Will this be the last newsletter? Perhaps yes, and perhaps no. After 30 years, with the family all grown up and scattered, there's a good logical excuse for wanting to lean back, relax, and simply enjoy life as it comes. So, whether or not a 1973 newsletter comes out will be mostly a matter of the Laziness Quotient (LQ) at the moment. If the LQ increases at the current rate, the chances of a '73 newsletter are pretty slim!
Les had a variety of projects cooking during 1972. One was a 1971 carryover, measuring flammable vapor concentrations from fuel spills and leaks in Air Force hangars. The results were 90 surprising and upset so many long-held notions that in September the work was extended to include tests on aircraft shelters in Germany. That was an eventful two-week assignment.
In his spare time Les managed to visit Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Worms, Mainz, Wiesbaden, and drive down the Rhine and back as far as Koblenz. Naturally he stopped to see the Lorelei Rock. On the way 'home he visited in England for a few days, spent mostly in sightseeing around London. He liked Europe and wants to get back and see more!
Early in the year Les was carrying out some tests on acrylic lenses for fluorescent lights under fire exposure conditions. During the preparations he walked into the bottom corner of a window air conditioner gashing the scalp. It turned out to be serious. Dizzy spells and uncertain gait plagued him, and he had to cut outside activities to the bone, including a pottery course at SAC. The doctors finally concluded that there must have been a brain concussion. The "dizzy-dizzies" wore off, but even as late as October kept on flaring up to plague him.
Probably the most interesting project was sponsored by a chemical industry group, evaluating the effectiveness of water spray for protection against large flammable vapor releases. A lot has been learned so far, but there are still many aspects to resolve and hopefully answers will be found.
Polly had a frustrating summer. She'd planned for a long stay in Europe, leaving Dallas for Frankfurt on 17 May, returning via Oakland on 30 October. On 8 April, however, she was rushed to the hospital with cardiac symptons. In a few days, cardiac troubles were ruled out, and a long series of lab tests begun. The diagnosis was gall bladder malfunction plus some yet to be determined complications. Finally, on 8 May she spent five hours in the operating room, Out came the ailing gall bladder plus a section of the sigmoid colon where a cancer had started. She was lucky that the gall bladder rang the alarm bell in time to catch the cancer !
Rescheduling the trip to Europe involved lots of compromises and guesswork on how fast she'd get back on her feet. After several postponements, though, she finally took off for Frankfort on 20 September to salvage what she could of the planned trip. After a few days in Munich, she went over to Dover via Luxembourg and France, just about the time Les got to England, catching up with him in London before he headed back to the U. S. After a quick swing around England, she returned to Munich to join a tour group visiting Istanbul. By then, it was time to go to Frankfurt and catch her flight for Oakland, but not before getting to see Heidelberg. In the States again, she flew down to Los Angeles, thence to San Diego, back north to Fresno, and north again to Portland, pretty well hovering the Pacific coast. From there she turned east via Amtrak with a stop in Livingston, Montana. The train took her as far as Minneapolis. The next travel was by bus, visits in lowa, and down to Columbia for several days with Larry at U. of Missouri. Finally, early in December she arrived back in San Antonio. It wasn't the six to seven month trip she'd first planned, but in view of her hospitalization, that 11 weeks was quite an undertaking!
After many long years and an extended military time out, Larry is now a Senior at the University of Missouri, scheduled to receive his degree next May. Naturally, he' s playing in the Marching Mizzou Band and will be at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona to cheer on those Tigers. He's also the organist in Fulton, Missouri so music keeps him well occupied. In his spare time he carries on student government activities as chairman of one of the committees. Larry spent the summer in telephone solicitation, and did well at it. For a while he managed a men's cooperative, but now has his own apartment
After Ed was released from his military service in 1971, he started work on an advanced degree at George Washington Univ. In 1972, plugging along with a heavy schedule in both Spring and Summer Sessions he received his MS in Computer Management just after Labor Day. The next month he accepted a job in Annapolis, working for the Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis Center (ECAC), a division of Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (llTRI). So Ed has officially joined the ranks of the intellectual long hairs. For the present, at least, he is still in the Washington area, at 4725 Boiling Brook Parkway, Rockville, Maryland 20853, (301) 949-3515, car pooling it back and forth to Annapolis.
Dan still dispenses learning at Jefferson Davis Middle School in San Antonio and soaks it up in other locations. In the spring he picked up a sociology course at SAC toward his teaching certificates. Weekends he accumulated four of a required eight hours on the way toward becoming a licensed balloonist. When summer came, he headed down to Texas A&I finishing the work for his MS degree. All he needs now is to get a thesis written and put on his cap and gown to make it official. Just to make life interesting, he did a stint as a disc jockey in Kingsville and took part in a production of "The King & I." Back in San Antonio, part-time politics got some attention. Dan is the school's delegate to the Teachers Council, and he served as Election Judge and clerk in the May and November elections. He held the fort at 230 Montpelier while the regular occupants were in Europe, got himself a new 10-speed bike, and if his little black cat Natasha hadn't disappeared during the summer at Kingsville, the year would have been a completely happy one. He's living at 177 Bonair now, ( 512 ) 337 - 6430 .
No card would seem complete without a few words about the animals. No changes have taken place in the four-legged tribe. Buffy still bumbles around as the canine cut-up. Kit is still around, and as the years catch up with her, gets quieter and quieter. Most of the activity is supplied by Ming, a lovable but often obstreperous Siamese and Taffy, an always cuddly cat of
The Egglestons
230 Montpelier Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78228
(512) 734-0698
December 15, 1972
