Wagner Memories: Roy Thelin '76

This is a repost of an article written by Roy in 2008.

What was your first impression of Clark and Wagner? That wall of hot humid air that nearly knocked me back into the plane left a real impression on me. Wagner's relaxed dress code was the first thing about the school that impressed me. I eventually was able to take advantage of being allowed to wear a beard too.

What surprised you the most about the Philippines? Probably how fast that ground could soak up water. The first year I was there it really did rain for 40 days. The day after it stopped, the ground was dry. The other thing was how good the food was. Some Filipino dishes are still favorites of mine.
Did you really miss anything from the States and if so, what? I am not sure I missed anything from the States specifically because I didn't spend that much time there. I think we had been in the States 18 months or so when we left for the PI. Before that, we had been in England for over three years. I am pretty sure our stay before that was less than two years.

Who were your good buddies? The first year we were there, I think our neighbors, Geoff Shearer and Rudy Sandolph were probably the folks I hung out with the most. After that, I don't remember. I had girlfriends occasionally and classmates that I played sports with but not real buddies. Of course, if anyone that reads this remembers being a buddy of mine, let me know.
Where did you hang out? If I spent more time in one place than any other, it was probably the bowling alley. There were usually enough people there that you would see someone you knew hanging around.

Who was your favorite teacher/class? My favorite teacher was Dr. Carmone. He was still working on his doctorate when I was in his classes but he was still a lot of fun to mess with. The only classes I looked forward to though were gym and math (when I had my homework done).

Did you have a part time job - what was it? Never did have a part time job. The money just wasn't enough to motivate me that much.

Did you have a crush on anyone?  I am sure I may have, but don't remember any details. Nancy Gilead, Sue Holmes and the love of my life, Debbie Faires, weren't just crushes. (Note: Debbie Faires is now Debbie Thelin! Roy did get to marry the love of his life!)

Have you become closer to a Wagnerite that you didn't know well in high school because of a reunion? So far, I have been to three reunions, the Caribbean Cruises in ’05 and ’07 and the major gathering in San Diego in '06. I met a number of old acquaintances but haven't really gotten any closer to them. I am looking forward to more opportunities in the future though. My brother and I are planning on making the journey to San Antonio this year, the Caribbean Cruise next year and the biggy in ’11.

How did your experience living overseas affect you? There can be no doubt that living overseas has made me a more culturally well-rounded person. Comparing my attitudes, gotten from experience, to the average Americans’ I have met, I am much more tolerant of cultural and religious differences now. I was a bit more opinionated in high school though.

After nearly four years, I am getting ready to leave Kuwait and the Southwest Asia area, possibly for the last time. I am headed back to Dallas to spend time with my folks and family. If I can find employment there, I will stay in the greater Dallas area for awhile. I would think that a guy with a Bachelor's in Information Technology and a Master's in Computer Information Systems would be able to find something that will pay the bills, but I will worry about that after I have had a few weeks or months to rest.

My youngest daughter, Tabitha, wants to move from Alabama to Texas as well, if she can work out that whole employment thing. At 27 she has started working on a degree in gym or something like that. My eldest daughter, Joanna, lives with her husband in Kentucky. She actually has two bachelor degrees and uses the one in nursing for the benefit of the VA. 

Roy and Debbie got married last year and will be celebrating their first anniversary right around the time of the reunion!

And the winner is.......

The winner of the last drawing (for the two free nights at the hotel during the reunion) is . . . Suzette Fisherman Humphrey! CONGRATULATIONS!!!


For all those attending, please remember to book your room by June 9th and please pay your registration fee/balance by June 10th. It's not too late to decide to attend!

Here's the updated list of attendees.

Don't forget to order your Wagner t-shirts for the reunion. If you have ordered some, they are being sent out in batches, so don't expect a super quick turn-around time on your order.

We have added a 2 hour Harbor Cruise on Saturday mid-day to the reunion agenda. This is at NO extra cost to attendees!! Just make sure you email Gigi or Nina so we buy tickets for you - this is a great opportunity to hang with your friends and see the sights on a great bay cruise!  The harbor is protected and placid, so you don't have to worry about getting motion sickness. We will be boarding at 11:00 am at Navy Float at 970 North Harbor Drive.

Click on this link for more info on the reunion and the agenda.

It's going to be such a blast seeing everyone - our Wagner friendships are truly unique and special!  See you there!

Who's Coming to the Reunion?

We hope you are making plans to come to the 75-80 Wagner Reunion!

So far, we have 137 alumni (not including guests) who have told us they are coming and the preliminary list is available here. This changes daily, so we will re-post as more folks sign up.

Want a free hotel room during the reunion?

