Wilson HS ... now known as Ida B. Wells High School
Alumni Update - February, 2023

http://www.wilsonalumni.com
edited by Linda Doyle

CURRENT SCHOOL NEWS

BATTLE OF THE BIRDS/ HALL OF FAME CEREMONY/SENIOR NIGHT
with LUCY JANE BLEDSOE '75... FEBRUARY 24 ... Click here for the flyer.
We have an exciting night planned for our final home Women’s Basketball contest on February 24th. It is our last Battle of the Birds event of the year. Next up, we will be honoring our past Wilson Hall of Fame Class that we didn’t get to induct and our newest Wilson Hall of Fame Class and recognizing them at half time.

The classes include:
Previous Class
· Stuart Fewel ('09) Baseball, Basketball
· Mike Gits ('96) Baseball
· Michael Holm ('80) Baseball, Football
· Sam Porter ('92) Football, Baseball
· Jeff Rudolph ('77) Football, Basketball, Baseball
· Jim Smith ('61) Basketball, Baseball

New Class
· Ann Habernigg ('79) XC, Swim, Soccer
· Tryon Manlove ('96) Basketball
· Tom McKillop ('84) Cross Country and Track
· Pam Mollet ('77) Volleyball, Basketball, Golf

Before tip-off, we are honored to have Lucy Jane Bledsoe, 1975 Wilson Grad, to introduce her book NO STOPPING US NOW, which is a fictionalized young adult book about her trials and tribulations in starting a Women’s Basketball Team here in 1972. Finally, it is Senior Night where we will be honoring our lone senior, Lola Dixon. It's going to be an action-packed night and we are hoping for a packed gym! Come out and support!

ALUM AND AUTHOR, LUCY JANE BLEDSOE '75, TO SPEAK AT IBWHS
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: For event information, Leanne Van Horn | lvanhorn@pps.net
Contact: For author and book information, Kat Georges | 646-623-1031 | kat.georges@threeroomspress.com

50 years after pushing to establish Ida B. Wells High School’s first girls’ basketball team—with the help of Title IX—author Lucy Jane Bledsoe '75 returns for a series of events honoring her efforts. Nearly fifty years ago, shortly after the passage of landmark equality legislation Title IX, Lucy Jane Bledsoe—a student at Ida B. Wells (then-Woodrow Wilson) High School—fought to establish a school-sponsored girls basketball team, an achievement she detailed in her acclaimed young adult novel, NO STOPPING US NOW. This month, Bledsoe returns to her alma mater February 24–25 to be recognized for her achievement, to discuss her book, and to explain the ongoing importance of Title IX—currently celebrating its 50th year. Ida B. Wells athletic director Michael Nolan, working with girls’ basketball coach Glen Coblens, will host two events honoring Bledsoe:

• Friday, February 24th, 7 p.m.: Bledsoe will be introduced and will speak briefly before the girls’ varsity basketball game against Lincoln High. Location: Ida B. Wells High School gym; 1151 SW Vermont St, Portland.

• Saturday, February 25th, 11 a.m.: Bledsoe will speak to an assembly of student athletes, parents, and journalists, on how she worked with community leaders to establish Title IX-required school sponsorship of a girls’ basketball team, and how the team went on to win the Oregon State Title in its first year. She will also discuss how Title IX impacts students to this day. Her talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session, and a signing of her novel, No Stopping Us Now, which School Library Journal praises for“making an important contribution to the history of sports for girls and women.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Location: Ida B. Wells High School gym; 1151 SW Vermont St, Portland.
  
  

  ABOUT LUCY JANE BLEDSOE: Portland-born Lucy Jane Bledsoe is the author of nine books of fiction, for both adults and young people. Her fiction has won a California Arts Council Fellowship in Literature, an American Library Association Stonewall Award, the Arts & Letters Fiction Prize, a Pushcart nomination, a Yaddo Fellowship, and two National Science Foundation Artists & Writers Fellowships. Recent books include Lava Falls (named to The Advocate’s best books of 2019 list), the forthcoming Tell the Rest, and No Stopping Us Now (Honoree, RISE: A Feminist Literary Project) (ISBN: 978-1953103208; Trade Paper Original; 266 pages; $15; April 2022; Age 14+)
  

MEL KRAUSE MEMORIAL PIL HOF GOLF TOURNEY SEPT 11, 2023
@ Langdon Farms Golf Club
The Annual Mel Krause Memorial PIL HOF Golf Tournament is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2023 at 1:30pm with a SHOTGUN start! So please SAVE the DATE!  Registration will start at 11:30 with with pre-tournament snacks and free range balls. Shotgun start at 1:30 followed by a Buffet Dinner and Awards Ceremony. Registration online and via mailed brochures will be forthcoming. Individual entry will be $160 with a $40 discount if you register and pay for all four players prior to 9/4/23. If you want to hold your spot(s) and/or be one of our Tournament Sponsors below, please contact Steve Rudolph at rudy6@hotmail.com or 503-449-0438.

