Compiled by class representatives Julie Walker Meacham and Mike MacLeod

Dave Nelson writes: “Well, I’m in frozen Saskatchewan, Canada. Married 52 years to lovely, nee Joy Bader, from Hodgeville, Sask. We met at Bible College in Regina and the rest is History. I retired many years ago as did many of you. I tuned pianos after that and am very active in the music world here. I played twice in one evening with two different bands last Saturday for Black History month. I play off and on with five different bands [Dave plays a wicked trumpet]. I remember the Montlake mixers and also football games there. At Meany Jr. High you and I were flag football co-Captains. Of course we won the tournament together!”

A year ago, while attending a funeral for a Peace Corps friend I [Mike] went to Jack (Hirotaka) Tsujihara’s address. I spoke with a relative who said Jack was in Japan related to being afflicted with Parkinson’s. About ten days I called the relative, who gave Jack the phone. Jack knew we had met at Garfield, but, in fact, we met on his first day at Meany Jr. High, in math class. Jack had just arrived from Hiroshima and spoke only a few words of English; the math teacher asked me to sit with Jack and make sure he learned the math. In truth, his math knowledge was far better than mine, so I was really helping get comfortable with English. (At Garfield, Jack helped me with physics!) Jack graduated from UW, majoring in electrical engineering. He worked at Boeing and a couple of other airplane companies, and at least once was sent to Japan to share expertise with Japanese companies and academics. In the meantime, Jack had married into a family that owned a garden nursery on Oahu, so when he retired they moved to live in the family compound. Jack got interested in one project, the propagation of Sakura trees. That’s how I located him, from articles about the project. He used his scientific bent to help make the delicate process more viable. The family gives away some trees to community agencies, like churches and schools. I hope I get a chance to return to Hawai’i to see Jack in person. In the meantime, we all hope Jack can deal with his illness as well as possible.

From Frank Ferrel: It’s wonderful to hear about all the alumni achievements and Golden Grad initiatives, but also sad to hear of passings, especially those from our class. I remember Davidson Dodd well. Although I didn’t hangout much with him, I always admired his leadership. He was certainly a spark plug and a born leader. I’m sure everyone can identify with a high school group or gang they hung out with. Both Laura Paaso Brown and Jane Akita Ellis were part of my gang. I remember New Year’s Day sushi, and parties at Jane’s house, and sharing a typewriter with her as Messenger staffers. Then there were the late nights at Tai Tung restaurant where our pooled five dollars bought more food than we could finish. Laura was my cultural influencer, and the one who encouraged me to pursue art. I gave her one of my early “abstracts,” influenced by my visits to Seattle art legend, Bill Cummings in his Smith Tower studio. She was also my “date,” encouraging us to go see the then young emerging guitarist, John Williams, in concert at the old Paramount Theater.

Today I’m writing you from a small villa on the southern coast of Portugal, in the coastal village of Praia da Luz, where we’re spending our second winter escaping the cold and snow of New England. I’m grateful to still be in good enough health to not only be able to travel, but be willing to get up off the proverbial couch and move!

As I think back to that day when we all graduated, I doubt any of us could have predicted the varied paths we’d pursue. When asked about college, I remember telling the guidance counselor, “Double major please. Art and Music. That way I’ll be covered if I go deaf or blind!” Ah the flippancy of youth. As it turned out, I did both and have enjoyed the benefits ever since. As a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Washington, I accepted a semester-long teaching fellowship at Goddard College in Vermont. Having spent time in Boston in the Navy on an imposed four-year break from college, I was intrigued to return to New England. I subsequently met my wife from there and have since become bicoastal, with family, friends, and fond memories on both coasts. And yes, even though we now livie in Patriots land, I stayed true to my school and rooted for the Seahawks! The violin has been the one constant in my life, from early lessons at Cornish, to school orchestras, to playing with the Seattle Symphony and ballet, to a Prairie Home Companion stage, to small village halls in the Scottish highlands, it’s all been good. I still try to practice and play daily. Someone once asked Pablo Casals, then in his 90’s, why he still practiced four hours a day. He replied, “Because I think I’m making progress.” So I keep tucking the fiddle under my chin hoping to make progress, and I haven’t gone deaf or blind yet!