Get your full payment in by May 1st and be eligible to be in the drawing to win a free standard room (for two nights) at the hotel during the reunion.  

Everyone who has paid in full by end of day on May 1st will be eligible to be in the drawing, except previous contest winners (sorry Gabe!)

Many of our previous email addresses are no longer valid, so if you are in contact with some Wagner Alumni, please let them know about the reunion and give them this link for information.

We have added a 2 hour Harbor Cruise on Saturday mid-day to the reunion agenda. This is at NO extra cost to attendees!! With some good negotiating skills and extra revenue from the t-shirt sales, we are able to add this great opportunity to hang with your friends and see the sights on a great bay cruise!

So, definitely check out our t-shirt sale!! We will be adding two more 100% cotton alternatives shortly.

And don't forget to share YOUR Wagner Memories! Everyone loves to read them!

Wagner Alumni T-shirts for Sale!!

We have a great selection of Wagner Alumni t-shirts that you can order online through Alympus Marketing. We have done business with this company in years prior and can vouch for their service and quality!

There is a selection of shirts for sale from regular tees to racer back to long sleeve performance tees.

Click link to access the Wagner Alumni t-shirts on the Alympus website.

The prices are listed below and more details on each shirt are available by going to the site and clicking on each one. Sizes 2XL or larger are just a little more than the listed price.

 Every shirt is available with the logo on the left chest (smaller) or full front.

Shipping is via USPS and is a flat rate of $7.00 which covers service within the United States.  If you need the shirt sent to an overseas address, please contact us. When checking out, make sure you select the Wagner High Shipping Option, otherwise you won't get the shirt!!

Mr. Taft: More than just our principal!

Most of his students thought that, like all teachers, he had no life outside the hallways of Wagner. After all, it seemed that he was always there. I'll bet you'd never guess that Mr. Taft started out his career as an accountant at a lumber yard!

Born & raised in Rochester, New York, Bruce was an accountant in the family business - Taft Lumber. His mother was an elementary school teacher, which is where he probably got his inclination toward education. 

He graduated in 1955 from Saint Lawrence University, Canton, NY with a BS in Mathematics and Science and an MS in Education.  He was also a member of the varsity ski team, which really came in handy in the Philippines!

Following college, he spent three years teaching locally and completing his commitment as a US Navy Reservist and then joined the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) in 1958.

Bruce met Patricia Murphy, a fellow DoDDS teacher, in Morocco, and they married in 1960.  Their son Rich ('80) was born in Turkey and daughter Suzanne ('82) was born in France. Spending the next 35 years as a DoDDS high school teacher and principal, they were fortunate to live in such exotic places as Morocco, Turkey, France, the Philippines, Japan and Korea.

Bruce’s longest assignment was the fifteen years (1967-1982) he spent as Asst. Principal and Principal of our Alma Mater, Wagner High. During his 28 year tenure as a DoDDS principal, it’s estimated that he handed out 3500 diplomas. 

Bruce retired in June 1992, while Pat continued to teach in Korea until she retired in 1994. They built their retirement home, the very first home they’ve ever owned, in Mesa, Arizona where Bruce was active as an instructor and regional coordinator for the AARP’s “55 Alive Driver Safety Program”, a national program that provides driver retraining to retirees. 

He is also an officer in the local chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), and served as a director of the American Overseas Schools Historical Society (AOSHS) until 2002. 

Bruce & Pat continue to travel extensively, often touring Europe and attending reunions of DoDDS schools and educators. 

A few folks submitted some interesting stories about Mr. Taft:

From Pat Schramm (Creative Writing & French Teacher at Wagner): When Frank and I first became engaged and hadn't told anyone yet, we were "secretly" looking at rings at the BX. At that moment, along comes Bruce Taft!  He stayed mum and shared our secret for a couple of weeks before we announced our engagement publicly. Frank often told people that Bruce Taft was the best principal that he ever worked with.  When we left DoDDS, we went to Ohio, where Frank became a High School administrator for the last 10 years of his career.  He says that he modeled himself after Bruce.

From Waddy Vining ('78):  I look back now and wonder why I wanted to graduate from school early. In retrospect, those were the greatest times in my life. I finished my senior year early and Mr. Taft let me graduate by myself in Jan. of  1978. It was wonderful, my friends and the faculty all were in attendance----what a great day. I was the top, middle, and bottom of my graduating class!

From Laura Gayles Stephens ('80):  The class of '80 decided to pull a prank on Mr. Taft during our graduation ceremony. Such a silly idea but soooo funny to us at the time. Each one of us (that was brave enough to do it) passed a marble to Mr. Taft as we crossed the stage and accepted our diploma. After a while, there were so many marbles, they began to fall off of the table. Needless to say, it got very noisy, the marbles were falling off the table, the teachers were trying to pick them up or kick them to the side so no one would step on them and Mr. Taft got redder and redder in the face.  

