Van Antwerp School: In remembrance of those in the Class of 1953 who have passed on

Eddie Baker
Emily Cain
Sheila DeLack
Ronald Farina
Edwin Farrell
Lois Goldstock
Paul Hale
Connie Harrison Leet
Peter Heck

Bob Johnson

Robert Johnson - (Deceased 01/11/2000)
As written by Dave Hotchkiss.
Bob and I were born 2 days apart in May of 1938 and our parents were extra special friends. Ramond Johnson was born in Kansas like my dad and attended Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan in the early 1920's. In 1926, both he an my dad graduated with BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and were picked up by GE out of Schenectady, N.Y.
Both men would marry local New England girls. Ruth was his mom.
They lived on Dean Street a long block and a half south from Nott St...almost across the street from Susan Tyler.
Bob and I were best friends until we were 18 years old when our lives went in two different directions and never intersected again but for but a few brief moments after that.
Bob is remembered for several things. We cannot remember him without a smile on his face, an infectious laugh and an empathic personality who always was interested in you. He was very intelligent...and being a straight A student would follow him all the days of his life. He was a talented musician as was his whole family. He played a mean trumpet and did so through the marching band at Kansas State University. Ruth played the piano, Raymond the clarinet, Merton the french horn and Gary the flute. They had a ball in family jam secessions.
He was not a natural athlete but loved baseball...and later on in life watching football. We did a lot bicycle riding together.
We both were in the youth programs at the big First Methodist Church downtown on State St just up from the main stores.
Ramond was an inventor and physical doer and they built what they needed themselves including a camping trailer from the frame up. But this aspect did not rub off on Bob and he did not mess with old cars and mechanical things like I did. I remember they had a dark room for developing pictures in the basement, but that was not Bob's interest either.
Our families usually got together for summer vacations that were often the first 2 weeks of July when all of GE shut down for vacations. More than not we would end up at Fish Creek Ponds next to Tupper and Saranac Lakes in upstate N.Y. Swimming and canoeing were two of both our loves. At night we would sing songs aroung the campfire.
Bob and I went to Mont Pleasant HS and enrolled in the Technical Electrical curriculum...as Bob later said, @quote;...you and I were being loaded by our fathers into the educational slingshot aiamed at careers in engineering...@quote; For Bob that would not be at true at all. For me only partially.
Our fantastic and final big time together happened when we were 18 in the summer of 1956. I graduated from Shelbyville HS in Shelbyville, Indiana...after dad's GE transfer one year earlier...and drove my 1940 Ford convertible back to Schenedtady.
Ramond dropped the two of us off at the dam at Old Forge, N.Y. and with a 12 ft Grumman aluminum canoe, two paddles and a back pack basket. We paddled 90 miles through the 8 lakes of the Fulton Chain and on up through Raquette Lake, Forked Lake, Long Lake, Saranac Lake and into Fish Creek Ponds. We prided ourselves on carrying everything we needed for the three day trip and never stopped for anything. On the third day, I begged him to stop at an outpost and get some oreo cookies, but he said no. We also accomplished our 7 miles of portages all in one trip. This saved us 14 miles of portage distance. One of us carried the canoe and paddles and the other carried the basket with tent food and all in it. We passed 54 canoeists without anyone going by us. The only tradgedy was on the second morning when Bob dropped the frying pan with the two raw eggs in it that we had been so careful to preserve.
Bob and I enrolled at Kansas State University in the fall of 1956. I was in EE and Bob was in Chemical Engineering. At this point we split forever...and I rarely saw him the rest of my life.
I pledged a social fraternity and he slipped into a small apartment in the center of the campus. Both of our lives would be changed forever. For two years, Bob got straight A's in Chemical Engineering. Then he changed majors and enrolled in English and Literature. He started the first literary magazine on the campus, the Touchstone, and after graduation stayed on for several years as an associate professor. I changed majors two more times and graduated with a BS in Industrial Technology from the school of Industrial Engineering.
He married a girl named Laura Lee Johnson and never had children.
Starting in 1965, Sharon and I have continually sent out an annual Christmas letter and Bob stayed on our list. Bob never answered...until January 3rd, 1992...31 years after I left the KSU campus. He wrote me only this one letter to account for all those years.
He said...@quote;I'm actually writing you a letter. My sheepish guilt, inspired by your bulldog perseverance and bloodhound tracking, has finally forced me to account for my past.@quote;
In 1963, they left the states and were in Australia and then one year in England. Back in the states they went to Detroit, Michigan in 1967.
They lived and taught...he English, Laurel speech...in Ann Arbor, Mich (1967-69). Clearing out their lives, they stuffed themselves into their VW camper and ended up in Seattle, Washington.
January, 1970 he was diagnosed with MS. He and Laurel started a theater in a Skid Road basement which Laurel directed for 8 years. Bob began a new career in the arts as the first director of the King County Arts Commission.
In January, 1990, they moved to San Jose, California where he was the Director of San Jose's Arts Program till he passed away in Jan. of 2000. He note that San Jose is the countries 11th largest city.
Oh, yes...Bob changed his first name...from college days...to "Yankee..." and I am sure wrote papers, books and signed his name for everything in academia under that handle.
He was confined to a wheelchair for his last 12 years.
Robert Mielke

