Chip DiBlanda, sad to report, passed away on January 24, 2011. Long overdue on getting this posted, we learned of Chip’s passing last year. Picking up from an earlier post, I had heard from Chip a year ago. He had learned through his son that John Ottinger and I were trying to locate him. He called me one evening after dinner in January, 2011, and we spoke for a long time on the phone catching up.

He explained to me that he had been on strong medication for some time for a painful leg ailment, but that he was happy to hear that some of his old high school classmates were trying to reach him. We had a good long talk (see earlier post). About a half-hour into our conversation he confessed that he had me confused with another Clifford—that he thought he was talking with Clifford Garlick…:)! We got that straightened out after awhile.

Some time later I again heard from his son, Gary, a CT resident, that—a mere three weeks after our phone call—he had slipped and fallen at home, been rushed to the hospital and there—shockingly—suffered a stroke and died.

I’m glad we had a chance to speak and bring back old times, Chip. And don’t be embarassed. There are days when I think I am Clifford Garlick…

This is going to upset quite a few classmates, seeing as how popular Len was…

Len passed away yesterday, Saturday, March 26, at a hospice facility in or near Vero Beach, FL.

I took a call today from Mike Hyman who relayed this sad news to me—he, in turn, having been notified by Judy Gault who had spoken directly with his wife, Sandra (Sandra Salembier, class of ‘56) earlier today or perhaps yesterday.

Len had been battling cancer for five years since being diagnosed in early 2006. About three weeks ago we received an email from Len that, in his words, “…when the chips are down, the Turk comes calling”—an analogous reference to the process by which an NFL football player is notified that he is being cut from the squad. His oncologist had notified him three days earlier to “contact hospice”.

Pursuant to all this I spoke with Len just last Sunday for a good 45 minutes. His hospice care was taking place at home by visiting nurse professionals and, of course, by Sandra. He seemed to be in fine spirits and was more eager to discuss other matters than his state of health. I did, however, manage to learn more about his condition which I am sharing with you on his Deceased page.

On the very next day, Monday, I learned from John Ottinger—who had spoken with Sandra briefly when he tried to reach Len—that Len had suddenly been taken to a hospice facility.

All very sudden. And then…

Yesterday, Saturday, March 26, Len’s five-year battle with cancer—a truly remarkable post-diagnosis stay—came to an end.

According to Judy a quiet family service was being held for Len at their home in Vero Beach, FL. I will attempt to reach her in a few days to learn more and to see if she is planning an obituary.

To reach Sandra by mail:

1240 40th Ave., SW
Vero Beach, FL 32968-4951

—Cliff

It saddens me to post news of another classmate’s passing, Francis Leroy “Bud” Bennett, Jr. Thanks to Jacee McCluckie for forwarding this to our attention. Bud passed away in his sleep last September. Jacee has been trying to get in touch with his family. You’ll find his obituary here.

From a Wilton classmate who’s been kind enough to submit an occasional comment to this blog, Janet Wahrlich has submitted an interesting, well-written commentary by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Michael Gartner. It appeared in a June, 2006, edition of USA Today (I hope they continue to leave the page up…).

A one-time president of NBC News, Mr. Gartner has had a long and distinguished career in journalism. (Beside the point, but you might recall that it was Gartner, as president of NBC News in 1993, who apparently manned up and took the fall for the “Dateline NBC” piece showing a GM truck in a staged explosion-for-broadcast without explanation to its audience).

Gartner was born in 1938—just a year or so younger than the rest of us. He has written what struck me as a fascinating bit of Americana about his parents. Our Americana—the kind we can look back to and relate to. He tells a story of the doting relationship between his mother and father and the curious way in which they came to deal with owning and driving a car at a time in our history when owning and driving a car was something of a social as well as physical challenge. He tells it in such a plainspoken but compelling manner that I couldn’t stop reading it until the end. Perhaps it takes a journalist of Gartner’s caliber to deliver such prose.

In passing I can’t help but wonder why Janet saved this piece (going back to 2006) to share with people on her email list in 2011? Obviously, she feels it has significance for us at this time of our lives. I wholeheartedly agree, Janet… :O)!

