by Michelle (Fearey LaGue) Mock - ASM '69

This newsletter is a bit overdue.  The January issue is heading to press as we speak ... well, by the end of the week!  It will be a long one, with the list of all Sixties ASMers found during the last year and a half.  We are
over 100 now!

The year 1999 was a very special year for me.  The ASM search and what started as a simple, "I wonder if the American School of Madrid has a website?" has turned into the biggest adventure of my life.  You can't imagine what it is like to be ME at this point!  I find myself at the center of something that I never believed possible.  The emails I receive from people when they are initially "found" and the smiles and sparkle in the eyes of those who meet at mini-reunions (and in particular at the August Reunion in Miami) have given me a joy that I can't even begin to describe. 

Gus (Gonzalez '83, our Web King) called me on Christmas Eve.  We discussed this THING that is GoLancers and what it has become.  Neither of us imagined what would happen when I sent that first innocent email thanking him for his
site!  Who would have thought that two people nearly a generation apart (and on opposite coasts) could combine to create a team that is simply unstoppable.  The two of us may be the catalyst for all this, but it is the alumni who provide the momentum.  Thanks to all of you who send those great e-mail compliments.  Personally, I love hearing that I am the greatest, the best, incredible, etc. etc.   ;-)   I love the electronic abrazos and besos! 
Most of all, I appreciate the friendships I have found.   I know that Gus feels the same and when we say, "Thank you for your support", we really, really mean it!  You all are the greatest, the best, incredible!  Thanks for
being a part of all of this The Path Leading to GoLancers.COM

Finding alumni or finding GoLancers.COM is not always via the most direct route.  Donna Daniels '68 located us in a most unusual way.  While some people have typed in "American School of Madrid" on a search engine and have found the website in that fashion,  Donna did something a little more unique.  She attended an American College of Switzerland reunion in Pompano Beach,
Florida.  Also in attendance were ASMers George Shaw '68, Henry Sanz '69 and Ken Smith '70.  Everybody was busy reliving college days, and while the ASM
Miami Reunion was mentioned, Donna did not get the details to enable her to reconnect with ASMers.

Nikki Szulc  '68 put Donna (who also attended and graduated from MHS) in touch with Steve Sibler MHS '68.  When Steve heard from Donna, he sent her a copy of a recent email about our planned November 14th MHS/ASM Southern California "Rivals No More" mini-reunion.  Donna sent an email back asking for him to put her in touch with me so she could get in contact with ASMers. 

When Donna and I started writing, I put her on my AOL buddy list because we are both on AOL.  That very day, I signed on and her name came up a few minutes later.  Within 30 seconds Teresa Goudie '68 (who has been on my buddy list for eons but rarely signs on) appeared.  I couldn't resist.  I sent instant messages to both and the next thing they knew we were in a three-way buddy chat!  They even REMEMBERED each other!  It was such a rush for me (I don't know either of them because they had both left ASM before I got there) but it was so unbelievably awesome to set up something like this ... timing
is EVERYTHING.

Now, the steps leading up to how I got involved with an MHS/ASM combined mini-reunion is another story.  Before ASM, I attended Marymount International School in Barcelona.  The school permanently closed in June of
1968 so I returned to Madrid and ended up attending ASM for my senior year.  While at Marymount, I was best friends with Patricia Hirsch MHS '70 who attended MHS before Marymount and returned to the States when Marymount closed.  We lost contact shortly after she returned to California (sometime during 1968/69).  I had tried to locate her and she had tried to find me.  We
were both in California from about 1972 on and never crossed paths ... until ... I decided to look up Torrejon on the Internet.  I found several Torrejon sites through the link from Tony Browning T/MHS '84 site <http://www.ppbbs.com/torrejon/>.  I found her name and an email address at the last link I tried and quickly wrote to her.  Unfortunately the email address was no longer valid and my email was returned.  So, not being one to
give up, I wrote to several of her possible classmates and the various T/MHS webmasters asking for their help.  One sent me another email address and others forwarded my messages to her. 

This was last April.  Since then we have reconnected like we were never apart!  She had invited me to the mini-reunion that Steve Sibler was planning for MHSers and I wrote to him and asked if he would like to make it a
combined MHS/ASM reunion.  He agreed and several of us, from both schools, met for a day of food, wine tasting and fun in Temecula, CA on November 14th. The pictures and story will soon be posted on our Past Reunions page.