So thanks to Garfield, our melting pot high school, a unique place where we accepted racial equality long before civil rights marches, learned liberal thinking, and where our teachers and mentors set us on our respective paths, and instilled in us a healthy dose of intellectual curiosity. And for all that, all I can say is THANK YOU! (fferrel@aol.com)

A group of us got together for lunch recently. One was someone the others hadn’t seen for years: Jonathan (Jon) Chinn. The others who attended were (left to right): Doug Chin, Julie Walker Meacham, Jon Chinn, Penny Fukui, Frank Fukui, Mike MacLeod, Wilawan MacLeod, and Eugene Tagawa. Jon lives in Edmonds. He is a retired ear, nose, and throat doctor. He fielded several queries about conditions related to his practice with aplomb and humor. He should have been treated to a free lunch in payment!

From Jim Egan, who lives in Kennewick: I am still alive and in relatively good health. I recently received a pin for 50 years as a lawyer in Washigton state and am still looking forward to my first win in court!

From Jim Pinkham: I have had a great life, traveling, farming, and orthopedic surgery. I had a wonderful marriage to Sue Crockett, but she passed away from Parkinsonism. I still live on Mercer Island where we went for her care. I am painting, playing bridge, and working in the wood shop. I am pretty healthy and active. I am anxious to hear other stories from people I have lost touch with. I see Sue Ulfwengren (formerly Susan Perry) often.

Stewart Umphrey is nearly finished with work on his second novel. He had shelved it for a bit as he coped with treatment for cancer, but now feels well enough to complete the task. His first novel, Otherwise, is available on Amazon. It’s a tour d’force, full of notions and ideas that will capture your imagination and make you smarter, all while enjoying a good story. It will also remind you of the brilliance of our classmate!

Anna Hill (known at Garfield as Ann) transferred into GHS as a senior, so, “I did not keep in touch with anyone from Garfield and was a hermit there, but do remember people, miraculously, so I keep obituary notices of those I see in Seattle Times.” She worked for years as a public health nurse. I imagine she sometimes interacted with patients with humor, given this comment in an earlier email: “I thought you would marvel at the little ghosts from the past which sometimes pop up for no known reason. We little ‘humes’ surprise ourselves all the time.”

From Allen Wood: “We are doing OK. Retired at both Stanford and Indiana, but I still have PhD. students at both places. Tomorrow I attend a paper by one of my Stanford students.” For those who might have missed this: in 2025 Allen joined classmates Bobbie Meltzer Stern, Rick Nagel, and Judy Kawaguchi Kusakabe in the GGG Hall of Fame.

Dave Moffett is pleased that he is progressing well in the process to rehabilitate a seriously torn quadriceps tendon that had to be reattached to his knee. The rehab is grueling, focusing on regaining the flex in the knee. Dave wants all of us to think twice before climbing up on a chair or a ladder. Find help for those tasks! We wish you well, Dave!

Our intrepid classmate Carl Cravens, who loves to drive coast-to-coast, planned to attend the GGG luncheon in early June. He was to visit Los Angeles first, then drive to Seattle, visit friends and family here, then drive back to South Carolina. His favorite doctor has insisted that he stop every hour or so. Carl says the doctor probably knows that he only stops to gas up, but was told that the real concern wasn’t that Carl might get sleepy, but rather that at his age he needs to stop, get out, and walk a bit as a way to help avoid the possibility of a blood clot. Carl has listened and will do his best to follow the doctor’s advice.

Coy Moore is still training dogs in Moxee, near Yakima. He had considered relocating to Arizona, but not yet. To get ready, he rigged a generator and heater so that if he was in AZ when it snowed heavily in Moxee, the snow would melt and keep his roof intact. Problem was: no snow the past two years. Mike told Coy that people had been impressed how fit he looked. He had knee replacement surgery six years ago, so that helped, but he admitted that the people who pay him to train their dogs help him stay in shape! Also, good eating habits, drinking good well water, and breathing fresh air helps. His position on two types of dogs: bird dogs are stupid, but sheep dogs are clever and smart. But he’ll train both, and other breeds, in case any of us are interested!