TO THE ROLFE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1952:

Hi All

It does not seem possible that 50 years have passed since our graduation day in May of 1952. But then, time marches on. My mother always used to comment about how quickly time passes--and I didn’t believe her at that time, especially when I was counting the days and hours I had to wait to graduate so I could join my best-friend Carol Johnson--who had graduated in ‘51 and already had her first job in Rockford, IL. I did indeed join her there and got a job in the same factory she and her sister Jane Johnson was working. It was Roper Stove Corporation. We had a lot of fun while at that company.

For one year I worked there until Carol and I decided to move to California. We went first to San Francisco, but very soon, after about five months, decided to move to

to Hollywood. It was while living in our apartment for about a year that I met my husband Nick. We dated a short time--about 5 months before getting married. Carol also got married and moved back to Iowa.

Shortly after that we moved to Las Vegas where we were both employed for close to one and ½ years. My son Terri was born there in Las Vegas. We moved back to Southern California and first settled in North Hollywood. There were many more moves after that--Burbank, Hollywood, L.A. and then when Terri was 7, we tried Las Vegas again. This time we stayed only 11 months because Nick had a hard time getting a good job. Kind of an interesting thing happened just two weeks after moving out of the apartment we had rented for almost 2 years. We were just settling into a small house in No. Las Vegas when over the news we heard that an airplane ha crashed just next door to the apt. complex we had just vacated. The pilot was in fog so his ability to see properly was impaired. He hit a large billboard first, then hit the 3 or 4 homes next to the complex, killing people. The apartments were spared, but one of the engines fell into the pool--plus other debris. We were happy to have gotten out when we did.

We moved from Las Vegas to San Diego where we stayed just a short time ( about a year). My mother came to visit us a couple times and commented to us --that we should try to stay in one place--instead of moving so much. Well---we listened to her. We moved to Costa Mesa and stayed many years there.

My son passed away in 1993 and one year later my husband died, so I’ve been alone now for 8 years.

Just recently I purchased a lovely condominium here in Laguna Woods. It is in Leisure World where I can be kept busy with tennis, gold, swimming, pot lucks--none of which I tried yet . . ./but that’s because I’ve been busy working at the job I’ve had for 17 years---plus the furnishing of the home--and you know how that goes.

That’s about where I am today. Sure wished I could have made the trip there this time--but maybe seeing a lot of pictures of you guys and gals( whoever’s there ) will help me feel better. O.K.???

Lots of Love

Marianne Thompson Vitro