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As I reflect upon my high school experience, one of the teachers who occupies a prominent and very special place in my memory is Miss Johnson. Her title, physical education / health / driver ed. teacher was only a small part of who she was and how she influenced and touched so many of our lives as we climbed the ladder of maturity from humble sophomore to that of sophisticated senior. The many hats she wore are almost too numerous to mention. Was there any other teacher in high school who knew by name every female student not to mention the fact she also knew the names of the vast majority of the male students.

Health classes gave us insight into the world of nutrition and how calories count. She set an example that judicious consumption was a beneficial lifestyle. A personal revelation to me at the time was that substituting nuts for candy didn't substantially reduce caloric intake, a fact she pointed out after Christmas overindulgence. As driver ed. students, we learned from her the rules of the road and the hows and whys of driving. The results of her instruction for most of us form the basis of our driving habits and skill as we still apply that knowledge in our lives today. Aerobics has been promoted in the past two or three decades by the fitness gurus as the modern form of exercise to keep our cardio vascular systems finely tuned. My initial experience with aerobics, because of Miss J's unique gym classes, was that my entire self knew exactly what to do. Is there any student out there who hears the tune "Glow Worm" and not recall Miss Johnson playing the piano as our feet moved per instruction to the rhythm of the music? Recently a project with which I was involved required listening to numerous melodies from the big band era. What a flood of memories came tumbling forth. Does one ever hear "American Patrol", "In the Mood", or "String of Pearls", and not recall our noon time dance experiences in the Girls Gym. She presided over round dancing, now termed line dancing, and taught many of us how to sort out left from right.

Miss Johnson believed in and practiced equal opportunity for all. As senior girls we all participated in the Pep Club, and as females we all participated in the annual dance revue. To my knowledge no one was excluded. The magnitude of coordinating, and rehearsing such an event "boggles the mind"!!! To realize she was responsible for a theme, script, choreography, costuming, plus music, and involving 250 to 300 participants is truly a monumental endeavor. She began the production many years before the class of '53 participated and the event continued many, many more years after our departure.

There were few extracurricular activities in which her presence was not apparent. Her musical ability on the piano enlivened many an occasion. The annual opera presentation required her choreographic and costuming expertise, to name only a few events with which she was directly or indirectly involved.

Her talents were numerous and varied. She was visionary, a woman ahead of her time, and a role model for those with career aspirations. Miss Johnson was counselor, friend, mentor, confidant, and an inspiration to many. We are all better individuals for having the good fortune to have crossed paths with a great woman affectionately and with warmth know as Clara!

Sorry I have been sooo long in responding to your "Italian email". I have numerous excuses, but the most believable is that I have been gone, gone, gone--literally sort of from one end of the country to the other, the other including Alaska. Whew! At any rate I trust you had a wonderful trip. Were you able to skip over to the Vatican and chat with the Pope? I hope so. He needs a few suggestions in dealing with his wayward clerics hanging out in the good 'ol U.S. of A.--like,-- maybe Put the Nuns in CHARGE!! Well enough of the worlds problems.

You questioned my "Caverns22" email address and the fact that I may have gone underground, well here is the scoop. The 22 has no significance, but the caverns is in reference to Arizona's newest state park which is Kartchner Caverns, located in Benson AZ., which is a small community about 60 miles east of Tucson. The cave was discovered on ranch land owned by my in-laws and subsequently named in honor of the family who played a pivotal role along with the two discoverers in negotiating with the state of Arizona to develop the cavern and open it to the public. Had you been paying attention to the national news on November 12, 1999, you would have learned the facts as there was media coverage by the big three, the day of the grand opening. If you still would like to know more, there are a couple of websites to check out: Kartchner Cavern State Park, click on #1 for a brief summery. If you are interested in pictures check out: explore the caverns.com. Are you sorry you asked?? It has been a very interesting experience to be involved in the project since its inception, or I guess I

Jerry, your website idea was absolutely brilliant. I have been most impressed, especially with the ease of negotiating around to the various subjects. It has been so very interesting reading what you have posted thus far. Who would ever have envisioned the lives that have been lived by the members of the class of '53. Fact is truly more intriguing than fiction. What a group!! I especially enjoyed the pictures, of you, Dan and Bernie. You were instantly recognizable, I could have picked you our from any line-up or maybe any street corner on the L. V. Strip. Father time has been kind. When you have the time and inclination, fill me in on a few of the facts relating to the waters under the bridges of your life.

Welcome back to civilization, at least for the present, we hope!! Apologize for the communication hiatus. I had a computer glitch the middle of January and the glitch-fixer, armed with scapel, was off doing good deeds in Bolivia, by the time he returned and put me back in touch, you were ready to journey to far off lands. It sounds, as per usual, that you had a superb trip! It appears you two are out to explore the far corners of the underworld, beneath the sea that is. I applaud your efforts. My theory is to ignore the "rocking chair" for as long as possible. Well enough philosophizing.

To reply to your request for my help in contacting by phone classmates who are remiss in submitting their bios, I would be happy to help. My assumption is you are suggesting I contact those on line who haven't responded to your numerous reminders since we know their phone numbers are accurate, or do you want me to contact any and all classmates assuming their phone numbers are somewhat accurate? Some information please: do you have any sort of time frame, or deadline with which to threaten, cajole, or beg?

On a personal note, I promise a picture shortly by snail mail as a new scanner is in order and one must research carefully and I might add at great length, as well, before making a decision to replace said equipment. Translation--it may be September or thereabouts before the actual apparatus appears.

If Jerry you note any errors in my "reflections", please feel free to correct. Thank you again for attempting to keep the PHS class of '--connected. Also thank you for the many interesting email tid-bits you send our way. We especially appreciated the very timely info regarding safeguarding personal data etc. Your virus memo was priceless as I'm sure at this stage of the game we can all relate. My brain at least is griped by "senior moments" all too often! My solace is we are only as old as we FEEL!!! Never mind appearances or how the statistics stack up--agreed.