Robert J. Mielke, 69, of Schenectady, passed away after a brief illness on Monday, May 28, 2007, at Ellis Skilled Nursing Facility, Schenectady.
Born in Schenectady on March 24, 1938, he was the son of the late William and Ethel Yates Mielke. He was a lifelong area resident and graduate of Nott Terrace High School, class of 1956. He furthered his education by attending Union College where he earned his B.A. and later received his master's in history from the University of Pennsylvania. Robert then earned his MLS from SUNY Albany School of Library Science and earned his certificate in accounting from Siena College.
Robert taught History for Concordia Teachers' College in Seward, NE and for Ballston Spa High School. He worked as a cataloger at both RPI Library and later with the Schenectady Public Schools Federal Project. In 1973, Robert was employed by the Fort Plain Central School District as the high school librarian until his retirement in 2000. While working at the Ft. Plain Central School, he was very involved with the students’ interests. He was also active in the Ft. Plain Teacher’s Association, as well as in many aspects of the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery School Library System.
He was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church in Schenectady, where following his retirement, he served as the church’s archivist, librarian, Shepard of their book group, was enrolled in Crossways Bible Study and was a member of Hardy Perennials. Robert was chairman of the UCALL Steering Committee for Union College, where he also served as treasurer of the Union College Club of Schenectady, and was a member of the Union Alumni Council and Terrace Council. He also served as secretary of the Upper Montgomery Retired Teachers’ Association and was employed part-time evaluating teacher exams and videos for National Evaluation Systems.
Over the years, Robert had done extensive gardening. He enjoyed listening to music, and attending concerts, musicals and the opera. He especially loved fishing and spending restful, quality time at his camp in the Adirondacks, as well as caring for his beloved cat, Prism. He will be remembered for his friendly, kind and gentle nature.
Robert is survived by his fiancee, Evelyn Thode; several cousins; and many friends.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, Nott Terrace, Schenectady followed by interment in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schenectady. The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, 6 until 8 p.m. at Griswold Funeral Home 1867 State St., Schenectady.
Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to Zion Lutheran Church, 153 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY 12308 and Union College, 807 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308.
- Sent to Beth La Brie by Evelyn Thode.
Barbara Reich Herrmann

