Provided by Bill for the reunion of 2007:
Of my life in Grandview I like to remember Young's Bakery, delivering papers, the community garden down along the railroad tracks, the library getting phonograph records, and the sense that Grandview was a real town with real people.
Of high school I like to remember Friday night football games and Romeo's afterwards, but I have one particular memory which is quite vivid - my tryout for the talent show. I had a fire-eating act, with torches. Miss Derivan auditioned the acts in the new band room on the east side of the building next to the new gym. As the glow of the mouthful of torches showed through my cheeks, she about passed out. I did not make the final selection.
Here and now, in my maturity, my experiences have taught me to try to do things which may seem unreasonable and not to second guess myself out of doing what I want. Let others tell me "No", but not to do it to myself. And I try to be interested in the interests of other people.
I wish all my classmates the best of life - it is all there is.
Written by Bill for Christmas 2010
I remain very engaged with the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. One new activity was helping with the Winter Photo Special train. That special occurs each winter on just one day. In preparation for the run, a group of workers goes the day before and makes "photo lines" at a half dozen scenic spots. On the day of the special the photo train will stop at each place and let the photographers get off. The engineer backs up the train, Then the train, under full power, shrouded in steam and smoke, will roar past. The train comes back, gets the photographers on board, and everyone goes on to the next site. A "photo line" is where the photographers stand, side by side, to take photos as the train approaches. No one is blocking another person's view. In winter snow, we have to pack down a path, several feet wide so that the photographers on the line do not sink into the deep powder (often waist deep or more). When the line is made, we carefully do not step in the foreground snow so it's pristine.
I was one of the three packers who would stomp down the snow well enough that foot-packers could continue the compression job. I wore snowshoes. Putting on and taking off snowshoes is difficult when you are standing in 3 feet of snow, so I just left them on all the time. Thus, I had to climb on and off the caboose, while wearing snowshoes. That was not easy, but the day was a lot of fun.
Here, my daughter Julia and I participate in the annual "Silverton cemetary clean-up."
Written by Bill to Classmates in 2006
I retired from teaching math at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, after 42 years. I'm impressed I lasted that long.
This summer was my first summer as an employee of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. I worked in the RR museum here in Durango. In addition to "being on the clock" in the museum, I also volunteer over the year for many special events: Railfest, Polar Express (we ride a steam train at night to the North Pole, which is closer to Durango than you might think), Pumpkin Patch Express (Charlie and Lucy preside over a Sincere Pumpkin Patch), and so forth. It is great fun to meet so many train enthusiasts. My particular area of expertise, such as it is, concerns the history of the railroad and how it has been used in movies. If you have seen the current movie, Prestige, you'll have seen me on the train north of Durango. {Well, actually, the shot is an aerial and you can not see anybody. But, in April when the film crew was here I had fun.} The movie itself is quite good.}
I only work two days a week in the museum, and then only from first of May until the end of October. So, it's about 15 hours per week. During the winter I have been volunteering to work on a large model railroad being built in the museum as well as working on other RR projects. My fellow workers are very enjoyable, and so is the extra bit of cash.
Written to classmates in 1997:
Having taught at Carleton College and Colorado College, I have been in Durango for 24 years teaching at Fort Lewis College, which is Colorado's public liberal arts college. Married to Annette in 1967. My daughter, Julia, is a graduate student in French at Arizona State. I may retire someday, but I'm still having fun working and living in Durango. Drop by and say hello. I wish I could be with you but my nephew is getting married this weekend in New York. My regrets and my loss at not seeing all of you.
Bill at leisure, ca. 1995.