The occasion? The "Round of 8" World Cup match between Netherlands and our plucky US soccer team. The Dutch won and will compete again on Saturday in the quarter-finals - and they may go all the way this year!

Posted on: Oct 25, 2021 at 10:31 PM

Good times last weekend at our Reunion! I compiled a Google Photo Album that shows the Saturday morning campus tour AND the dinner/dance at the Elks Lodge. I snuck in a picture of the Sundial Bridge too. Here’s the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yh5kKHX4ZpxNHCfL7

thank you to the Reunion Committee!

Hi everyone,
I was devastated to learn last week from the family of Bill Murphy that Bill had passed away Friday, August 20 of heart failure.

Bill was one of the most thoughtful and engaging people I have ever met. We roomed together our first quarter at UC Santa. Cruz, and he struck a notable figure by commuting to his classes on a unicycle.

His career as a geologist specializing in volcanoes might suggest something about his personality, but he was a gentle soul and a committed pacifist - fiercely defending his views when challenged, but not closed to a good argument. He was a classic intellectual, a popular professor at Cal State Chico and an eager traveller whose only impairment was the addiction to alcohol that he inherited from his father.

I have been thinking about Bill often in the last few weeks as the Dixie Fire consumed so much of the Caribou Wilderness on the east side of Lassen National Park. Bill and I did a snow camping backpack trip there in 1970, an unforgettable experience that I have never been able to replicate.

We all have our memories of Bill, and I invite everyone in Class Creator share them. I may be unable to read and respond for a few days, as I have just landed at Kodiak airport in Alaska en route to a wilderness lodge where there is no Internet. It is the type of trip that Bill would have loved. Trish and I are planning a long-delayed trip to the north state in October, and I had hoped to be able to see him in one place or another - now, of course, different and difficult arrangements must be made.

Please hold Rui and Jasper in your thoughts and prayers, though Bill was indeed a committed and passionate atheist. As for me, I will be reflecting on that amazing aura that Bill projected all his life.
Plans are underway to gather near his home in Davis on September 18 to celebrate his life, and of course those of us who be in Redding on October 23 will continue to reflect on Bill, and so many others whom we have lost...
JA

I will always appreciate Michelle's help when we were investigating options for my mother who need an assisted living place for a time after a severe bout of pneumonia in 2009. The place we were investigating had a room where Mom's roommate would have been Michelle's mother, who passed away a short time later. We found another place for our Mom, but fortunately she was strong enough to return to our home on Bonnie Drive for most of another year until she, too passed away in 2010 at the age of 96. We should all be lucky enough to live lives as long as our parents, and with the quality of life that we prefer.

I have been thinking a lot about Susanne Rockwell (Sway) the last few days. I recall that she was always one of those “gentle souls” that inspired us all. She had a sharp wit but never used it to “dis” anybody – just to point out the irony of our circumstances and the challenge of the directions we were taken. Her smile was huge and her laugh was infectious. 

Susanne's career in journalism and in University administration suggests that she was one of the leading products of our Class of ’70, adding value to every organization she joined. I only wish that I’d stayed in touch with her more, and gotten to know her family in Davis.

My deepest sympathies to Brian Sway and to their daughters. We all share this loss and I for one shall use it as a chance to reflect on the fragility of life.

Thanks,

John Ashbaugh. 

Posted on: Sep 13, 2015 at 12:09 PM