Classmates Comments
Dennis R. Hollander . . . . . . . . . . T J Class of 1961.
It's impossible to adequately put into words what the TJ website has meant to me
and hundreds of my fellow classmates. I will make a stab at it anyway.
Not only has this site in the age of cyberspace kept us all informed about what
is going on, but it has given many of us a means by which to stay in contact and
actually be with our old friends and classmates. I never dreamed when I
graduated from TJ back in ' 61 that some 44 years later I would still be
communicating, talking and socializing with so many of my fellow classmates.
It's a pure joy and a wonderful way to stay young at heart for years to come.
The pictures, comments, opinions and announcements on the site keep the memory
of our days at Thomas Jefferson High School alive and well in our minds and
hearts. I try to make it back to the Port Arthur area as often as I can to visit
with old friends and attend various social functions. The bonds of friendship
that were formed so many years ago are as strong today as they ever were - - in
some respect even stronger. A perfect example of this was the outpouring of
concern and condolences e-mailed to me by dozens of my classmates during Sept. &
Oct. of 2005 during my Dad's illness and eventual passing on Oct. 17, 2005. Some
who had never met my Dad or had not seen him in many years still expressed their
sincere concern and a sense of caring for both me and my beloved father. To all
those classmates I can only say, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart." I look
forward to many more years of close contact with all my old friends. We'll help
each other to keep our spirits young and our memories alive. "The Jacket sprit
will never die."
Dennis R. Hollander
Email: denh@ins-alliance.com
Paul, thank you for our TJ website. You are the best
for spending your time creating and maintaining this site. With our
hurried lives and being scattered to the four winds, what a wonderful way to
keep in touch. Our class is truly the "best" class from TJ. We have
continued to keep in touch, find lost classmates and bring them into the fold
and truly have heartfelt love for each other. My prayers are with
all of you.
My brother is back in PA and his home (our childhood home) sustained minor roof
damage, but that is about it. He is glad to be home even though he enjoyed
his stays in Dallas playing with this grandson and granddaughter and Baton Rouge
visiting with my family while power was
being restored to his area in PA. I am anxious to hear from other
classmates from PA.
Our New Orleans office is going to be reopened next week. Working this
weekend to return servers and get everything back up and running. Our firm
is one of the few that kept everyone in our New Orleans office with a job and a
place to stay. Some were luckier than others in that their home sustained
little damage so they have been commuting from New Orleans. Others lost
everything and have been living in temporary apartments here in Baton Rouge.
This experience has brought our people closer together and we are not an "office
divided" anymore.
Take care until I see you next time.
Sue Terrell-Dartez
Dear Paul,
A number of us in our class had Ann Ferguson [Alder] as a great 4th grade
teacher at Tyrrell School in Griffing Park. She is recuperating from a
broken hip and I am sure, would love to have a few cards from those who remember
her. She has had a few bad years already, having been diagnosed
with a somewhat rare lung disease (whose maintenance drugs are also
debilitating). She already had a bum leg on the other side, apparently from a
severe case of shingles some years back that kept her thigh muscle from
remaining strong. This means that she will probably return to a wheel
chair, and that it will be difficult for husband, John, to bring her to the
house they have lived in in Santa Clara for so many years. The home address is
647 Hudson Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95051, and John will take cards to her.
Cindy Brantley
So sorry to hear how many of my classmates suffered from Rita, but, like
them, I am grateful for what was spared.
Cynthia Brantley
Professor of History
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-0776
This page was last updated on Tuesday January 23, 2007