Sponsorship Opportunities - All receive one complimentary tournament entry other than Hole Sponsor
- Dinner Sponsor $1000
- Tee Prize Sponsor $1000
- Registration/Reception Sponsor $600
- Cart Sponsor $600
- Beverage Sponsor $500
- Raffle Sponsor $500
- Hole-in-One Sponsor $500
- Hosted Hole Sponsor $500
- Hole Sponsor $150


WHERE ARE THEY NOW

ALUM JAMES BANKO, CLASS OF '77
After graduating from Wilson, James Banko '77 received a BA degree from Reed College in 1981, an M.Phil. in Comparative Literature from New York University in 1987, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990.  Since then James worked as a litigation attorney mostly in the field of securities and corporate law.  James is married to Claudia Ferran, a pediatrician, and they have a son Daniel Banko-Ferran who is currently (2022) working on getting a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Murray and Mr. Larson were the teachers that influenced James the most during his time at Wilson. These two teachers lifted their lucky students up to the standards required to get ahead in any academic or professional settings by teaching critical thinking way beyond the level of a typical 15- or 16-year old.  James recalls that Wilson High had excellent foreign language courses during his time there and he enjoyed his German course.  Wilson also had a great music department where James played the oboe in the school orchestra with Mr. Kaza conducting – James recalls rehearsals over many months of an especially moving portion of The Rite of Spring. James’ advice for any current students is to prize the friendships you will make in high school. Those friendships will last your entire life and will be thwarted neither by long distances nor infrequent contact over the decades. Click on this email link to reconnect with James.

1960 GRAD’S JOURNEY AS AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATOR


Jan McNeil graduated from Wilson High School in 1960.  She met her husband, Jim Boutin at Lewis & Clark College.  After graduating from college in 1964 with Art and Art History majors, Jan McNeil Boutin ‘60 began her journey as an author.  She currently is the author and illustrator for three books: Historic Newkowin Village by the Sea: A Sketch Book; A Cottage Walk through Historic Neskowin by-the-Sea: Sketchbook II; and The Cottages of Neskowin: A Coloring Book. Her latest book that she wrote and illustrated is Oregon’s Own Gerry Frank: His Family, Friends, and Fond Memories a biography of Gerry Frank who was a fourth-generation Oregonian from the Meier & Frank department store family and who served as U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield’s chief of staff.  Jan lives with her husband, Jim Boutin, in the seaside village of Neskowin in Tillamook County, Oregon. Photo of Gerry Frank and Jan Boutin courtesy of Kobbi R. Blaire, Statesman Journal.

1960 GRAD'S NEW BOOK, FIREWATCHER PRESS RELEASE . OCTOBER 2022

If you lived on the north Oregon coast during the opening days of WWII, you might recall the true meaning of the words ‘Pineapples from the Sky.’ These were code words used by many of the locals to describe what was really happening in the Pacific NW forests. These dense forests were a critical war resource to the US Government and were protected by a small army of firemen and firewatchers living in their lookout towers. This was a time and place of unexplained wildfires and dangers to all who ventured into the woods. Local award winning author, Brian D. Ratty (1960 Wilson grad), has just released his new novel Firewatcher: Secrets, Strategies & WWII Pineapples. The book is a glimpse at this slice of Oregon’s WWII history and is available now at independent bookstores, giftshops, museums, libraries and online. More information: www.Dutchclarke.com. Readers Favorite: a nationally recognized literary reviewer has awarded Firewatcher: a rating of five-stars. “With eye-catching photos and a provocative cover, Firewatcher is an adventure novel by Brian D. Ratty.  It is loosely based on the events that took place in the north coast homeland during the Second World War… the authors explanation of the importance of the fire-lookout program serves as an important build-up to the main adventure… Brian does an impressive job when it comes to describing Tillamook and its environs. He has done a marvelous job creating a riveting adventure story from the loneliness of the fire towers. Readers’ Favorite: 5 Stars” ... So what did ‘Pineapples from the Sky’ really mean? This shocking truth, and many others, is revealed in the new book Firewatcher.  Written by Sunset Lake Publishing, 89637 Lakeside Ct., Warrenton, OR 97146, 503.717.1125, www.Dutchclarke.com, bdratty@Dutchclarke.com.

CLASS OF 1963 ... 60 year reunion 2023
Saturday afternoon, July 15, 2023, 4:00 p.m.Click here for the flyer.