East Montpelier, VT - Barbara Reich Herrmann, 68, died peacefully at home on December 6, 2007 from complications of ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig's Disease. Born on March 14, 1939, in Schenectady, NY, she was the daughter of Doris Cochrane Reich and George A. Reich, an orthopedic surgeon. She attended the Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, was graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls, then attended Elmira College, and was graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor of science in Nursing. After working in the public health field for a few years, she earned a master's degree in Public Health Nursing from Boston University and, later, a second master's degree in Health Services Administration from Harvard University's School of Public Health. On August 7, 1965, she married Richard W. Herrmann, then a faculty member at The Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, MA, and they spent their early married years in Cambridge, MA.
Her interest in community health and family health was nourished by experiences she had as a young girl accompanying her father on house calls to his patients. She began her own professional career as a community Health Nurse in Harlem, NY. After completing graduate study at Boston University, she joined the faculty of the Boston College School of Nursing, later completed additional graduate work at Harvard, and in 1974 moved with her family to Vermont. Here she became the Director of the Barre Office of the Vermont Department of Health, from which she retired in 1996, and for several years afterward she taught Community Health at Norwich University in its nursing program.
She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Montpelier, and for many years was active in Vermont Episcopal Cursillo. She was an avid reader, especially of fiction and biography, and the writing of memoir, as well as reading it, fascinated her. She was very much drawn to rural France, to good conversation over long dinners, to autumn and its colors, to Cape Ann on Boston's North Shore during off-season, and to winter weekends at the highly rustic family cabin in Greenbanks Hollow, Danville, VT - to Eric Clapton, to skillful figure skating, to Broadway musicals, and to gourmet cooking.
Medically trained herself, and a skilled administrator, she admired sound professional practice. She, and her family as well, have been especially grateful to Debbie Bell, nurse's aide; to Marie Doon, nurse; and to Melanie Moore, physical therapist, all of Vermont Home Health and Hospice; and to her doctor, Physician's Assistant Kim Pierce of The Health Center in Plainfield - all for their professional competence and their compassionate care, which allowed her to remain at home during her illness.
She leaves her husband of 42 years, Richard, retired from Vermont College, then of Norwich University; her son, William, of Hinesburg, VT; her brother, George Reich, of Glen Elynn, IL; her youngest sister, Laurie Reich Kiely, of Bristol, RI; several cousins in Schenectady and its environs; and a loyal brown Labrador retriever, Lewis. Her memorial service took place at Christ Church, Montpelier, VT on Dec. 15, 2007.
Connie Komp Langford
Walter Ryon

Walter G. Ryon III, 66, of Derry, NH, died Friday, March 11, 2005 at his home. Mr. Ryon was born in Baltimore, MD on May 20, 1938, a son of the late Dr. Walter G. and Helen (Fitzgerald) Ryon II. He was a resident of Derry for the past year and a half, formerly living in RI, MA, NJ, IL and NY. Mr. Ryon grew up in Schenectady, NY and served in the Marine Corps. Upon his discharge he went to work in the steel industry until his retirement in 2001. He enjoyed carpentry, home improvement and running Alleluhia Enterprises. He was a member of the Acton, MA Lions Club and was involved in the youth sports programs, specifically baseball, softball and hockey. He greatly enjoyed his familiy life and his grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Terri L. (Cassella) Ryon of Derry, a son, Walter G. Ryon IV and his wife Irene of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, two daughters, Tracy L. Adams and her husband Jim of Hudson, MA and Shelly A. Bursey and her husband Mike of Hudson, NH, three grandchildren, Ashley and James Adams Jr. of Hudson, MA and Michael Bursey Jr. of Hudson, NH, a step-grandson, Steven O’Rourke of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, a brother, George L. Ryon of Schenectady, NY, a sister, Margaret McCormick of Rosendale, NY, several nieces and nephews and many dear friends. He was predeceased by two sisters, Susan Hamrick and Nancy Richartz.
There are no visiting hours. A gathering of family and friends will be held in the spring. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed in Mr. Ryon’s memory to the Portsmouth/Derry/Salem Home Health and Hospice Services, 1E Commons Dr., Unit 31, Londonderry, NH 03053.
Janice Sheldon
Jack Sims
Harry Tolk
Susan Tyler
Patsy Wellborn
Robert Willard