Here’s several overdue (on my part) updates on our “individualist” classmate, John Ottinger. John now (and for many years) lives in Madison, WI, with wife of many years, Peggy. With a reputation as being one of the foremost Liberal enclaves in America (along w/ San Francisco and the People’s Republic of Cambridge, MA…:O), John once told me that the city of Madison is known in intellectual circles—tongue-in-cheek—as “40 square miles surrounded by Reality…”:O). John and I come from opposite sides of the political fence but I can’t remember a single instance—out of (it must be) hundreds of political discussions since high school—when he and I exchanged a sharp word. Over politics or anything else.

Mike has been busy recently converting his old 35mm slides to digital format, among which are a number from high school days. Check out this summer 1955 trip in his dad’s new Buick Century through the Luray Caverns in Virginia with Sandy Frey and Vince DePierro—a trip to see fellow classmates Mary Ann Johnson, Judy Gault and Lyn Hackley. Mike thinks the girls might have been visiting Mary Ann’s folks in West Virginia. This is a small sample of his collection, so let’s all bug him by email to forward the rest while we can still point and click…:O)! (The password for the Classmate Contacts page is the name of our football team—all lower case.)

Another sad passing, I am sorry to report. Lyn died last September. The only news we have at this time comes from Judy Gault, longtime friend of Lyn’s, who informed me recently of Lyn’s death in an email:

Also to let you know I heard from Lyn Hackley’s daughter. Karen. who sent me a Christmas card telling me that Lyn died in September. She didn’t know who to contact until she got my Christmas card. She [Lyn] was living with her in Hilton Head… [and] had lots of health problems for many, many years.

Judy has asked Karen to see if and where there might be an obituary she would share with us. As soon as I hear anything I will post it.

Lyn last resided in Lauderhill, FL. You can read a brief comment or two from Lyn’s 50th Reunion class greetings on her Classmate Updates page.

Well, this is embarrassing! Recently I started looking online for news of Chip DiBlanda’s passing. I was told by someone—I think it was Noel Castiglia—that Chip was in a bad way, health-wise. I went to the Social Security death index website and thought I had confirmed his death in 2007 or 2008. I searched for “DiBlanda” in Durham, NC newspapers (his last known address) attempting to find an obit but came up with nothing.

I then asked John Ottinger for his opinion. John has a lot of experience in online investigations of this sort and, as I recall, he tended to agree with me about Chip’s demise. However, he also found his way onto an Andrew Warde high school blog and located a Gary DiBlanda—potentially Chip’s son and about the right age (class of ‘85)—and then sent him an email inquiring about his dad (brilliant…:O)!, forwarding me a copy. Some time went by and still we heard nothing so I wrote to Gary, as well. For several weeks more nothing happened.

Then—one night a couple of weeks ago—I get an out-of-state, cell phone call from someone with a barely audible, raspy voice calling himself “Charles”. I could barely understand him over the poor connection. Nevertheless (after turning off both TVs and adjusting my hearing aid…:O) I managed to do so. It was Chip! Apparently his son, Gary, came across our emails in a spam folder one day, and then got in touch with his dad. Hence Chip’s phone call.

Chip and I weren’t close friends back in high school. Nevertheless, I was so delighted to hear from someone I feared dead that we spoke for an hour easily—probably a lot longer. And so I’ve provided a short update on our fellow classmate from Weston, Charles (”Chip”) Eugene DiBlanda, here on his Classmate Update page. You will find his email address on the Class Contacts page if you’d like to get in touch with him (the password for the page is the name of our high school football team). I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear from you.

Whew! Welcome back, Chip…:O)!

In another comment (originally posted 11/23/2009), Leann Walker sounds fairly confident that…:

This picture [click photo to enlarge] is from the 6th grade and it is both Mrs. Stebenson’s and Miss Lumpkin’s class at Bedford Elementary. The unknown boy in the third row is Paul (Huron) Marquis. He is also in the photo of Miss Comer’s dance class. He went to a private school in the seventh grade.

—Leann

On October 1 (last month) Leann Walker posted the following comment under the original photo, as reprinted here:

The gas station is on Main Street in Westport [click photo to enlarge]. It was then called “Walt’s Gas Station”. The building in the background behind the convertible is Dorain’s Drug Store. To the near right of the photo (unseen) would be the small mobile Bill’s Smoke Shop next to Elm Street.

Great photos!!

—Leann

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