The moral of this story is to remember how every person you meet can lead you to another you seek.  I am not turning over rocks to find people, they are jumping out all over the place!

For some reason, many people need to make this connection.  For some, once they have reconnected and relived some memories, they return to their own
private lives.  Some continue to read these newsletters, others lose interest.  For others, they will connect with a few individuals and retain contact for years to come.  Still others will connect with one person after another and find new joy with each new contact.  It does not matter how long or how deep your enthusiasm runs.  For each of us it is very different and very personal.  What does matter is that we enjoy the moments while they last and cherish the memories and the friendships, old and new.

OneList.COM  Membership Grows

Alumni are starting to join our new community(s) at OneList.COM.  If you haven't joined yet, please do so.  This community mailing list will enable you to stay informed of ASM updates and events both official and unofficial. 
We will let you know when there have been updates at GoLancers.COM or the official website.  We will also keep you informed about reunions and mini-reunions in the planning stages.  This edition of the Voice of the
Sixties newsletter is being distributed to you via email.  In the future, I will let you know via ASMGoLancers@onelist.com when it gets posted online. 

All who subscribe can join or start conversations using the mailing list.  This is an excellent way to get feedback when planning mini-reunions or to discuss ASM memories or anything else that is appropriate to discuss with the
entire alumni group.  Our ASMGoLancers mailing list is not to be used for personal gain (i.e., no spamming).  It is also not appropriate to use for heated discussions on any topic.  It's purpose is to keep you informed and allow you to connect with others who have shared the opportunity that was ASM and Madrid.

Please remember that all messages sent to the mailing list go to all subscribers.  If you wish to respond to an individual, please use their email address not the ASMGoLancers@onelist.com email address.  Please do not send personal information via this mailing list (e.g., phone number, address etc.) because the messages get posted in an archive and may be viewed by all
subscribers to the list.  If you accidentally respond to the list with this or other information that you do not want posted, I can edit the archived message.

You can create or join a OneList Community restricted to members of your graduating year.  Anyone can start the list and more than one individual can be set up as moderator (with a variety of privileges).  If you set up a
community for your class, please name it ASMGoLancers19xx (where xx is the graduation year).  Once you have set up the community, send an email to Gus
at asm@GoLancers.com so he can include your community at GoLancers.COM.

To register at OneList.com and subscribe to our mailing list, please go to http://www.onelist.com/community/ASMGoLancers .  If you have any difficulties, please let me know and I will help you.  Please sign up, you will be glad you did.  Many have questioned why they have to enter information such as birthdate, sex, etc.  I believe you can leave those
fields blank, however, it is helpful for those subscribed to know who everyone is.  Give or take a few years, we know how old you are anyway!!!  Those "Class of..." tags tell the story!

I have created additional communities for ASMers in California (ASMCalifornia), Florida (ASM Florida), Texas (ASMTexas) and NewYork (ASMNewYork).   If you are interested in receiving information about reunions
or other events in any of those states, please subscribe to the appropriate list(s).  Make sure you subscribe to ASMGoLancers (the main list). You do not have to live in a particular State to subscribe to their list.  Eventually, I
would like to see my mailing lists replaced by the OneList communities. 
 

I Need Your Voice

This newsletter would be much more interesting with more input from the rest of you!  I hear so many stories and receive so many emails but am hesitant to include information that is not specifically submitted for the newsletter.  So, please send me your stories, your mini-bios, your memories of ASM, funny or otherwise, or anything else you would like to see included in this
newsletter.  When I see a great story come through on
ASMGoLancers@onelist.com I may write back to you and ask if I can include it in a future newsletter. 

If you have a pet project, new venture or other item that might be considered "SPAM" if you were to send it to our ASM mailing list, feel free to send it for the newsletter.  While I do not guarantee that I will include all
submissions, if I feel the item is appropriate, I will include it.

If you do not know if you should send something to ASMGoLancers@onelist.com or to Voice of the Sixties, just send it to me at MFeareyASM@aol.com and I
will let you know which forum I feel better suits your needs (perhaps both would be appropriate).