Van Antwerp School Class of 1953 Reunion
Front Page	graduates also attended in memory whatever happened to...? faculty and staff remembering
	In memory of those who have passed before us. Though these colleagues are no longer with us physically, their memories live on in our hearts and minds. Eddie Baker Emily Cain Sheila DeLack Ronald Farina Edwin Farrell Lois Goldstock Paul Hale Connie Harrison Leet Peter Heck Bob Johnson Robert Johnson - (Deceased 01/11/2000) As written by Dave Hotchkiss. Bob and I were born 2 days apart in May of 1938 and our parents were extra special friends. Ramond Johnson was born in Kansas like my dad and attended Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan in the early 1920's. In 1926, both he an my dad graduated with BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and were picked up by GE out of Schenectady, N.Y. Both men would marry local New England girls. Ruth was his mom. They lived on Dean Street a long block and a half south from Nott St...almost across the street from Susan Tyler. Bob and I were best friends until we were 18 years old when our lives went in two different directions and never intersected again but for but a few brief moments after that. Bob is remembered for several things. We cannot remember him without a smile on his face, an infectious laugh and an empathic personality who always was interested in you. He was very intelligent...and being a straight A student would follow him all the days of his life. He was a talented musician as was his whole family. He played a mean trumpet and did so through the marching band at Kansas State University. Ruth played the piano, Raymond the clarinet, Merton the french horn and Gary the flute. They had a ball in family jam secessions. He was not a natural athlete but loved baseball...and later on in life watching football. We did a lot bicycle riding together. We both were in the youth programs at the big First Methodist Church downtown on State St just up from the main stores. Ramond was an inventor and physical doer and they built what they needed themselves including a camping trailer from the frame up. But this aspect did not rub off on Bob and he did not mess with old cars and mechanical things like I did. I remember they had a dark room for developing pictures in the basement, but that was not Bob's interest either. Our families usually got together for summer vacations that were often the first 2 weeks of July when all of GE shut down for vacations. More than not we would end up at Fish Creek Ponds next to Tupper and Saranac Lakes in upstate N.Y. Swimming and canoeing were two of both our loves. At night we would sing songs aroung the campfire. Bob and I went to Mont Pleasant HS and enrolled in the Technical Electrical curriculum...as Bob later said, @quote;...you and I were being loaded by our fathers into the educational slingshot aiamed at careers in engineering...@quote; For Bob that would not be at true at all. For me only partially. Our fantastic and final big time together happened when we were 18 in the summer of 1956. I graduated from Shelbyville HS in Shelbyville, Indiana...after dad's GE transfer one year earlier...and drove my 1940 Ford convertible back to Schenedtady. Ramond dropped the two of us off at the dam at Old Forge, N.Y. and with a 12 ft Grumman aluminum canoe, two paddles and a back pack basket. We paddled 90 miles through the 8 lakes of the Fulton Chain and on up through Raquette Lake, Forked Lake, Long Lake, Saranac Lake and into Fish Creek Ponds. We prided ourselves on carrying everything we needed for the three day trip and never stopped for anything. On the third day, I begged him to stop at an outpost and get some oreo cookies, but he said no. We also accomplished our 7 miles of portages all in one trip. This saved us 14 miles of portage distance. One of us carried the canoe and paddles and the other carried the basket with tent food and all in it. We passed 54 canoeists without anyone going by us. The only tradgedy was on the second morning when Bob dropped the frying pan with the two raw eggs in it that we had been so careful to preserve. Bob and I enrolled at Kansas State University in the fall of 1956. I was in EE and Bob was in Chemical Engineering. At this point we split forever...and I rarely saw him the rest of my life. I pledged a social fraternity and he slipped into a small apartment in the center of the campus. Both of our lives would be changed forever. For two years, Bob got straight A's in Chemical Engineering. Then he changed majors and enrolled in English and Literature. He started the first literary magazine on the campus, the Touchstone, and after graduation stayed on for several years as an associate professor. I changed majors two more times and graduated with a BS in Industrial Technology from the school of Industrial Engineering. He married a girl named Laura Lee Johnson and never had children. Starting in 1965, Sharon and I have continually sent out an annual Christmas letter and Bob stayed on our list. Bob never answered...until January 3rd, 1992...31 years after I left the KSU campus. He wrote me only this one letter to account for all those years. He said...