CLASS OF 1965 PLANS FOR 2023 REUNION
The Class of 1965 held their 57th high school reunion this summer at the Stockpot on July 30th on a sunny but not too hot afternoon. The turn out was great as was the food and connection. We have our 58th reunion planned for September 10th, 2023 a Sunday afternoon at the Stockpot. We’ve got an active class, we have monthly hikes/walks followed by lunch. During COVID it’s been BYOL as weather has allowed. We’ve settled on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and there’s an open invitation to all classmates. We also have the gift of having Joe Lanning in our class. Joe is the owner of My Jeweler, located in Vancouver Washington and has donated 2 carat Diamond Earrings (1 carat each) to be raffled off to support our 60th reunion. Once we have 400 tickets sold (good odds 1 in 400) we will plan an event at the school to draw & identify the lucky winner. The intention of the raffle is to provide all our classmates (from 1965) to attend our 60th reunion for free. Kari Stoffer Stuhmer is leading the committee’s effort and we’ve already sold over a 100 tickets! If you’re interested in purchasing a raffle ticket (1 raffle ticket for $20) you can contact any of the following classmates: Shari Nease Black sharonneaseblack@gmail.com, Joe Lanning myjewelers@yahoo.com, JoAnn Prentiss Brinkman joannbrinkman@gmail.com, Mike Fleming michaelfleming8@gmail.com, Lana Edwards Sheehan mlsheehan@frontier.com, Casey Comer Milne kcm47@me.com.

CLASS OF 1971 ... reunion 2023
See all the details here.

Do you have any stats you would like us to remember and document on the alumni website? Send your details to Linda Doyle.


RECALLING GREAT MEMORIES THROUGH STORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS

If you would like to share stories and/or photographs with names, places/events, and the year, please send them to Linda Doyle: Lsdoyle@earthlink.net. So, make sure to look for RECALLING GREAT MEMORIES THROUGH STORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS in every alumni e-newsletter.

SEND YOUR UPDATES
Send us the details on where/what you have been doing since graduation from Ida B. Wells/Wilson, and we'll post in an upcoming IBW-WWHS Alumni Update e-newsletter. Send details to Linda Doyle.


KNOWN CLASSMATES/TEACHERS NO LONGER WITH US
Please send an email with details to Linda Doyle if you have an obituary that should be posted here. Below is a list of classmates who have just been added to the list:

CHRISTOPHER SCOTT BUNICK '90
MIKE FOLKESTAD '59
HENRY VONDEMFANGE '61
ROGER ADAMS CAIN '61
ROBERT (BOBBY) MELVIN GRAHAM '80
MOLLY SCHOEL CAMPBELL '65 ... 08/17/2021
MATTHEW RUDOLPH '71
ANDREA PATTON (IDA B WELLS TEACHER)
KAREN HAGEN (JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL) '69
DONNA ASHCRAFT (JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL) '69
CHRISTINE E. KNIGHT '73
TERRIE KAY ARDREY ... Class of 1963 (Note: Terrie passed away on July 7, 1960. She died in a drowning accident in the summer after her freshman year. There is an in memoriam page for her in the Troyan ‘61 year book, page 165. In the Troyan ‘60 year book, Terrie is on page 104 as a freshman in the class of ‘63.

Click on this link to read more about classmates, teachers, community members who have passed away...  Once on the page, scroll down to find the class year.

REUNIONS

GET ALL THE DETAILS ... updates to reunions are happening all the time, so make sure to check out upcoming reunions at: http://www.wilsonalumni.com/reunions.htm.


MILITARY SERVICE

GRADUATES WHO HAVE SERVED OR ARE SERVING IN THE MILITARY
Please check out the IBW-WWHS Military Alumni page and read all about our amazing military graduates. To add your name and information to the WWHS Military page, Send your information to Linda Doyle at LSDOYLE@EARTHLINK.NET.

Name:
Year graduated from Ida B Wells/Wilson:
Military branch:
Years of service:
Service description:
Photo (optional):
Do you give permission to post this information on our website (required):

IDA B. WELLS ALUMNI (formerly known as WWHS)
Alumni and community members are continuing to move forward to establish the WWHS Alumni Association.  Application process for tax-exempt status of association is progressing (with special thanks to Jack Bertell '58).  If you would like to join them, contact Jack Bertell '58.

STAY IN TOUCH

Wilson High School (now known as IDA B. WELLS HS) ALUMNI
- WEBSITE
Check out the Alumni website and don't forget to complete the simple online form to join the WWHS Alumni database. To help us reach as many graduates as possible, please consider adding the link to our website (http://www.wilsonalumni.com/) from your website. Pass the word along to your Wilson (now Ida B. Wells) High School classmates about the Alumni website and the opportunity to register. Tell your friends.

UNSUBSCRIBE
If you are receiving the Wilson HS (now Ida B. Wells) Alumni Update, please make sure to add the following email address to your address book (lsdoyle@earthlink.net). This way your internet/email provider will not view the e-newsletter as spam. Thanks! If you would like to be removed from the list, just send an email to Linda Doyle.