Happy New Year everyone, welcome to our first edition of

WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU???

The Bismarck High School Class of 1981 periodic update
Volume 1, January 2000



Our Purpose

The sole purpose of creating this interactive newsletter was to help everyone stay informed with the "happenings" of the people we graduated with. We are hoping that everyone will feel comfortable enough to share the happy things and their lives and maybe some of the sad stuff too. Because without YOUR input, this newsletter will cease to exist.

We are not a gossip rag, just a resource; everything we share will be truthful information which we will gather from public sources, such as the Bismarck Tribune, and from you, our classmates. If we have any ? about what we are printing, we will call you to gather more information.

One highlight each month will be called "In-depth and Personal with …." Our intentions are to call classmates throughout the next ten years, starting with the classmates who names end with the letter A, and asking them to share a little bit about who they are and what they are doing today. We don’t expect everyone to participate, but we are looking for about 120 good men and women who are willing to share what they are doing. This section will be researched by Monte Olmsted, a journalist in the Minneapolis area.

Other sections will include, who has recently married, new babies, job changes, moving around, business ventures, Bismarck changes, remember when, sports highlights concerning the Demons, and "in memory of".

We hope you will get involved, check back regularly and basically stay in touch with us as we walk into the new millennium and on towards our 20th class reunion this summer.

Our Staff Includes:

THE BHS CLASS OF 1981 along with
Writer and researcher: Monte Olmsted, a journalist in Minneapolis, MN
Writer and researcher: Lauri (Reed) Eckmann, a mom in Waukesha, WI
Web King: Dan Raszler, a manager in Port Neches, TX

SO, WITH ALL THAT SAID, LET'S GET STARTED!!!

  

"In-depth and Personal with…Doug Rian Arnts",

Name: Doug Rian, née Doug Rian Arnts
Career/occupation: Renaissance Man—Professor, poet, musicologist, author, songwriter, actor, model, publisher, journalist, percussionist.
Home: Winter Park, Florida
Family: Susan, my students and a handful of long-time close friends.
Greatest accomplishments: Staying sane and maintaining a personal integrity to by beliefs; writing a book in 1995 and writing articles for a national financial publication; doing a graduate degree with no money, a shattered collarbone, no health insurance, and in the aftermath of a divorce, on a fellowship at the University of Chicago, ignoring naysayers; becoming accomplished at surfing and racquetball.
People whom you admire and why: People whose lives demonstrate a commitment to the honest judgment of their own ideas.
What do you have in your pockets: keys, change, and chalk and a scrap of paper 15 years old that lists the words faith, superior attitude, strength, courage, purpose and determination.
Fantasy (or reality) job: Making a living at being an entrepreneur if ideas.
Latest book you've read: A re-read: Plutarch's "On Love, The Family, and the Good Life" also "Teacher As Servant" by Robert Greenleaf and "Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions" by John (Fire) Lame Deer.
Favorite authors and why: Wow--too many to mention, from the pre-Socratics to Blake and Milton, the Beats to Neruda and McInerney.
Favorite music/musicians: All these years later-pretty much the same: Classical rock of Beatles, Doors, Bread; Albinoni’s and the Barber’s Adagios, lotsa flamenco-good music is good music.
Recommended movies: "Song for Bernadette"/"The Fountainhead".
Favorite cities and why? Chicago--because it is what it always is and will be--it's authentic.
Where have you traveled: Lotsa places, and lived in 'em too.
Favorite foods: Thai noodles, sushi, ribs, eggs benedict, German chocolate cake.
Hobbies/second career: Musical activity/performance/voice-overs.
Pet peeves: Ignorance, apathy, incivility, passivity, and




Page 2
those who choose to be profoundly unaware. This isn’t a dress rehearsal; we only pass this way once.
Memories of Bismarck (good ones): The autumn; the air; the sky.
Memories of BHS (good ones): The people who demonstrated an authenticity--even then--in truly being themselves; The sense of it being, as T.S. Eliot put it, a place where we started and which we only know--in later years--for the first time; the cross-country practices with Coach Anderson; the jazz band rehearsals with Gordie Knaak; the library.
Favorite teachers at BHS and why: Tom Hesford, Jean Simons, Gordie Knaak, Jody Foy, Bob Cordova, Dan Klein, Darryl Anderson--because they inspired, motivated, encouraged--all the things I regard highly and try to continue to do in my own profession with believing in the realization of talent and its placement in the emerging sensibility of individual character.
Favorite high school hang-outs: Anywhere Talking philosophy, poetry and life was enabled: the Heart River beach in Mandan.
Why and when did you change your name: After becoming a BMI affiliated songwriter and publisher (and as a belated adjustment to working in television commercials and appearing in print ads).
A recent quote: The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say can’t be done. Anonymous…..

Welcome to the world little one…

Daughter, Dr. Lori Ford-Moore and John Moore, Muskogee, Oklahoma, November 17, 2000
(as reported in the Bismarck Tribune, ndonline.com)

Daughter, Dr. Claire Gervais and husband Dave Blouin, Madison, WI., September 25, 2000

CONGRATULATIONS…

Debbie (Isaak) Dosch’s husband, Mark, was
recently elected to the House of Representatives
in North Dakota for District 32.


…In Memoriam…
This first edition of our class newsletter is dedicated
to those who have passed from our circle of
friends way to soon. You are all deeply missed.

Patrick Schaffer, Stuart Pfenning, Daniel Schaner, Sam Bakken, John Hinkley, Bruce Rudrud, Charlie Ellingson, Monica Chase, Christopher Hook, Scott Boehm, Karen Maloney, Billie Hart, Gary Schmidt, Kevin Dosch and Dan
Lachenmeier.

 

Remember when……
…Saturday Night Live was the "rawest" thing on TV,
seems rather tame now-a-days, doesn’t it?
…Do you remember the words to "Bette Davis Eyes"?
…Do you remember when you had time to spend a whole
day on the Missouri River, you never worried about to
much sun or what else you could be doing at home???

DEMON SPORT HIGHLIGHTS

HOCKEY---BHS appears to have an outstanding hockey team this year. As of 12/8/00 they were 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 16-1! (As reported in the Bismarck Tribune on 12/8/2000)

WRESTLING---The BHS wrestling team won the team championship at the 30th annual Mandan Lions Wrestling Tournament. (As reported in the Bismarck Tribune on 12/3/2000.)

To read more about either of these stories, please go to ndonline.com, sports link.

BISMARCK NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

-On Sunday, December 10, 2000 the Bismarck Tribune reported the closing of Hughes Junior High and the opening of Horizon Middle School on north Washington, about a mile north of Century Avenue. After an extensive remodeling process, Hughes will house the School district offices, South Central High School and the Adult Learning Center. For further information concerning this story please go to ndonline.com and access the link called news archives.

-Did you know that Menards is no longer in Gateway Mall and that they now have a superstore in north Bismarck, north of Century Avenue?

-Did you know that there are many businesses located north of Century Ave.? Remember when the furthest thing north of Century Ave. was CHS, a roller rink, and a couple of small neighborhoods?

Remember everyone, if you have anything you would like to add to our newsletter, we would be happy to help you share it with everyone. Please contact Lauri at keckmann@packersrock.com, your input would be greatly appreciated!