@quote;I'm actually writing you a letter. My sheepish guilt, inspired by your bulldog perseverance and bloodhound tracking, has finally forced me to account for my past.@quote; In 1963, they left the states and were in Australia and then one year in England. Back in the states they went to Detroit, Michigan in 1967. They lived and taught...he English, Laurel speech...in Ann Arbor, Mich (1967-69). Clearing out their lives, they stuffed themselves into their VW camper and ended up in Seattle, Washington. January, 1970 he was diagnosed with MS. He and Laurel started a theater in a Skid Road basement which Laurel directed for 8 years. Bob began a new career in the arts as the first director of the King County Arts Commission. In January, 1990, they moved to San Jose, California where he was the Director of San Jose's Arts Program till he passed away in Jan. of 2000. He note that San Jose is the countries 11th largest city. Oh, yes...Bob changed his first name...from college days...to "Yankee..." and I am sure wrote papers, books and signed his name for everything in academia under that handle. He was confined to a wheelchair for his last 12 years. Robert Mielke Robert J. Mielke, 69, of Schenectady, passed away after a brief illness on Monday, May 28, 2007, at Ellis Skilled Nursing Facility, Schenectady. Born in Schenectady on March 24, 1938, he was the son of the late William and Ethel Yates Mielke. He was a lifelong area resident and graduate of Nott Terrace High School, class of 1956. He furthered his education by attending Union College where he earned his B.A. and later received his master's in history from the University of Pennsylvania. Robert then earned his MLS from SUNY Albany School of Library Science and earned his certificate in accounting from Siena College. Robert taught History for Concordia Teachers' College in Seward, NE and for Ballston Spa High School. He worked as a cataloger at both RPI Library and later with the Schenectady Public Schools Federal Project. In 1973, Robert was employed by the Fort Plain Central School District as the high school librarian until his retirement in 2000. While working at the Ft. Plain Central School, he was very involved with the students’ interests. He was also active in the Ft. Plain Teacher’s Association, as well as in many aspects of the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery School Library System. He was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church in Schenectady, where following his retirement, he served as the church’s archivist, librarian, Shepard of their book group, was enrolled in Crossways Bible Study and was a member of Hardy Perennials. Robert was chairman of the UCALL Steering Committee for Union College, where he also served as treasurer of the Union College Club of Schenectady, and was a member of the Union Alumni Council and Terrace Council. He also served as secretary of the Upper Montgomery Retired Teachers’ Association and was employed part-time evaluating teacher exams and videos for National Evaluation Systems. Over the years, Robert had done extensive gardening. He enjoyed listening to music, and attending concerts, musicals and the opera. He especially loved fishing and spending restful, quality time at his camp in the Adirondacks, as well as caring for his beloved cat, Prism. He will be remembered for his friendly, kind and gentle nature. Robert is survived by his fiancee, Evelyn Thode; several cousins; and many friends. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, Nott Terrace, Schenectady followed by interment in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schenectady. The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, 6 until 8 p.m. at Griswold Funeral Home 1867 State St., Schenectady. Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to Zion Lutheran Church, 153 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY 12308 and Union College, 807 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308. - Sent to Beth La Brie by Evelyn Thode. Barbara Reich Herrmann East Montpelier, VT - Barbara Reich Herrmann, 68, died peacefully at home on December 6, 2007 from complications of ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig's Disease. Born on March 14, 1939, in Schenectady, NY, she was the daughter of Doris Cochrane Reich and George A. Reich, an orthopedic surgeon. She attended the Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, was graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls, then attended Elmira College, and was graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor of science in Nursing. After working in the public health field for a few years, she earned a master's degree in Public Health Nursing from Boston University and, later, a second master's degree in Health Services Administration from Harvard University's School of Public Health. On August 7, 1965, she married Richard W. Herrmann, then a faculty member at The Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, MA, and they spent their early married years in Cambridge, MA. Her interest in community health and family health was nourished by experiences she had as a young girl accompanying her father on house calls to his patients. She began her own professional career as a community Health Nurse in Harlem, NY. After completing graduate study at Boston University, she joined the faculty of the Boston College School of Nursing, later completed additional graduate work at Harvard, and in 1974 moved with her family to Vermont. Here she became the Director of the Barre Office of the Vermont Department of Health, from which she retired in 1996, and for several years afterward she taught Community Health at Norwich University in its nursing program. She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Montpelier, and for many years was active in Vermont Episcopal Cursillo. She was an avid reader, especially of fiction and biography, and the writing of memoir, as well as reading it, fascinated her. She was very much drawn to rural France, to good conversation over long dinners, to autumn and its colors, to Cape Ann on Boston's North Shore during off-season, and to winter weekends at the highly rustic family cabin in Greenbanks Hollow, Danville, VT - to Eric Clapton, to skillful figure skating, to Broadway musicals, and to gourmet cooking. Medically trained herself, and a skilled administrator, she admired sound professional practice. She, and her family as well, have been especially grateful to Debbie Bell, nurse's aide; to Marie Doon, nurse; and to Melanie Moore, physical therapist, all of Vermont Home Health and Hospice; and to her doctor, Physician's Assistant Kim Pierce of The Health Center in Plainfield - all for their professional competence and their compassionate care, which allowed her to remain at home during her illness. She leaves her husband of 42 years, Richard, retired from Vermont College, then of Norwich University; her son, William, of Hinesburg, VT; her brother, George Reich, of Glen Elynn, IL; her youngest sister, Laurie Reich Kiely, of Bristol, RI; several cousins in Schenectady and its environs; and a loyal brown Labrador retriever, Lewis. Her memorial service took place at Christ Church, Montpelier, VT on Dec. 15, 2007. Connie Komp Langford Walter Ryon Walter G. Ryon III, 66, of Derry, NH, died Friday, March 11, 2005 at his home. Mr. Ryon was born in Baltimore, MD on May 20, 1938, a son of the late Dr. Walter G. and Helen (Fitzgerald) Ryon II. He was a resident of Derry for the past year and a half, formerly living in RI, MA, NJ, IL and NY. Mr. Ryon grew up in Schenectady, NY and served in the Marine Corps. Upon his discharge he went to work in the steel industry until his retirement in 2001. He enjoyed carpentry, home improvement and running Alleluhia Enterprises. He was a member of the Acton, MA Lions Club and was involved in the youth sports programs, specifically baseball, softball and hockey. He greatly enjoyed his familiy life and his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Terri L. (Cassella) Ryon of Derry, a son, Walter G. Ryon IV and his wife Irene of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, two daughters, Tracy L. Adams and her husband Jim of Hudson, MA and Shelly A. Bursey and her husband Mike of Hudson, NH, three grandchildren, Ashley and James Adams Jr. of Hudson, MA and Michael Bursey Jr. of Hudson, NH, a step-grandson, Steven O’Rourke of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, a brother, George L. Ryon of Schenectady, NY, a sister, Margaret McCormick of Rosendale, NY, several nieces and nephews and many dear friends. He was predeceased by two sisters, Susan Hamrick and Nancy Richartz. There are no visiting hours. A gathering of family and friends will be held in the spring. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed in Mr. Ryon’s memory to the Portsmouth/Derry/Salem Home Health and Hospice Services, 1E Commons Dr., Unit 31, Londonderry, NH 03053. Janice Sheldon Jack Sims Harry Tolk Susan Tyler Patsy Wellborn Robert Willard

	graduates also attended in memory whatever happened to...? faculty and staff remembering
	Van Antwerp School Story Avenue Niskayuna, NY 12309

In memory of those who have passed before us.

Though these colleagues are no longer with us physically, their memories live on in our hearts and minds.

Bob Johnson

Robert Mielke

Barbara Reich Herrmann

Walter Ryon