From Jose Hernandez ('80): I wanted say thanks to Mr. Taft for the support that he gave to all the students. I was a kid who hung out at “the park” or “Marlboro Country”, as many called it. I was in trouble a lot and I remember the time an SP followed me into the school hallways, hoping to pump me for information about some of my friends. Mr. Taft saw him detain me around the 100 wing and came up to find out what was going on. When the SP told Mr. Taft that he was just talking to me and being a friend, I’ll never forget what he said …he told him that I had enough friends and to leave the campus. I also remember that he gave us a heads-up before our senior trip, warning us that the SP’s would be searching the bus. I appreciated the fact that he was concerned for all the kids at Wagner, even the ones that got into trouble from time to time. 

Photos: 1) Mr. Taft in 1977 - love that white belt!  2) Bruce & Rich Taft at the 2006 San Diego Reunion   3) Bruce & Pat Taft with their grandson at his college graduation in 2015. 4) Mr. Taft handing Waddy Vining his diploma

Wagner Memories: Yolanda Fisherman Santana '76

What was your first impression of Clark and Wagner? 
 I was born at Clark and my dad was stationed there 4 times so I had no first impression. A lot of my impressions of Clark came after Mt. Pinatubo when I went back to visit, so I will answer most of these questions of my impressions of Clark when I went back to visit as an adult.

What surprised you the most about the Philippines? What did you like best about living there?
I had always heard that Clark was a beautiful base and I took that for granted. Clark being my birth place, I didn’t know the difference. I only recognized how beautiful Clark/Philippines was when I went back to visit after Mt. Pinatubo. The beauty of the area still existed regardless of the damage the volcano had done.

I said to myself, before all these damages, “What a beautiful place this place must have been.” It was paradise to me. I loved the tropical scenery of the plants and trees. If you could remember the horse stables and picnic ground area, that was one of the sights I went to visit.

The trees were old and large where branches from the other trees touched and passed each other that gave a beautiful canopy. You had to respect and appreciate nature’s landscaping.

Did you really miss anything from the States and if so, what?
Not applicable to me. I didn’t know what I had missed.

Who were your good buddies? 
 I had so many. I had friends that I’ve known since grade school such as: Marie Bissell, Dana Castaneda, Cathy Edwards, Cathy Forren, Stephanie Clark and many more.

Then I had my sports friends and Spanish Club friends such as: Gina Robinson, Denise Young, Bobbye Herndon, Robin Hollier, Brenda Johnson, Debbie Petrizzi, Jackie Meir, Beverly Jones and many more.

Where did you hang out?
I did not have a specific hang out place although I felt like I lived in the school gym and the bamboo ball.

Who was your favorite teacher/class?
I had many. There were some teachers that I liked even though I didn’t take classes from them because I had communicated with them in other areas such as a committee or an event.

Miss Jewitt, Pat and Dick Saddlemire, Mr. Quayle, Miss Munn, Miss Goff, Mr. Hilgers, Mr. O’Connor, Vern and Sondi Harmelink and Miss Young.

Did you have a part time job - what was it? Yes, I did a job from PVOT and worked at a missile shop during the summer.


Have you become closer to a Wagnerite that you didn't know well in high school because of a reunion?
Myrna Nickelsen & Karen Jimerson

Did your experience living overseas change you?
I think I was changed from birth by being born overseas and living in two cultures.

Important Reunion Deadline Dates!

A number of people have asked about paying their reunion fee with a credit card, so we checked into it . . .

If we set up a credit card payment account, we'd have create a separate account and charge processing fees. If we use PayPal, once we hit $20,000 or 200 transactions, the amount collected would be reported to the IRS as personal income.

As much as we love all of you, none of us need to pay the IRS any more than we already do, especially when it’s income we don’t get to keep!  So, we’re still only taking personal or business checks, cashier checks, and money orders.

We’d like to remind everyone that the fees ($350) need to be PAID IN FULL by Friday, June 10th.  Everything needs to clear the bank, and then we have to turn around and pay the hotel for the three events by June 30th.  We hope everyone understands.

And lastly, your must have your hotel room reserved by Monday, June 6th.  After this date, the hotel has the option to release our rooms to the public or begin charging the regular room rate (which will be at least $349 per night, possibly more - again, summer is their busy season).

When you book you will still have until approximately June 26th to cancel your reservation without any fees.  So even if you’re not quite sure that your schedule will allow you to attend the reunion yet, please book your room to ensure that you will have a room and to avoid added expense.

Click here for a registration form.

Click here for more info on the reunion.

And don't forget to send this on to any friends who are not on Facebook.