Hello Carl, 

Thank you for again making a memory book for us. Your willingness to do so is much appreciated. Dick & I will again be unable to attend the reunion. We have just a couple weeks ago become grandparents for the first time. Little Garrett Curtis has been long waited for and we are all so happy for Curtis {our son} and Heather {our daughter-in-law}.

We plan to visit them at about the time the reunion is being held. More on that later. 

In the fall of ‘54 I started beauty school in Quincy. In fact, Joan Apt Homer and I lived together along with several other girls. She was attending Gem City College. I graduated in March 1955 from Quincy Beauty Academy and worked in the field very successfully for 7 1/2 years, first in Mt. Sterling and then in Carthage. In the fall of 1963 I went back to Quincy & worked for Broadway National Bank as secretary to the tellers for 4 1/2 years. I meant Dick & we were married in March 1965. I’m sure I was the last of our classmates to marry, but he’s proven himself to be well worth the wait. He was farming at the time and we continued to farm until the flood of 1993 came along. 

Our only child, our son Curtis was born after 6 1/2 years of marriage. He’s grown to be such a good young man. Now we are praying that their little son will grow to be as fine a man as his daddy. (Brag,brag!) Curtis and Heather both graduated from the University of Missouri, in Columbia. Heather went on to get her master’s there. Then she was offered a grant to study for her doctrate in biological engineering, but she had to go to Utah State University in Logan to use the grant. Now after 11 years of waiting she plans to be a full time mom for awhile at least. Curtis works for Praxair. The first quarter of this year he recieved the customer service award for all of North America and Canada out of 4,000 employees eligible for the award. We are very proud of our family!

 Dick started working for the John Deere dealership here after the flood. He worked there for 8 1/2 years then retired from full time work and now works part time {3 days per week} at Hannibal Regional Hospital just 10 miles from us. He does courier work there and enjoys it. He keeps a beautiful yard and enjoys woodworking projects during the months when he can’t be outside. I was a full time mom and I enjoyed every minute of it. Following the flood we of course had no home or job for that matter so we moved to Palmyra then. Two years later we built a new home just out side Palmyra. We like our area very much. I started working for an automobile parts factory here in Palmyra. My health failed in the fall of 1995. After being so active for so many years I was devastated to find myself with a life threatening condition of the heart that I had never even heard of before. In the hospital I was tested for several days and it was determined that I had to have an implantable cardioverter difibrillator. It was implanted in my abdomen. It has saved my life more than once. Those therapy shocks are very painful but I’ve learned not to complain! At least I’ve lived to see my grandbaby. I’m now on my 3rd defibrillator and I’ve also had a pacemaker since 1998.My doctor {in Columbia, Mo} has not allowed me to drive since my first spell in 1995. That was such a big adjustment for me. There are lots of things I can’t manage to do anymore, but Dick is so good to help me. 

Curtis requested that Dick make a baby bed for the baby. He did and it was beautiful if I do say so. 

I’ve been saddened by the deaths of Ellen & Elaine in recent years. Ellen and I exchanged Christmas letters over many years. Elaine and I were always friends. Phyllis and I have revived a letter friendship that’s really been enjoyable to me. {I know I’m behind on that too, Phyllis} I pray that their - Phyllis & Eugene’s - health will improve. 

All of you enjoy your weekend together. We should be appreciative to Marianna & Ken for entertaining the group. I hope old aquaintances are renewed and I’ll look forward to your stories in Carl’s memory book. Hello to everyone and have fun!! I know if you were giving a prize for the one with the most gray hair I’d get that prize, but at least I’m not that heavy set gal I once was!!

 Luella Bennett Kramer, 7198 County Road 328, Palmyra, MO 63461