Past Reunions:

Since the August 14th Miami Reunion, I have been to mini-reunions in Las Vegas, Scottsdale, San Francisco and several in Southern California.  From the Sixties decade, I have met up with Sergio Cerda '64, Barry Miller '64, Leslie Smith Deely '68, Nanette Espinosa '69, Carol Farron '69 and Ken Smith '70.  I have also met with many from the Seventies and Eighties. 

Check out the Past Reunions at http://www.gutech.com/asm/asmreusp.htm .  Not
all photos and stories have been posted as of this writing, but please check back!

 Story of  the Month (submitted by Jim Karna):

Michael Irrgang and I  blew up the science lab one afternoon, after school... almost killed ourselves. Well...I guess, I didn't do it.  He and his cohort John McCleod did.  Michael and John were heating up some sodium (Na).  They both thought, if they dropped it in a beaker of water it wouldn't explode, because it was heated.  Well, they were wrong.  It did explode.  Very loudly... and the beaker burst apart.  Luckily both of them wore glasses,
because they would both be blind right now, if they hadn't.  I was in the lab fooling around with an oscilloscope when it happened.  They were right next
to me.  I was listening to the conversation with one ear, listening to a radio with another.  Next thing I know, I hear a loud explosion.  There is smoke everywhere!    John had turned white as a sheet.  The explosion had knocked both their glasses awry on their faces and had sent little flecks of glass in their skin.
 
We looked at each other... and then made our way to the bathroom... and there...we couldn't stop laughing.  When we got back to the lab, a poor cleaning lady was there, trying to clean up the mess on the floor.  She was
on her hands and knees,  and each time she tried to wipe up a little of the sodium mess with water.  It would spurt up in flames and smoke....  She screamed....aiaiai!!!  We looked at each other again and all four of us laughed.... cleaning lady included!

The teachers were gone for the day.  Irrgang was living with Mr. Kelly, the science teacher and he had a key to the lab.  We were there, after hours, unsupervised, no teachers.... ONLY AT ASM!

I wonder whether Irrgang wants me to tell this story...


Those Were the Days:

[I received the following in an email today.   Enjoy.]

Sometimes I want to be a kid again. I want to go back to the time when:
· Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo." 
· Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming,"do over!"
· "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
· Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly"
· Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
· It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
· Being old referred to anyone over 20.
· The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to play volleyball and the
rules didn't matter.
· The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
· It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
· It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic event.
· Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.
· Nobody was prettier than Mom.
· Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
· It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides
at the amusement park.
· Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
· Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."
· Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures.
· "Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense.
· Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
· The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
· War was a card game.
· Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
· Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
· Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.
· Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
· Older siblings were the worst tormentors but also the fiercest protectors.

[Author unknown.  If you happen to know where this originated, please let me
know. ]


Have a Nice Day:

[I received the following from the H.A.N.D. mailing list, courtesy of Cheryl
Rogers - smiles@bapp.com]

Greetings - in honor of  Einstein being chosen man of the century, here are some words of wisdom:

                Albert Einstein Quotes

On Knowledge
-  "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
 - "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
 - "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
 - "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
 - "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
 - "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
 - "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
 - "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own  reason for existing."

His Understanding of the World:
 - "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
 - "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
 - "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
 - "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
 - "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
 - "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
 - "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
 - "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
 - "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
 - "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
 - "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
 - "In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must,  above all, be a sheep."
 - "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

On People and Life:
 - "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
 - "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
 - "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
 - "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
 - "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
 - "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak  minds."
 - "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
 - "No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
 - "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
 - "The release of atom power has changed everything except our wayof thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
 - "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from
    mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
 - "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
 - "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of  me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
 - "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
 - "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

On Math and Science and Education:
 - "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
 - "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
 - "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
 - "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
 - "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
 - "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
 - "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
 - "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
 - "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z.
     Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
 - "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
 - "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics  and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
 - "...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A  finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
 - "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity."

Voice of the Sixties can be found at: http://www.gutech.com/asm/asmart.htm   This newsletter is dependent upon input from ASM 60s alumni. Please send your stories, mini-bios and any news you would like to share to MFeareyASM@aol.com. Comments and suggestions are encouraged as well.

This is a copyrighted document. It is not to be duplicated without the express written consent of the authors. Express written consent must be obtained from each individual contributor.